'Saint Morrissey' is was one of the most boring books I've ever read.

I couldn't get past the first three pages of 'Morrissey and Marr, The Severed Alliance' because it was painfully awful and I did't want a history lesson.

I did enjoy 'Morrissey, Scandal and Passion' althought I didn't agree with the guys interpretations of the 'You Are The Quarry' songs.

is a desperate, rather disturbing collction of alleged reasons for Mr. Morrissey's homosexuality from an author clearly obsessed to breaking point. Mark Simpson's book, in short, bored the shit out of me.

The oly interesting nugget of info I managed to glean was the real meaning behind the phrase "Reel Around the Fountain"...

Jessica x

I thought it was a pretty good book. Certainly it was well-written. I doubt the author was trying to make a lot of money or anything like that; if that were the case, he would have written about a more marketable singer, it seems to me.

It seems some Morrissey fans are determined to attack anything that portrays our hero as anything but a be-haloed saint, "Saint Morrissey" being a tad ironic. This is puzzling to me, because I consider myself to be a rather vociferous defender of Moz myself, and I loved the book. It was a very different perspective--a kind of psychological analysis with a good deal of wit thrown in. Mark Simpson is a good writer, very clever, and he doesn't advance tired rumors or theories of Moz's sexuality, views, or anything else. I just don't agree with that. Simpson won't even attempt to pin Moz's sexuality down at all, he discusses the ambiguity and in fact shows admiration for Moz's reluctance to give interviewers what they want on this issue.

He actually spends a great deal of time castigating the NME for their ridiculous 90s witch hunt against Morrissey. The guy is clearly a fan. Wouldn't we all write something similar given the means and the opportunity? Give the guy a break! He's no rumor-monger a la Rogan.

The Sunday Source section of the Washington post gave this a C+ in the Media Mix section: an excerpt:
What you'll love:
Cleve, effortless writing and obsessive attention to detail make the book a godsend for true fans.
What you won't:
Simpson's insistence upon Morrissey's infallibility and facile dismissal of other musical genres (dance, hip hop) weaken his case.

I think Saint Morrissey is a marvellous book. Alongside Simon Goddard’s Songs That Saved Your Life, in my opinion, it is essential reading, (something I wouldn’t say for The Severed Alliance, which is interesting, but at first can be hard or boring to read - giving Morrissey's life perhaps too much historical context, certainly compared to Marr and the others, is littered with inaccuracies, and biased). The only problems I have with Saint Morrissey are the rubbish front cover and how close Mark Simpson comes to revealing Morrissey's sexuality. He doesn't come out and say it, but its pretty clear what he thinks. The myth and enigma of Morrissey is one of the things I love the most, but that’s the whole point of biographies I suppose - to tell the untold stories. I just wanted to work these things out on my own.

Simpson is a very intelligent, good writer, whose lucid, cogent arguments and theories hold intellectual water. He has Moz's psyche nailed to the page. I read the book and started corresponding with the author who, obviously, is a genuine fan. I asked him if he had ever met Moz and he told me he had not (and doesn't want to - it would ruin the mystique). However, he has become friends with Moz's longest serving pal, which is saying a lot, like some sort of pop-Papal seal of approval. So Moz has obviously read the book and likes it. And no wonder. It's a great work. I would recommend it to anybody. When you interview Simpson, tell him Graham the Scotsman in Chicago says hiya and I hope his book does well; he's a very cool, funny, clever guy. And. Ringleader of The Tormentors is as GREAT name for an album!!

G.

It is truelly an awful book. Its so full of useless tit bits of information and the guy things he's witty. Quite frankly he's full of shit. It doesnt offer anything new. I want to hear about the Morrissey solo career. Like how he met the band, his old musicians, whats it been like on the many tours etc. Not his ill informed personal views.

I dont know who this guy is but I hope he goes the same that Rogan should have gone.