I spose really you could say anytime but since You Are The Quarry there seem to be loads of supposed 'fans' you see wearing Smiths/Moz t shirts and in delight approach them to chat Moz only to discover they know nothing about Moz/Smiths and are wearing the t shirt out of coolness. However, I spose these people arent really fans then so you could be a true fan whatever time you began listening as long as you can back your claim up with some Moz knowledge.

Well, it depends... maybe years after Moz and most of us are dead some kid is gonna go through an uncle's music collection and find any album simply amazing and becomes really interested and starts gathering everything to do with Moz...

I mean, most of us didn't pick up T.Rex after the Kill Uncle Tour and "Cosmic Dancer" while Marc Bolan was quite dead.

CantorPistola

If you're a fan, you're a fan.
I hate this rubbish elitism of "I'm a bigger fan because I've known about him longer".
If you hear his music and it means something to you then who cares if you haven't collected all his singles in every format since 1942??

We should be glad he still does attract new fans otherwise he wouldn't have had the brilliant year he had in 2004 and wouldn't still be able to make records.

All his songs are about me so I know what I'm talking about.

I met Morrissey on Saturday. He didn't seem to care when I started listening to him.

I discovered MOZ with "Kill Uncle", but it wasn't until I gave Moz a second chance and bought "Your Aesenal". I liked the album so much, I went to the record store and was recommended Bona Drag and Viva Hate. I then bought up the entire back catalogue of the SMITHS and the rest is history for me.

Holo

I discovered Morrissey only last year, after catching him on the Jonathon Ross show. I'd describe myself as a fan, a committed fan. Being there from the start doesn't mean you're more of a fan than those who got into Moz later. Better late than never! Some of us weren't born when The Smiths were around, so I feel privileged to be able to be a fan of Morrissey now, I thank the fans who have stayed with him throughout and I'm proud to call myself a Moz fan now!

It's what you put in to the years, no how many they are.

E

In between Maladjusted and Quarry, around 2001 I think. I believe that means I'm a pretty dedicated Moz fan when the man was at such a hiding point. In addition considering I live in the United States where he is even lesser known.

I got into the Smiths just after they split up and just before Morrissey released Viva Hate. Whichever way I vote makes me a liar.

As I am only 15 I wasn't even alive during The Smiths' time, but I started listening to Smiths/Moz a couple of years ago. I'm not his BIGGEST fan because I haven't been to any of his gigs yet, but I am a TRUE fan. There's a difference...

this stupid and pointless poll question is sure to encourage pompous and pathetic statements of elitism based upon seniority. what a ridiculously stupid idea.

a "true" fan is simply anyone who honestly and genuinely considers themselves to be an admirer of Morrissey, and this status bears upon nothing else whatsoever. this status can be somewhat deepened isuppose by how much one pledges an allegiance and commitment to Our Moz and how high they hold their admiration for him in comparison to others. this is still a qualitative status or measure.

a "knowledgable" fan comes in differing degrees or levels proportional to how much of the Man and the Music they are familiar with, and the level of that familiarity and also requires an admiration for the Man and the Music and so must first be "true" fans. this is then both a quantitative and qualitative status and measure.

an "older" or "elder" fan is simply based upon how many years one has considered himself a "true" fan. the "eldest" of course being those who beacme fans in '83 (or if ever possible earlier than that) down to the "least old" or "youngest" being those who most recently became fans. this however is only a quantitative measure with its only real significance being the proven display of the original commitment when becoming a "true" fan and the higher probablity (but not a guarantee) of being a more "knowledgable" fan.

even the breakdown of the eras seems ridiculous- lumping all four/five years of the Smiths exitence into one, combining 'Your Arsenal' and 'Vauxhall...' into one era despite there being less of a chronological as well as artistic gap between 'Kill Uncle' and 'Your Arsenal' or even 'Vauxhall...' and 'Southpaw...', the absence of a 'Maladjusted' era and a "silent" era (during which ijoined the frey). this entire thing is absurd.

Any fan of the Moz is a true fan, some of us were just being born when Johnny got bored of The Smiths, but that doesn't make us any less of a fan, does it?
The sycophantic slags all say :
"I knew him first, and I knew him well"

What a childish poll question. I would be more tempted to vote in a General Election than on this poll.

