in the guardian yesterday was a feature on how the smiths changed one jounos life and had interviews with other moz obsessives. however i was wondering if there are any Morrissey obsessives on here? if so how bad are you? and how has the Smiths changed your life?

Not sure that I'd call myself an obsessive as such, but I've certainly got a hell of a lot of respect for Morrissey, The Smiths were a pretty astounding band and were certainly one of the bands that really made me sit up and take notice of the power of music (Siouxsie and The Cure being two others...). On balance, I'd say I was probably slightly more of a Cure fan than a Smiths fan, but I thought both wrote totally marvellous songs which spoke directly to me....

 

If it hadn't been for seeing The Smiths, Siouxsie or The Cure on TOTP, I doubt I'd've found out about bands such as Joy Division, The Fall, Bauhaus, Nick Cave, etc, etc, so yeah, I'd say that The Smiths definitely had a profound and positive impact on me....

I don't think any true indie fan who knows their stuff can not have anything but a deep admiration and affection for The Smiths. They were THE archetypal, uncompromising, classic indie band. A band who released consistently brilliant 2 and 3 minute pop songs and gave us even better songs as b-sides and extra tracks.

 

Every Smiths album is a modern classic, from the jangly sprightliness of the eponymous first album to the gloom and fracture of Strangeways Here We Come, any person who doesn't own at least one Smiths album has an incomplete music collection.

 

Of course The Smiths changed our lives - they changed the face of music in the 80s and they can never, ever be forgotten. We wouldn't be having a discussion on an indie music board if The Smiths had never happened - there simply wouldn't BE indie music if The Smiths hadn't happened. They were the most important songwriting partnership this country has ever seen. Jagger/Richards? Lennon/McCartney? They pale next to the body of work given to us by Morrissey/Marr.

 

Morrissey solo has been much-maligned, but in truth he's released only 2 substandard albums in his almost-20 year career, Maladjusted and Southpaw Grammar.

 

The Smiths couldn't fail to touch anyone who really listened. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me is one of the most achingly beautiful songs ever written, There is a Light That Never Goes Out the same.

 

Even their record sleeves were pored-over works of beautiful art, each one a masterpiece.

 

Much misunderstoof by dullard journos and labelled depressing, HOW can you call the man who wrote Vicar in a Tutu depressing? Are you people deaf as well as mad? Morrissey's acerbic wit and cutting put-downs have never been surpassed and his influence is littered over virtually every indie star since. Even Noel Gallagher bows at his feet - and he doesn't do that often.

 

I saw The Smiths on their Queen is Dead tour, in Newport, on the night Morrissey was pulled offstage and beaten up by ravenous Cardiff City supporters who had bafflingly barged their way to the front (what was it with the Smiths, a band who wrote Handsome Devil, the most outrageously camp ode to gay love ever, that attracted boot boys?). I had photos of the whole thing - Morrissey literally fell at my feet... unfortunately, in the fracas that followed - a riot where the tour manager was bottled on stage, all the equipment dragged off the stage and police and riot vans everywhere, I lost the film!

 

I've written passages for a Smiths book (All Men Have Secrets) which is a collection of fan's stories on how The Smiths songs altered their lives. Their music continues to sound as fresh, vital and inspiring as it did almost 25 years ago. If you don't 'get' The Smiths, you really don't 'get' indie music.

 

And anyone in any doubt of Morrissey's absolute genius should listen to Ringleader of the Tormentors. 'Life is a Pigsty' is up there with How Soon Is Now, Hand in Glove and Bigmouth Strikes Again with his finest. A fabulous album from Britain's finest.

The new album is fantastic. 'Life in a Pigsty' I agree is great.

 

Strange, even though I was too young for the Smiths I've never gone back to buy their stuff. Which I did for Joy Division and New Order.

 

So, nope they've never changed my life in any way, but I do remember liking "Interesting Drug" when I was 13 if that helps.

I'm not really an obsessive, but I am a massive fan.

I'm not really an obsessive, but I am a massive fan.

 

I'll second that.

 

Personally (to russt68's post) I think you could add a third mediocre solo Morrissey album - "Kill Uncle".

