Morrisseys Manchester

Lyrically unique, Morrissey saw post-industrial Manchester differently. Where most recognised the derelict remains of a Victorian powerhouse, he saw humour, where others saw post-industrial squalor, he felt the frisson of romance. As a result Manchester became as much a part of The Smiths output as the guitars, drums and vocals. As their fame grew, strangers in far away lands wondered about the location of the 'Cemetery Gates' or the setting of 'Vicar in a Tutu' . Unusually, these places still exist and provide the devotee with places of pilgrimage -- could Manchester offer anything else? In the first edition of this guidebook, Phill Gatenby set out three tours covering 20 or more sites that either featured in The Smiths music or were fundamental to their development as a band -- from early rehearsal spaces to the scene of their most memorable gigs. Now updated, "Morrissey's Manchester" has added new places to visit, more lyrical references and more background information on one of the world's most influential bands. However the most fundamental change any reader/visitor will notice are the continual changes to Manchester itself - a city in perpetual flux. Since the first edition venues have either been demolished, refurbished or shorn of their identity -- hence the need for an update. Now containing 40 new images, an improved layout, a revised map of the city centre and an opportunity to take the Smiths Tour without ever leaving the comfort of your home via google maps, "Morrissey's Manchester" has been fully updated for the 21st century.

Morrissey is Britain's most articulate singer-songwriter, a lyricist of aching loneliness and lacerating wit. His latest album, "You Are the Quarry," is one of his best solo efforts since the disbanding of the Smiths. Here, Morrissey's friends and entourage speak frankly about the reclusive pop idol.

Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance is among the most successful – and controversial – rock biographies ever published. Having denounced the book and called for the death of its author Johnny Rogan, Morrissey later did a U-turn and cited it as evidence in the royalty-related court case brought by Smiths drummer Mike Joyce.Now, 20 years after it was first published, Rogan has returned to his definitive Smiths biography to produce a completely revised edition based on new information and new interviews to add to the almost 100 initially conducted over a four-year period. Widely acclaimed as one rock’s leading writers, Johnny Rogan now brings yet more insight and analysis to his best-selling book that revealed, for the first time, the true and unsanitised story of The Smiths – the most important group of their generation.

Steven Patrick Morrissey is one of the most original and controversial voices in the history of popular music. With The Smiths, he led the most influential British guitar group of the 1980s, his enigmatic wit and style defining a generation. As a solo artist, he has continued to broach subjects no other singer would dare. Worshipped by some, vilified by others, Morrissey is a unique rock and roll creation. The 300,000 words of Mozipedia make this the most intimate and in-depth biographical portrait of the man and his music yet. Bringing together every song, album, collaborator, key location, every hero, book, film and record to have influenced his art, it is the summation of years of meticulous research. Morrissey authority Simon Goddard has interviewed almost everybody of any importance, making Mozipedia the last word on Morrissey and The Smiths.

“Spend the day in bed” with Autobiography by Morrissey, whose new album Low in High School is out November 17th Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Manchester on May 22nd 1959. Singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Smiths (1982–1987), Morrissey has been a solo artist for twenty-six years, during which time he has had three number 1 albums in England in three different decades. Achieving eleven Top 10 albums (plus nine with the Smiths), his songs have been recorded by David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithfull, Chrissie Hynde, Thelma Houston, My Chemical Romance and Christy Moore, amongst others. An animal protectionist, in 2006 Morrissey was voted the second greatest living British icon by viewers of the BBC, losing out to Sir David Attenborough. In 2007 Morrissey was voted the greatest northern male, past or present, in a nationwide newspaper poll. In 2012, Morrissey was awarded the Keys to the City of Tel-Aviv. It has been said “Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that Morrissey has reached in his lifetime.”

MORRISSEY FAQ: ALL THAT'S LEFT TO ABOUT THIS CHARMING MAN

By 1987, David Bowie was at a creative, critical, and commercial low. His most recent album was dismissed by the music press, his latest tour written off as a disaster. Fifteen years after becoming the most colourfully controversial superstar in recent rock history, Bowie was seen as a spent force. Almost twenty years later, Bowie has re-established himself at the very peak of his profession in one of the most extraordinary comebacks in rock history. His 1995 release of the critically-astonishing 1:Outside album has been followed by equally groundbreaking efforts. He is a content family man, married to super-model Iman, and one of the richest musicians in the world. While most biographies on Bowie still focus on his early years, Hallo Spaceboy: The Rebirth of David Bowie is the first to chronicle the comeback in detail. Drawing upon exclusive interviews with fans, colleagues and associates, it is also the long-gestating follow-up to Dave Thompson’s Moonage Daydream (1987), widely hailed among the best David Bowie biographies.

Morrissey is one of the most provocative, individual and controversial performers in popular music. From the formation of his Manchester band The Smiths in 1982, through to the imminent release of his 2008 solo album Years Of Refusal, his career has spanned 50 UK Top 40 singles and 20 UK Top 10 albums. Including previously unpublished encounters, Meetings with Morrissey gets behind the public image to tell Morrissey’s story in his own words and explore in fine detail the extraordinary subject matter of his songs. The book offers in-depth insight into the diverse artists Morrissey has celebrated, via lyrics or Smiths’ covers, including Patti Smith, Pat Phoenix, Billy Fury, Marc Bolan, James Dean and The New York Dolls. Above all, it focuses on Morrissey’s lifelong commitment to promoting the genius of Oscar Wilde. Len Brown, a former NME writer and television producer, has interviewed Morrissey more times than any journalist. He first saw The Smiths back in 1983 and became the first writer to interview the artist about the death of his band and the birth of his solo career in 1988.