The Smiths and Morrissey - Research Questionnaire/Survey

THE SMITHS AND MORRISSEY

RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE/SURVEY

UPDATE: I devised and completed this questionnaire/survey in September 2015. Since then, I've seen Johnny Marr live, met him on a separate occasion (squeal/swoon!), saw Morrissey perform for the first time in 21 years (wow!), had 3 radio interviews (BBC Radio Manchester and BBC Radio Leeds), appeared on UK TV (BBC North West Today/Tonight (local), BBC Four (national)), attended the 2017 #MozArmy Meet in Manchester, featured alongside other contributors in a book called "Pieces of Morrissey" which was published in 2017, and met Mike Joyce at Salford Lads Club during an event held for Tinnitus Research (I say!).  Oh, and I'm now a vegan, too! Phew!

Pieces of Morrissey by Matthew Jacobson: Cover and a sample of my contribution

About You:

Name Mrs Angela Jennifer Cooke: Angie, Ange or AJ to my friends (I was formerly Angie J Lewis, which is my maiden name).  I also go by the nickname of The Spy (as christened by Morrissey on meeting him at HMV Manchester in 1994!)

Gender Female

Age 40 something or other

Nationality and Ethnicity British, Afro-Caribbean (I’m of Aruban and Grenadian origin, how perfectly exotic!)

Where were you born/raised, and where do you live now? Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, UK.  I left home at the age of 20 in 1992 to move to Manchester to complete my degree studies in Salford and Bolton.

My University of Salford Graduation photo, complete with HUGE glasses!

Introducing The Band that Saved Your Life

1. How did you first discover The Smiths and Morrissey?

I was 15 going on 16, it was just after I’d left secondary education in 1988 and I was waiting for my Youth Training Scheme (remember those?!) to kick in.  I’d heard of The Smiths whilst I was at school obviously as they were very successful in terms of hits and presence, but I didn’t think much to them as I had completely the wrong idea.  I didn’t mind Ask and Girlfriend in a Coma, though.  I also recall approving of Morrissey’s stance on the monarchy when I realised they were just glorified benefit scroungers and fit for precisely nothing! What changed everything forever was when I first heard Everyday is Like Sunday.  Suedehead had intrigued me I must admit, but I was completely floored when EILS floated so beautifully out of the airwaves and TV screen.  I just could NOT get that song out of my head, nor did I want to!  At that time there was no internet and no MP3s, so I had to listen to it on the radio until I could afford to buy it.  I would obsessively switch stations all day so that I could hear it over and over again. 

I recall sitting outside my brother’s room one Sunday when my radio broke (disaster!) whilst the Top 40 chart rundown was on, and my little sister exclaiming “Oh no, it’s that bloody Morrissey, I can’t stand him!”.  I remember saying something like “I know, isn’t he awful!”, but what I was actually thinking was “Dear God, don’t let this song ever end, don’t let it stop, I’ll just DIE if it does!”.  I was aware that once I put my toe into the water to enter The World of The Smiths and Morrissey, there was no going back and I was a bit afraid if the truth be known as black/ethnic minority fans were a bit thin on the ground then, and I wasn’t sure my parents would understand either which of course they didn’t.  Having said that though, there was nothing I could do about it even if I tried because I knew then as I do now that my love for The Smiths and Morrissey would last FOREVER! I may not be as keen on my beloved old Misery Mozzery nowadays, but he’s in my blood and will be for the rest of my days and beyond.

