"The Severed Alliance" by Johnny Rogan - 20th Anniversary Edition out now

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Well it tells you the political circumstances faced by his grandparents, then goes to explain the reasons behind his parents' (and Marr's/Joyces's) emigration to England... the rest follows.

Bollocks - it's a bunch of cut and paste from a high school history book. This is pseudo-background that is too general and remote to tell us anything meaningful about his grandparents' lives, let alone The Smiths. It's then downhill all the tedious, plodding ("it reminds me of the time I showed my fingernails to X") way.

"Much thicker than the last edition"

Blimey. How much more dimwitted can it get?

Originally Posted by Anonymous

... in which you'll discover that Johnny Rogan (who appears in his own index!!) 'has no email address, internet facility, mobile phone, credit card, bank card, DVD, video, fridge freezer, dish washer, car or any other vehicle, but has a late afternoon routine of scouring local supermarkets in search of out of date food at bargain prices.' Now there's an incentive to read his work!

he does have e-mail because I've exchanged several with him.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Bollocks - it's a bunch of cut and paste from a high school history book. This is pseudo-background that is too general and remote to tell us anything meaningful about his grandparents' lives, let alone The Smiths. It's then downhill all the tedious, plodding ("it reminds me of the time I showed my fingernails to X") way.

Not so. The political/economic upheavals, civil war, De Valera's Gaelicization policy, the redevelopment of Dublin and movement of families to houses in Crumlin all had an effect on the Morrissey family culminating in emigration to Manchester.

There's something so unsexy about Rogan's writing.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Not so. The political/economic upheavals, civil war, De Valera's Gaelicization policy, the redevelopment of Dublin and movement of families to houses in Crumlin all had an effect on the Morrissey family culminating in emigration to Manchester.

And these events affected all people in Ireland at that time identically? No - I agree with the earlier poster, these are remote generalities culled from a school textbook - which "say nothing to me about their lives"

50 pages of "Endnotes"! ~ footnotes in anyone elses language. 11 page 20th Anniversary Preface ~ in which we finally get the full, unexpurgated TRUTH behind Morrissey's M3 pile-up quote (it involves Fred Dellar, NME and a fax machine - I could say more were it not for the fact that I've forgotten the rest as it's so hellishly uninteresting), a few extra pages on the court case, the promise of additional material throughout the book (I'll take Johnny's word for it) and nowt beyond 1996/High Court.

I remember liking it 20 years back, cos I knew sod all back then, but honestly the guy writes like an OCD case. The new preface was enough to send me back to Gavin Hopps for a little light relief. No pics now neither.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

And these events affected all people in Ireland at that time identically? No - I agree with the earlier poster, these are remote generalities culled from a school textbook - which "say nothing to me about their lives"

Well, yes, we're talking about mass emigration here. It had a profound effect on families throughout Ireland. Plus, it's ludicrous to suggest, as the previous poster did, that it's 'high school textbook' (spot the out of place Americanism!) in origin. No such books exist that combine a social history of Crumlin/Dublin, complete with first hand testimonies and reminiscences of growing up there, alongside economic/political discussion of material some actually taken from the private sessions of the Dail. Hardly standard school textbook stuff is it? If it wasn't for this complex history there'd be no Morrissey/Manchester connection and, ultimately, no Smiths.

Originally Posted by joe frady

50 pages of "Endnotes"! ~ footnotes in anyone elses language. 11 page 20th Anniversary Preface ~ in which we finally get the full, unexpurgated TRUTH behind Morrissey's M3 pile-up quote (it involves Fred Dellar, NME and a fax machine - I could say more were it not for the fact that I've forgotten the rest as it's so hellishly uninteresting), a few extra pages on the court case, the promise of additional material throughout the book (I'll take Johnny's word for it) and nowt beyond 1996/High Court.

I remember liking it 20 years back, cos I knew sod all back then, but honestly the guy writes like an OCD case. The new preface was enough to send me back to Gavin Hopps for a little light relief. No pics now neither.

Thanks for posting this. Much as you did, I liked this book when it first appeared. There really was fuck-all in the way of Moz-information back then. I think I first began to recoil from Rogan when it finally dawned on me that so many of the unattributed (in the main text) Moz quotes were simply ancient postcard/letter/etc. remarks. To not give proper dates or details or general context to these struck me as quite sly and disingenuous.


Oh well, it now looks certain I won't be thumbing through updated material on that schoolmate-of-Morrisseys-shitting-in-schooldesk episode or about the night the teenaged Moz went (gasp!) sleepwalking into the next room ...


I shouldn't really take that tone - it isn't as though the 1st ed. was mean-spirited or ugly or anything that terrible...

Originally Posted by Anonymous

... in which you'll discover that Johnny Rogan (who appears in his own index!!) 'has no email address, internet facility, mobile phone, credit card, bank card, DVD, video, fridge freezer, dish washer, car or any other vehicle, but has a late afternoon routine of scouring local supermarkets in search of out of date food at bargain prices.' Now there's an incentive to read his work!

