Autobiography

by Morrissey

Overview

“Spend the day in bed” with Autobiography by Morrissey, whose new album Low in High School is out November 17th

Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Manchester on May 22nd 1959. Singer-songwriter and co-founder of the Smiths (1982–1987), Morrissey has been a solo artist for twenty-six years, during which time he has had three number 1 albums in England in three different decades.

Achieving eleven Top 10 albums (plus nine with the Smiths), his songs have been recorded by David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithfull, Chrissie Hynde, Thelma Houston, My Chemical Romance and Christy Moore, amongst others.

An animal protectionist, in 2006 Morrissey was voted the second greatest living British icon by viewers of the BBC, losing out to Sir David Attenborough. In 2007 Morrissey was voted the greatest northern male, past or present, in a nationwide newspaper poll. In 2012, Morrissey was awarded the Keys to the City of Tel-Aviv.

It has been said “Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that Morrissey has reached in his lifetime.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143107507
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/04/2014
Pages:	480
Sales rank:	152,889
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Morrissey was born Steven Patrick Morrissey in Manchester, England, on May 22, 1959. Singer-songwriter and cofounder of the Smiths (1982–1987), Morrissey has been a solo artist for 26 years, during which time he has had three #1 albums in England in three different decades. Achieving 11 Top 10 albums (plus nine with the Smiths), his songs have been recorded by David Bowie, Nancy Sinatra, Marianne Faithfull, Chrissie Hynde, Thelma Houston, My Chemical Romance, the Killers, and Christy Moore, among others. An animal protectionist, in 2006, Morrissey was voted the second greatest living British icon by viewers of the BBC, losing out to Sir David Attenborough. In 2007, Morrissey was voted the greatest northern male, past or present, in a nationwide newspaper poll. In 2012, Morrissey was awarded the Keys to the City of Tel-Aviv. It has been said, "Most pop stars have to be dead before they reach the iconic status that Morrissey has reached in his lifetime."

What People are Saying About This

Colin Meloy

Fucking brilliant. I mean really, really good. --Colin Meloy of the Decemberists

From the Publisher

“Practically every paragraph has a line or two that demands to be read aloud to the mirror, tattooed on foreheads, carved on tombstones.”–Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
 
“Morrissey is a pop star of unusual writing talent.”–The New York Times
 
“As I floated, unmoored, Morrissey would drop in a single masterfully executed sentence. He’s a writer with a gift that he bends to bizarre use.”–Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker
 
“[Morrissey] is at his very best as he conveys what it was, and is, to be a youth lifted free by the sense of possibilities glimpsed in pop music and films and TV and poetry. He also writes as though he has a clear sense that Autobiography could provide the same kind of beacon, the same kind of life raft, for its most impressionable readers as he found in others. And that’s exactly how he should write, for one of the main reasons Morrissey matters as he does is because he has always been that kind of artist.”–GQ
 
“Rancorous, rhapsodic, schizophrenic: Autobiography delivers a man in full” –Andrew Male, Mojo
 
“A wonderfully entertaining read.”–Daily Mirror
 
“Morrissey's Autobiography is brilliant and relentless. Genius, really.”–Douglas Coupland
 
“This is the best book ever. Like ever.”–Wonderland 
 
“The Best Music Biog Ever ... In the world of rock autobiographies, Morrissey's is nigh-on perfect.”–NME

Editorial Reviews

Practically every paragraph has a line or two that demands to be read aloud to the mirror, tattooed on foreheads, carved on tombstones.”–Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
 
“Morrissey is a pop star of unusual writing talent.”–The New York Times
 
“As I floated, unmoored, Morrissey would drop in a single masterfully executed sentence. He’s a writer with a gift that he bends to bizarre use.”–Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker
 
“[Morrissey] is at his very best as he conveys what it was, and is, to be a youth lifted free by the sense of possibilities glimpsed in pop music and films and TV and poetry. He also writes as though he has a clear sense that Autobiography could provide the same kind of beacon, the same kind of life raft, for its most impressionable readers as he found in others. And that’s exactly how he should write, for one of the main reasons Morrissey matters as he does is because he has always been that kind of artist.”–GQ
 
“Rancorous, rhapsodic, schizophrenic: Autobiography delivers a man in full” –Andrew Male, Mojo
 
“A wonderfully entertaining read.”–Daily Mirror
 
“Morrissey's Autobiography is brilliant and relentless. Genius, really.”–Douglas Coupland
 
“This is the best book ever. Like ever.”–Wonderland 
 
“The Best Music Biog Ever ... In the world of rock autobiographies, Morrissey's is nigh-on perfect.”–NME

From the Publisher

…[Morrissey] proves equally adept at the rhythms and purposes of prose. When he turns his attention to people in his close orbit, like his grandmother or his friend James Maker, he exhibits the eye and pacing of a talented novelist…If there are any lingering questions about how much of the man is crafted persona, this book should dispel them. Morrissey is Morrissey to the marrow.

The New York Times Book Review - John Williams

A precious source of light on his life and work…Moz at his Mozziest.

The Boston Globe

A bracing, beautiful tour de force of a rock memoir…wonderfully lush…pulsating and alive…Even when he's spewing bile, his poetic raconteur's soul keeps him lovable. (“A” review)

Entertainment Weekly

Fascinating…lyrical…It's about as excellently written a rock-star memoir as one could hope to read.

Wall Street Journal

02/01/2014
British singer and performer Morrissey's long-awaited autobiography is at once insightful and hyperbolic. There is an almost melodious flow to his writing, and anecdotes and examinations follow one another as 50-plus years of history are placed in a volume that lacks chapters and any real section breaks. Often humorous and at times self-deprecating in tone, this is very much the story of Steven Patrick Morrissey—his first meeting with guitarist Johnny Marr (with whom he would found the seminal 1980s band The Smiths) doesn't occur until about a third of the way through. The exploration of his early years offers a fascinating look at an emerging postwar Manchester, where touring pop stars like David Bowie would later serve as both influence and escape. He doesn't shy from airing grievances: a particular sore spot is the 1990s court case in which former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce successfully sued Morrissey and Marr for royalties. Those looking for details of Morrissey's personal life outside of music will be disappointed, however; more space is allocated to his penchant for rescuing ailing animals than his romantic relationships. Readers almost know him more and less at the memoir's conclusion, as Morrissey remains ever the enigma. VERDICT Highly recommended, especially for fans of the Smiths and 1980s music.—Amanda Mastrull, School Library Journal

Library Journal

British singer/icon Morrissey’s autobiography will no doubt fulfill the expectations of his incredibly loyal legions with its droll eloquence and requisite amount of scandal, innuendo, and backbiting. However, it’s probably not enough to satisfy those hoping Morrissey would shed light on his ambiguous personal life. A talented British actor in his own right, David Morrissey—no relation—shares not only Morrissey’s name but also his Northern English background, which means that when he’s assuming the snarky tone of the singer, he wraps it up in just the right amount of churlish snipe. It would be hard to imagine another narrator better suited to these glib tales of mythmaking and obsessive melancholy. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2014 - AudioFile