The Lord of Misrule is Mark Coyle.  I was born in 1969, am married and have two children living in Nottingham, United Kingdom.  I live a mostly ordinary life of work and home life but have been interested in the strange and esoteric since childhood.  I spent a childhood reading ghost stories and watching old horror films.  During my teenage years I came across The Wicker Man film which was then largely forgotten outside a hardcore of fans and was inspired by it.  Later I discovered Fortean Times magazine, the journal of esoterica that has constantly proved inspirational and fascinating.

I grew up playing music in school, bands and as a solo artist.  I had been attracted initially to the 60s Mod culture and 80s synth pop which were both popular during my teenage years.  Later I began to explore the outer fringes of many genres including northern soul, jazz, avant garde classical, electronic, musique concrete and ambient music.  It was in this context that I met my good friend Dietmar Petschel of Vienna, Austria who gradually started opening my eyes to folk music.

Folk music has been deeply out of favor during the 1980s and to me it was the complete opposite of what I enjoyed.  This was the era of music made entirely with synthisizers and samplers which at the time seemed exciting.  However during my late twenties I came to appreciate folk music initially through bands recommended by Dietmar and then through my own searches.  The email group Bruton Town became a very useful place to learn more and my casual interest in the music gained momentum.

It was at this time that I had started to gain a strong interest in the original folkfore, customs and traditions of the British Isles.  An area that for many of us living here is almost unacknowledged, even a source of embarrassment.  However for me it became part of a heritage and lineage that was relevant and could be explored.

I started compiling the music I was discovering initially on tape and then during 2001 on CDr.  It was from there that I created the 'Lammas Night Laments' CDr series.

I gradually felt that there may be a wider interest in the results of my musical and folklore explorations that a web site could facilitate.  Therefore I decided to create this web site and over a few months designed it, produced the art work and gradually learned the skills necessary the realise the vision.  I hope you enjoy the web site as it continues to evolve.  I welcome your communications and am contactable at:

lordofmisrule@theunbrokencircle.co.uk

Personal MySpace Page at Unbroken MySpace