Once the live album Rank was released a few months later that same year, I decided that I had to be brave and buy it as I knew that really, I had no choice in the matter whatsoever.  It was destined to be!  And boy, am I glad I did, as it was THE most amazing thing I’d ever heard in my entire life! Within a few weeks I’d bought all of the albums by The Smiths, and by the end of Nineteen Eighty Hate I was a fully-fledged fan!  Everyday is Like Sunday changed my life, as becoming a Smiths and Morrissey devotee made me realise that I was actually quite an intelligent sort of a gal (later confirmed, if you like, by a MENSA IQ Score of 131!  Not quite high enough for me to join that esteemed gathering of intelligentsia which makes me a flawed genius!), and it encouraged me to consider entering further and ultimately higher education which I really don’t believe I would have thought possible before I became an apostle, so to speak.  It also led to me visiting Manchester for the first time (in December 1989) where I met my future husband (in 1990), and to complete my degree studies in Salford and Bolton further down the line too.  Yay!

The song that changed my life forevermore!

Some standout memories for me I’d like to share if I may: After I’d started on a voracious and urgent mission to purchase all of the albums by The Smiths when I was 16 as I’ve already mentioned (on cassette, which I still have now!), I recall being sat in the dark at the bottom of the stairs of the family home in Almondbury, Huddersfield on my own as everyone else was out, listening to The Queen is Dead for the first time on my trusty old walkman. Talk about my tiny mind being blown! It was an amazing moment in my life which I have never forgotten, and for some reason Some Girls are Bigger than Others made me giggle like mad as I knew it was a bit saucy!  Love it!

Another recollection now, and as you’ll have gathered from my account earlier, Rank was actually the first Smiths album I ever bought.  Hearing it via my walkman (the music tool of choice, back in the day!) whilst sat at the family dining table was the best thing EVER! I knew then that things were never going to be the same again.  It felt great that I had access to another world that my family was not a part of, I don’t mean this in a nasty way but it was something that was MINE, and my parents couldn’t do anything about it.  An amazing lifetime event which will stay with me forever!

Moving on to Meat is Murder, it took about a year for me to be able to listen to The Headmaster Ritual without sniggering like a childish idiot whenever I heard the line “Spineless Bastards, all”, as I’d never come across anything like it in my life! Phenomenal, and especially as my primary school days were particularly brutal (I haven’t forgotten being caned by my Headmaster (because I was late, crime of the bloody century I’m sure!) before Corporal Punishment was thankfully abolished!).

When I’d bought The Smiths and Hatful of Hollow (on the same day, from the sadly defunct Big Tree Records in Huddersfield, no doubt), I recall that I walked to ‘work’ (my Youth Training Scheme placement at the local council Education Office) in Huddersfield Town Centre and then home again up the incredibly steep Somerset Road; it was a gorgeous, sunny day and I remember taking in the amazing lyrics and musical genius and being in absolute awe, not to mention realising that I was proper hooked on and smitten with these bright young men from Manchester!  Talk about being gutted that I’d not paid more attention to them before they split up!

Whilst buying all the albums generally in September and October of 1988 (apart from Louder Than Bombs, for which the UK issue came later that same year and covered old ground already visited by previous interim albums Hatful of Hollow and The World Won’t Listen, although I didn't realise it was originally a US Import intended and released for that very purpose until I bought it), there was a melody from one last Smiths song which I couldn’t quite place from memory of hearing and seeing it on Top of The Pops as a child of 11 going on 12 years of age back in 1984, which had a really familiar riff and was nagging away at me.  Not good!  Then, lo and behold, when I heard What Difference Does it Make? again for the first time in years during my mammoth spending spree, everything clicked into place and I realised that this was the missing track that had been haunting me!  Fantabulous!

I actually have an old diary notebook from around 1990-91 which has all of the exact dates in 1988 when I bought each of the albums released by The Smiths starting with Rank, which is a nice reminder of what an exciting time in my life it was.  Halcyon days!

A snippet from my old notebook of yore

Back to the Old House

2. Do you feel you have anything in common with The Smiths and Morrissey, e.g. background, upbringing etc.?

Absolutely, my parents hail from the West Indies (Aruba and Grenada to be precise), and the parents of the individual members of The Smiths all originate from the Republic of Ireland (apart from Andy Rourke’s mother who I believe is English), so as the child of fellow émigrés I feel there is a massive connection.  The sign “No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs” would have been prevalent in many a shop window in the days when our families were trying to settle in the North of England. 

