the most esteemed biographers of our time will be duking it out on this one! literary types the world round will be taking bets, and regaling each other with tales from this scuffle for centuries to come.

"A painful waste of time and trees"! Ouch!

I wouldn't go that far, but I didn't think much of Saint Morrissey either I have to admit. Maybe they should have a three way tag match with Johnny Rogan. The winner gets to marry Morrissey.

How silly - and unprofessional - of Goddard to pen such a transparently jealous review and not mention his 'interest'. No wonder THE TIMES poked fun at him.

He sounds like a right twat!

Simon G's a nice guy actually. He think he's made a good point about MS's book! I love it when biographers attack...

I can't believe what i'm reading here! Goddard delivers the most comprehensive, heavily researched, readable and lovingly compiled Smiths encyclopedia that we have ever had the pleasure of digesting, & there's actually people out there who prefer to read Simpson's wishy-washy Mills & Boon cack? So rather than learning that you can hear Johnny enthusing about 'Death of a Disco Dancer' in the run-off groove on Strangeways, you would rather read about how Morrissey inspired Simpson to eat Special K for breakfast, wear a brown hat & paint the spare room? If you post idle messages about good books then you're a twat, not if you spend years researching and writing the ultimate Smiths tome. Morrissey unfortunately suffers from the same syndrome as Paul Weller & Tottenham Hotspur in that his fans tragically & repeatedly let him down, and that includes Simpson who's book is utter axe wound.

I like the books, but some passages are extremely devoted. Nevertheless this harsh criticism is inappropriate.

Has anybody got Goddard's review in full they could post here? I'd like to know exactly what his beef is before judging who's right or wrong here.

Here's what I said about Simpon's Saint Morrissey book in another discussion a few weeks ago, as info for those of you who haven't read the biog:

I'm currently three-quarters of the way through this biog and am not especially impressed by this book.

Simpson is clearly a man who is extremely self-absorbed: the book is as much about him as Morrissey. Further, his style is hard-going and he tries to be too clever. It is therefore not a free-flowing or enjoyable read. The book is more analytical than is necessary and thereby borders on the pretentious. Simpson will spend thousands of words giving his view on a few lyrics in a particular song. Too much. The songs speak for themselves. Listeners don't need a uinversity lecturer's style interpretation of emotional meanings.

Not a patch on Rogan's 'Severed Alliance', which is a 'straighter' biog. I couldn't put 'The Severed Alliance' down. With 'Saint Morrissey' I barely have the will to pick it up. Still, only another 50 pages to go. Will struggle on.

As for 'The Songs that Saved Your Life' by Goddard, this book contains several glaring factual errors that even I (having not actively researched a Morrissey biog over several years) could pick up on, gave too much credence to Joyce's contribution (probably because the scumbag had agreed to write the forward) and would have benefitted from proof-reading before publication - as well as the factual inaccuracies there were quite a few basic linguistic errors. Nonethless, a worthwhile addition to the Morrissey library.

I've read both books and enjoyed both.
They aren't alike in style or content at all so I don't understand this war of words.

Uncut is a terrible magazine. Every issue I've ever bought has relentlessly pushed US alt-country garbage and openly critcised almost every successful Uk band. The most elitist music magazine of them all.

And very much enjoying Saint Morrissey especially the 'singing grinch' comment! I think the writing is good, he clearly loves his subject, and I am happy to go to bed with it at night.

..get off your arses...obtain both books...read them...and make up your own mind?

Just a suggestion dear hearts

'Landscapes of the mind' by the aforementioned was my favourite, although it's nearly six years since I read it. Goddard's is very good as is Rogan's (although Moz doesn't seem to like him does he? So by proxy, I don't either!). Will admit freely I've not read Simpson's effort and after taking in all these views, good and bad, I've come to the decision not to, in particular after Charlie Jolson's scathing disection of it. I'm sure, in it's own way it's ok, but I don't think, from what people have said,that it says anything new. There are plenty of other books I'd rather read instead, Jonathan Franzen's Corrections being high on my list. Anyone read that? If so what do you think of it?