This was covered in the first edition 20 years ago

so feel free to step into the present with your insightfulness any day now.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Well, yes, we're talking about mass emigration here. It had a profound effect on families throughout Ireland. Plus, it's ludicrous to suggest, as the previous poster did, that it's 'high school textbook' (spot the out of place Americanism!) in origin. No such books exist that combine a social history of Crumlin/Dublin, complete with first hand testimonies and reminiscences of growing up there, alongside economic/political discussion of material some actually taken from the private sessions of the Dail. Hardly standard school textbook stuff is it? If it wasn't for this complex history there'd be no Morrissey/Manchester connection and, ultimately, no Smiths.

Fair enough - but none of this 'complex history' finds its way into Rogan's book, in which the background material is like the disjointed footage that's played behind stationary cars in old films.

Originally Posted by Thesmithsmorrissey

This was covered in the first edition 20 years ago

so feel free to step into the present with your insightfulness any day now.

He's still the same dickhead

Originally Posted by Anonymous

Not so. The political/economic upheavals, civil war, De Valera's Gaelicization policy, the redevelopment of Dublin and movement of families to houses in Crumlin all had an effect on the Morrissey family culminating in emigration to Manchester.

For someone who supposedly doesn't use the internet, Johnny's putting in a lot of hours trying to defend his book!

Originally Posted by Anonymous

He's still the same dickhead

That's certainly up to date!!

Originally Posted by Anonymous

He's still the same dickhead

and your point is?

A lot of people are dickheads, for long periods of time in their lives. Most people from England are dickheads. That's why they drive on the wrong side of the road and use exorbitant currency. Johnny Rogan included

But the guy knows his shit about The Smiths/Morrissey, as evidenced by the years he put into this book. You can't deny that

Originally Posted by Thesmithsmorrissey

and your point is?

A lot of people are dickheads, for long periods of time in their lives. Most people from England are dickheads. That's why they drive on the wrong side of the road and use exorbitant currency. Johnny Rogan included

But the guy knows his shit about The Smiths/Morrissey, as evidenced by the years he put into this book. You can't deny that

The fact that he's put years into it and gathered up cuttings like a nutty hoarder doesn't mean he can think or say anything interesting. One of my favorite stupidities is the bit where he writes about Morrissey's sleepwalking "It would be crass to speculate on his unconscious motivations" and then proceeds to do exactly that! Could it have been ... ?? Was he unconsciously ... ?? Perhaps he was ... ?? etc etc As if Rogan, the intellectual midget, could speak for the inside of Morrissey's head!!!

This is the biggest waste of money EVER. Nothing new of any value. Will sell back my copy straight away. Rogan is so self-obsessed it's incredible - all he seems to have done in the last 20 years is brood about the time Morrissey (effectively) told him to fuck off. What a sad twat.

Folks, is there anywhere I can download this, or part of this book, free of charge? Links? Thanks.

Originally Posted by 123xyz

Thanks for posting this. Much as you did, I liked this book when it first appeared. There really was fuck-all in the way of Moz-information back then. I think I first began to recoil from Rogan when it finally dawned on me that so many of the unattributed (in the main text) Moz quotes were simply ancient postcard/letter/etc. remarks. To not give proper dates or details or general context to these struck me as quite sly and disingenuous.


Oh well, it now looks certain I won't be thumbing through updated material on that schoolmate-of-Morrisseys-shitting-in-schooldesk episode or about the night the teenaged Moz went (gasp!) sleepwalking into the next room ...


I shouldn't really take that tone - it isn't as though the 1st ed. was mean-spirited or ugly or anything that terrible...

Every quote in the book is fully credited and dated in the new edition.

Originally Posted by joe frady

50 pages of "Endnotes"! ~ footnotes in anyone elses language. 11 page 20th Anniversary Preface ~ in which we finally get the full, unexpurgated TRUTH behind Morrissey's M3 pile-up quote (it involves Fred Dellar, NME and a fax machine - I could say more were it not for the fact that I've forgotten the rest as it's so hellishly uninteresting), a few extra pages on the court case, the promise of additional material throughout the book (I'll take Johnny's word for it) and nowt beyond 1996/High Court.

I remember liking it 20 years back, cos I knew sod all back then, but honestly the guy writes like an OCD case. The new preface was enough to send me back to Gavin Hopps for a little light relief. No pics now neither.

I love the OCD reference. Hilarious, Joe! True too. But I think you slightly misrepresent the contents. You don't mention that there is new material in every single chapter. Approx 170 pages extra. Quotes from the court case are scattered through the text, not just 'a few extra pages' as you imply. The Preface IS 'light relief' and even slightly wry, I thought. "No pics now neither" you say. Well there's 60 photos in my edition, spread over 24 pages. Maybe someone tore them out of the copy you saw or you just didn't notice.