A prime example of this feeling of unease can be heard on the song Never Had No-one Ever, which perfectly demonstrates the discomfort felt by Morrissey and his parents living in Manchester despite them having moved there decades before to find work and start their family.  My own clan and I had similar hostility and aggression sent our way even though we’d lived in Huddersfield for a long period of time, so I can completely understand where he was coming from.  It’s that sense of displacement also in that I was born and bred in a certain area in a particular country, but was never made to feel like I was actually from that place due to my ethnicity and cultural background which I know Morrissey also went through. 

I was, to add to my list of woes, a bit of a loner and a weirdo at school, stayed in and read a lot due to very strict parentage which meant that books were an essential form of escape for me, didn’t have many friends, wore glasses from the age of 12, was bullied mercilessly and wasn’t at all popular.  I believe Morrissey had a similar experience growing up (apart from his parents providing a lot more freedom), so again I can relate to this totally.  Let’s just say that I really thought Will Never Marry was going to apply to me, and that I’d end up as some sad and lonely recluse!

The Welcoming Committee's handiwork

Manchester, So Much to Answer For

3. What are your favourite Smiths/Morrissey tracks/albums and why?

That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, because the first time I heard it as a 16 year old in 1988, I was not a happy child and was in the depths of despair most of the time due to shockingly low self-esteem and a general sense of not amounting to anything or being taken seriously by my peers, my family or the few friends I had.  It just seemed to perfectly sum up my sense of complete and utter isolation and feelings of not fitting in or belonging anywhere in the general scheme of things, or indeed, in the world full stop, of being the weary bystander fed up of watching everyone else supposedly happily living  their lives and wondering when it would be my turn.  Hearing That Joke though was actually a huge help, because I realised that I wasn’t alone in the way that I felt, that someone else had been through it before me and had even made it through to the other side which meant that there was a possibility that I might too.  As a result it’s my favourite song EVER, not just by The Smiths and Morrissey either.

Album-wise, it varies, as I like them all for different reasons.  My favourites are Hatful of Hollow, as although it wasn’t a studio album it had amazing Peel and “Kid” Jensen session versions  of songs such as Still Ill and What Difference Does it Make?; Meat is Murder as it had great social and political commentary as well a cheeky charm about it; The Queen is Dead as it was so powerful, emotive, clever, witty, brave, full of fire and ire, and wonderfully in your face; Rank as it captured them live at their best in the most formidable and mighty fashion; The World Won’t Listen as it was full of classics like Panic and Ask as well as beautiful sleeve imagery (but then, weren’t they all pieces of gorgeous artwork?!); and finally Strangeways, Here We Come as it was so obviously the last hurrah, a fond farewell, sheer, joyous frippery, and saddest of all, a parting of the waves, but ultimately a fantastic way to end a revered “career”, if you will.

My favourite Moz track is Everyday is Like Sunday.  It’s the song that changed my life forevermore, and seeing Morrissey performing it on his own on Top of the Tops in his wee suit and The Queen is Dead T-Shirt broke my heart in two at the time as he looked so sweet and forlorn! Adorable, which isn’t a word bandied about in relation to El Mozzer all that often! If it wasn’t for this song, I wouldn’t have developed the curiosity to venture forth beyond my native Huddersfield to that there Manchester and London, had letters published in the NME and MEN, had reviews of concerts, articles and (bloody awful!) poetry published in various Morrissey fanzines, had 7 contributions feature in a book published by Virgin (All Men Have Secrets) about how Smiths songs related to the lives of their disciples, appeared in a film following Smiths and Morrissey fans on the Boxers Tour which was released on limited edition VHS video and is now on YouTube for the whole world to see (eek!), or done an awful lot of anything much full stop.  This REALLY is the song that saved my life, that’s the absolute truth!

