MORRISSEY

Born: Steven Patrick Morrissey; Manchester, England, 22 May 1959

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Bona Drag (1990)

Hit songs since 1990: "Interesting Drug," "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful," "More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get"

Few singers in the pantheon of alternative rock music rival the enigmatic British recording artist Morrissey. Since his debut in 1983 as the lead singer of the band the Smiths, he has remained a mystery both to fans and to critics. Is he the moody, maudlin, melismatic singer he often comes across as in his jangly, guitar-driven songs? Or is he the politically minded activist who passionately pursues causes and who reminded people that "Meat Is Murder"? Is Morrissey homosexual, as rumored? Or is he unwaveringly celibate, as he has publicly declared? These questions only seem to add to his mystique.

Morrissey's concerts are transcendent experiences. Both male and female fans go to great lengths to communicate
with him by tossing flowers, bras, T-shirts, boxer shorts, or themselves toward the stage. On stage he appears in an Elvis Presley–like pompadour, with brooding good looks and emotional ruminations. His songs contain snappy titles like "Last of the Famous International Playboys," "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful," and "Hairdresser On Fire." Famously private, Morrissey boasts an amazingly loyal fan base and appeals equally to people of different races, genders, and sexual preferences. Though many critics believe that Morrissey's solo work does not compare to his music with the Smiths, his fans would probably disagree.

A Solitary Childhood

Son of a night security guard and a librarian, Morrissey has recalled his childhood as turbulent and marked by extensive periods of staying indoors. His parents split when he was seventeen years old, and his black-humor lyrics were influenced by his solitary upbringing. He spent time with poetry and music and became a fan of the American actor James Dean and the Irish dramatist Oscar Wilde. When Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr met in 1982 and formed the Smiths, they created one of the most revered indie bands in Britain. Morrissey was often provocative and blunt in interviews, and he associated himself with somewhat unusual and controversial issues, such as vegetarianism and animal rights. By the time the Smiths broke up and Morrissey embarked on a solo career, he had a massive following in the United States.

With the release of his solo album Viva Hate (1989), the title a reference to the bitter split with Marr and the Smiths, Morrissey scored a couple of hit singles, including the beautifully morose "Everyday Is Like Sunday" and the catchy, obsessive love song "Suedehead." In "Suedehead" Morrissey implores, "Why do you come here? / And why do you hang around?" The song introduced him to a wide American audience; and its forlorn romantic story struck a chord with scores of misfit, lovelorn youth.

Bona Drag (1990), his second album, is a compilation; it surveys various troubling issues but is not really a wholly conceived album. Kill Uncle (1991), his next release, was dismissed by critics who thought it unremarkable and perhaps even deliberately turgid. Yet the album features the lovely and haunting "Driving Your Girlfriend Home," the jaunty rockabilly-like "Sing Your Life," and the humorous, vivid, and snide "King Leer."

At His Sly Best

Fans and critics alike were vindicated by Your Arsenal (1992). The album features electric guitars and aggressive tempos. Your Arsenal just barely missed the Billboard Top 20 (at number twenty-one); its successor, Vauxhall and I (1994), reached number eighteen on its release. Many critics feel that Vauxhall and I shows Morrissey at his post-Smiths best. He sounds vulnerable, appreciative, and somewhat satisfied: from the lead-off track "Now My Heart Is Full" to the wise "Hold On to Your Friends," in which he sings, in second person, "Don't feel so ashamed to have friends." For someone whose career seemed to revolve around adopting a glib posture, these lyrics seemed like a personal revelation.

The last significant single Morrissey released was the midtempo charmer "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get," which landed on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream, reached number one on the Modern Rock Tracks, and made number forty-six on the Billboard Top 100. The insidious guitar line and witty lyrics are classic Morrissey: "I'm now a central part of your mind's landscape / Whether you care or do not." The ambiguous, double-entendre is effective: Is he taking potshots at record executives, or a lover?

Shortly after the release of Vauxhall and I, Morrissey seemed to disappear from the pop scene, spending time in court and battling record labels. He jumped to BMG Records for the lackluster Southpaw Grammar (1995) and then to Mercury for the equally flaccid My Early Burglary Years (1998). Although he has sold out Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl faster than the Beatles, Morrissey never achieved monumental record sales. Nevertheless, his complex and uncompromising persona won him deeply loyal fans.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Viva Hate (Reprise, 1988); Bona Drag (Sire, 1990); Kill Uncle (Reprise, 1991); Your Arsenal (Reprise, 1992); Vauxhall and I (Reprise, 1994): Southpaw Grammar (Reprise, 1995); Maladjusted (Mercury, 1997); My Early Burglary Years (Reprise, 1998). With the Smiths: Meat Is Murder (Sire, 1985); The Queen Is Dead (Sire, 1986); Strangeways, Here We Come (Sire, 1987); Louder Than Bombs (Sire, 1987).

carrie havranek