...On the night our dear saviour Morrissey was conceived, I was hiding under the bed, with a handful of Elvis and Billy Fury records. With me were Sandie Shaw and Petula Clark, as well as the young Davy Jones and Marc Bolan. As the mattress shook, we could hear Mrs. Morrissey scream, "This night has opened my eyes!" When it was all over we returned to reading Elizabeth Smart and Oscar Wilde together, and spent the remainder of the day at Salford Lads Club.

i thought i was the most recent fan, and that you all or at least most of you were fans for decades and in your 30s. turns out most of you are a bunch of teenagers!!!

1983, november

have told the story before, it's old and embarrising and not proud where I became hooked
to the Smiths

I would say to be a true fan your entry point must be between your arsenal and southpaw grammer. Before - you are just being sentimental, after - you are not worthy of the title. You must also own one of those hidious black Morrissey bootleg t-shirts.

my vote goes Southpaw!

My suggestion for the next wote:
Will the Smiths ever be reunited?

It's not the poll that bothers me, it's the fact that SOME PEOPLE VOTED FOR THOSE STUPID OPTIONS. I am quite interested in this poll; at least it shows me how peculiar some people's opinions are.

I cannot help the fact that I wasn't born early enough for The Smiths. Because of this I'm not a true fan?! When I heard his music, I became a fan. But it's not possible to become a fan if you have never heard his stuff. You can't blame me for that.

I'm still a strong fan; it's not how long you have loved the man, it's how much!

Some of you people are so darn POMPOUS!

It's excellent that this option is winning and is totally right - yes some people don't immediately look up the star's history and everything they've done before but that doesn't make them any less a fan. You can't blame people for simply being too young to appreciate the Smiths either. I, for example, was only 6-7 when they formed so missed him really during that period. I, however, would argue I adore him as deeply as anyone else and have looked up everything I can get my hands on, have read around 80% of the backdated interviews he gave so missing the Smiths - makes no difference. Just buy the recorded material.

I have just read more comments on this poll and am truly disgusted with the idea that there is ever a point at which, if you come into contact with him, you get to be a TRUE fan. So I have to add - to all the people that say fuck it, any time is fine - I'm with you totally. To the rest of you - get a life. Honestly, you must have brains the size of your arseholes, pedantic twats! Forgive my eloquence. What would the Moz think of that kind of segregation? BTW, London has just been bombed - I may be a tad pissed off!!
A

I've met Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke - The Smiths would not have been without these talented individuals and therefore there would be no Morrissey, so to be a moz fan you are really a Joyce and Rourke fan.....'ok Mike, how was that?'

....this pole is. Just cause someone comes along and declares they saw the Smiths at the Ritz doesn't make them any more of a fan, then someone who discovered the music during the quarry tour.
I've supported Man City since my birth in 1973, my dad saw them win the league in 1968, is he a bigger fan than I, is he bollocks.
Lets have some decent poll for once.

London we are thinking about you
scot/manchester

I'm sorry, but this is the dumbest poll question I've heard yet. Perhaps designed to make the older people feel special that they were there to witness the actual rising of The Smiths. (Though I am jealous that I wasn't there!) I'm sorry but I was under 7 during the entire existance of The Smiths. And yet I can recognize them as the best band to ever exist. Classic music transcends time. A true fan can be identified by their devotion and understanding of the music. Believe me, if I would've been exposed to The Smiths as a 6 year old (I doubt they were played on non-College radio in the San Fran Bay Area, circa 1986) -- I would've gladly retired Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and Prince in favour of The Smiths.

I'm deaf. I've never heard a Morrissey or Smiths song in my life. I've only been able to read the lyrics and look at the artwork and of course read interviews.

I didn't vote because there were no choices for me. :(

Considering the other things happening in the world, arguing over who's the bigger fan, truer fan, more dedicated fan, etc, is quite petty! What is clear is that we have been brought together because of a shared interest in Moz; his music and who he is. Regardless of age, race and length of time of being a fan, we all share this love of Morrissey's music. Why is it so important, does it matter when you became a fan, what really matters is the fact you are.

