How Mark E. Smith outlived his own obituary
“The report of my death has been grossly exaggerated,” is a famous quote once uttered by writer Mark Twain, though it could just have easily been attributed to Fall frontman Mark E. Smith back in 2017. After having spent years raising hell, living fast and defying expectations, Smith found himself sitting alone, recovering from a long illness. As the weathered lyricist sat contemplatively, somebody entered the room to inform the Salford-born singer that he was, in fact, dead.
Mark E. Smith was the archetypal post-punk frontman: confrontational and abrasive but with an astounding musical vision that seemed to grow year after year. As he changed from fresh-faced young punk to a wizen old stalwart of British independent music, he never lost his signature charm and attitude. His band, The Fall, is one of the definitive groups of the post-punk scene, producing some of the most exciting, genre-defining records during their 42-year reign.
Smith and The Fall never really seemed to slow down; the revolving door of backing musicians kept going well into the 21st century. Releasing over 30 studio albums, The Fall frontman surely cemented himself as one of the most prolific lyricists in British music history. Unfortunately, Smith was diagnosed with cancer of the lungs and kidneys during the 2010s, but the ever-stubborn frontman refused to let his illness keep him down, continuing to write and record new material while battling cancer.
On his 60th birthday, BBC Music’s Twitter page announced that Smith had died on his 60th birthday. Tweeting ‘RIP Mark E Smith’ accompanied by a sad emoji and a photo of his younger self, you can only imagine that Smith – who was very much still alive – would have been scornful of the BBC’s tribute. A sad emoji; that’s the summation of the life of one of Britain’s greatest poets since Thomas Hardy?
While Smith was certainly ill during this time, suffering the aftereffects of a rock ‘n’ roll life well-lived, the BBC has clearly made a mistake with their Tweet. Quickly changing the remembrance post to a ‘Happy Birthday’ message, the Beeb later apologised, putting it down to “genuine human error”. Even in illness, it is safe to assume that Smith cocked his usual Salford sneer when presented with the news of his own death.
Of course, if there is one thing Mark E. Smith was more gifted with than lyricism, it was the art of slagging people off. Over the years, everybody from Morrissey to mobile phones, politicians and the Musicians Union has been on the receiving end of Smith’s razor-sharp wit. Fittingly, therefore, he used this social media guff as an opportunity to take a sideswipe at the BBC. In an interview with The Guardian, he said, “Obviously it was the BBC, the idiots. It was stopped in minutes by Fall fans. I was still ill around that time but was starting to feel better, and somebody comes in and says, “by the way, you’re dead”.”
The Fall frontman did eventually lose his battle with cancer a few months after the BBC prematurely announced it, passing away in January of 2018. In a testament to his tireless musical innovation, his death came only months after the release of the 31st Fall album, New Facts Emerge, a highlight of the late Fall period.
