How did you discover the Smiths/Morrissey?

[KenzieW]

I was wondering how you all discovered the Smiths/Morrissey and what was your first impression of Morrissey.
I discovered the Smiths three years ago. (I had already known the song "How Soon is Now" but I don't think that counts.) I was sick of all of my music so I asked my parents to make a new cd for me. The cd they made had four Smith's songs, "What Difference Does it Make?," "Girlfriend in a Coma," "Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours," and "Unhappy Birthday." The first time I heard "Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours" I remember hearing the piano and Morrissey's voice and getting the chills. Then I watched Shaun of the Dead and heard "Panic." It got stuck in my head and I ended up getting Louder Than Bombs from my dad. Then I fell in love!

When I saw Morrissey on the tv in Shaun of the Dead he made me think of Elvis.

 

[dailyalice]

I saw him in a 1985ish Smash Hits magazine interview. I thought he was handsome and interesting, bought the Queen Is Dead to see what he sounded like. I heard the first note and I've been hopelessly in love ever since.

 

[Anonymous1]

All through growing up, my dad often played The Smiths while driving. It was a very magical sound to me - I remember thinking that the music was absolute perfection - something which can the standard of how all music should sound. Tunes like 'This Charming Man' and 'How Soon Is Now' blew my mind.

When I was older, I remember finding bands which reminded me of The Smiths. Of course, nothing fully satisfied me, but I did find some pretty excellent bands that remain some of my favorites today.

After a while, my uncle burned me a copy of 'Louder Than Bombs'. It was outrageous how great that CD was - I probably played it more times than I had played all my other CD's at the time. For weeks it was the only thing I would listen to.

My dad noticed my new obsession with 'The Smiths', so he decided to lend me his collection. He owned 'The Queen Is Dead', 'Strangeways, Here We Come', 'The Best of The Smiths', and Morrissey's 'Bona Drag'. Once again, my mind was blown, and I couldn't believe how awesome the music sounded. In a relatively short amount of time, I knew pretty much every CD front to back by heart. Despite the fairly large amount of new songs I had access to, I still hadn't had enough. I was endlessly hungry for more Morrissey and The Smiths songs, and it's a hunger that remains to this day.

My first Morrissey buy was 'The Best of Morrissey'. Today I see that CD as a mediocre compilation, but it sounded pretty excellent at the time.

Due to my everlasting need for additional Morrissey songs, I am an avid collector of all things Morrissey. I have the majority of his solo CDs, and a respectable collection of The Smiths work (Either way, I have pretty much everything Morrissey's officially released solo and with The Smiths). I listen to quite a few other bands and artists these days, but most of them come and go. Morrissey is something I know I will always come back to.

 

[Kewpie]

I read about The Smiths from some Japanese music magazines in 1983, but didn't have a chance to listen to their music until March 1984 from a national radio programme, really didn't like living in remote area where had limited access to non-mainstream stuff.

Later I heard many Smiths fans lived in Tokyo and surrounding area first heard them in 1983 from local radio's weekly British top 40 on Saturday graveyard slot.

At that time one of my best friends told me that Boy George was raving about Smiths.
Officially I became a fan 16th September 1984 after hearing 'William, It Was Really Nothing' from radio.

 

[[email protected]]

... I asked my Dad to Video-record what was supposed to be "The Eurythmics" live on a UK TV show, in 1983, as I was going out clubbing with some mates.
When I got home, the TV programme had been replaced, ( For some unknown reason) with a concert by the Smiths instead.
Good Ol' Pops recorded it for me anyway.
So, I watched it..........and was Completely Smitten indeed.
Thank you Dad!!!!

 

[Dave2006]

A friend scribbled the lyrics to Frankley Mr Shankley in the back of my English exercise book at school. Went out and bought The Queen Is Dead that evening. And Rank the next day. And Viva Hate the week after. A few months later November Spawned a Monster was released and I bought it on the day it came out.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Thanks Bell

Dave

 

[mozmal]

A friend of mine recorded the first John Peel session in 1983, I listened to it obsessively, along with the subsequent sessions. I saw The Smiths for the first time in my hometown of Hull in 1984, they were just brilliant.

 

[Casersatz]

I'm a very recent convert. How recent? My first album purchased was the "Sound of the Smiths" compilation.

No, I hadn't been living under a rock (nor was I born yesterday, or yesterday under a rock.) I adored the handful of Smiths songs that I had heard throughout my life (Ask, How Soon is Now? and This Charming Man.) However, I never really investigated until one day I caught There is A Light That Never Goes Out and I started crying. I've very rarely cried to music, so this was quite a surprise. I did the logical thing to do with a man that makes you cry: buy everything he ever made.

 

[sistasheila]

2000. by then i was by then more into stuff like sonic youth, neubauten, etc- nosiy stuff but also still did listen to catchy stuff like motown..etc
so i have until then never read an interview or saw a video or heard them/him on radio neither have any of my friends own their /his records(know him) nor had any band I liked ever mentioned him
..and opposite to the UK/US who still published some moz articles during 1998-2003 nothing was published here-at least what i was aware of was seen by me.
i think you discover him when the time is just right for it

but i saw the covers on a regular basis as i did my apprenticeship in a record store* and was responsible for the indie section...
(for some strange reason they were never played by the staff, even though we had music obsessives there with quite an indie taste-event though it was a big chain not a small record store them there )

