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During his tour in 2012, he went to Radio City Music Hall, and this image is of him performing while a picture of Oscar Wilde is on the stage curtain.

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This is a photo of Morrissey promoting his novel on October 17th, 2013.

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Morrissey indirectly speaking out about the lawsuits

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Morrissey indirectly speaking out about the lawsuits

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I would imagine that Morrissey would be incredibly angry with these lawsuits and would want to express it.

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During one of his tours in 2009, he collapsed on stage while performing a song. Also, in late January of 2013 he was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer. And in March of 2009, he was hospitalized again due to pneumonia in both of his lungs, and one of his tours had to be cancelled to the debilitating illness.

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Throughout all of his solo work, as well as his time with the Smiths, Morrissey has been touring for most of his life. Recently, being on tour has been sort of a long running joke for his fans and haters. He is notoriously known for cancelling shows at the last minute and disappointing all the people planning to attend. He's played shows in almost every country and he plans to keep touring, as of this books release date (2013).

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After moving to LA, Morrissey hadn't made much music for a while. He had taken a break for a couple of years. As of 2004, he decided to come back and he signed to a different record label and recorded his seventh studio album, You Are The Quarry and it reached number 1 on the UK Album Charts. Morrissey also said that he thinks that this album is his best. Later, in 2006, he recorded his eighth studio album, Ringleader of the Tormentors. As well, as previously mentioned, he created his ninth studio album Years of Refusal. Also, a couple of compilation and b-side albums were produced throughout these 22 years (1988-2010).

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This is the cover for his third studio album, Your Arsenal.

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During 1992, Morrissey released his third solo album Your Arsenal and it reached number 3 on the UK Album Charts. With this album, his image had changed. One journalist and writer, Paul A. Woods, had written that he developed a, "quietly, assured masculinity," as well, he is representing "a more robust, burlier, beefier version of himself." For this third album, the album image reflects on this change.

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For example, this song is about experiencing mock happiness.

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Morrissey "Something Is Squeezing My Skull"

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After the Smiths disbanded, Morrissey began to work on his own music. A year after, in 1988, he released his album Viva Hate, which launched his solo career. As well, this album did great on the UK Album Charts. After producing seven more albums after that, he released his ninth album Years of Refusal. On page 442, Morrissey refers to this album as, "The refusal to be destroyed into irrelevance, Years of Refusal, 2009, strives mightily above the psychological toll". This album mostly talks about existentialism and being miserable, which was what most of the Smiths discography was about.

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This is one of their first recorded songs, being played by them for the last time together.

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The Smiths Final Gig - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - 12/12/86 - Brixton Academy

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Back to the Old House (John Peel Session)

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Back to the Old House (John Peel Session)

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This is one of my favorite Smiths' song. It was on their compilation album Hatful of Hollow.

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The Smiths- Back To The Old House (Peel Session Version)

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Performed in Hacienda, Manchester.

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The Smiths - Hacienda, Manchester - 07 06 83 - Part 1

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Left to right: Mike Joyce, Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke.

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Marr (left) playing the guitar to Rourke (middle) and Morrissey (right) in 1982.

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This photo was taken in April of 1983.

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He went through many types of jobs and after a while, he completely abandoned employment. Morrissey had his eyes set on becoming a professional writer, so he briefly considered a career in music journalism. He wrote many letters to music press and landed a job with a weekly review publication. He wrote several short books for a local publishing company, such as a New York Dolls booklet and a volume about James Dean called James Dean Is Not Dead.

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At this point, the Smiths were extremely popular and had a lot of success, but there was a lot of tension between the band mates. Marr ended up taking a break from the band in June of 1987, but in July, he finally quit the band. As a replacement, Ivor Perry was brought in, but he ended up leaving quickly after only recording incomplete material. By the time the fourth studio album, Strangeways Here We Come, was released, the entire band had split up. This album ended up reaching number two on the UK charts and it was their most successful album in the US, reaching number 55 on the Billboard 200. The following year, the live recorded album, Rank, which was recorded with Craig Gannon on rhythm guitar, also reached number two on the UK charts.

