''Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I'' is a play written by

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

, the lead singer of the band the Fall. Described by its author as "a cross between Shakespeare and '' The Prisoner''", the play centres on the mysterious death of Pope John Paul I – born Albino Luciani – in 1978. The script for the play was supposedly written by Smith on

beer mat A coaster, drink coaster, beverage coaster, or beermat is an item used to rest drinks upon. Coasters protect the surface of a table or any other surface where the user might place a glass. Coasters on top of a beverage can also be used to show t ...

s and delivered to the play's director in a shoe box. Starring Smith and the performance artist Leigh Bowery, ''Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I'' ran for two weeks in December 1986 at

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment in ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, west

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In the same month, The Fall released one of the songs from the play, "

Hey! Luciani "Hey! Luciani" is a song by British post-punk band the Fall, written by Mark E. Smith with his then-wife Brix Smith and longstanding band member Steve Hanley. Released in December 1986, the record reached number 59 on the UK singles chart, the ...

," as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

.Raggett, Ned.
Hey, Luciani!
All Music. Retrieved 11 February 2017 Versions of other songs from the play have also been released as tracks on Fall albums: * "Dktr. Faustus" (on '' Bend Sinister'', 1986) * "Living Too Late" (single, featured on some formats of ''Bend Sinister'', 1986) * "Mark'll Sink Us", "Haf Found Bormann", "Sleep Debt Snatches" (B-sides to " There's a Ghost in My House", 1987, collected on '' 458489 B-Sides'', 1990)

References

{{The Fall 1986 plays Plays set in Italy Plays set in the 1970s Biographical plays about religious leaders Popes in art Cultural depictions of Pope John Paul I The Fall (band)