"Mark E Smith Wargamer?" Topic

I caught up with the last part of Punk Britannia on BBC4 last night.
Astonishingly, as well as a can of lager, legendary Fall frontman Mark E Smith was interviewed alongside what appear to be some 28mm Napoleonics.
See for yourself here (around the 11min mark):
YouTube link

Could he be the poster boy of our hobby in the music biz, like Stewart, Young and Waterman (a supergroup in the offing?) are for model railways?
:)

I must be out of the loop. Never heard of him. But I'm glad he's the poster boy. Whoever he is.

Weistein has blocked my country from viewing it .
One of my closest friends is mark E Smith lives in Florida
paints Motorcycles

I doubt Mark E Smith could count as a poster boy for anything.

But I spotted the figures too – they seemed more coherent than his speech. (and what appaling taste in lager for someone with that many records behind him, Fosters? at least is wasn't special brew, I suppose).

The figs were based though, which shows a wargamer not a figure painter.

Who?

Visionary genius commentator of the world or a complete drunken arse..take your pick. The Fall have done some good tunes mind, even if you wouldn't want Smith as your room mate.

Mark E Smith. Front man of "The Fall". They must have made about 300 albums since the late 70s. Very loyal cult following.

bruntonboy is spot on……

Who? But the evil Weistein means I'll not find out.

Odd. I'm sure if he was, someone would have mentioned playing him by now!

Jaz
6sided.net – start a blog!

Maybe he's a solo gamer ?

The Fall is occasionally brilliant, and Mark E is, as usual, incomparably incoherently incomprehensible.

But I can't imagine him painting minis. Still, there they are, like a statement, clearer than anything he has ever said.

Imagine discussing rules with him.

I've had a few chats with Mark E Smith over the years, gaming has never come up in conversation. Next time I see him I'll ask.

For those of you who have never heard of the Fall try a youtube search, might I recommend "Theme From Sparta FC"

For a man who's seemingly "Totally Wired" most of the time, I'd be surprised to see Mr. Smith calmly measuring for Napoleonics. "Pass me a lager and en avant, y'bastads!!" We live in strange times.

Just to blow an modern myth, not all Napoleonic gamers are boring, argumentative farts with personality disorders. I know many who are allowed on public transport and some are even allowed out without an attendant carer.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco collects toy soldiers. I think Warhammer or something. It was in some book years ago about famous geeks.

Visionary genius commentator of the world or a complete drunken arse

The two are hardly mutually exclusive. I was almost as suprised to see his toy soldiers as I was to see Penny Rimbauld is still alive…

Is it politics to mention that Michael Gove (UK politician and Education Secretary) is rumoured to be a wargamer? If so, I didnt dsay it.

Imrael,

He claims he hasn't played since university. This exchange from the website of the Independent (a UK newspaper which is nothing of the sort):

Q. You have confessed to being a wargaming fan. Isn't this a bit sad for a grown-up?

A. As someone who still likes Simple Minds, I think that once having been a wargaming fan is very far from being the saddest thing about me. I haven't played a wargame since university but I was listening to New Gold Dream only last night.

Hmmm,,,the man who's army expanded… lol

Mark E. Smith- ahh? Into 28mm Napoleonics-ahhh? He's gone down in my estimation-ahhh. I thought he played god's true scale-ahhh? 15mm-ahhh.

But still I wonder how he wrote elastic man?

YouTube link

not all Napoleonic gamers are boring, argumentative farts with personality disorders

Thanks Gaz. You broke me up.
Who's Weistein?

Oh god Gove is a wargamer? I feel sick.

I couldn't find the clip, unfortunately.

If Pob's mouth is moving, he's lying – actually, he seems to have adopted a lot of GW's business model for the DofE.

By Gove – Simple Minds :(

I really can't see Mark E. Smith sitting down to a good eight-hour painting session with the rest of the band-ahhh (nice one SJ Donovan).

Paint yourself fitter?

I heard Wayne Rooney was into Ancients.

…. ducks down quickly.

and you should hear what the Poles are saying about Rooney's missus at the moment.

Oh I don't know -if he's "totally Wired" an 8 hour painting session would be no problem:)

Judging by the video for the Fall's cover of Victoria, I think Mark E. Smith would make a rather good Napoleon: YouTube link

Forgotten about that video for Victoria.

As an aside his wife at the time Brix, is now the designer fashion adviser on Gok Wan's programme How To Look Good Naked.

So it wouldn't surprise me at all if he was a Napoleonic gamer

This has made my day, as a long time fan of Mark E.
Also reminds me that I ran into Mark Perry of ATV fame many years ago, and he was gamer too.

Nic Eureka Miniatures

Does this mean (as Mark E might be a gamer, and there appear to be lots of Fall fans coming out of the woodwork) that we can expect a raft of Fall related polls?

I don' t know much about Mark E Smith but I do know that Dave Brock of Hawkwind, who I used to know very well, has an amazing train set that he enjoys playing with.

I did once get a major rock musician to play a WW2 game but he never played again as the Germans lost!

I was never really a fan but album titles like "I Am Kurious Oranj" and |"The Frenz Experiment" used to fancinate me. I still quote the former when setting out my Grand Alliance /Battle of the Boyne troops -are there many albums inspired by the events of 1688?
Colinjallen -you knew Dave Brock -now that is a cool thing and a half.

mashrewba, I was their manager for a while; the worst experience of my life!

I can imagine!!!

I must be mad as I think the Fall are excellent. I have 7 or 8 of their albums but this is not a lot from the whole collection.

I didn't watch the series. I was there at the time as a spotty 15 year old, and saw a few bands. It destroyed crappy disco but now we have crappy talk show bands instead. Rant over.

Not sure many wargamers have figures on there beer table though. I would never trust myself

Craig

Hmmm…probably just a stage set table.

A steam train belches steam, smoke and soot as supposedly it crosses the viaducts of a smog-covered Manchester in 1978, a cinematic image inspired by Lowry perhaps?
Don`t believe eveything you see on the television.

"I don' t know much about Mark E Smith but I do know that Dave Brock of Hawkwind, who I used to know very well, has an amazing train set that he enjoys playing with"

Several of my friends from school would have been most impressed at that statement. The closest I've come to rock royalty was being spat on by Johnny Rotten at a gig when I was about 16 or 17. I did almost punch Bob Geldoff in 1982 after he demanded more money to play "I Don't Like Mondays" at a Warwick University gig – I've always held a visceral dislike for "Saint" Bob (and his family by association) ever since.

Andy Partridge from XTC is a wargamer and I heard that Nic from Eureka Miniatures used to be in a Band with Ian Kay from Irregular…

I saw Mark E Smith on that, and the miniatures – who can tell. I do know he is not appreciated.

There is another Phil on this list with a rock god story I'm hoping he might post here – not for me to share though, its his story