Viva Hate, Mozzer's first solo album released in Nineteen Eighty Hate

Album-wise, Viva Hate, as I remember listening to it an awful lot when I first properly got into The Smiths and Morrissey.  It’s a very powerful solo album full of regrets, wistful thoughts, nostalgia and anger too which is understandable given it was recorded not long after The Smiths had disbanded.  I have a soft spot for Kill Uncle as it’s quite whimsical but also packs a punch when you least expect it to.  Your Arsenal is possibly my favourite of all even though it includes The National Front Disco (the reasons I dislike this song are explained in detail under Question 6 below), as it never stops delivering smacks to the face but at the same time surprises its audience with unexpected moments of sensitivity, tenderness and reflection.  Vauxhall and I is a masterpiece as far as I’m concerned as it’s obvious that at the time Morrissey was very content in his world and wanted to share his joy with everyone, whilst at the same time ensuring that his caustic wit and fierce intellect were still on display to devastating effect. Vauxhall and I is beautifully written and played also.  Finally, although I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m quite partial to Southpaw Grammar as it’s pretty full on, with bravado, bluster and balls galore! It’s also quite a touching album though in places, which is rather nice.

4. What are your favourite Smiths/Morrissey sleeves and why?

I love them all, they’re so utterly beautiful!  Like pieces of art, they are!  My faves, however, are: Singles: Hand in Glove, This Charming Man, What Difference Does it Make?, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, How Soon is Now, Shakespeare’s Sister, That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, The Boy with the Thorn in His Side, Panic, Ask, Shoplifters of The World Unite, Sheila Take a Bow, Girlfriend in a Coma, Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before and I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish.  Albums: Hatful of Hollow (the original!), Meat is Murder, The Queen is Dead, The World Won’t Listen, Strangeways, Here We Come and Rank. 

The cover stars I particularly have an awful lot of time for are, in no particular order of preference: Murray Head, Viv Nicholson, Alexandra Bastedo, Candy Darling, Shelagh Delaney, Pat Phoenix, Alain Delon, Jean Marais, Richard Bradford, Yootha Joyce, James Dean, Elvis the Pelvis, Dickie Davalos, Terence Stamp, and of course, Mozzer himself when he gallantly stood in for Tezzer on What Difference before permission was granted further down the line! Gorgeous, the lot of them!

Moz-wise, although they’re pretty much all perfect up to 1997 when I gave up the ghost, Singles: Suedehead, Everyday is Like Sunday, Last of The Famous International Playboys, Interesting Drug, Ouija Board, We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful and You’re the One for me, Fatty.  Albums: Viva Hate, Bona Drag, Your Arsenal, Beethoven was Deaf, Vauxhall and I and Southpaw Grammar.  These are the sleeves I like the best.

Strangeways, Here We Come featuring the beautiful mug of Dickie Davalos

I Touched You at the Soundcheck

5. Have you ever met/seen The Smiths or any of the individual members live?

I never saw The Smiths live unfortunately as I was a mere 14 by the time they’d played their last actual gig at the end of 1986 so I was probably just that bit too young (weirdly enough, one of the few songs of theirs that I liked at the time they existed, Girlfriend in a Coma, was released on my 15^th birthday around the time they were splitting up the following year in 1987), and even if I’d wanted to go, which at the time I most certainly did not, my dearest Mater and Pater would have (understandably!) put paid to any such fanciful notions! To my eternal shame, for whatever reason I haven’t seen Johnny Marr live as yet, but am hoping to rectify this sorry situation sooner rather than later!  UPDATE:  The husband and I have tickets to see Mr Marr at the Albert Hall in Mancunia in October 2015!  Huzzah!

