The musicians that Mark E. Smith hated
The Fall’s Mark E. Smith was never one to shy away from controversy, not because he loved the drama but simply because he didn’t care enough to hold his tongue. The highly opinionated frontman constantly had something to say, whether that be about music journalists, a popular new band, or even his own bandmates.
Smith, who formed The Fall in 1976 after witnessing the Sex Pistols’ incendiary performance at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall, maintained his outspoken persona throughout his career, both endearing and infuriating fans in equal measure. Yet, his frank outlook on life gave his lyrics a heavy dose of charm, which he sang in his heavy Manchester accent, often rambling his observations to the tune of abrasive guitars.
The Fall were one of the most fundamental post-punk outfits to emerge from the late 1970s, influencing practically every alternative rock band that came after them. However, it didn’t matter if a band gushed over Mark E. Smith’s influence; if he didn’t like them, he wasn’t going to hold back.
Over the years, Smith made some pretty damning comments about several significant figures in the music industry, many of whom were diehard fans of The Fall. In fact, Smith once claimed that modern indie bands cited The Fall as a critical influence just to “sound a bit hip”.
He joked to Brooklyn Vegan: “If I could afford a lawyer, I just might pull an injunction on them [Franz Ferdinand] mentioning our name”. While he clarified that he didn’t explicitly hate Franz Ferdinand, there are plenty of groups and artists that Smith has outrightly condemned.
Discussing ’90s indie bands such as Pavement, who were massively inspired by The Fall, Smith boldly declared them “rip-offs”, saying: “It’s just The Fall in 1985, isn’t it? They haven’t got an original idea in their heads”.
Smith also believed that James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem was a copycat, stating that the song ‘Losing My Edge’ sounded like a rip-off of The Fall. After hearing the track playing while buying groceries, Smith said: “This sounds exactly like me, are you trying to take the piss? […] I mean this bloke [James Murphy], I’ve met him, he doesn’t even talk like that, he’s New York, New Jersey, or whatever. Just some New York arsehole.”
He even dedicated some lines to Murphy in the 2013 song ‘Irish’, as Smith sings: “James Murphy is their chief / They show their bollocks when they eat”. However, that’s not the only time Smith has dissed a fellow musician in one of his songs. He took aim at Morrissey in ‘C.R.E.E.P.’ in 1984, singing: “He reads books; of the list book club/ And after two months—his stance a familiar hunch/It’s that same slouch—you had the last time he came around/ His oppression abounds, his type is doing the rounds/ He is a scum-egg; a horrid trendy wretch”. Still, Smith appeared to dislike Morrissey’s personality more than his music, giving Viva Hate a positive review upon its release in 1988.
Speaking of artists who found considerable success during the 1980s, Smith said of Kate Bush, via The Manchester Evening News: “Who decided it was time to start liking her again? I never even liked her the first time round. It’s like all these radio DJs have been raiding their mam’s and dad’s record collections and decided that Kate Bush is suddenly cool again. But I’m not having it.”
Finally, one of Smith’s funniest comments came as an attack on Mumford and Sons. He once shared: “We were playing a festival in Dublin the other week. There was this other group, like, warming up in the next sort of chalet, and they were terrible”.
He added: “I said, ‘Shut them c*nts up!’ And they were still warming up, so I threw a bottle at them. The bands said, ‘That’s the Sons of Mumford’ or something. ‘They’re number five in charts!'”
