'Saint Morrissey' by Mark Simpson

[First of the Gang]

I purchased this book the other day, and really looking forward to reading it. Mark Simpsons seems a very sharp, witty author and a true Moz fan. Having read the first two chapters, I am impressed and really looking forward to getting more involved in it.

Has anyone else read this, and what is your views?

 

[floodzonex]

it wasn't bad
but after Morrissey/Marr and Songs That Saved Your Life...all other books are kinda weak

 

[Poco Innocente]

I didn't bother to finish it. One of the poorest Moz related books I have read.

 

[floodzonex]

I hope that Landscapes Of The Mind nonsense is the top of the terrible list

 

[almareallymatters]

If you do manage to finish it can you let me know what happens?....I have made a couple of half-arsed attempts but never quite made it....thanks!

 

[andy_fozzy]

Well I decided that this would be a good way to spend my 1000th post......

Mark is indeed a true 'fan', and a talented writer.
And it's a bloody good book.

I was fortunate to meet in person none other than Mr Andrew Rourke a while ago, and of course, had a good chinwag with him
Bloody nice bloke, and he was genuinely surprised that I recognised him.

Anyhow, during our chat, I said that I've read many books about The Smiths, and are/were they worth reading?
In a round-a-bout way, he said no. If you want the truth and real facts, read The Severed Alliance.

So there you have it. From a horses mouth

 

[Rupert]

Having no read Morissey and Marr (which is hailed as the very best book) I really enjoyed Saint Morrissey. I liked the way it wasn't a strict biography but more a look at the psychology of the man. Pretty good.

 

[The Goat]

In a round-a-bout way, he said no. If you want the truth and real facts, read The Severed Alliance.
QUOTE]

Mike Joyce said the same to me a few years ago - he said he cant speak for the stuff about Morrissey pre Smiths, but he was amazed at how he got so much correct info on the lifetime of the band.

As for Mark Simpson's book, its the same with me as a few others above, I have yet to finish it having made 2 attempts.

The Goat

 

[Vic Strangeways]

I read it when it came out in 2003 and I remember Mark Simpson misquoted a song, he claimed the lines "I need advice, I need advice..." (from Miserable Lie, of course) was from Girl Afraid. Can anyone back me up on this?

 

[Grim O'Grady]

oh yes I've met him too, see

for those who don't want to know what happens at the end of the book look away noo!

***they split up***

love

Grim

 

[nightandday]

I read it when it came out in 2003 and I remember Mark Simpson misquoted a song, he claimed the lines "I need advice, I need advice..." (from Miserable Lie, of course) was from Girl Afraid. Can anyone back me up on this?

oh, that's not the only thing he misquoted... He misquoted interviews, too.

As an essay on Morrissey and his cultural impact/reasons he is loved by his fans, it is very good. It also has very interesting interpretations of some of his songs - which you might or might not agree with, but they're worth reading in any case.

As an biography, it's very poor. It hasn't got that much biographical information, apart from the universally known (very close to his mom, not that close at all to his dad, used to read a lot, liked Oscar Wilde and James Dean, etc. blah blah blah), and even out of the little 'info' it has, some things are based on speculation and legend, or just plainly wrong.

 

[The Crime Of The Century!]

This book is not impartial. Every page is dominated by Simpson's desire to penetrate Morrissey.

 

[BillyBudd]

I've read all significant books on Morrissey and in my view, the essential ones are (in that order)

Johnny Rogan - The severed alliance (so many things that are now common knowledge were presented in that book).
Mark Simpson - Saint Morrissey (the one book that explains the phenomenon of being a Morrissey fan - don't buy it to get new information - it's a book that is a pleasure to read in its own right, if you are a fan).
Simon Goddard - Songs that saved your life (personally I found it a bit boring but you can't beat it for insights on The Smiths' recording process).

These are required reading, but also the only ones you really need.

The worst are David Bret's two books, of course. Not because they're scandalous but because they are boring and uninformed.

 

[esperanza]

I agree with BillyBudd's comments on the various publications.
But I would suggest that "Peepholism" by Joe Slee is far more informative with it's pictures and comments than the thousands of words offered by the books.

 

[matt]

to be honest, simpson seems to dwell on the homoerotic desires he obviously has for mozzer personally and the book just seems a bit 'love letterish' to moz from him. if you can get past his style of writing, its quite interesting in parts though.

 

[nightandday]

I agree with BillyBudd's comments on the various publications.
But I would suggest that "Peepholism" by Joe Slee is far more informative with it's pictures and comments than the thousands of words offered by the books.

The only problems are that it's out of print and that it costs something like 300$!

 

[BillyBudd]

I agree with BillyBudd's comments on the various publications.
But I would suggest that "Peepholism" by Joe Slee is far more informative with it's pictures and comments than the thousands of words offered by the books.

It's true, Peepholism is definitely worth reading as well, especially if you consider Morrissey's output as a whole body of art - and actually the book also contains several interesting bits of additional information.

 

[Springheeledjim84]

I found the only saving grace of this book to be the quotes from Morrissey. Its quite self indulgent and the main focus seems to be on Morrisseys sexuality - theres so much more to his character, and I felt that wasn;t touched on enough, so I didnt bother to finish it. As much as it gets a slagging, I actually found David Brets Scandal and Passion quite a nice read.

JIM

 

[Chartres]

It's nice light weight reading (a cheap one) who is saved by interesting quoting and some nice ideas about a few songs. Some parts of Moz's life (Southpaw grammar era) is almost completely forgotten which is disappointing.

 

[nightandday]

It's nice light weight reading (a cheap one) who is saved by interesting quoting and some nice ideas about a few songs. Some parts of Moz's life (Southpaw grammar era) is almost completely forgotten which is disappointing.

And there are parts where Simpson couldn't help projecting himself and ended up with misquotes/misinformation, such as "... Morrissey admitted in a 1997 interview that he had had some kind of relationship with a young Cockney boxer (but who wouldn't?)" No, Mark, he didn't. Check your sources, you got some things mixed up - that's what wishful thinking does to biographers...