How did you become a Morrissey/Smiths fan?

[WHY!]

Dunno if a thread like this is existing. If yes forgive me. Couldn't find anything. But I'm very interesting in the way you became a fan.

Here is my story:

Actually, I come from a totally different musical background and used to listen to electronic music. So I'm a huge Pet Shop Boys Fan since 19 years now. I always liked keyboards and that kind of stuff. I never liked guitars. Never. And when the singer of the Pet Shop Boys came onstage with a acoustic guitar on their Release-Tour I thought the world is official ending now. I couldn't believe it.

That's why I never heard a Morrissey/Smiths song in my live - until last November. Really, I never heard a song of him.

But then, don't know why, I was hanging around on our Pet Shop Boys forum and there was this user with this special avatar. Just the size 80x80 pixel. It was the Ringleader cover and the line "Morrissey is god".

I always thought what a nice and delicious picture it is. Yes, delicious. Like a piece of cake. I wanted to EAT that avatar everytime I've seen it. I know it sounds silly.

So I found out what the current Morrissey album is and was listening to it. I heard the first strings of this strong music and then him singing. I sat here with open-mouth staring at the wall and was flabbergasted!!! The music was so strong and overwhelming not to mention this beautiful voice!!! I tought what kind of brilliant stuff is that? I was listening to Ringleader for days!!

I was infected like I never has been infected before. So I had to find out who this "Morrissey" is. I knew his name all the time and that he was the one with this quiff but I didn't know everything about him.

It was mere coincidence that I was looking if he has a tour soon. And YES! I learnt he is in Germany in December! Just in a few weeks! What a luck! I asked all my friend if they want to go to his concert but almost no one knew him at all! Except from one - my friend, probably my best friend. She loves rock music and all that stuff and when I asked her "Do YOU know who Morrissey is?" and after all these negative answers I heard this: "Sure. I have two albums of him at home." Bingo! I knew I can rely on her. But the problem was she was without job at that time and had no money. But at the end we managed to go to his Berlin gig and now we both are so in love with Moz (my friend only liked his music but no more).

I really had to smile and was surprised when I learnt that Morrissey was the singer of The Smith and that Johnny Marr was the guitarist! Because I knew Johnny from "Electronic" with Bernhard Sumner because the Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant was singing on one their album (I still have that album on cassette!). How small the world is....

It's quite unusual for me that I suddenly like guitars and that kind of music. I don't have an explanation for that. But I'm very glad I discovered Morrissey with his mysterious but strong charisma and his brilliant music and lyrics. It's late and I've missed so many things like previous concerts but better late than never!

Well. Now it's your turn. Tell your story...

 

[mozmal]

An old friend of mine came round with the first John Peel session on cassette, way back in 1983, and that was it for me. Since then he's been the most important person in music for me. The years of The Smiths were just simply glorious, the melodies, the lyrics, the controversy, the singles and albums and everything else that went with it. I was lucky enough to see them live just five times. And amazingly the man is still here, still making good music. I was at the Gmex gig on 23rd and it was just great, can't wait for the next tour. Viva Morrissey!

 

[WHY!]

And amazingly the man is still here, still making good music.

Yes, I understand! I'm a longtime PSB fan and I'm grown up with them. They accompanied me through my adolescence and were always on my side. And now I'm 32 years old, the men are old and we're still toghether and I can't imagine a life without them. But one day it will happen: they will be dead and.... no - better don't talk about that!!!

I'm really glad Morrissey is still with us making such a good music and I hope he will be onstage when he's 70!

I was at the Gmex gig on 23rd and it was just great, can't wait for the next tour. Viva Morrissey!

But the next time you're going to visit two concerts: one for filming and one just for enjoying!!! Ok?

 

[Joe Benzon]

Heard them in my friends car and was hooked

 

[Sunday Girl]

I saw the video for "There is a light.." on E4 music, a couple of years ago and just loved it instantly, the video, the song, Moz in his NHS specs, everything about it. I felt cheated that i had never got into the smiths/ Moz before. After that i just wanted to find out everything there was to know about him.

