In the early age of 80’s videos and flashy Brit-pop culture, the artwork that was featured on The Smiths record covers & promotional goods fell in stark contrast. Morrissey instead reached to figures that inspired his songwriting. Although obscure to much of his young following, The Smiths artwork paid homage to cult film stars, authors and imagery from sixties cinema and magazines. Much like the band’s name itself, there was a desire for anonymity which is represented in their simple text and subdued graphics. To the fans who connected to their lyrics that often spoke of isolation and a desire to belong. Wearing these t-shirts was a way to be a part of the ‘hidden by rags’ mentality that shied away from popular culture and opulence.

Displayed in this beautifully illustrated archive, this curated collection of vintage T-shirts from The Smiths & Morrissey offers a glimpse into the...

He wrote: "TUI now has the dubious distinction of being the last major travel provider in the UK to provide a financial lifeline to these watery little hellholes. Contrary to your company tagline, the animals imprisoned at marine parks do not Live Happy.
"Anyone with a thinking bone in their body – or a drop of compassion – knows that not only does captivity kill the spirit of these imprisoned, intelligent, social beings, it often kills them."

He concludes his letter by asking: “Please will you find it in your heart – or realise that your business is tainted by these venues – and stop supporting these magnificent sea animals’ suffering?”

Same:
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You can grow up to be Morrissey or you can grow up to be Johnny Marr – which are you?

'Usual' article.
FWD.

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Robin Ince's Bibliomaniac book advertised in the above Big Issue contains the following Morrissey mentions:

On the way to Chorlton I pass the Southern Cemetery, inspiration for The Smiths’ ‘Cemetry Gates’, in which Morrissey recalled the ‘dreaded sunny day’ when he would walk around the memorials and slabs with his friend, the artist Linder Sterling, quoting Keats and Yeats and Oscar Wilde.

Richard also appeared on the page on which I first opened Morrissey’s autobiography, ‘and then Richard Boon said something very unhelpful’. Compared to many others, he survived Morrissey’s book unscathed.

I am surrounded by paintings of gardens, so I use this as the spur to talk about nature, chimpanzees and the psychological advantages of looking at acorns and...

Morrissey mentioned


Excerpt:

In fact, Sameshima is now so at ease with his cruising self that he has a tattoo of a glory hole – openings punched in the walls of toilet cubicles, allowing the men on either side to have sex with each other. (He also did a series of photographs of them, called Erdbeermund.) The artist is more ambivalent about another tattoo that reads “How Soon is Now” in homage to the Smiths, given Morrissey’s recent politics. “Johnny Marr is still OK,” he says. “And he co-wrote How Soon Is Now. Well, that’s how I justify it.”

Morrissey mentions:

Boy George later fully embraced acid house when it exploded and he used to go to the early days of Danny Rampling’s Shooom when it was still held in a basement fitness centre, and lots of the other really early acid house clubs. He then reinvented himself as a house DJ, after the first of many hiatuses from Culture Club. I’ve booked him a few times over the years, but I never had a chance to talk to him till recently, when I went to see Morrissey at Hammersmith Apollo. I was invited to some drinks in the green room before the gig and Boy George was there, too, so we got chatting and I told him I remembered that Top of the Pops performance as a kid, although I imagine he gets people telling him that every day of his life, as it was such an iconic moment. He was actually really nice, we chatted about him playing at Sankeys and I asked if he remembered playing my event at Granada Studios. He said he did, but I think he was just being kind. Before Morrissey...

The Morrissey and Siouxsie re-issue of 'Interlude' has entered the vinyl chart at #9. By general consensus the disc was overpriced at the fixed £27.99.

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Related item:

• "Interlude" enters Official Vinyl Singles Chart at #9 - April 26, 2024

Regards,
FWD.

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Related item:

• Morrissey Central: "INTERLUDE CHART POSITION" - April 27, 2024