i still remember my colleguage who had knowning smile appearing on his face when i told him that i will buy it while holding it and looking at it...like this "oh you will looove it. I KNOW you"
but him seeing live didnt happen not before 2006 cause I did not have a credit card at that time and I also didnt go online on a regular basis/actually very rarely before 2004/2005(never had ans still dont have a computer on my own)
so i missed announcements of him playing near like in 2002,2004 where he played in france or in the netherlands(he did play germany last 1999 than again 2006)
shortly after the purchase(i was moved by hearing it cause it was so different-the voice the lyyrics in particular) i choose how soon is now and there is a light for a cassette mixtape to declare my(unrequited) love in the way of the music I choose for someone
bought his backcatalogue one by one
but an obsessive i came much later when i first saw him live in berlin 2006..which was pretty much the most emotional and almost religious intense concert i have have ever visit (well then i saw how people really go nuts at a morrissey concert in edinburgh ..speaking of audience reactions)+ but you can never beat the first time..was in a emotional state the following days
the moment alone when he walked on stage and literally light up the room..and all that followed
before I saw him live i have never seen any livevideo or read any book about him and only a few articles/interviews before 2006 so i was quite surprised when he stripped..
i had a feeling i was on lsd or ectasy or sth during and after the concert
the 1st neubauten concert was quite intense too but a on a different level- all that sound made by the most unusal stuff one can use for music..and the noise level...they played many old stuff at that concert- iwasnt emotional touched like at teh 1st moz concert

*i miss the time workin in the record store- we had this unspoken battle of playing stuff by unknown bands/artists so often someone came up and asked who that is and buys it..another thing during the later hours shortly before closing we often played the crooners like sinatra , dean martin cause this seem to lit people up , some people even danced with their girlfriends/boyfriends in the store edit: also we noticed as soon as these timeless crooners sing., the people get all romantic with their partners, begin to hold hands even kiss.

 

[joe frady]

In 1988 my psychobitch of an older sister was going through a phase of liking anything and everything that she considered 'homosexual', so think Rupert Everett, 'Another Country', Pet Shop Boys, Terence Stamp, etc. During this bogus cultural trawl she acquired 'The World Won't Listen' LP. I would hear it from behind her slammed tight bedroom door. I could barely hear the lyrics yet, but just the patina of that voice with those guitars intrigued me. So, in danger of my life, one day I borrowed the vinyl and dubbed a cassette tape of it, like we did in those olde Victorian days.
I played it endlessly. I bought some more LPs of my very own. Despite obsessively devouring 'NME', 'Melody Maker', 'Sounds', 'Smash Hits, even 'No1' for heavens sake, every week since the start of 1987 I had no prior knowledge of Morrissey. Even now I have no idea how I manged to miss him, but I did. I was also listening nightly to Janice Long's Evening Session show, but managed to miss him there too.
The rest isn't quite history. Throughout 1989 with each 'funny little single' from Morrissey I would buy it and worship it immediately (yes, even 'Ouija') and set up little 'shrines' of magazine posters, single covers, etc. every three months. But then I'd feel bad. I'd feel that I can't like Moz. I'm a U2 fan! I had been since 1984 and went supernova around 'The Joshua Tree'. In those days Morrissey and U2 just didn't mix. You had to take sides. The 1980s yeah? So I swayed and dithered throughout 1989 and 1990 really. When I listened to U2 I felt like I was cheating on Morrissey, and vice vera. Then one dreich Monday night in Winter this happened ~



and I was hooked.
I have nothing to thank, and much to blame, my eldest psychosister for. But I suppose I do owe my introduction to Morrissey to her.
I still love U2. Just not as much as Moz. No biggie.

 

[Neader]

Last July, through (500) Days of Summer

(Please don't hurt me!)

 

[CARDIFF CITY FC]

by chance i was watching top of the pops here in the UK back in 1983 when this charming man came on and i was mozmerished ever since

 

[Uncleskinny]

When me mate Andy bought What Difference Does It Make 12", I heard Back To The Old House, and I was hooked.

P.

 

[FlowSnakes]

How? Bands I liked cited The Smiths as a major influence, so I had to check them out.
What I first thought about Morrissey?
That it was a shame he was dead. (Someone misinformed me, I can't exactly remember who...)

Well, that led to a VERY OMFGWTF?!?! moment when I discovered, via music television, that he wasn't, in fact, dead, but apparently very much alive.

 

[nightingale+therose]

I borrowed Hatful of Hollow from Motherwell library for several months. On returning it (with the hope of getting it out again), I was told that someone else wanted it - i felt cheated. When they failed to return that beautiful vinyl (theiving bastard), i was devastated!
That's when i knew i loved The Smiths... would be a wee while before i bought my own CD of it though (well, i were only a young lass at the time)!

 

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

I just typed out a huge long story about my discovery, but the site logged me out before I'd finished and I lost it all. I'll do it again later.

 

[still I cling]

I read some 'facts and quotes' about Morrissey in the 1988 year end issue of Smash Hits, as well as reviews for Viva Hate and Rank in Rolling Stone. He seemed very interesting from what I read, but I didn't have any access to his music at the time (no money, and it wasn't played on the radio in my town). I heard a few of his songs and saw videos through the next few years (I remember Interesting Drug and his first Tonight Show performance), then I finally got Your Arsenal for my 17th birthday. It was instant love - the lyrics, his voice, the music - it was so far removed from the comparatively mundane stuff I was used to hearing on pop radio. From then I worked backwards through his catalogue, then I got The Smiths albums. And that's all I've got to say about that.

 

[9 x Fined]

Via MTV believe it or not, who used to hammer both Stop Me and Suedehead. A couple years later a friend loaned me Strangeways and it was all downhill from there.

 

[leedoggpimp]

i really didn't like them at first to be honest but they grew on me once i got to listening to the lyrics. my brother and sister would always have them playing on the stereo while we would all do our chores before mom got home.

 

[pleasure_little_treasure]

A friend of mine recommended The Smiths and after that I got interested in Morrissey. Before that I must say I didn't have nice thoughts about him at all.