But having been born in 1978, meant that I was only five when the Smiths started out, and only nine when they split up. So obviously like most kids of that age, whose lives are fairly carefree and uncomplicated, the band wouldn't have appealed to me then anyway. I have vague memories of hearing "this charming man" during my childhood and i always loved the song, but never knew anything about moz or the smiths. I remember reading a bit about Morrissey in Smash Hits, which i started buying in 1988 around the time he went solo.

The only moz solo song i remember hearing back then was "ouija board", i liked it, but i was only eleven or something and thought it was a bit weird and eerie..partly because my parents were strict christians who had instilled the belief in me that ouija boards were 'evil and demonic' and all that.

Unfortunately for me, the year that i really started to get into good indie music instead of pop (when i was 13/ 14, so in about 1991/2) the bloody NME stopped writing about him and so i never got to know about Moz, even though i used to buy it every week. The Sods.

I remember around that time (1992) on "The Mary Whitehouse Experience" (a comedy show) there was a sketch of someone pretending to be Moz, waving flowers around and being all miserable, the usual stereotype, so i suppose that was my impression of him too, if i had one at all. As far as i remember though, he didn't register much in my mind at all back then. I was right into the Manics, they were 'my' band, i don't think i had much time for other stuff once i got into them.

 

[rusholmeruffians]

When I was 11 in 1986 my dad who is a big Smiths fan, turned the lights on in our living room and made me lay down and he played Meat is Murder first and I was blown away...the images of the cows and the chain saw amazing and then...he played Suffer Little Children...I really loved my dad for that..


We both went to the MEN arena in 2004, and the Gmex on 22nd...all we did was cry....

 

[jossu]

I'm a new Morrissey/The Smiths fan, too.

One day, a year and a half ago, I found Bona Drag from the local library. At first, I didn't like it at all! Well, i did like The Last Of... A month later I listened Bona Drag again and.... somehow all the songs seemed perfect! I couldn't believe this was the same album I had disliked before. After Bona Drag it was The Smiths and after The Smiths it was Meat Is Murder and after that it was Viva Hate..... and so on.

Now I'm obsessed

 

[Kickstand]

I was watching VH1 a good four years ago now and There is a light that never goes out was on and I fell in love with it right way and that's how it started.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

crack

 

[wolve]

Dunno if a thread like this is existing. If yes forgive me. Couldn't find anything. But I'm very interesting in the way you became a fan.

Here is my story:

Actually, I come from a totally different musical background and used to listen to electronic music. So I'm a huge Pet Shop Boys Fan since 19 years now. I always liked keyboards and that kind of stuff. I never liked guitars. Never. And when the singer of the Pet Shop Boys came onstage with a acoustic guitar on their Release-Tour I thought the world is official ending now. I couldn't believe it.

That's why I never heard a Morrissey/Smiths song in my live - until last November. Really, I never heard a song of him.

But then, don't know why, I was hanging around on our Pet Shop Boys forum and there was this user with this special avatar. Just the size 80x80 pixel. It was the Ringleader cover and the line "Morrissey is god".

I always thought what a nice and delicious picture it is. Yes, delicious. Like a piece of cake. I wanted to EAT that avatar everytime I've seen it. I know it sounds silly.

So I found out what the current Morrissey album is and was listening to it. I heard the first strings of this strong music and then him singing. I sat here with open-mouth staring at the wall and was flabbergasted!!! The music was so strong and overwhelming not to mention this beautiful voice!!! I tought what kind of brilliant stuff is that? I was listening to Ringleader for days!!

I was infected like I never has been infected before. So I had to find out who this "Morrissey" is. I knew his name all the time and that he was the one with this quiff but I didn't know everything about him.