I saw Morrissey live between 1991 and 1995 at the following venues/events: 1) Wembley Arena in London in July 1991 (my first live gig full stop), 2) Hammersmith Odeon in London in October 1991, 3) Madstock at Finsbury Park in London in August 1992 (featuring the infamous union jack flag waving and subsequent bottling/cat-calling “incident”), 4) The Apollo in Manchester in December 1992, 5) Alexandra Palace in London in December 1992, 6) The Astoria Theatre in London in December 1992, 7) St George’s Hall in Bradford in February 1995, 8) Brixton Academy in London in February 1995, 9) Drury Lane Theatre in London in February 1995.

I’ve seen Mike Joyce in a pub in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester (and I also have a lovely postcard from him after he was sent a copy of a piece I wrote about attending The Smiths Convention in Manchester in 1990 when I was a teen), Andy Rourke DJing in a club in Manchester, Craig Gannon at a gig with Terry Hall at the University of Manchester Students Union and on the streets of Manchester, and finally I queued for 8 hours to meet Morrissey at an instore signing session at HMV Manchester for the Vauxhall and I album which was an amazing day and worth every second of the waiting around!  I also saw Morrissey prior to this backstage at his Hammersmith Odeon gig in 1991 when I snuck into the stagebar with some friends and then sent him a cheeky review which meant that he remembered me when he did the afore-mentioned instore signing session in 1994, and gave me the name of The Spy!  I haven’t met Johnny Marr yet regrettably, but am hoping this situation will change in the future (maybe when I go to see him in October 2015!)! 

My Ticket from the infamous "Madstock" of 1992

Do You Love Me Like You Used To?

6. Do you still follow Morrissey now in terms of his more recent albums and tours, if not why?

Sadly no, I haven’t been to see him play since 1995, and I haven’t bought any of his releases since 1997. I’m aware of a lot of his work since his comeback in 2004, but haven’t got any of it myself although my husband does so I have access that way.

There are two reasons really.  The first relates to an incident that occurred in 1995 when I was at a Smiths Night in Manchester.  My friends and I were (very reluctantly, I might add) dancing to The National Front Disco.  Just in front of me, as the words “England for the English” rang out of the speakers, some Neanderthal fuckwit uttered (nay, shouted at the top of his voice in fact) the following regrettable, repugnant, reprehensible, racist phrase which I will not forget until my dying day: “That’s right Morrissey, kick all the niggers out!”.  To say I was disgusted, shocked and appalled is an understatement.  At the time I was privy to holding Morrissey’s direct home address in London.  I had written to him several times already about various issues and sent him copies of reviews I had produced about his shows that I had attended.  I know he received them because Jo Slee, via letter which I still have, told me that he had enjoyed my write up of his legendary Hammersmith Odeon gig in 1991 (after I contacted her to complain about his flag waving antics and dodgy imagery at his 1992 Madstock appearance, ironically, which she conveniently blamed the NME for as they ran a feature on it at the time raising what I thought were valid concerns).  So I wrote to Morrissey immediately to update him on what had happened at the Smiths Night, but got precisely ZERO amount of interest or reaction. 

Even though I am fully aware that The National Front Disco does NOT glorify that horrific neo-Nazi organisation and in fact seeks to do the exact opposite, I still held Morrissey vicariously liable for the sheer torment and upset I was subjected to on that most horrendous of nights, and if I am totally honest I have never really forgiven him for this.  The other reason I do not follow him so much now is because of what I perceive to be his diva-like behaviour.  Having fans thrown out of gigs they have flown thousands of miles to see just because they happen to run a forum Morrissey doesn’t like is pretty harsh in my book.  Also, I get the feeling that nobody ever says NO to Morrissey nowadays, that he gets his own way all the time with no effort to make any compromise and is allowed to run riot as he pleases.  He also has a tendency to cancel a gig at the drop of a hat which must be very frustrating for the fans affected, although he seems to be behaving himself of late. 

