Mark E. Smith – författare

The only way to appreciate the legendary Mark E Smith is to encounter the man in his own words.'Ranting, raging, burning...relentlessly splenetic, a long and sustained rant... may also be the funniest music book ever written' - Observer'Unutterably funny... a riot of aimings and blamings and score-settlings. Smith manages to have a right laff, and reveal himself as a figure of dazzling sociological import' - Independent on SundayThe Fall are one of the most distinctive British bands ever, their music - odd, spare, cranky and repetitious - an acknowledged influence on The Smiths, The Happy Mondays, Nirvana and Franz Ferdinand. And Mark E. Smith IS The Fall - 66 members came and went over the years yet he remained its charismatic leader until his death in 2018.'If it's me and yer granny on bongos, it's The Fall.' - Mark E. SmithMark was a professional outsider and all-round enemy of compromise, a true enigma. There have been a number of biographies of the legendary Smith, but this is the first time he opened up in a full autobiography. For the first time we hear his full, candid take on the ups and downs of a band as notorious for its in-house fighting as for its great music; and on a life that endured prison in America, drugs, bankruptcy, divorce, and the often bleak results of a legendary thirst.'Remarkable, brilliant. A provocative joy. Smith's rant gushes like a furious fountain of razor-sharp invective over his childhood and the early days of The Fall, relationships/ marriage, the record industry/ musicians and his views on everything from football to mobile phones, from drinking and drugs to driving, from books to bankruptcy, from Paul Morley to pubs. Unbeatable' - Time Out'Engrossing, exhausting, dense with fascinating detail. As both memoir and cultural history, Renegade is a remarkable achievement' - Daily Telegraph

The only way to appreciate the legendary musician Mark E. Smith is to encounter the man in his own words.'May be the funniest music book ever written' ObserverThe Fall are one of the most distinctive British bands, their music - odd,spare, cranky and repetitious - an acknowledged influence on The Smiths, The Happy Mondays, Nirvana and Franz Ferdinand. And Mark E. Smith IS The Fall.47 members have come and gone over the years yet he remains its charismatic leader, a professional outsider and all-round enemy of compromise, a true enigma. There have been a number of biographies of the legendary Smith, but this is the first time he has opened up in a full autobiography. For the first time we get to hear his full, candid take on the ups and downs of a band as notorious for its in-house fighting as for its great music; and on a life that has endured prison in America, drugs, bankruptcy, divorce, and the often bleak results of a legendary thirst.'A riot' Independent on Sunday 'Unbeatable' Time Out'Vicious' Daily Telegraph'Hilarious' Scotland on Sunday

Over the years, The Fall have given me more pleasure than any other band and, when people ask me why I always say, ''they are always different, they are always the same'' John Peel.The first ever authorised biography of this most inscrutable of bands! Together music writer Mick Middles and Fall leader Mark E. Smith have written an exhaustive biography of The Fall. Spanning their years on the fringe of the Manchester punk scene, three dozen albums, numerous tours, two successful stage plays and various spoken word events, this book is as strangely compelling as the band itself. Laced with Smith''s distinctive brand of working class intellectualism and trenchant broadsides this is a meticulously researched story to thrill the famously disparate fans of The Fall who revel in a string of classic albums that fly in the face of all fashion, fads and musical trends.Mark E Smith remains famously true to his roots. Uncomfortable in art circles in London or, say, New York, he continues to live a full life in his native Salford, perfectly at home amongst the artisans in the string of local pubs. Just one more reason why Mark E Smith is a truly unique phenomenon with assured longevity.The book is the only authorised account of the enigma that is Mark E Smith. Author Mick Middles has been a close friend of Smith for over 25 years, and the book, written with Smith''s complete approval and assistance, delves deep into the heart of that enigma.