How Can saved Mark E. Smith’s life
At the tail end of the 1960s, a band emerged from Germany that changed the landscape of experimental rock. Can, pioneers of the wildly influential krautrock genre, were known for their improvisational sound, basing their songs on extended jams. They allowed their instruments to take them wherever they might end up, incorporating cyclical rhythms and influences ranging from free jazz to avant-garde compositions.
According to Irmin Schmidt, he formed Can after a trip to New York “corrupted” him. Enthralled by Andy Warhol’s scene, which included the pioneering geniuses The Velvet Underground, Schmidt – a classical composer – decided to create an experimental rock-inspired group. The band’s influence continues to spread, and they’ve been cited as an inspiration by acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, LCD Soundsystem and even Kanye West.
However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a musician who has declared their love for Can as much as The Fall’s Mark E. Smith. The misanthropic frontman was infamously outspoken about things he disliked, but he always gushed about the krautrockers, even penning a song in homage, ‘I Am Damo Suzuki’.
In 2016, Smith finally met Schmidt, one of his heroes, for an interview included in the book All Gates Open. According to the Can founder, “He was extremely warm-hearted, he was all the time touching me and he was very happy after all this time to finally be meeting me. I had heard so much about him being rough but he wasn’t – it was a very funny conversation. What I took is that I met a very lovable person.”
Smith explained to Schmidt how he discovered Can. “The first record I bought was Tago Mago. When I was 15, I was a hardcore Velvet Underground fan. And other friends of mine who were also listening to The Velvet Underground told me that I should listen to Can. So I filled out a postcard, and two weeks later I got back a Can record – from London.”
This led Schmidt to ask Smith if he enjoyed the record, to which he replied, “Can saved my life”. He elucidated: “It formed my skills listening to it. I went to grammar school at that time and everybody was listening to Pink fucking Floyd and The Beatles. They were shit. But Can were great. As was Gary Glitter. And The Velvet Underground. Manchester people always liked Can. That’s why we are called ‘The Can People’ since 1973.”
The Fall frontman continued: “To earn some money I was working on the docks. All music during that period was fucking shite – David Bowie, Genesis, Pink Floyd and James Taylor. Crap. Can saved my life. Irmin, you fucking saved my life! And because you saved my life I even bought Soon Over Babaluma.”
Unfortunately, Smith never got to see Can play – by the time Smith had the chance, the band had quit touring with each other. In 1977, Smith even attempted to contact the band, suggesting they play a show with The Fall. Smith recalled, “I was an insane fan of yours back then. I had just begun and formed a band. I had formed The Fall in 1976.” But Can declined the offer, with Schmidt explaining, “We said it was too late, we had decided not to play together any more.”
Revisit The Fall’s Can homage, ‘I Am Damo Suzuki’, below.
