Mark Oliver Everett, also known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

E (born April 10, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and the frontman of the rock band

Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...

. He is known for writing songs tackling subjects such as death, loneliness, divorce, childhood innocence, depression, and unrequited love, often from personal experience.

Early life

Everett is the son of physicist Hugh Everett III, originator of the

many-worlds interpretation The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is Philosophical realism, objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all Possible ...

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

. Mark's maternal grandfather was Harold "Kid" Gore, a men's basketball, football and baseball coach at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He is of German, Austrian, Polish, Greek, Spanish, Irish, English, Welsh and Scottish decent. When Everett was in his early teens, he was attending a concert by English

rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

when a special effects laser struck him directly in the eye and, as a result, he has needed to wear glasses ever since. Everett's father died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

when Everett was 19. Mark was the one to find him. Everett later made a documentary about his father's theory and his relationship with him, ''

Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives ''Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives'' is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA-winning television documentary broadcast in 2007 on BBC Scotland and BBC Four, in which American rock musician Mark Oliver Everett talks with physicists a ...

'', for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. It aired on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''NOVA'' in 2008.

Career

E

In 1987, Everett moved from his family home in Virginia and settled in California. There, Everett began his professional musical career with two major-label albums: '' A Man Called E'' (1992) and '' Broken Toy Shop'' (1993). The pseudonym "E" was used for both of these early recordings. He became known as "E" because there were several people in his life at the time who had the same first name.

Eels

In 1995, Everett formed the band

in Los Angeles. Their studio albums include ''

Beautiful Freak ''Beautiful Freak'' is the debut album by American rock band Eels. It was released on 13 August 1996 and is the second album released by record label DreamWorks. Background ''Beautiful Freak'' is the first album using the full band name Eels, ...

'' (1996), '' Electro-Shock Blues'' (1998), '' Daisies of the Galaxy'' (2000), '' Souljacker'' (2001), '' Shootenanny!'' (2003), '' Blinking Lights and Other Revelations'' (2005), '' Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire'' (2009), '' End Times'' (2010), '' Tomorrow Morning'' (2010), '' Wonderful, Glorious'' (2013), '' The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett'' (2014), '' The Deconstruction'' (2018), '' Earth to Dora'' (2020), '' Extreme Witchcraft'' (2022), and '' Eels Time!'' (2024). ''Hombre Lobo'', ''End Times'' and ''Tomorrow Morning'' form a trilogy, focusing on "lust, loss and redemption".

In film

Everett's music has been featured in a number of films, including '' American Beauty'' (" Cancer for the Cure"), ''

Scream 2 ''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Jada P ...

'' (" Your Lucky Day in Hell"), ''

Road Trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance Travel, journey traveled by a car or a motorcycle. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by the automobile took place in German Em ...

'' (" Mr. E's Beautiful Blues"), '' Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' ("Christmas is Going to the Dogs"), '' Holes'' ("Eyes Down", "Mighty Fine Blues"), ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...

'' ("My Beloved Monster"), ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book '' Shrek!'' by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Sti ...

'' ("I Need Some Sleep"), '' Shrek the Third'' ("Royal Pain" and "Losing Streak"), ''

Shrek the Halls ''Shrek the Halls'' is an American animated Christmas comedy television special that premiered on the American television network ABC on November 28, 2007. The thirty minute Christmas special was co-written and directed by Gary Trousdale and p ...

'' ("The Stars Shine in the Sky Tonight"), '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' ("Beautiful Freak"), '' Henry Poole is Here'' ("Love of the Loveless"), '' The Big White'' (“I Want to Protect You”, " Last Stop: This Town"), ''

Hot Fuzz ''Hot Fuzz'' is a 2007 buddy cop action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, who co-wrote the film with Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, an elite London police officer, whose proficiency makes the rest of his team look bad, causing hi ...

'' (" Souljacker Part 1"), '' The Big Year'' ("I Like Birds"), as well as most of the music in '' Yes Man''. Additionally, his song " Fresh Blood" (off ''Hombre Lobo'') forms the music played over the credits of

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' The Jinx''. Everett plays an acoustic version of the Eels song "What I Have to Offer" in a deleted scene from ''

This Is 40 ''This Is 40'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Judd Apatow and starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. A "sort-of sequel" to Apatow's film ''Knocked Up'', its plot centers on married couple Pete and Debbie, ...

'' (2012) and follows his performance by telling Rudd's record executive character that the band has decided to sign a contract with a competing label.

Other works

Although he has denied it, Everett is suspected of working under the alias MC Honky, who released the album '' I Am the Messiah'' in 2003. The 2007

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

television documentary ''Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives'' followed Everett as he talked to physicists and his father's former colleagues about his father's theory. The documentary won a

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

award on March 19, 2008. The documentary was shown in lieu of a support act during their UK, US, Irish and Australian tours in the spring of 2008. In the U.S., the PBS program ''Nova'' broadcast the documentary in October 2008. In November 2007, Everett published his autobiography, entitled '' Things the Grandchildren Should Know''. On February 19, 2016, Everett appeared as Brian in Season 1, Episode 4 ("A Party in the Hills") of

Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian known for his work in comedy films. Apatow is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he wrote, produced, and directed his films ''The 4 ...

's ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'', playing a cover of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

's song " Jet". He also briefly appeared in Season 1, Episode 9, Season 2, Episode 2 and Season 3, Episode 6. He had a small cameo in '' Bill & Ted Face the Music'' (2020). He has a brief cameo with his dog in the opening sequence of '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania''. In October 2024, Everett guested on New Zealand band

Lips The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

' single "The Wolf," performing a monologue portraying a serial killer.

Personal life

Everett's sister, Elizabeth, died by suicide in 1996, and in 1998, his mother, Nancy Everett (née Gore), was diagnosed with terminal

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. The lyrics of Eels' second album, ''Electro-Shock Blues'', focused extensively on these events. In 2000, Everett married Natalia Kovaleva, a Russian dentist he met near Hamburg, Germany. The marriage ended after five years. Following Eels' tour accompanying their album ''The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett'', Everett took a break from music. During this period, he met and married a Scottish woman employed in the film industry. At the age of 54, Everett became a father for the first time when his wife gave birth to their son, Archie McGregor Everett. The couple, however, divorced some time later. Everett's cousin, Jennifer Lewis (née Gore), was a flight attendant who perished on

American Airlines Flight 77 American Airlines Flight 77 was a scheduled domestic transcontinental passenger flight from Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. The Boeing 757-200 aircraft serving the flig ...

, the plane that struck

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in 2001. The plane struck the side of the

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

where his father had worked, and Everett remarks in his autobiography that he wonders whether the plane hit his father's old office. In July 2014, Everett was given the

Freedom of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

, at a ceremony held prior to his concert at the

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...

. Although raised as a Roman Catholic Everett has described himself as an

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

References

External links

*Healy, Pat
"'Nova' came for his soul: Eels front man on the healing power of a science doc about his dad"
Metro newspaper, October 21, 2008. *FLYP Media
"Interactive profile on Eels songwriter, about his memoir"
November 25, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Everett, Mark Oliver 1963 births Living people American male singers Record producers from California American rock drummers American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock keyboardists DreamWorks Records artists Singers from Virginia Polydor Records artists American multi-instrumentalists American memoirists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Virginia 21st-century American male actors Actors from Virginia Writers from Virginia 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American alternative rock guitarists American alternative rock singers Singers from Los Angeles Writers from Los Angeles 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers American agnostics People from Los Feliz, Los Angeles Drummers from Los Angeles Drummers from Virginia