Pop Quiz: Mark E Smith of The Fall

Pop Quiz: Mark E Smith of The Fall

Aidin Vaziri | The woman answering the phone says Mark E Smith will call back from a land line in just a minute. A good hour later, the Fall singer, 48, is on the line, cackling uncontrollably and thinking he's speaking to someone from Colorado. So it is with the always charming and always unpredictable Smith, who since 1976 has released more than 80 albums and gone through more than 40 different band members. On the way, the Fall's askew post-punk music has made more than a conspicuous impression on everyone from Pavement to Franz Ferdinand, whom Smith has threatened to sue.

Mark E Smith
Q: Last time you were in America, the tour ended abruptly when you and two of your band members came to blows in the middle of a song.
A: Yeah. You read that?
Q: No, I remember it. And then you got arrested.
A: Right. Two nights in the cell.
Q: Before that, you broke your hip and had to sing from a wheelchair.
A: Yeah, I was a cripple. I had no escape.
Q: Should people be worried about seeing you this time?
A: No, no, no. The group is very on form, actually. You'll be surprised. They're all 10 years younger than me.
Q: What do you think of all these new bands that sound like the Fall?
A: It disturbs me a lot, actually.
Q: You're not honored?
A: No. I don't like being used like a trademark.
Q: How much would it take to get you to listen to a Franz Ferdinand album?
A: Me? All the way through? About $100,000.