...but no one is bothered about this poll. the events that happened in london i was listening to hairdresser on fire just before i put on the tv and well the opening lyrics was a bit close to home.

its obvious that anyone who thinks the smiths catalogue is better than morrisseys solo stuff isn't a true a morrissey fan.

marr, rourke and joyce clearly resticted our heros artistic development, releasing substandard, seriously flawed albums like he queen is dead and meat is murder.

it is only when mozzer turned to a variety of session musicians did his true songwriting ability come to the fore. tony the pony, now i am a was and micheals bones are all classics that really show marr up for the hopeless charlatan he really is.

morrissey continues to exceed my expectations, even if his strange adoption of mexican children does leave me a little cold. everyone knows all they do all day is sleep. or try and smuggle themselves over the border into wales in banana crates.

Im only 16, so i wasnt even born when the smiths were around and would of been too young to listen to most of morrisseys early stuff. So thats why i voted for any time you started listening you are a true fan.

This poll is not helpful.

What is a 'true fan'? Is it an advantage or disadvantage to remember The Smiths? Does your age make you more competent to discuss about Morrissey? Is knowing Morrissey since YATQ something to be ashamed of?

Can we be sure that 'he'll never do somethimg good as Vauxhall (or choose any other album) again' only because we don't like Maladjusted (fill in any other album you dislike)?

No, to my view beeing a fan has nothing to do with the time you already listen to a musician.

If there is anything like a true fan, he/she is tolerant to any musical sidesteps a musician does, because this is the only way for him to develop, despite the fact that on this way there may be dead ends, too.

I do not remember that 'Maladjusted' got such harsh critics in 1997 as it got on the recent polls, wheras the discussion about 'Southpaw Grammer' - in pre-internet times! - started right away.

From the very few things about Morrissey that we know for sure, loyalty is a high-ranking thing for him. Unfortunately, he tends to disappoint fans (e.g. not touring in xx), which leads to long discussions here, if Morrissey does really care about his fans.

Tolerance and loyalty - something we lack more and more on the discussion boards, too. The world is bad enough, we do not need to rip-off or offend people who just discoved Morrissey and do not know all about him by heart.

Thatfor, i don't like the poll. I don't know if we had it already, but a slightly varition of the question - When did you become a Morrissey fan? - would show us more about the composition of the people here...

Just a thought.

The next poll should say this:

When do you think Morrissey last had sex?

* NEVER!
* His teens
* His twenties
* His thirties
* His fourties

Sorry, not enough choices for you pervs who wanted to vote "before age 13".

I voted for 'any time you began listening makes you a TRUE FAN' incidentally but I have loved the Smiths and Morrissey since I got the Smiths first album 3 weeks before it was released (White label copy!)

However, this makes me no more of a 'true fan' than someone who only bought You are the quarry and liked it. One of the things I dislike about the Morrissey fans, particularly on this web page, is the jostling for position to be his 'best, biggest fan ever/this week etc. Hence the abuse of the famous Julia whose main crime is Morrissey seems to like her and she can afford to see him more than other 'true/massive/greatest fan. Abuse is also directed to Chloe Sevigny because she is 1. A seemingly recent devotee 2. Famous and 3. performed fellation in a film.

My conclusion - Get a life and leave people alone to enjoy Morrissey/The smiths. That is why we're all here isn't it?

Surely the only time you can consider yourself a true fan is during the miserable years of teenagerdom. Who hasn't been "sixteen, clumsy and shy"?

well, i know it's a bit out of context, but i was reading a post here that suggested that suedehead has the same meaning as skinhead.
can someone pls explain?... i know that the song is somehow dedicated to james dean, but what does the term "suedehead" has to do with dean.
i remember that some radio stations in mexico translated the song as "cabeza de angel" (angel head).
what's the real meaming of suedehead?
tks.

otherwise you're just a Johnny come lately.

snobs

A think you can seriously call yourself a TRUE fan if you discovered him in 96 - then waited for the anticlimax that was Maladjusted....then waited bloody seven years.....

