Brix Smith
Brix Smith with The Fall (left: Steve Hanley), Perverted By Language Tour, Hamburg (Markthalle), 13.April 1984
Background information
Birth name	Laura Elisse Salenger
Also known as	Brix Smith-Start
Born	(1962-11-12) November 12, 1962 (age 49)
Genres	punk rock, post-punk
Occupations	Musician, fashion retailer and presenter
Instruments	Vocals/Guitar
Years active	1983–present
Associated acts	The Fall, The Adult Net

Brix Smith-Start (born November 12, 1962 as Laura Elisse Salenger in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer, guitarist and television presenter, best known for being a member of post-punk band The Fall, and as lead singer and songwriter with The Adult Net.

Biography[link]

Brix grew up in Los Angeles and Chicago. While in Chicago, she formed a band called "Banda Dratsing", and was their bassist/vocalist. Brix studied theatre and literature at Bennington College in Vermont.^[1]

The Fall[link]

Brix married Fall vocalist Mark E. Smith in 1983, and joined the band on guitar and vocals in the same year. She first appeared on the Perverted by Language album. During her period with the band she helped introduce a more mainstream, pop-oriented element to the group's sound. She divorced Smith and left The Fall in 1989. She temporarily rejoined the group for Cerebral Caustic (1995) and The Light User Syndrome (1996).

The Adult Net[link]

In 1985, Brix started her side project, The Adult Net, with fellow Fall member, Simon Rogers, and other contributors (including Mark E. Smith). The band released four singles for The Fall's then label Beggars Banquet Records in 1985 and 1986, starting with a cover of Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints".

After three years and an album recorded with members of The Smiths, The Adult Net released The Honey Tangle in 1989 on Phonogram Records. This line up included Brix along with musicians including Craig Gannon, The The member James Eller and Blondie drummer Clem Burke.

Solo work and other activities[link]

After leaving The Fall and disbanding The Adult Net, Brix went on to tour with The Bangles. She became romantically involved with violinist Nigel Kennedy, and they collaborated on a cover of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" which was released as a single in 1993 on Nettwerk.

In 1994, Brix had auditioned for Hole after the death of bassist Kristen Pfaff, but she decided she didn't want to commit to being in the band full-time.^[2]

In 1997, she released the Happy Unbirthday EP on Strangelove. The EP is a collaboration with Marty Willson-Piper and includes a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity".

In 2007, Brix put out her first solo LP Neurotica which is available as a digital download on Loser Friendly Records.

Start and fashion[link]

Brix married Philip Start, and the couple launched an East London boutique, Start, in 2002. Since then, they have expanded to four boutiques and an online store.

In recent years, as Brix Smith-Start, she has appeared on numerous British television shows, such as Channel 4's Gok's Fashion Fix, as a fashion expert. She's also appeared on Animal Planet UK's Top Dog, The Culture Show on BBC Two, the John Peel's Record Box documentary on Channel 4, LK Today's 'What's Hot and What's Not' segment^[3] and Sky 1's Angela and Friends.^[4]

On 27 February 2011 she appeared as fashion expert on Sky television's coverage of the 2011 Academy Awards.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Start's official website
• Loser Friendly Records

Mark E. Smith
Mark E. Smith performing live at the Knitting Factory in NYC on 9 April 2004.
Background information
Birth name	Mark Edward Smith
Born	(1957-03-05) 5 March 1957 (age 55) Broughton, Salford, England
Genres	Post-punk Alternative rock
Occupations	Musician, lyricist, songwriter
Instruments	Vocalist, Piano, Synthesiser, Guitar, Bass, Violin, Continuum, Percussion, Mandocello
Associated acts	The Fall Von Südenfed

Mark Edward Smith (born 5 March 1957) is the lead singer, lyricist, frontman, and only constant member of the English post-punk group The Fall.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Smith with The Fall in Japan

