Morrissey - Autobiography
by Andy Cassidy
published: 6 / 11 / 2013
intro
Hardcore Morrissey fan Andy Cassidy gives his verdict on Morrissey's controversial and much criticised 'Autobiography'
When this book flopped through my door early last month, I thought all of my Christmases had come at once. Let me declare an interest, here: I am a huge Morrissey fan, and, with that baggage, it’s probably hard to be objective when reviewing his 'Autobiography'. Here goes, though. The book opens in Morrissey’s Manchester, a place of vicious thugs, petty, hateful teachers, grime, soot, and no hope of escape. Morrissey’s picture of Stretford in the 1960s is almost Dickensian in its bleakness. Ten years after Morrissey, I grew up in a similar situation, albeit 150 miles away in Glasgow, and, as a bookish, council house boy, I readily recognised his pains, and his characters seemed carved from my unconscious. That said… Like Lennon before him, Morrissey paints a picture of the “working class hero” when he was probably nothing of the sort. With two parents working, albeit in semi-skilled professions, Morrissey was never poor, and the poverty he witnessed was from a safely cossetted distance. So, yes, it was bleak, but I suspect that Morrissey, like Lennon and like me, was far enough removed from the great human swill to allow him such “treats” as libraries and education. Almost every review I have read of 'Autobiography' mentions Morrissey’s need of an editor, and, while the Grammar Nazi in me occasionally bristled, I found a charm and a warmth in his occasional lapses. I felt that, by virtue of his rambling, Morrissey lent a “stream of consciousness” feel to the book, rendering it almost lyrical in places. This stream is reinforced by Morrissey’s choice of not using chapters. That the Smiths trial features heavily will come as no surprise, but the trial marks a definite change in the book’s narrative. Prior to the trial, the book paints Morrissey very much as the victim of his life’s tribulations; post-trial, there is almost a sense of his gloating in his success. Not an attractive feature, I have to say. There are some revelations – relationships and sexuality are mentioned, fleetingly, and if tittle-tattle is your thing, then you will find it. If the Smiths, however, are your thing, you’ll find very little that hasn’t come out before, save a series of amusing rants against Geoff Travis. Having said all of that… I simply adored this book. I found it funny, heart-warming, touching, sad, open and wonderfully lyrical. It came as no surprise to me that Morrissey is a fine writer (others may disagree – some reviewers have been scathing about his prose style). Above all, however, I found it enjoyable in a way that I didn’t expect to. We all know that Moz is a petty man (at times), and I feared that the book would simply be one rant after another. I, however, suspect that there are more than enough rants to inspire a small industry of print retaliations against perceived slights. All in all, I thought it was a great read. I would, and will, happily read it again. If only he’d arrange a signing in Glasgow…
Band Links:-
http://www.true-to-you.net/http://www.morrissey-solo.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrissey
https://www.facebook.com/Morrissey
https://twitter.com/morrisseysolo
profiles |
Introducing Morrissey (DVD) (2014) |
Andy Cassidy is impressed by Morrissey's new live DVD, which compiles together tracks from two nights on his tour to promote 'Vauxhall and I', his 1995 fourth solo album |
live reviews |
Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, 13/3/2015 |
Anthony Strutt watches Morrissey, despite promoting his album from last year ‘World Peace is None of Your Business’ which is now impossible to buy, play an impressive set at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham on his first UK tour in four years |
Wireless Festival, Hyde Park, London, 27/6/2008 |
MEN Area, Manchester, 22/5/2004 |
soundcloud
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Elliott Murphy - Interview
Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Wreckless Eric - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
Norman Rodger - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Chris Spedding - Interview
John Mayall - 1933-2024
previous editions
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #5 - ‘We all have good intentions/ But all with strings attached’: Music and Mental Health Part 2Heavenly - P.U.N.K. Girl EP
Trudie Myerscough-Harris - Interview
Nerve - Interview
One Thousand Violins - Interview
Dwina Gibb - Interview
Allan Clarke - Interview
Beautiful South - Ten Songs That Made Me Love...
Oasis - Oasis, Earl's Court, London, 1995
Joy Division - The Image That Made Me Weep
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesJules Winchester - The Journey
Philip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Deep Purple - =1
Bill Wyman - Drive My Car
Popstar - Obscene
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Richard Hawley - In This City You Call Love
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart