Autobiography by Morrissey

The Smiths and I are old friends, that is to say I have known of them for a long time. We had a rocky start; I was at university when I first heard of them. My girlfriend was talking about them. I couldn’t comprehend what sort of band would want to call themselves The Smiths. Apparently a pretty good band, but at this point I was still a long way from realising that. It was some time later at a record sale (now single) that I picked up 'Hatful of Hollow' and my interest was piqued. It is now many years later and I have all the albums (now on CD) and still play them regularly.

The reason we are here is to discuss the Morrissey autobiography. You wouldn’t be reading this unless you were more than a bit interested in the man. He writes with flair in a style that is particularly his own, and why not - it’s his story. The English music press have always been brutal but Morrissey has survived and surprisingly flourished. His last three albums have sold better than anything in his career and he has no reason to ever contemplate a Smiths reunion. Once you have read about the court case you will see the other reasons.

I recently saw him live in Wellington and obviously he is comfortable with his past as he included a lot of Smiths songs. He gives it all on the stage and I think it is the only place he really comes alive. Expect no revelations about his personal life, he remains a private and complicated person. He has no recording contract but remains strangely optimistic. It seems he is at peace with his life.

Posted by R Meyers

Catalogue Link: Autobiography