Mark Sandman (September 24, 1952 – July 3, 1999) was an American singer, songwriter, musical instrument inventor and multi-instrumentalist. He was an indie rock icon and longtime fixture in the Boston/Cambridge music scene, best known as the lead singer and slide bass player of the band Morphine. Sandman was also a member of the blues-rock band Treat Her Right and founder of Hi-n-Dry, a recording studio and independent record label.Sandman was known for his deep distinctive Baritone voice and was notorious for his temper with the media on speculation of his private life as well as his dark, charismatic, and mysterious demeanor, which made him an unpredictable character.On July 3rd 1999, he suffered a massive heart attack during a concert in Italy and died instantly.He was regarded as one of the most underrated and skilled bass players of his generation, with many admirers such as Les Claypool, Mike Watt, and Josh Homme citing Sandman as an influence, of which the former said "Mark Sandman was probably one of the most creative and fabulous bass players I've stumbled across in the last decade or so."With his signature two-string bass, Sandman created an unusual "slow and murky" sound, which he then incorporated within his band to critical acclaim.
The word 'Morphine' comes from the word 'Morpheus,' who is the god of dreams, and that kind appealed to us as a concept...I've heard there's a drug called 'morphine' but that's not where we're coming from...we were dreaming, Morpheus comes into our dreams...and we woke up and started this band...we're all wrapped up in this dream messages, and we were compelled to start this band.
2
I was kind of a dreamy child - a Curious George baby. As a child, people told me they thought I'd grow up to be a poet. You have to wonder what kind of kid someone would say that to.
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Fact
1
He founded the Hi-n-Dry studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He slowly converted his old living quarters (a large loft) into a fully functional recording studio where many of Morphine's songs were developed and recorded. Since his death, his bandmates Dana Colley and Billy Conway have run the studio commercially and it is now the center of Hi-n-Dry records, a small independent label founded in part by Colley and Conway.
2
Died of a heart attack while on stage
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Skjult
2009
writer: "Let's Take a Trip Together" - as Mark J. Sandman
Swing Vote
2008
writer: "In Spite Of Me"
Definitely, Maybe
2008
writer: "In Spite of Me" 1993
August
2008
writer: "The Night"
A Man Apart
2003
writer: "Buena"
29 Palms
2002
writer: "I Had My Chance"
Desert Saints
2002
writer: "A Good Woman is Hard to Find"
Attraction
2000
writer: "The Night"
Luckytown
2000
producer: "I Think She Likes Me" / writer: "I Think She Likes Me"
Daria
2000
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Condo Painting
2000
Documentary writer: "Smoking With Birds In The Park"
The Mod Squad
1999
producer: "You're an Artist" / writer: "You're an Artist"
The Sopranos
1999
TV Series writer - 1 episode
Phoenix
1998
writer: "11 O'Clock"
In God's Hands
1998
writer: "You Speak My Language"
Wild Things
1998
writer: "I Had My Chance", "Murder For The Money"
Still Breathing
1997
writer: "Buena"
Nothing to Lose
1997
writer: "Honey White", "Buena", "Have A Lucky Day"
The Maker
1997
writer: "YOU LOOK LIKE RAIN"
Lovelife
1997
writer: "Candy"
Ulee's Gold
1997
writer: "Buena"
2 Days in the Valley
1996
writer: "Gone for Good"
Beautiful Girls
1996
writer: "Honey White"
Jon Stewart: Unleavened
1996
TV Movie writer: "Buena"
Get Shorty
1995
writer: "I Had My Chance", "Bo's Veranda"
Senior Trip
1995
writer: "Yes"
Georgia
1995
"CURE FOR PAIN"
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
1995
writer: "Mile High"
Bad Company
1995
writer: "YOU LOOK LIKE RAIN"
Spanking the Monkey
1994
writer: "Sheila", "Thursday", "Let's Take A Trip Together", "In Spite Of Me", "Mary, Won't You Call My Name"
$1.2 Million
