Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and The Smiths by Simon GoddardMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Totally fascinating and perhaps even perfect. The book is basically Morrissey culture as an encyclopedia and what is great is that you don't even have to like Morrissey to enjoy the book. Of course the author Simon Goddard goes through every Smiths/Morrissey song or album, but more important focuses on Morrissey's influences on his work.
On one level this could be the ultimate biography on Morrissey, but the the great thing about it is that its about the singer's work and what one gets from his music/lyrics. Favorite films, songs, and people are represented with a small bio - and it is truly a remarkable feat in getting in someone's head and how that person or artwork influenced the artist.
And Morrissey is the perfect artist for this type of book. He's a walking open book with respect to his love for British or European culture - its books, its music, its films and for certain social groupings that also fascinated Morrissey through out the years.
If you are going to get one book on Morrissey - this is it. And again if you are not a fan, but just interested in one's particular taste in pop culture - this is an incredible reference book for the purpose of exploring Morrissey's bookcase, record collection and films for future enjoyment.
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3 comments:
It would be interesting to imagine who else you could write a book like this about. Outside of Dave Bowie I can't think of anybody else. Nobody else is as flagrantly heart and head on his sleeve as Morrissey. I suppose you could do something similar on Lloyd Cole and Momus; but no bugger would read 'em.
Momus for sure is someone whose work reflects on his taste in music, etc. Off the top of my head I do agree about Bowie, but also Bob Dylan. His book "Chronicles Vol. 1" deals with his influences in great and wonderful detail. Also Patti Smith is fascinating in that sense as well.
A David Johansen book would be interesting along the same lines but really that's the work of a researcher. It's all there but the difference is that Morrissey does the work for you. He's been rolling around in the filth of his personal iconography for 35 years and has never been shy. There is nothing hidden, he shows the things he likes as a sort of cultural camouflage: the more you stride off into different directions looking for the ur-morrissey the less you look at the man. He's an odd figure these days - he's run out of culture; there's nowhere exclisively left for him. The internet has robbed him of his hermetic studies into dead young handsome men. And Sparks.
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