Morrissey and Marr the Secered Alliance: The Definitive Story of the Smiths

by Johnny Rogan

Book Overview

Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance is among the most successful - and controversial - rock biographies ever published. Having denounced the book and called for the death of its author Johnny... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0711918384
• ISBN13: 9780711918382
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Omnibus Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Exhaustive, but not exhaustive to read!

I love Morrissey and The Smiths, so this book could be written [bad] and I would still like it. But fortunately Rogan is a gifted writer who loves the subject matter even more than I do!You'll learn way more than you ever wanted to know about the band and the split between Johnny Marr and Steve Morrissey from this at times obsessively accurate and detailed account. I was struck by how weird Morrissey really is. His odd antics in print and life are not an act. He really is an odd duck. But isn't that why we love him so much? He speaks for all of us when he whines, moans, and sighs about life's missed opportunities, unrequited loves, and the mystery of personal identity. Included are dozens of photos of everyone involved in the whole saga. It is a really great read! Enjoy!"It's so easy to laugh. It's so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind...I know it's over, and it never really began. But in my heart it was so real."

A must for every Smiths fan

From the birth of Morrissey's parents in Dublin to the formation of the most influential English band of the 80's, this book covers every aspect concerning The Smiths' trajectory. Johnny Rogan is careful enough in analyzing some of the events that, even having preceded The Smiths' formation, played an important role on the group's entire artwork. He discusses, for instance, the impact that the Moors Murders had on Morrissey as a young child, explains how the education he was given at school led him to write The Headmaster Ritual, and examines the influence that guitar heroes of the 60's later had on Johnny Marr's compositions. The book also approaches the innumerable problems The Smiths encountered during their brief, yet fruitful existence; from their initial difficulties in signing with a record company to a millionaire proposal from EMI, from their constant problems in finding a proper manager to the controversies raised by their songs, everything is fully detailed here. Moreover, there is an all-special attention to an often unnoticed problem among The Smiths' structure: the unequal division of royalties between Morrissey/Marr and Joyce/Rourke parties. Throughout the whole book, Johnny Rogan can't help letting his sympathy towards the Joyce/Rourke cause show, lamenting the paltry 10% they were given and presenting Morrissey and Marr in all their greed. Indeed, Rogan does not hesitate over demystifying Morrissey, portraying him as an eccentric, selfish and sometimes difficult to deal with personality. "If God exists, then Johnny 'the Rat' will be devoured by his German Shepherd dogs" was Morrissey's response to the book. Regardless of how correct Rogan is concerning Morrissey's character, or whatever Morrissey's reaction was, The Severed Alliance is an excellent biography - essential not only for Smiths' fans, but for all willing to understand the multi-faceted music of the 80's.

Obscenely comprehensive, erudite, and highly readable.

I've spent the better part of high school idolizing Morrissey the entity, the writer, the singer. I had a faint, unrealistic, and embarrassingly devoted view of him. Rogan's even-handed book, full of detail, subtext, and and enthusiasm did nothing to quell my ardor for Morrissey. It helped frame it into more realistic terms. Morrissey and Marr is an eye opening book about a very real, complex, and quintessentially unique man. The detailing of his history, his faults, and his idiosyncries humanized this former "rock god," and made him a little more accessible.

brilliant

This is rightly considered one of the greatest rock biographies ever. I must say, I'm stunned that Rogan was able to find details as miniscule as those here. A completely readable book, the author even manages to make the band members' childhoods and pre-band days seem interesting, something that few rock biographers are able to do--I tend to just skip over the first few chapters in such books. Not here though--everything in The Severed Alliance is fascinating through and through, presenting a fair and balanced view of the band which by no means justifies Morrissey's savage animosity towards Rogan based on its content. A must-read for Smiths fans, as well as anyone contemplating writing a book about a band--this is the way to do it, guys.

A well written and researched work.

In Morrissey and Marr, The Severed Alliance, Johnny Rogan gives Smiths fans a wonderful look inside the most influential band of the 80's with a great feel for the subject and many pictures. As a rabid Smiths fan (although not a fan until fully 7 years after the breakup), I was both facinated and saddened by the events which conspired to tear apart the beloved band from Manchester. After turning the English music press on its ear for just a few short years, The Smiths still hold the attention of fans around the world. This book gives you the background that helps explain how Morrissey and Marr could write some of the greatest pop songs ever, and how they could lose the whole thing. What's even worse is that it never had to end. Johnny Rogan writes this book from the perspective of the journalist looking for the truth, the novelist providing entertainment, and most importantly, the Smiths Fan who feels the loss. Read it, if you love The Smiths, or even if you just love the history of pop music. The latest edition of the book includes a forward and epilogue and also an invaluable Discography complete with concert tape listings and known "bootleg" recordings. ~Max Silva: Houston, Texas 199