Joe Moss, the original manager of The Smiths has died at 72

Joe Moss (RIP) - Tribute at Johnny-Marr.com

Sad news. :(

http://www.johnny-marr.com/from-johnny/joe-moss



"We regret to announce that, after a brave struggle with cancer, Joe Moss, manager of Johnny Marr and The Smiths, has died at the age of seventy-two.

Joe Moss was already a legend in Manchester by the start of the 1980s, which is when he and Johnny Marr first met: a patron of the famed Twisted Wheel, and an instigator of the pioneering store Eighth Day, Moss had turned his love of street fashion into Crazy Face, an influential clothing line with a store in the City’s Chapel Walks. Marr worked in the clothes shop next door, and at the age of seventeen, introduced himself to Moss as a 'frustrated musician'; the pair quickly became close friends, with Marr moving in to the Moss household and placed in charge of a new Crazy Face store underneath the label’s Portland Street headquarters. Moss mentored and encouraged Marr’s musical ambitions, and when The Smiths came together, he supplied the group with space at Portland Street to rehearse at, and a PA for them to play through; he bought them a van, guided the group through their first shows, secured record contracts for the UK and America, publishing and agency deals, and helped hire a dedicated crew. He left the group unexpectedly in late 1983, while 'This Charming Man' was riding high in the charts and with their debut LP completed, on the eve of The Smiths’ first trip to America.

'Joe was a one off, an amazing person and totally unique,' says Johnny Marr. 'He started looking after me when I was seventeen; it was Joe who put the idea in my head to go and knock on Morrissey’s door. He invested his time and money in us when no one else wanted to know, and his belief in us kept us going. Without him there wouldn’t have been any Smiths. He was an original beatnik and a true bohemian, respected by all. Everyone who met him loved him; he can never be replaced.'

After The Smiths, Moss helped reinvigorate the Manchester scene of the 1990s by promoting shows at the Night and Day Café on Oldham Street. He resumed managing with the group Marion, whose 1998 album ‘The Program’ was produced by Johnny Marr; he also managed Haven, again enlisting Marr as a producer. In 1999, Joe Moss resumed his role as Johnny Marr’s manager, a position he retained until the present.

He is survived by his wife Sarah and his children David, Rachel, Ivan, Stella and Edie."
 
You make an entirely valid point about Johnny, the thing is, whatever happened, whether they got along or not, this person also played a part in Morrissey's life, and he will probably have to face whatever feelings arise. He doesn't have to write about it on TTY but he might still have to deal with this on a personal level. I grant you it's easier when it's some country lady who sang about rose bushes.

I share Johnny's opinion that there are dangerous boomerangs made of all the things we'd rather ignore.

It's always possible to ignore things, ignore your feelings or in this case, other people's. True. Ultimately it's a personal choice.
Bringing his name up is not meant to start a discussion at all, or be disrespectful to anyone; it's only trying to include him in his own story.

Saying hi to the elephant in the funeral room iis only polite.

Interesting quote from Joe in 'The Severed Alliance':

“I wasn’t disappointed with Morrissey because I never expected anything from him,” he explained. “I was treated badly by Johnny, not Morrissey. If there was one person that the job was definitely done for, that was Johnny..."

Of course they all met at the court case and Joe befriended Johnny and went on to manage him again...
 
Well I don't know who he is but anyway, I hope he had a full and interesting life. Hope he didn't exist by spending day and night glued to a website of an icon he hated! What more can we hope. RIP Johnny And The Smiffs.
 
Hmmmm. Thoughtful obituary of the man who literally put his face on the map or a post measuring his success by detailing the seconds his bank account filled up with money? Decisions, decisions...

He literally put Morrissey's face on a map? Literally? Hang on. You're saying Joe Moss literally put Morrissey's face onto a map?
WHY?????
 
johnny once called Joe Moss something akin to the heart and soul of the Smiths. Or at least 'the real hero of the Smiths' story'. I can only concur. RIP.
 