I'm with the others who also think this poll is a waste of cyber space and time! Morrissey-solo should be ashamed of themselves for choosing such filth. When will they get it together? Ooohh Loo! Ooohh Loo! I don't know... I don't know... I don't know...

i had heard of The Smiths and Morrissey but never bothered to check them out. after hearing The Potatomen’s cover of “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out” and having a friend put a few songs on a mix tape i decided to buy ‘The Singles’ compilation. it was the only collecton that had all four songs i was familiar with. i didn't like it at first. a few months later i decided to give it another chance and something clicked. within the year i had the entire Smiths and Morrissey catalogs. this was '99 or '00. true story.

What a ridiculous thing to say, that someone can't be a TRUE fan unless they started listening to Moz at a particular time. You can be a "True" fan if you started listening to Maladjusted last weekend!

The people who feel that way are total idiots. I suppose there hasnt been a "True" Beatles fan since 1970 or so, then?

but I just heard the demo for his new album, and honestly, I am a fan!

Ryan at http://www.palminfocenter.com turned me on to Morrissey. Christ, I never knew songs could *be* like that: "I Have Forgiven Jesus," "Late Night, Maudlin Street," "How Could Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel". This guy does music with the depth of a great novel.

Best-selling novelist Mark Billingham is a fan too:

http://www.markbillingham.com/links.html

Once, I was grocery shopping and I was sporting a Smiths shirt. While I was waiting in line, this elderly lady was pointing at my shirt and asked me, "Young lady, is that a picture of your family?" How I wish!!

I was sporting a Smiths shirt while I went grocery shopping one time. While I was waiting in line to pay for my groceries, an elderly lady was pointing to my shirt and asked me, "Young lady, is that picture of your family?" I guess she thought it was picture of my family since it said, "THE SMITHS," right above the picture of Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke. How I wish!

Well, to "understand" Morrissey now, one must go to the beginnings...First The Smiths, then Morrissey

this poll is lame. i dont understand it at all.

I first herd The Smiths round a freinds house After a rather eventfull staff party. This was just over 2 years ago. Then I went to collage in Brighton and was in a rock club called The Glostshire when they happend to play This Charming Man. I loved it. So a few months went by and i perchised The Very Best of The smiths From a little record shop in Worthing called Music Mania. After a few weeks I was hooked and brought all of the back catalogue. I had Been collecting and wondering where or what Morrissey was doing. By this time I was talking about no-one else and boring all my freinds. I had not descoverd this site and was unaware of the sanctury deal. While I was working in a bar I Looked at The t.v screen and to my supprise their he was. It was the Video for IBEH. I ran out and brought it. Since then I have read all the books and have all the back catalogue and seen him twice. I concider my self a true fan i.e obbsesive. Soon i will register to this site and i will bickering with the rest of you. Peace out and love and sypathy to the victims of the london bombs. Jay. UK. Peru. Back to Blighty soon. xxxxx

Held tickets to a show Moz cancelled?

... and some just have bigger heads

The National Front are a racist group, many fools believed Morrissey's song was supporting their views.

The National Front were a far-right, openly racist political group, active during the Seventies and Eighties. Now disbanded they attracted bigots with a taste for violence, men who fought – under the NF banner or otherwise – whenever possible. The modern equivalent is the British National Party who though more covert in their approach are no less racist.

Actually, the National Front is an organization that provides "beards" or "fronts" (hence the name)to English gentleman who wish to keep their true preferences (and any subsequent problems which may arise from them)a secret. An escort service of sorts, problems arose when the only women that wanted the job of "front" were Bengali, and questions were raised regarding race, origin, what it meant to be English, etc. It was disgraceful, particularly when the Daily Mail exposed the fact that a number of the Bengali women were in fact actually transvestites. Morrissey wrote a song about it, and the malady, while largely forgotten, lingers on, as they say.

The irony is, London really is burning!

Whilst I think this was a deliberate wind up by one of our resident racists, it does remind me of some proposals on burying Racists.

Seemingly, it was recommended that all Racists be buried 20 feet underground................wait for it..........as deep down Racists are nice people!

Boom Boom!

What's with u, so to speak?
Is this some sort of Prose Poem Effort?
A negative score might be overstating the matter, but really, if you're so insecure and blatantly confused...
Better to just keep it to yourself, perhaps?