It was mere coincidence that I was looking if he has a tour soon. And YES! I learnt he is in Germany in December! Just in a few weeks! What a luck! I asked all my friend if they want to go to his concert but almost no one knew him at all! Except from one - my friend, probably my best friend. She loves rock music and all that stuff and when I asked her "Do YOU know who Morrissey is?" and after all these negative answers I heard this: "Sure. I have two albums of him at home." Bingo! I knew I can rely on her. But the problem was she was without job at that time and had no money. But at the end we managed to go to his Berlin gig and now we both are so in love with Moz (my friend only liked his music but no more).

I really had to smile and was surprised when I learnt that Morrissey was the singer of The Smith and that Johnny Marr was the guitarist! Because I knew Johnny from "Electronic" with Bernhard Sumner because the Pet Shop Boys singer Neil Tennant was singing on one their album (I still have that album on cassette!). How small the world is....

It's quite unusual for me that I suddenly like guitars and that kind of music. I don't have an explanation for that. But I'm very glad I discovered Morrissey with his mysterious but strong charisma and his brilliant music and lyrics. It's late and I've missed so many things like previous concerts but better late than never!

Well. Now it's your turn. Tell your story...

There's this band called "the Smiths" where he was in for five years. You should check that one out.

 

[Julzei]

I was watching VH1 a good four years ago now and There is a light that never goes out was on and I fell in love with it right way and that's how it started.

Same here, except it was only a few months ago when I saw the light. I'm a new fan but I'm only 16.

 

[Kickstand]

That's cool, I'm only a year older and I found them at a young age by accident, I was just slumped infront of the TV, nothing was one so I just put it on VH1 as I hardly watched it before.

 

[WHY!]

There's this band called "the Smiths" where he was in for five years. You should check that one out.

Are you speaking about Johnny Marr? NOW I know he was in the Smiths first but I knew him from "Electronic" with Bernhard Sumner.

 

[Kickstand]

Don't mind, Wolve. she's a bit cranky today, she's missing her soul mate Chica. She doesn't mean to be a sarcastic wench.

 

[robertzombie]

Dad: "Listen to this son!" *dad thrusts old smiths cassette into robert's face.
Robert: "ok dad"

and the rest is history...

well not really history, it only happened a few months ago!

 

[WHY!]

@rusholmeruffians and robertzombie:

You have really cool dads!!!! I wish I had...

My father threw my favourite cassette away - in front of my eyes! I was 14 at the time, 1988. I cried for hours and I still have a trauma... Unfortunately I couldn't go into the shop for buying a new one because I was grown up on the wrong side of the wall here in Germany and there just weren't any record shops with music from the "enemy state". How cruel can the live be? It took 3 years until I had that tape back. It's still my favorite record....

 

[sonandheir]

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure eek: ) ... however I distinctly remember watching him being interviewed on the Johnathan Ross show back in 2004 and being rather intrigued. I can only assume that I downloaded a couple of his songs shortly afterwards and was forever hooked.

 

[the more you explore me!]

quite a while ago... people doing me tapes (not cds), then i bought them myself and had a hair cut like a quiff!

 

[FlickanMedTörnen]

just a couple of weeks ago. my boyfriend (well, as of yesterday, my ex... heaven knows i'm miserable now...) had queen is dead and played it to me, was surprised I liked it because we don't share the same taste in music. but I put it on my ipod and listened nonstop on a bus journey to gothenburg and that was it of course. have slowly started to build up a collection of smiths/moz since. went through a major fandom-period with another "object" a few years back and don't feel like doing it again, but I've done the short version.. interest-research-worship and now a balanced admiration. I like the music, some of it is the best I've heard, right up there with Händel, Mozart and Belle & sebastian as a person he fascinates me, but I jump between admiration, annoyance and dislike every time I read interviews and such. some things we agree on, some we don't. just like with anybody else I guess!

 

[boyvoyeur]

my brother bought strangeways here we come. i was 10 at the time and i was immedietly hooked, althought there was a lot i didnt understand at that age, there was still a lot that i could relate to. i was always a troubled kid and even at that age morrissey made me feel that i was not alone. im almost 30 now and still adore mozz, i feel i own him a lot....i feel he quite literally saved my life more than once.