 

The irony for me at school & college was that a lot of people thought I was (musically) odd because my two favourite bands of the 1980s were Duran Duran & The Smiths - two bands who were musically, socially & aesthetically incompatible to each others fan base.

 

In retrospect it proves to myself that I had both good Pop as well as Indie sensibilities at a younger age capable of buying a New Order record one week & an A-ha record the next & was not a musical snob....

 

.......... which is why i hate dull anaemic sh1t like Westlife, Shayne Ward, Robson & Jerome, etc with a passion.

I don't think any true indie fan who knows their stuff can not have anything but a deep admiration and affection for The Smiths. They were THE archetypal, uncompromising, classic indie band. A band who released consistently brilliant 2 and 3 minute pop songs and gave us even better songs as b-sides and extra tracks.

 

Every Smiths album is a modern classic, from the jangly sprightliness of the eponymous first album to the gloom and fracture of Strangeways Here We Come, any person who doesn't own at least one Smiths album has an incomplete music collection.

 

Of course The Smiths changed our lives - they changed the face of music in the 80s and they can never, ever be forgotten. We wouldn't be having a discussion on an indie music board if The Smiths had never happened - there simply wouldn't BE indie music if The Smiths hadn't happened. They were the most important songwriting partnership this country has ever seen. Jagger/Richards? Lennon/McCartney? They pale next to the body of work given to us by Morrissey/Marr.

 

 

The Smiths couldn't fail to touch anyone who really listened. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me is one of the most achingly beautiful songs ever written, There is a Light That Never Goes Out the same.

 

Even their record sleeves were pored-over works of beautiful art, each one a masterpiece.

 

Much misunderstoof by dullard journos and labelled depressing, HOW can you call the man who wrote Vicar in a Tutu depressing? Are you people deaf as well as mad? Morrissey's acerbic wit and cutting put-downs have never been surpassed and his influence is littered over virtually every indie star since. Even Noel Gallagher bows at his feet - and he doesn't do that often.

 

 

Amen to that mate....

 

But, I would take slight issue when you say without The Smiths there wouldn't be Indie music, what about the whole 'Factory Records' thing, what about Joy Division and The Fall? Both bands pre-date The Smiths, and I defy you to say that Ian Curtis and Mark E Smith weren't an influnce on Mozzer.....

 

And strictly speaking, 'Indie' as in 'Independent' music labels (which is historically what 'Indie' is..) really started during the Punk era.....

^ I think what russt68 is getting at is that before the Smiths there was not an "Indie" band who were consistently having Top2 Albums & Top15 Hit singles.

 

Whilst since it is not uncommon for an "Indie" band to outsell the latest Pop phenomenon to the top of the singles or album charts.

 

In short the Smiths broke the glass ceiling which the Stone Roses, Suede, Oasis, etc ... through to the Arctic Monkeys have all climbed through.

Neither are my type of music, so I don't like them too much, so no to the initial questions ^_^

did anyone read the paper that the article was in?

Not an obsessive, although I love the music! :)

 

 

^ I think what russt68 is getting at is that before the Smiths there was not an "Indie" band who were consistently having Top2 Albums & Top15 Hit singles.

 

Whilst since it is not uncommon for an "Indie" band to outsell the latest Pop phenomenon to the top of the singles or album charts.

 

In short the Smiths broke the glass ceiling which the Stone Roses, Suede, Oasis, etc ... through to the Arctic Monkeys have all climbed through.

 

Whilst that is certainly true one cannot forget the quite large success The Cure were having at this time also, so I would say that it was both The Smiths and The Cure who were responsible for much of what you say...

 

And let's not forget New Order.....

Grimly... don't forget, The Cure hadn't had a major hit til '83, even Boys Dont Cry was very minor on initial release, they were very much a cult band who didn't really sell many records til The Walk/Lovecats, even their poppiest single, Let's Go To Bed, failed to dent the mainstream... and whilst Fiction was a small label - it wasn't indie at all - it was a subsidiary of Polydor.

 

I love The Cure, but I'd never class them as an indie band.