As it happens, to coin a Yorkshire phrase, I also don’t reckon a right lot to his later albums so am not that bothered about buying them or seeing any of the material being performed live.  I may change my mind though, as I’ve come to quite like some of the post 2004 stuff such as I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris, First of the Gang to Die, You Have Killed Me and The Youngest Was The Most Loved, so we’ll see.  I must admit as well that I am very heartened by Morrissey’s recent affinity with the American civil rights movement in terms of the likes of Dick Gregory featuring on one of his backdrops when he’s on the road, his delightful paraphrasing of the album title It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy (zillions, wonderful!), his criticism of President Barack Obama for his lack of action relating to current police brutality concerning the targeting and deaths of a worryingly huge number of black citizens, and finally his dismay regarding the disturbing shooting spree carried out by Dylann Roof, and his astute observation that if Mr Roof was black, he would have been shot dead within seconds of carrying out the atrocities which he is guilty of committing.  This has made me see Mr M in a different light, so maybe I should give him a chance after all!

Star and Garter Morrissey/Smiths Night Poster from 1997

Precious Things

7. Do you collect Smiths and Morrissey paraphernalia such as vinyl, books, badges etc.?

Yes, I started at the age of 16 when I bought Rank (the brown cassette version which I still have to this very day, nice!), and I have a top collection of cassettes, CDs, vinyl, DVDs, VHS tapes, books, tour programmes, badges, magazines, scrapbooks, clippings, fanzines, postcards, posters, t-shirts and the like. I've started collecting again relatively recently after replacing some CDs lost in a house move some 10 years or so before which fired up my interest again.

Some of my original badge collection

Sick to the Tattoo of You

8. Do you have any Smiths or Morrissey-related tattoos?

Yes, I got inked in April 2015 at Tattoo 81 in Manchester (by Steve aka Dreadhead Tattoo).

My tattoo says Oh Manchester, so much to answer for.

It’s taken from Suffer Little Children, but although the source is unbelievably tragic, the particular lyric I chose has come to be synonymous with Manchester in an incredibly positive light and has a special meaning for me as dear Mancunia will be stamped on my heart forevermore in terms of all the fabulous and amazing things that have happened to me in this most wondrous of cities.

No piccies yet though, tattoo-wise!  My husband would go mad!

Me modelling my tattoo on the day I got inked!

I Know a Place Where We Can Go

9. Have you ever visited any of the Manchester, London or worldwide landmarks associated with The Smiths and Morrissey, and if so which ones?

Oh yes, in Manchester I have visited the following: The Holy Name Church, Albert Finney Shop, Strangeways Prison, Salford Lads Club, 384 Kings Road, the Iron Bridge, St Mary’s Secondary Modern (before it was demolished and replaced by a housing estate), St Wilfrid’s Primary (I think it became St Joseph’s if I recall correctly, it may have been demolished now too but I’m not sure), Southern Cemetery, Platt Fields Park, Palace Theatre, Free Trade Hall, G-Mex and The Ritz.  I have done a fair chunk of these landmarks on my own over the years, I did a few of them on a coach tour on The Smiths Convention in Manchester I attended in 1990, and more recently on the Manchester Music Tour with my husband in 2015.

Kings Road in Sunny St Retford, Mancunia

Take Me Out Tonight

10. Have you ever attended a Smiths or Morrissey Convention/Night, and if so where and when?

Yes, The Smiths Convention in Manchester in 1990, and a Morrissey Convention in Camden Town in London in 1995.

I’ve also been to a good few Smiths Nights in Manchester in the 1990s and one in Two Thousand and Something or other, and a Morrissey Night in London in 1996.

Some of my Smiths Convention 1990 memorabilia

Must This Beautiful Creature Die?

11. Do you observe a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle because of Meat is Murder and Morrissey’s stance on Animal Rights?

For a time yes, I didn’t eat meat for 14 years after I first heard the track Meat is Murder as a 16 year old in 1988, and I gave up fish in 1990 after attending The Smiths Convention in Manchester the same year and being convinced by a nice vegetarian girl.

