however, i disagree with his selections of best of... i thought death of a disco dancer came off as a filler; and a bit of a beatles throwback. And Irish blood english heart doesn't come near the pop accomplishment of first of the gang to die... something that morrissey always excelled at. oh well... interesting nonetheless.

nothing more, nothing less. Seems like a nice enough guy.

nm

Citing 'Pregnant for the last time' as a solo highlight :)

No, the subject is not intended to be flamebait. I have never personally been at a Smiths concert so one could immediately dismiss my opinion. However, from the boots and live video footage I have seen, I like Morrissey with his solo band as a live act better than The Smiths much of the time. The entire band during Oye Esteban (to my ear) was more appealing than The Smiths live. "Deano" is really hit and miss so I won't go there. Even Spencer and the boys during Maladjusted although Morrissey's vocals were the best I have ever heard during Oye Esteban. So, in conclusion, in my opinion, the playing of the entire band during that tour was the highlight of Morrissey's live career. Also, Moz solo has made some songs equal to and surpassing a great deal of The Smiths catalog. I'm sorry, I'm sick of hearing it the other way around. Especially when you place Morrissey in the current context of music and the sounds are still as unique to the times as The Smiths were then! Now, please flame me for my opinions. How about you over there in the corner? - Red Hill

Johnny, eres una auténtica decepeción, tus palabras cada vez refuerzan más mi idea de que The Smiths fue un éxito exclusivo de Morrissey.

It's better than the usual prattle about Moz.

I have mixed feelings about this interview.
On the plus side, it's good to hear a hoary old Smiths obsessive be vaguely positive about Morrissey's solo career (defending Kill Uncle and also singing out 'Trouble Loves Me' as a 'stunning' song.)

But on the negative side, it's pretty tedious how he bangs on about Moz not being as good as The Smiths the whole time (yawn). If he thinks Morrissey's so inferior, why did he bother going to see him at each of the three recent London shows?

Also, I think the quality of those recent performances in terms of the sheer emotion of the occasions and the fantastic singing equals, if not surpasses, any of The Smiths' concerts. I think it's only really the 'musos' amongst us that would really notice any musical improvement of The Smiths performances in terms of the guitar work/drumming etc. Let's not forget that even Noel Gallagher, who probably knows a little more about the technical/musical side of things than Simon Goddard, described the recent shows as "one of the best things I've seen in my "f***ing life"!

Furthermore, if Rourke and Joyce were such a talented rhythm section, how come they've done nothing of any critical or commercial merit over the entirety of the 15 year post-Smiths period?
Regards.
John Steed, England.

why would anyone want to buy a book that Mike Joyce was involved in? save your money.

... is a great idea, whether by Mr Goddard or not. That recent piece on the making of "Viva Hate" (in some UK monthly music mag) was far more interesting than yet another trawl over the Smiths history. Simply because an untold story is always more interesting than an over-told story.

Goddard says: "Morrissey's solo career is a different kettle of fish because in the history of rock'n'roll the story of the making of 'Southpaw Grammar' is culturally nowhere near as significant as the making of 'The Queen Is Dead' for instance."

Maybe so, but it'd still be a fascinating read to hear the tales surrounding that, and all the other Moz solo sessions, from interviews with Boorer, Whyte, Nevin, Street et al (and even Moz?).

Perhaps Michael Bracewell could do it...?