Article: The Severed Alliance (Updated Edition) pre-order at Rough Trade shop (Oct 1, 2012)

[Vauxhall95]

I wonder if there is a further 20 pages on the history of Ireland in this one.....

Interestingly, there is a big volume on the Smiths coming out by another author in the Autumn.......

Nice... Good to know I wasn't the only fan reading who felt reading reading this was laborious.

[Anonymous]

It's a decent book in places, though proportionately very little is "about" The Smiths, the first two thirds are tedious - I don't mind reading about Morrissey's school days, but the detail about random pupils I simply don't care about is dull beyond belief. What should be background information is stretched out to be the bulk of the book.

The research is thorough in terms of presentation only, as it SEEMS thorough but drops off as soon as the interesting sections begin - that being the actual careers of Morrissey and Marr in the Smiths. Rogan was unable to penetrate that inner circle obviously.

I mentioned the presentation as thorough, but only because of the dubious substance: I do wonder how Rogan could describe what was in Morrissey's diary- for example, the allegation Morrissey wrote about Pakistanis having a foul aroma needs to be substantiated. The obvious suggestion is that he READ a diary Morrissey kept, but how? I don't see Morrissey's faithful mother handing over a childhood diary of her son to some anon scribe. And how he knew how Morrissey was feeling on a given day - this crops up over and over, his suppositions litter the book, and casts doubt even on what is factual.

It's about a 6/10. It was the first book about The Smiths, and not the best. It's readable and occasionally interesting, providing you have more than a pinch of salt at hand and are willing to wade through dry reams of text with only tenuous links to Morrissey or Marr. While I think Rogan has superb analytical skills, I think he had far less meat than the heft of the tome might suggest.

I refer to it as the Severe Dalliance, in my customarily poor attempt at humour.

[Amy]

I mentioned the presentation as thorough, but only because of the dubious substance: I do wonder how Rogan could describe what was in Morrissey's diary- for example, the allegation Morrissey wrote about Pakistanis having a foul aroma needs to be substantiated. The obvious suggestion is that he READ a diary Morrissey kept, but how? I don't see Morrissey's faithful mother handing over a childhood diary of her son to some anon scribe. And how he knew how Morrissey was feeling on a given day - this crops up over and over, his suppositions litter the book, and casts doubt even on what is factual.

That seemed very suspicious when I read it, too. I doubt Rogan got his hands on any actual "diaries" unless Morrissey gave them to other people in confidence, and those acquaintances passed them on when he got famous (unlikely) - or, Rogan traced several of Morrissey's "pen pal" letters (there must have been dozens beside the Robert Mackie ones) and then deliberately misrepresented them to give the illusion that he was closer to Morrissey's inner circle than was true. A longer shot - we know that Morrissey was/is fairly distant from his father's side of the family; I don't think it's impossible that some of them may have 'collaborated' with Rogan and requested not to be named.

I think "The Severed Alliance" is an interesting book, in parts, but the reader should be careful not to trust Rogan's representations too much - particularly his depiction of the interviews. Marr said that he went to Rogan with the intention of setting the record straight, but instead Rogan hanged him with his own quotes. Moz berated Johnny for his involvement, regardless. Reader beware, etc.

[Anonymous]

the allegation Morrissey wrote about Pakistanis having a foul aroma needs to be substantiated. The obvious suggestion is that he READ a diary Morrissey kept, but how? I don't see Morrissey's faithful mother handing over a childhood diary of her son to some anon scribe. And how he knew how Morrissey was feeling on a given day - this crops up over and over, his suppositions litter the book, and casts doubt even on what is factual.

I remember devouring the book when it first came out. I even managed to be interested in the irrelevant stuff about family history. In the days before the interwebs, so much less was known about Morrissey (although maybe it was just such a novelty to read anything about him/them that it was just enjoyable to read, I dunno). Anyway, regarding the Pakistani/aroma allegation, it feels as though you should be right about Rogan being unable to lay his hands on Morrissey's diary, but if the claim is false then I'm left wondering why he didn't sue Rogan. If untrue, it indicates racist opinions were held by (even?) the teenage Morrissey and is clearly libellous. Maybe the possibility that Rogan could prove the claim gave Morrissey pause for thought.

[Anonymous]

Well, it's maybe a bit unfair to compare a book published way back in 1992 before the internet, with the Mozipedia which came out in 2009. Even Simon acknowledged in his book that the Severed Alliance was "a bedrock foundation for every subsequent investigation into the group, this one included" and that nothing had "escaped the shadow of its influence". Len Brown said the same in the intro to his book. I don't know what an update would cover, but Rogan was the only person to attend the court case in its entirety so some of that might throw up some new info or revelations. Who knows?

