How did you become a Morrissey/Smiths fan?

[nocturn0wl]

My relationship with The Smiths began in December of 2003. My online pal and good friend, Sarah, had sent me a mix CD for my birthday with all sorts of cool 80s alternative tunes on it (many of these songs would go on to inspire great musical loves within me). Two of them were "How Soon Is Now?" by The Smiths (which I had heard somewhere before and had ALWAYS thought sounded cool) and "Everyday is Like Sunday" by Morrissey. At the time, I didn't realize there was a (now obvious) connection between The Smiths and Morrissey, and I reported back to my friend just how much I liked those songs. It was then that she told me that Morrissey was the SINGER in The Smiths! Well, no wonder I liked those two songs so much!! hahaha. I felt so stupid at the time for not making the connection.

I went on to get "The Smiths: Singles" and it wasn't until months later, the spring of 2004, that I obtained my first Morrissey solo CD, "Live at Earl's Court," and "You Are the Quarry" soon thereafter. I think I was actually afraid to purchase Morrissey's solo records because I was SO KEEN on The Smiths that I was scared of being "truly disappointed" (har har) when I finally got to hear Morrissey as a solo artist. BUT, quite the contrary! After many more months of gathering every Smiths and Morrissey CD I could get my hands on, I discovered that, although I still LOVED The Smiths, I actually preferred Morrissey solo over the two! Imagine my shock at that! And here I was hesitating on getting the solo CDs! hahaha.

Now I'm one of those nuts who wallpapers her room with posters of Morrissey, collects obscure, pricey Morrissey collectibles on ebay, and can name just about any Morrissey/Smiths tune within 1-2 notes. ha!

I got to see Morrissey for the first time in concert last November (2006) in Chicago. He played the day before my birthday and I traveled all the way from Maryland just to see him. It was a day I will never forget--the best birthday present I have ever given myself!

 

[durutti]

... I REALLY DON'T REMEMBER!!! That is very distressing! You have all your wonderful stories to tell.... and me, NOTHING.
Well, i know it was about 1991-1992, because i remember it was 2-3 years before i finished high school. Until then i dont know if i had heard of the smiths, i hated the Cure-i couldnt make sense of their music, i didnt know anything about Joy Division, new wave etc. I remember liking (dont laugh...) Bon Jovi, u2, the doors, jazz + soul (still do) etc
Then i started listening to other stuff (like Police), then met new people and something changed. I dont remember when or how exactly. There was a new girl to school who used to lend me tapes. Maybe she gave sth from the smiths... It was love at first sight:
The feelings I had back then while listening to The Smiths I had never felt before (still alive), a strange mixture of hapiness, melancholy, poetry, looking into your self, somenone out there having same thoughts and fears like you, I FELT INTIMACY!

that's all, sorry if that was boring but i got carried away. when you remember a certain era you can't help remembering faces, songs, places ( i could have said MORE)

 

[Banburyist]

great stories from everyone.

i started when i was 13 - was more into OMD, PSB, Psych Furs, Siousxie, Echo and The Cure then. the girl in the flat downstairs was very into Morrissey and converted her collection to CD. i inherited her cassettes, starting w/ 'Bona Drag' and 'Kill Uncle'. i didn't then understand her obssession with the Moz, but liked the music. it was months later that it started to grow on me and i worked back to discover The Smiths - i liked them even more. sonically, i thought they were better, and the lyrics had more meaning to me (yes, even at 13).

i rediscovered 'How Soon is Now' on a borrowed LP and remembered hearing - and relating to it - as a child of 9 or 10. who knew that the seeds of fandom had really started then.

worked through an angst-ridden adolescence (who here didn't?) and can't imagine a life without them. as trite as it sounds - The Smiths really did save my life

 

[Anais Pin]

1988, I was 15, and on a really dismal rainy holiday with my parents in Cornwall... I remember going to Woolworths and buying a cassette of Viva Hate, purely on a whim. Put it in my yellow Sports Walkman and the rest is history...

 

[meat_is_murder19]

Wierd story i was at my mates having taking stuff then one of my mate`s put on the queen is dead i was just sat thier mesmerized by every song on the album we sat thier for like 9 hours listening to every smiths and morrissey album then i found out it was smiths/morrissey thats how it started.

 

[Arsenal]

It was late 03 or early 04. My friend is a music nut. He grew up during the 70's in New York. Saw the Dolls, Ramones, Costello, PiL, hung out at CBGB's and loves music with a passion.

He started sending me all this old music and among them he intrudoced me to the Smiths. Bigmouth Strikes Again, Sweet and Tender Hooligan and Meat is Murder are the 3 he sent to "test" and see if I cared for the band. I did.

Now I have practically everything by the Smiths and am ammassing quite the Morrissey solo collection as well.

 

[nugz]

Ironically enough (maybe) it was my job at hot topic five years ago that really got me listening to the Smiths.

I worked there for a few months while I went to college, and one day "How Soon is Now" was playing over the speakers in there...on some compliation my manager brought in. Now, I had always been familiar with that song, and liked it, but never bothered to find out who it was. I had heard the name, The Smiths, but I had always seen their name lumped together with punk bands, it seemed like, and at the time I was totally not into punk music at all (Radiohead was probably my favorite band), so i totally disregarded them.

When "HSIN" came on the speakers at the store, i asked my manager "who sings this?? i always wondered." She said "the Smiths." So i went home that night, got online and downloaded a few Smiths tunes. I'm pretty sure the first ones i heard (other than HSIN) are probably This Charming Man, There is a Light, and Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. I remember thinking "omg, this stuff is amazinggggg." I went out and bought that Smiths Singles collection and became immediately obsessed.

I didn't get into solo Morrissey until about a year later, when a guy I dated for a few months, introduced me. He was actually a huge SOLO Morrissey fan, and considered his stuff superior than his work with the Smiths. I disagree, but whatever.

It probably wasnt until maybe a year or so ago that I really became interested in Morrissey's life and needing to know every stupid little detail about him. Theres alot of music I like, but its really just a love for the music and could care less about the members of the band.

Without going into too much unnecessary detail about my personal life, my discovery of The Smiths actually came at a perfect time. It was right around the time I was diagnosed with depression and all this shit started happening to me. The past five years I've had so many ups and downs, and seriously Morrissey has helped me through some serious shit. It might sound like an exaggeration, but his music has truly been there for me when no one else was around. when no one else understood, Mozzy did, dammit!! Mozzy did...

 

[...Four Letter Word]

An advert in which the late, great John Peel said they were "The best band ever" or something along those lines. It was for "Singles", which I subsequently bought. Then, I got into the studio albums.

 

[jamie.patrick]

I used to read the NME (back when I had less sense) and they reviewed Ringleader of the Tormentors. I never realised before that Morrissey was the same guy that had written 'How Soon Is Now?', so I brought the album with a HMV voucher I'd had for ages. Then I fell in love. I've not been a fan all that long, but I've enjoyed every second of it.

 

[Musley]

Laid on the settee half watching Top of the Pops, when the intro to This Charming Man came on. I was totally amazed and blown away. I'd never heard music like it and couldn't take my eyes off the strange but captivating figure on the screen in front of me. Everyone (who was into music) was talking about it the next day. Such was the initial impact. Amazing! And twenty four years on and I'm still captivated, it has never waned.

 

[dogdayafternoon]

{14years old in 83} feeling isolated seeing moz and the boys on tv , realizing he would always mean so much to me ,and he as more and more, much to the annoyance of family and friends, but so what, in the flesh {18 gigs} or records or photos or literature, he never fails to deliver or to impress , but lets face it real fans like us will always forgive him...............................