Grimly... don't forget, The Cure hadn't had a major hit til '83, even Boys Dont Cry was very minor on initial release, they were very much a cult band who didn't really sell many records til The Walk/Lovecats, even their poppiest single, Let's Go To Bed, failed to dent the mainstream... and whilst Fiction was a small label - it wasn't indie at all - it was a subsidiary of Polydor.

 

I love The Cure, but I'd never class them as an indie band.

 

Wasn't it the case though, that The Smiths weren't starting to make the breakthrough til about '83/'84 themselves?

 

And I know that Fiction was an imprint, but if you don't put the likes of The Cure, Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen and others like them into the 'Indie' category, then where do they fit...?

Not obsessive but I do like Morrissey/The Smiths.

Grimly...

 

This Charming Man was late 83, after the failure of Hand In Glove, around the same time as The Cure's biggest hits to date.

 

I always classed The Cure as goth, not indie, myself.

 

Talking of The Cure - did anyone see the photo of Robert Smith in the gutter tabloids this week onstage? Yikes.... he's massive!

Grimly...

 

This Charming Man was late 83, after the failure of Hand In Glove, around the same time as The Cure's biggest hits to date.

 

I always classed The Cure as goth, not indie, myself.

 

Talking of The Cure - did anyone see the photo of Robert Smith in the gutter tabloids this week onstage? Yikes.... he's massive!

 

I think that The Cure are mistakingly labelled as Goth myself, there's really no Cure song that you can point to and identify as being definitely 'Goth', certainly not in the Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, Fields of the Nephilim sense of Goth. And when you hear a Cure song at an underground Trad Goth club (like, say, Slimelight or Dead and Buried in London..) it totally sticks out like a sore thumb. I acknowlege that The Cure are beloved by Goths (myself included..), but the same can be said for Cocteau Twins, Echo and the Bunnymen and Depeche Mode and you could hardly describe any of those as being Goth....

 

Nah, The Cure's music is really hard to pin down into a specific genre, let's just say that they are The Cure and they are unique....

 

Dont forget that The Cure had some fairly good chart success later on in the 80s and early 90s as well - "Catch", "Why Cant I Be You", "Lullaby", "Close To Me", "High", "Friday I'm In Love", "Never Enough", etc. I also remember being at a Cure gig in the early 90s and believe me, the Indie Kids (Wonderstuff, Neds, Poppies, My Bloody Valentine, Pixies and Slowdive fans...) easily outnumbered the Goths.... I think we can say that The Cure straddle both camps...

 

Oh, my God, has he been eating the pies again?? I saw The Cure in Hyde Park in '02 and he was looking pretty lean and mean. Touring in the States has clearly taken its toll..... :lol: :lol:

Grimly...

 

This Charming Man was late 83, after the failure of Hand In Glove, around the same time as The Cure's biggest hits to date.

 

I always classed The Cure as goth, not indie, myself.

 

Talking of The Cure - did anyone see the photo of Robert Smith in the gutter tabloids this week onstage? Yikes.... he's massive!

 

funny you should mention goths as the week before in the same paper was an article about goths, and how they are always misrepresented. went on about how goths are normally quite a well read, intelligent bunch and how once you are a goth you are normally a goth for most of your life.

 

the writer of the piece (who, of course) is a goth, thinks that the cure are not proper goths as they a slightly too pop (:o for all you cure fans). best search for it on the guardian's website as i think it was that paper.

funny you should mention goths as the week before in the same paper was an article about goths, and how they are always misrepresented. went on about how goths are normally quite a well read, intelligent bunch and how once you are a goth you are normally a goth for most of your life.

 

the writer of the piece (who, of course) is a goth, thinks that the cure are not proper goths as they a slightly too pop (:o for all you cure fans). best search for it on the guardian's website as i think it was that paper.

 

He's absolutely right. Don't suppose you know the guy's name by any chance... Is it Mick Mercer? Gavin Baddeley?

 

He's absolutely right. Don't suppose you know the guy's name by any chance... Is it Mick Mercer? Gavin Baddeley?

 

sorry i havent. unlike the smiths changed my life article it wasnt in this week's paper so i wont have it at home anymore. as i said it was either in the guardian or independent. should be able to find it online i suppose.