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In February of 1984, the band produced the self-titled album The Smiths, which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart. In March of 1984, they performed on a music program called The Tube. After this album was released, they also released four singles and at the end of the year, they released the compilation album Hatful of Hollow. This had singles, b-sides, and records of the previously mentioned live studio sessions. In early 1985, the band released their second studio album Meat Is Murder. This album, which was the only one, reached number one in the UK charts. During 1985, they had lengthy tours throughout the U.K. and the U.S. while also recording their third studio album, The Queen Is Dead. The album was released in June of 1986 and it reached number two on the UK charts.The album was finished in November of 1985, but legal disputes caused it to be released seven months later. As well, Marr was getting very ill and Rourke was fired for his use of heroin and was replaced by Craig Gannon, but he was brought back two weeks later and Gannon ended up staying in the now five-man band. Although, after a U.K. tour in October of 1986, Gannon quit the band. After this, the Smiths left Rough Trade and signed on with EMI.
In early 1987, a second compilation album, The World Won't Listen, was released and it reached number two in the UK charts. Another compilation album, Louder Than Bombs, was released for the US.

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When choosing the name, Morrissey states on page 123 that, "it was the most ordinary name and I thought it was time that the ordinary folk of the world show their faces." The band ended up recording three songs, but after many rehearsals, the bassist, Steve Pomfret, left, and he was replaced by Dale Hibbert. When they visited an official recording studio, they recorded two songs ("The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and "Suffer Little Children"). The drummer who played for those two demos didn't want to be in the band, so he left, and was replaced by Mike Joyce. Morrissey took these demos to Factory Records, but they weren't interested. In October of 1982, they played live for the first time and Morrissey had organized the whole bands aesthetic for the gig, but the bassist didn't like the "gay aesthetic", so in turn Morrissey and Marr hadn't liked his bass playing and asked him to leave the band, and he was replaced by Marr's school friend Andy Rourke.
At this point, the four iconic members of the Smiths were finally brought together, Morrissey as the lead singer, Johnny Marr as the lead guitarist, Andy Rourke as the bassist, and Mike Joyce as the drummer. In December of 1982, they ended up recording their second demo with three more original songs ("What Difference Does It Make?", "Handsome Devil", and "Miserable Lie"). They used it as an audition tape for another record company, but they were turned down again. By Christmas they had recorded four more songs with their manager Joe Moss and they had landed a gig in January of 1983 and another gig in early February. They approached another record company, but were turned down for a third time, but they went to a fourth company and they agreed to take their song "Hand In Glove" and produce it as a single.
After gaining some popularity, they finally landed a record deal with Rough Trade. They produced a short album with Troy Tate of The Exploding Teardrops, but Rough Trade didn't like it so they made them redo it with a new producer, John Porter. Two singles from this new record ("This Charming Man" and "What Difference Does It Make?") were big hits and after recording studio sessions for Peel and David Jensen at BBC Radio 1, they began to gain popularity and a dedicated fan base.

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In August of 1978, Morrissey very briefly met Johnny Marr by mutual acquaintances. Six years later, Marr and his friend Steve Pomfret randomly appeared on Morrissey's doorstep, asking Morrissey if he was interested in co-founding a band with him. Marr was impressed with Morrissey's New York Dolls book and they became close very quickly. As stated by Morrissey on page 56 in his autobiography, is says that, "[Johnny and I] got on absolutely famously. We were very similar in drive." The day after, Morrissey called Marr just to make sure that they were actually going to form a band and they were.

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After primary school, Morrissey failed his 11-plus exam, which is something administered to students when they finish their primary education and it allows them admission into grammar schools and other secondary education schools. He ended up going to St. Mary's Technical Modern School and Morrissey also found this experience extremely unpleasant. In the book, on page 54, it states, "the education I received was so basically evil and brutal. All I learnt was to have no self-esteem and to feel ashamed without knowing why." He ended up leaving school at age 16 in 1975.

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Morrissey accidentally spelt this song title incorrectly. This song is on the album The Queen Is Dead and it was released in 1986.

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This song discusses the credibility of Manchester, the fate of the victims, and the guilt of Hindley. In the book, on page 68, it says, "...I believe the murders went unnoticed because the victims were, for the most part, poor Manchester children and thus easier to make disappear." This song is on the self-titled album "The Smiths" and it was released in 1984.

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Suffer Little Children (2011 Remastered Version)

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Ian Brady and Myra Hindley murdered 5 children during Morrissey's childhood.

