Mark E. Smith - Interview on NYC Radio in 1981

[@PrincePurple]

Many here are saying this is the best MES interview they've ever heard. Yes, it is great. The reason for that is obviously due to the interviewer. MES knew the interviewer was genuine so Smith was all in. And, yes, I know who the interviewer is -- it is Tim Sommer and this is from New York University's radio station. Tim Sommer was a fantastic DJ. He played the greatest music and his interview show was must listen. I don't know where you can find it, but his interview with The Violent Femmes was absolutely fantastic. Informative and funny as hell. It's from nearly 40 years ago and I still remember it, that's how great it was. Glad to see that people here are enjoying the fantastic work of Tim Sommer. He loved music and it shows in all he did. (He was a massive Chameleons fan, I do recall.)

[@MadderMel]

Yes ! It's brilliant ! Is Tim still around , still alive ?

[@paulwise7206]

all MES interviews are the infinate black dot of infinate creatavity, bounce

[@blaisebienvenue5117]

"Not evilly wrong. Just incompetence wrong." Hahahaha I love him.

[@sirperybLakeney]

One of the best interviews with MES I've ever heard. Brilliant. Thanks for posting this.

[@Rufusdos]

Agree, the interviewer was intelligent and got the most out of him. I particularly liked the part about the guy playing "My Way" in a Manchester club.

[@MadderMel]

Very good interviewer , and he and Mark seem to be on the same wavelength !

[@karager23]

A good interviewer is hard to find as it is, not to mention the one that's good enough to 'squeeze out' 20+ minutes of Mark's mumbling ;)

[@timdogdawg4099]

"You play music like you invented it" Probably the biggest acclaim one person can bestow upon another in terms of musical genius!

[@sidDkid87]

6:58 *_”well, when you ARE it you don’t have to affect it”_*

[@nogingerfool1]

miss ya , cheers for the years

[@gilwood7530]

There really will NEVER be anything like M.E.S. and THE FALL. Amazing live band !!! Except those "rare" off-nights.

[@s.k.3891]

I met and had a brief conversation with M.E.S at a signing of their then new album, The infotainment scam .I asked him about the inspiration behind "Wings", wondering if Gabriel Garcia Marquez's " a very old man with enormous wings"(which has an almost identical tale to tell), was an influence.He said no, it was just a sci-fi thing.I found him smart and interesting, and I wish I had the nerve to talk to him a while longer!

[@EdGreenTelle]

i've always thought he nicked a fair bit from 'slaughterhouse 5' for wings, what with all the time warps and crossfires

[@s.k.3891]

I hadn't thought of that! You're probably right.

[@bobstevens3265]

when you are it, you don't have to affect it

[@anonyarena]

Ooh, Timmy Sommer! He used to write the America Underground column in Trouser Press and hosted Noise The Show on WNYU Radio. I like how Mark said he was tired of just playing England because it was too "safe" to play where The Fall remain popular. I hope Mark brings The Fall back to NYC someday soon. We miss them here.

[@earinsound]

Sommer also played bass in a great band called Hugo Largo. RIP MES

[@karager23]

And they blew away USA as well :) I have a couple of tape recordings of gigs played on 'A Part Of America Tour' and every each one is brilliant..

[@Hwral]

Oh, hah. The intro is from "I Dig You" from Cult Hero. A hobby side project from the Cure. Mark E. Smith's a cult hero too!

[@j72ashley]

I wish I had a medal to give you lol. My friends don't care for my taste in music, but I love: The Fall, Joy Division, Durutti Column, Wire, The Smiths, etc..... anyhow, i'm rambling.... nice catch on that! 2 pts lol

[@Alessio669]

Genius

[@DustyCustard]

Mark sounds so posh in this interview. What was the 100 word Christmas message he wrote for the NME, mentioned at 22:24 as the best thing ever written?

[@karager23]

I honestly don't know, maybe I stumled upon it at some point of my 'Fall research' but wasn't paying attention..but I can bet it can be found on some of the Fall-related groups on Facebook, probably scanned ..if I find it I'll let you know :)

[@grizcuz]

I wonder what happened to all his writings and notebooks after his death? If he'd been an author of a similar standing it would have ended up in a library or archive.

[@karager23]

I really don't know that much but it definitely deserves a place in Manchester's library/archive at least

[@crieff1sand2s]

Shame it's only 25 minutes wish it was 3or4 times longer, MES and the interviewer both sharp as a tack... 👍

[@Robhalifax]

Fascinating interview, although it sounds like Mark's swallowed the mic.

[@beanbeanster7219]

By the looks of the album cover, he's giving it a good try.

[@Schizopantheist]

Have to agree with percy blakeney, this is the best most enlightening M.E.S. interview i've heard

[@Schizopantheist]

at least audio interviews

[@justmadeit2]

Mark was a unique guy. Fall fans, i created a video to go with their song No Bulbs, its in my recent uploads Septemeber 2018….or simply just type in The Fall No Bulbs and youll see it there under my username.

[@mrblue99999]

12:25 sums it up.

[@pauld724]

Anyone here who says "They met Mark and he was a great guy" never met Mark E. Smith- (Someone said that)

[@jacklyndonburton5979]

Anyone know the song at the start? X

[@eyelooksawaythenlooksback3077]

@Jack Burton "I Dig You" Cult Hero

[@MadderMel]

V/good.

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

He believed that what he had to say was right.

[@MSTL144]

Goodness, remember when Americans were eloquent? Seems like a life time away. What on earth happened to you guys?

[@finnkdy]

Oranje No 1,Bush in da desert, enz.

[@Warp75]

Whatever happened to the western world full stop. Everything got dumbed down

[@spaceengineer1452]

So, he COULD speak English early on...very hard to understand years later.

[@hb-fc3jj]

I love how he always sounded like he had false teeth, even before he did. One of the last times I saw the Fall his dentures wouldn't stay in and he sang half the set crouched behind the drum kit.

[@brutallyremastered4255]

Ha ha