A different assessment of Rogan's work comes out in Gavin Hopps' Pageant!!

[Thesmithsmorrissey]

So is this going to be like a completely re-written version of the first edition (which I own a signed copy of, thankyouveryfuckingmuch)

nice!

[celibate]

lost it somewhere in Paris, in okt 2002 gig

So this is a good time to buy this one

[also thinking about the Smiths CD box, if one of yer collection sticks in the cd player,
you have to buy a new one, as with some Morrissey albums who aren't made, it might be
reaonable to have 3 CD's and the Vinyl of Meat is Murder, and the others ones]

btw, the vinyl is having come back, don't judge me, just remeber I mentioned it here

[joe frady]

So is this going to be like a completely re-written version of the first edition (which I own a signed copy of, thankyouveryfuckingmuch)

nice!

I still have my signed edition, which I asked him to sign 'Johnny 'the Rat' Rogan' ~ one of the insults Morrissey had deployed at the time. He seemed perfectly happy to do this, although I seem to remember him then telling me a story that Morrissey had also wished him to be attacked by a pack of Alsatian dogs. This was uncanny, said Mr. Rogan, as Johnny Marr had a pair of Alsatians. I made my excuses and left. Seemed a bit too...type A, if you catch my drift.

[Skylarker]

I read this back in 1992 or 1993, I remember it being very well-written. Granted, I was a child, but I definitely got the impression that at least Rogan was a fan who cared about the subject matter; however rabidly his devotion twisted into madness and a hidden agenda, I couldn't say. I couldn't vouch for the truth of what is in it; but then very few can.

That it caused Morrissey so much ire is interesting. Seems odd he would get as angry as he did if it was all smoke and no fire.

At any rate, factual or farcical, it's light years better than anything by David Bret.

[Anonymous]

So is this going to be like a completely re-written version of the first edition

If every word of it is rewritten it might be worth reading!

[Anonymous]

Well, it's maybe a bit unfair to compare a book published way back in 1992 before the internet, with the Mozipedia which came out in 2009. Even Simon acknowledged in his book that the Severed Alliance was "a bedrock foundation for every subsequent investigation into the group, this one included" and that nothing had "escaped the shadow of its influence". Len Brown said the same in the intro to his book. I don't know what an update would cover, but Rogan was the only person to attend the court case in its entirety so some of that might throw up some new info or revelations. Who knows?

Hilarious - this is so obviously Rogan in defense of Rogan - wounded, defensive, little man bigging himself up! He's got a lot more defending to do though - judging from these posts!

[Thesmithsmorrissey]

The thing is, people will come from all corners of the world to chest-beat about how awful a book or an album or a movie is

but in the end, every one of those people will eventually end up checking it out, be it for curiousity or for completist's sake, and that's when the author has won.

[Anonymous]

The thing is, people will come from all corners of the world to chest-beat about how awful a book or an album or a movie is
but in the end, every one of those people will eventually end up checking it out, be it for curiousity or for completist's sake, and that's when the author has won.

I don't see why people sharing their views has to be 'chest-beating' or why this means the author has 'won'. You can check it out, conclude that it's pants, then spread the word. Rogan's a dinosaur - and no new attempt at a 'hip' make-over can change this.

[Thesmithsmorrissey]

And yet...every Smiths fan will gobble it up for any new shred of information the so-called 'dinosaur' has to offer

[Anonymous]

And yet...every Smiths fan will gobble it up for any new shred of information the so-called 'dinosaur' has to offer

With the exception of those who don't give a monkeys about Rogan's shreds

[billy scissors]

And yet...every Smiths fan will gobble it up for any new shred of information the so-called 'dinosaur' has to offer

Not this soldier.

[Thesmithsmorrissey]

We'll see

WE'LL SEE.

[Anonymous]

Not this soldier.

Nor me. (There goes your 'every')

[Anonymous]

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a delicate soul with a beautiful mind told stories and sang songs that enchanted the world. Then along came a tin-eared and uncultured Oik, who retold these stories and translated these songs, in a tedious pedantic oikery of his own. Rogan is a hack-tard who spreads ordure over beauty.

[Mozzarella Fitzgerald]

I wonder if there is a further 20 pages on the history of Ireland in this one.....

lol IKR, that was weird as hell.. but I suppose if one is doing a hagiography context matters and background history is needed to set the tone, regardless of whether it seems excessive. Were Morrissey and the other Smiths not first generation Irish immigrants, I'd agree it would be pointless.

Anyway, from the collapsing Morrissey bookshelf, The Severed Alliance always struck me as the best and most compulsively readable book and Rogan the best writer.