Unfortunately I am now a lapsed vegetarian, I reverted to being a carnivore in 2002.  It’s a weird acceptance thing as far as my family is concerned, as my mum, who I don’t have the best relationship with, was not happy when I gave up meat, and she was delighted when I reverted to my previous bloodthirsty ways so it’s made her happy at least.  I am, however, seriously considering going back to being a vegetarian as I do feel incredibly guilty about eating animal flesh, and am aware that as a human being I don’t need to do this to survive.  However, being referred to generally by Morrissey as a Nazi and a Paedophile in terms of eating meat won’t help to dissuade me.  I can totally see where he’s coming from, but as far as I’m concerned, being referred to by either of these horrific terms is no less offensive than being called the N word.  Sorry, but that’s how I feel. 

Perhaps when humanity has learned to stop placing misguided importance on areas such as gender and race (both of which affect me!), sexuality, disability, religion, age and the like, then maybe some compassion for animals will come about.  But we’ll see, as there are a few more hurdles to overcome before that as the Dylann Roof case demonstrates in the most horrific manner, to name just one example.

Needless to say, I've seen the light for the second and final time as I'm now a vegan!

Never Had No-one Ever?

12. If you are in a relationship, does your partner like The Smiths and/or Morrissey?

Yes, my husband was well into them long before me!

13. Did you meet your partner because of The Smiths/Morrissey, and if so was it at an event or venue connected to them?

Kind of, as I met him in a record shop in Manchester where he worked at the time (the former M-One Records on Oldham Street) which I started visiting on trips made regularly from Huddersfield a little while after my obsession began, where I would bore the poor thing to tears (even though he was a fan too!), wittering on about The Smiths and Morrissey non-stop!

Me and the husband to be, circa 1999

Talent Borrows, Genius Steals

14. Have you ever produced or featured in any fanzines/books/films etc. written about The Smiths and/or Morrissey?

Yes, I have had pieces published in the following fanzines: A Chance to Shine (UK), Vile (US), Sounds Like Morrissey, (UK), Sing Your Life (US) and True To You (US).

I had several letters published in the NME from 1989 to the mid-1990s.  I also featured in the Readers Chart in the Events Section of the Manchester Evening News many years ago, which had my photo together with a bit about my interests as well as my top ten songs, Number 1 of which was That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, of course!  Number 4, out of interest, was Everyday is Like Sunday.

I had 7 contributions in a book called All Men Have Secrets published by Virgin in 1995 which featured fans’ stories about particular Smiths songs, and how these tracks related to them personally within their own lives.

Finally, I was in a documentary called Love Bites which was made in 1995 and released at the time on limited edition VHS video, which has now been uploaded to YouTube under the title Morrissey 1995 Documentary. It featured chats with a few Smiths/Morrissey fans who were attending his gigs at the time relating to the Boxers Tour.

Actually, I must mention that for years I planned to firstly write an in-depth book about The Smiths covering their time together from beginning to end, but then Johnny Rogan produced his stunning masterpiece so that put paid to my idea!   Then, I was going to just publish all of the bits and pieces I’ve had featured in fanzines and the like over the years but didn’t get around to it.  I still might though, not to mention using photos of my collection, notes and the like as I think it would be vaguely interesting!

My VHS Tapes including Love Bites

15. Have you ever produced any artwork featuring The Smiths and/or Morrissey?

Just a few doodles as part of an “autograph” and mucking about in general, nothing serious as yet!  Oh, and some splicing of an old piccie of me and some Smiths singles/artwork with the help of a phone app called PicSay!  I’ve also made some paltry attempts using the same app at homemade Smiths sleeves!  Great fun!

A Smiths Sleeve in an Alternative Universe!

To request a copy of my questionnaire/survey to complete, please email adidasangie@gmail.com.  Thanks for your help!