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The moors murders that shocked the nation

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Morrissey was very frightened of Manchester.  In this book, on page 5, he states, "Birds abstain from song in post-war industrial Manchester, where the 1960s will not swing, and where the locals are the opposite of wordly. More brittle and less courteous than anywhere else on earth, Manchester is the old fire wheezing its last, where we all worry ourselves soulless, forbidden to be romantic." This shows that Manchester wasn't "fair" to them, the town just didn't hold the promise that everyone wanted. Although Manchester itself was a somewhat delapidated town during this time, Morrissey was also scared of living here because of the moors murders that happened there in 1963 to 1965. In the future, he and his band members of the Smiths wrote the song "Suffer Little Children" which is about these murders and its victims.

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by Oscar Wilde

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Finally, this book being released. At the end of the book, on page 454, it says, "All along, my private suffering felt like vision, urging me to die or go mad, yet it brings me here, to a wintry Chicago street-scene in December 2011 - I, a small boy of 52, clinging to the antiquated view that a song should mean something, and presenting himself everywhere by way of apology. It is quite true that I have never had anything in my life that I did not make for myself." This memorializes his gratitude for the people who have helped him create his image and let him able to create music and write literature.

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In 1996, former member of The Smiths, Mike Joyce sued Morrissey and Johnny Marr for an equal share of performance and recording royalties. Joyce won the case and was awarded around one million pounds (1.2 million USD). In the book, on page 243, Morrissey states that, "Joyce was paid 215,000 pounds from me, and 215,000 from Johnny Marr... He then put forward a claim from me for 688,000 pounds--well above and beyond the amount Johnny Marr was ordered to pay."

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This song is on the album "Meat is Murder" by the Smiths which was released in 1985. This song talks about the horrid things that happened in school houses in Manchester when Morrissey was young.

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The Headmaster Ritual (2011 Remastered Version)

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In the late 70s, Morrissey fronted a band called The Nosebleeds. This was during a time when the punk rock scene in Manchester was reaching its peak. Unfortunately, this band had little success and it ended up falling apart after a very short life. This band, however, sparked Morrissey's interest in music journalism which lead him to author several books on music and film in the early 80s.

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Although Morrissey loved listening to music since 1965, he also has loved poetry, specifically, Oscar Wilde. A lot of the music he has written is greatly influenced by Wilde's work and he has been enamored with him since he was young. For example, in the Smiths song "Cemetry Gates"' one line states, "Keats and Yeats are on your side / But you lose, 'cause weird lover Wilde is on mine". This line basically is showing how though very famous and romantic poets are "on your side", he has the more melancholic poet "on his side."

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When he was young, he first started getting into music. In grade school, when he was about eight or nine, he explained that he had a record on his desk and his teacher found a record player and played the record three times on repeat. A couple years after that, he started getting into other artists like David Bowie and The New York Dolls and his friend bullied him because of it, but eventually Morrissey pushed through it. On page 17, about his own youth, he states, "Pop music was all I ever had, and it was completely entwined with the image of the pop star. I remember feeling the person singing was actually with me and understood me and my predicament." This shows how music has always been there for him.

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Morrissey describes his school life as a young kid to be frightening. He explains that kids were beat with small leather straps and that the teachers didn't care about the students at all. As well, many students had been starving because of the poverty in Manchester during this time. In the book, on page 11, it says that, "I think back to that day when fat Bernadette wrapped a leather belt around her neck and proceeded to pull it tightly in both directions, thus possibly killing herself as she sat at her wonky desk in the classroom of B2." He continues to explain how she yells at the teacher "I'm gonna do it!" over and over, while their teacher didn't do anything about it. Kids weren't cared for very well during these times and Morrissey had to experience this during childhood. As well, these immoral beatings were immortalized in the Smiths' song "The Headmaster Ritual" (which is a harrowingly sad and yet beautiful song).

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He was born on May 22nd, 1959. His head was too big and he almost killed his mother when she was giving birth to him. On page 5, it states, "...but soon it is I, and not my mother, on the critical list at Salford's Pendlebury Hospital. I cannot swallow and I spend months hospitalized, my stomach ripped open, my throat pulled wide, my parents are warned that I am unlikely to survive." Throughout his childhood, he was poor and apparently his sister Jackie, who is older by two years, tried to kill him four times.

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Morrissey grew up in Manchester and he describes it very ominously. He explains that criminality is exceptionally common and that prison is inevitable. For example, on page 5, it states, "Penalties assessed, arrears called in, and dodging life's bullets is known as survival. It is only ever a question of when." This shows how he grew up in a violent and dilapidated environment and probably did not have a good childhood.

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Morrissey, Steven Patrick. Morrissey. Penguin Books / G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2013.