I'm reading the essays in 'Why Pamper Life's Complexities', a surprise Christmas present. There's plenty to get your teeth stuck into. The essays are especially good on filling in contextual details, providing much information not only about the band members but also about cultural and social influnces and events contemporaneous with the life of The Smiths. Occasional poetic sensitivity shines through.
After the release of The Queen is Dead in the summer of 1986, I wasn't aware that all sorts of harmful missiles were hurled at the band onstage by right-wingers abusing them for their anti-establishment stance, and that Morrissey walked offstage a couple of times covered in blood.
The material is really thought-provoking and varied, even if the reader wouldn't always agree with conclusions drawn, although at times, they're close to the bone e.g. "The connection that many fans feel with their anti-hero Morrissey is based upon his ability to confront the profound and often dreadful questions that so much popular culture evades."
Recommended.