Interesting quote from Joe in 'The Severed Alliance':

“I wasn’t disappointed with Morrissey because I never expected anything from him,” he explained. “I was treated badly by Johnny, not Morrissey. If there was one person that the job was definitely done for, that was Johnny..."

Of course they all met at the court case and Joe befriended Johnny and went on to manage him again...

Yeah I'm aware there was a certain amount of pettiness, greediness, and unpleasantness on both sides, but frankly the technicalities bore me. ;)

It sure seems a lot of work being in a band or managing one, but we're not meant to see behind the scenes, we're just meant to enjoy something at a certain time in our lives I think (roughly until we find out the songs are all about pretty plumbers.)

But surely there's space and time for personal growth, audience or band members. I can't really believe how stuck these people are. Well I can, but f@ck are certain band members stuck. And I'm sure deep down it's not who they are. It's not even who they were. It's certainly not why they were brought together, by the hand of God or Joe Moss or whatever it was.

They should just try and remember that maybe, while they're still alive.
 
Thank you, Joe Moss. Your work in *trying* to keep The Smiths together is as legendary is it was successful.

Thought no fault of your own.

Humble and talented people like Joe Moss are (or were) the reasons why bands like The Smiths succeeded.

Rest in peace.
 
REDACT PREVIOUS POST (loaded at the moment):

Thank you, Joe Moss. Your work in *trying* to keep The Smiths together is as legendary is it was unsuccessful.

Though, by no fault of your own.

Humble and talented people like Joe Moss are (or were) the reason why bands like The Smiths ultimately succeeded.

Rest in peace, Joe Moss.
* Even though you were a dick.
 
Without Joe Moss we would probably not have had the Smiths - the guy was crucial for getting things going, and deserves utmost respect.

I wouldn't be holding my breath on Morrissey issuing a tribute statement on True to You after he slagged Joe off in his autobiography. He was the first victim of Morrissey's rampant paranoia regarding anyone else who got too close to Johnny having to go - many others would follow. The idea that Joe wanted to oust and replace Morrissey as the singer in the Smiths just when the band broken into public consciousness and chart success with 'This Charming Man' is plainly bonkers. If such a plot existed you'd have thought someone else might have heard of it and mentioned it in all these years, but the only place you'll find that story is in 'Autobiography'.
 
it's more tragic for Johnny as he knew Joe Moss's store, and personal.

I don't think Morrissey will make a statement, but maybe will send His
condoleances as he did with the last Kray

Joe, Godspeed, as you created room and made it happen that the Smiths had some
financial background to make a demo and go to London to sign for Rough Trade,
another Manchester Legend has past away
 
I met Joe too at a Marion gig. Had plenty to say about Moz & the Smiths. Great man! Why doesn't Moz bury the hatchet? He's said more about many "lesser" people.
 
Thankyou so much Joe, if it wasn't for you God only knows.
Your fight is over now Sir so rest in peace.
Thanks for everything you did.

Benny-the-British-Butcher On a train heaving to Euston
 
He was such a wonderful person & will be sorely missed. My condolences to his loved ones.

Vale, Joe Moss
 
Just read what Johnny wrote about Joe Moss "it was Joe who put the idea to knock on Morrissey's door". Wow, a couple of words on encouragement changed Morrissey's life forever and many others. I do believe Morrissey is better off now than with the Smiths but the without the Smiths, not really sure he would have the career he has now.
 
Blykey, Johnny Morr must of been lucky that day when he knocked on Morrissey's "humble shack" door because Morrissey could of easily been on one of his poor working class factory family vacations in the USA. Anonymous-
 
Note everyone knocked on Morrisseys door and he never had to knock on anyone's door? He should have had a No Hawkers sign erected and saved himself a fortune.
 
The Smiths needed Morrissey to be The Smiths. Morrissey never needed The Smiths to be Morrissey. C 2015
 
Morrissey never needed The Smiths to be Morrissey. C 2015

Yeah, without The Smiths, he could have continued to be a lonely, dysfunctional employee of the Inland Revenue, resident in a damp basement in Whalley Range. Except for when he was headed for the big-time with The Nosebleeds.
 

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