'I've hung on in there this long, so why fuck off now?  That's all part of who The Fall are anyway: the persistent effort that goes into it, the coping, the getting by, and the times when the group's tiptop and you go and have a drink . . . '

Still going after thirty years, The 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.

'Possibly the funniest music book ever written' Andrew O'Hagan, The Observer

Author Biography

Mark E. Smith was a founder member of Manchester band The Fall in 1977, one of a great trio of bands (with Joy Division and the Buzzcocks) to come out of the city at that time. They have released a remarkable 79 albums and still continue to tour at a punishing rate. Having survived punk, 80s indie, Madchester and Britpop, they continue to have a near-religious following. When not on the road, Mark E Smith lives in Manchester.