Maybe it was inevitable that the man who turned self-involvement into high art would pen one of the most absorbing, and entertaining, autobiographies. Already a literary and witty lyricist, Morrissey extends his ruthlessly arch sense of language to over 500 pages of prose that, like the star himself, is maddening and exquisite, screwy and profound.
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.”