Mark Fisher was a prolific writer, music critic, cultural theorist, philosopher, and teacher who influenced many people with his insightful and original ideas. He was best known for his blog k-punk, where he discussed radical politics, music, and popular culture, and for his books such as Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009) and The Weird and the Eerie (2017). However, behind his brilliant mind, Fisher also struggled with depression for years, which ultimately led him to take his own life in January 2017. This article will explore the circumstances of his death and the legacy he left behind.
Contents
Fisher’s Early Life and Education
Fisher was born in Leicester and raised in Loughborough to working-class, conservative parents. He attended a local comprehensive school and developed a passion for music and literature. He was influenced by the post-punk music press of the late 1970s, which combined music with politics, film, and fiction. He also enjoyed the relationship between working class culture and football, and witnessed the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
Fisher earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Philosophy at Hull University in 1989, and completed a PhD at the University of Warwick in 1999 titled Flatline Constructs: Gothic Materialism and Cybernetic Theory-Fiction. During this time, he was a founding member of the interdisciplinary collective known as the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit, which was associated with accelerationist political thought and the work of philosophers Sadie Plant and Nick Land. He also befriended and influenced producer Kode9, who would later found the Hyperdub record label. In the early 1990s, he also made music as part of the techno group D-Generation.
Fisher’s Career and Achievements
After teaching philosophy at a further education college, Fisher began his blog k-punk in 2003, which quickly gained a large and loyal following. He wrote about various topics, such as neoliberalism, mental health, capitalism, popular culture, music, film, and literature, with a sharp and critical perspective. He also contributed to publications such as The Wire, Fact, New Statesman, and Sight & Sound. He was praised for his ability to connect different fields and domains, and to articulate complex ideas in an accessible and engaging way.
Fisher also published several books, which expanded on his blog posts and essays. His most famous work was Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009), which explored the ideological and psychological effects of neoliberal capitalism on society and culture. He argued that capitalism had become the dominant and naturalized mode of existence, and that it had eroded the possibility of imagining and enacting alternatives. He also criticized the commodification of education, the precarity of work, and the privatization of mental health.
Other notable books by Fisher include Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures (2014), which examined the concept of hauntology and the nostalgia for lost futures in music and culture, and The Weird and the Eerie (2017), which analyzed the literary and cinematic genres of the weird and the eerie, and their relation to the outside and the unknown. Fisher also co-founded Zero Books, and later Repeater Books, which published works by other radical and innovative thinkers.
Fisher’s Death and Legacy
Fisher’s mental health deteriorated since May 2016, leading to a suspected overdose in December 2016, where he was admitted to Ipswich Hospital. He had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and had been taking medication and undergoing therapy. He also wrote candidly about his struggles with depression on his blog and in his books, and how they affected his personal and professional life.
On January 13, 2017, Fisher was found dead at his home in Felixstowe, England. He had hanged himself with a belt. He was 48 years old. He left behind his wife Zoë, his son George, and his many friends, colleagues, and admirers. His death was met with shock and grief by the intellectual and artistic community, and many tributes and obituaries were written in his honor.
Fisher’s death also sparked a discussion about the stigma and the social causes of mental illness, and the need for more support and solidarity for those who suffer from it. Fisher had argued that depression was not only a personal issue, but also a political one, and that it was linked to the alienation and exploitation caused by capitalism. He had also advocated for a collective and creative resistance to the status quo, and for the revival of the utopian imagination.
Fisher’s work remains relevant and influential today, as it offers a critical and original analysis of the contemporary world and its problems, and a vision of a different and better future. His work has inspired many people, from academics and activists, to artists and musicians, to think differently and to challenge the dominant narratives and paradigms. He has also left behind a rich and diverse body of writings, which continue to be read and discussed by new generations of readers.
According to Wikipedia, Fisher died by suicide in January 2017, shortly before the publication of The Weird and the Eerie. According to The Cinemaholic, Fisher struggled with depression for years, which ultimately led him to take his own life. According to EADT, Fisher’s mental health deteriorated since May 2016, leading to a suspected overdose in December 2016.
