Mark E Smith quote on Doncaster ‘Nuke Russia’ resurfaces after Ukraine attack
Smith, lead singer of Manchester post-punk band The Fall and who died in 2018, was famous for his acerbic wit and wisdom – and one of his most famous pearls of wisdom that gave Doncaster its name has taken on a new breath after Vladimir Putin. deadly attack on neighboring Ukraine.
The remark, which the singer made almost four decades ago, saw him compare Doncaster to communist East Germany – and people shared it widely online to show their solidarity with Ukraine .
When asked about the politics of the day by a music interviewer in the 1980s, he replied, “Nuking Russia might not be a bad idea as far as the world is concerned.
“They put a lot of people in miserable lives.
“You only have to be in East Germany to see it. It’s a horrible way to live. It’s like Doncaster.”
The singer died at the age of 60 four years ago.
It is unclear whether the band played Doncaster for Smith to present his views – although the Outlook club and the Silver Street Rotters were popular haunts for the post punk and new wave scene in the late 1970s and in the early 1980s.
Famously grumpy and cantankerous and responsible for dismissing a string of musicians from The Fall, his lyrics were often composed in a clipped, abbreviated style and delivered in a dragging, dragging mark.