Smith was born to a working-class family in Broughton, Salford, in Lancashire, England, and moved to nearby Prestwich, to the north of Salford, early in his life. In his autobiography, Smith claimed that Alfred Henry Hook – a soldier who fought at Rorke's Drift – was an ancestor of his father, which led to the Smith family being invited as guests of honour to the Whitefield showing of Zulu, where the soldier was played by James Booth.^[1] Originally a Labour supporter, he then joined the Socialist Workers Party.^[2]

The Fall[link]

He formed The Fall (named after the novel by Camus) with friends after dropping out of college at the age of 19. He gave up his job at Salford docks shortly after to devote his full energies to The Fall, and has continued to do so ever since. Smith married Chicagoan guitarist (and Fall band member, 1983–89, 1994–96) Brix Smith on 19 July 1983, though they divorced in 1989. He has since remarried twice; his second wife was Saffron Prior who used to work for The Fall's fan club. He married his present wife, Eleni (sometimes called Elenor or Elena) Poulou, in 2001, and she joined The Fall in September 2002.

When British DJ and Fall champion John Peel died in 2004, Smith made a notorious appearance on the BBC's Newsnight show.^[3] Regarded by many as a bewildering performance, Smith has made his appreciation for Peel clear in several subsequent interviews. Nevertheless, the two only met a handful of times. Though he broke his hip while promoting the album The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) in 2004, Smith refused to cancel an upcoming American tour, instead choosing to perform in a wheelchair. Unfortunately the pain and medication caused a number of dates to be cancelled.

In January 2005, The Fall were the subject of The Fall: The Wonderful and Frightening World of Mark E. Smith, a BBC Four television documentary. The following August, Smith received the "Contribution to Music" award at the Diesel-U-Music Awards. Smith's autobiography, Renegade: The Gospel According to Mark E. Smith, recorded with Manchester-based writer Austin Collings, was published by Viking Books in April 2008. The latest studio album by The Fall, Ersatz GB, was released on 14 November 2011.

Lyrical style[link]

Smith has won acclaim for his lyrical style, which mixes elements of social realism, surrealism, and absurdism addressing diverse topics such as drug use, unemployment, football violence, time travel and the supernatural.

In interviews, he has cited Colin Wilson,^[4] Wyndham Lewis, Thomas Hardy,^[5] Philip K. Dick as influences,^[6] as well as Edgar Allan Poe, Raymond Chandler,^[7] and H. P. Lovecraft, whose short story "The Colour Out of Space" he read in Christmas 2007 for the BBC Collective website.^[8]

Work outside The Fall[link]

Music, writing and acting[link]

Alongside his work with The Fall, Smith has released two spoken-word solo albums: The Post-Nearly Man (1998) and Pander! Panda! Panzer! (2002). Both albums feature readings of Fall lyrics, samples of Fall songs and contributions from members of The Fall, and the line between Smith's solo career and his work with the group remains somewhat blurred.

Smith has also appeared as a guest vocalist for Edwyn Collins, Elastica, Gorillaz, Long Fin Killie, Mouse on Mars, Coldcut, and Ghostigital. His contribution to the Inspiral Carpets' 1994 song I Want You won UK top 20 recognition, topped the Festive Fifty^[9] and resulted in Smith's first appearance on the classic UK TV show Top of the Pops.^[10] Most recently, Smith has worked with Mouse on Mars on the collaboration project Von Südenfed, whose first album, Tromatic Reflexxions, was released on 21 May 2007. Smith more recently provided guest vocals on the new Gorillaz album Plastic Beach, on the song "Glitter Freeze", and joined the group Shuttleworth to record the World Cup song England's Heartbeat.

In 1986, Smith wrote the play Hey, Luciani based around the short-lived reign of Pope John Paul I. Smith has also periodically acted as guest contributor to publications including the NME. He has appeared in an acting role in several television programmes and films. He made a cameo in the Michael Winterbottom film 24 Hour Party People (2002), while his younger self was portrayed by UK actor Sam Riley in a section that was deleted from the final cut of the film, but is featured as a deleted scene on the DVD. In May 2007 Smith made an appearance on the BBC Three sitcom Ideal, playing a foulmouthed, chain-smoking Jesus.

He has also appeared in several films made by the artist Mark Aeriel Waller, including "Glow Boys" and "Midwatch".

Discography[link]

With The Fall[link]

Solo[link]

• The Post Nearly Man (1998), Artful
• Pander Panda Panzer (2002), Action Records

D.O.S.E. featuring Mark E. Smith[link]

• "Plug Myself In" (1996), Coliseum – 2 CDs, 12" vinyl

INCH featuring Mark E. Smith[link]

• INCH EP (1999), Regal

Von Südenfed[link]

Albums

• Tromatic Reflexxions (2007), Domino

Singles

• "Fledermaus Can't Get It" (2007), Domino
• "The Rhinohead/Slow Down Ronnie" (2007), Domino

Mark E. Smith & Ed Blaney[link]

Albums

• Smith and Blaney (2008), Voiceprint
• The Train Part Three (2009), Voiceprint

Singles

• "Real Good Time Together" (2008), Voiceprint
• "Transfusion" (2009), Voiceprint

Other collaborations and guest appearances[link]

The Adult Net

• "White Night" single (1986) – "Naughty But Nice"

The Clint Boon Experience

• "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" single (1999), Artful – "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog (live)"

Coldcut

• What's That Noise album (1989) – "I'm in Deep"

Edwyn Collins

• I'm Not Following You (1996), Setanta – "Seventies Night"

Elastica

• Elastica EP (1999), Deceptive – "How He Wrote Elastica Man", "KB"

Ghostigital

• Iceland Airwaves '05 V/A album (2005), Iceland Airwaves – "Not Clean" (also released as a single)

Gorillaz

• Plastic Beach album (2010) – "Glitter Freeze"

Inspiral Carpets

• "I Want You" single (1994) – "I Want You"
• Keep the Circle (B sides and Udder Stuff) album (2007) – "Saturn 5"

Jon the Postman

• Puerile album – Intro to "Louie Louie"

Long Fin Killie

• "Heads of Dead Surfers" single (1995) – "Heads of Dead Surfers"

Mild Man Jan

• "Fistful of Credits" single (2000) – "Fistful of Credits"

Mouse on Mars

• Wipe That Sound EP (2004), Sonig – "Cut the Gain", "Sound City"

Shuttleworth

• "England's Heartbeat" (2010) – Shuttleworth feat. Mark E. Smith

Tackhead

• "Dangerous Sex" single (1989) – "Repetition"

Timekode

• "Cheap Space Chant" 1996

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Smith, Mark E. (1985). The Fall Lyrics. Berlin: Lough Press.
• Edge, Brian (1989). Paintwork: A Portrait of The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-1740-X
• Ford, Simon (2003). Hip Priest: The Story Of Mark E Smith And The Fall. London: Quartet Books. ISBN 0-7043-8167-2
• Middles, Mick; Smith, Mark E. (2003). The Fall. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9762-4
• Thompson, Dave (2003). A User's Guide To The Fall. London: Helter Skelter Publishing. ISBN 1-900924-57-9.
• Smith, Mark E.; Collings, Austin (2008). Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 978-0-670-91674-0
• Smith, Mark E. (2008). vII. The Lough Press.

External links[link]

• The Fall online formerly: The Official Fall Website & The Unofficial Fall Website
• Various interviews
• Guardian interview (2005)
• BBC Collective interview (2005)
• musicOMH.com interview (2008)
• Wire interview (1999)
• Wire interview (1996)
• Interview (1989)
• Video – Touch Sensitive directed by Graham Brown-Martin
• 'Call yourself a football fan?' – interview with Smith in which he talks about a plumbing goalkeeper and the existential pain of being in the director's box at Maine Road.