Did Morrissey write any books?
Morrissey wrote "James Dean Is Not Dead" and a biography of The New York Dolls. You can read "James Dean Is Not Dead" on the web at http://members.xoom.com/costelt/smithsmoz/Jamesdean/dean.htm and The New York Dolls book at http://members.xoom.com/costelt/smithsmoz/NYDolls/nydolls.htm

Has Morrissey ever written poetry?
"Poppy Cocteau" is found on the back of a free flexidisc of "London" live that came free with the catalogue. It is written in his own handwriting
"Poppycocteau"
So then I went to Liverpool,
and got held up outside a
nightclub by two merchant
seamen who said:
"give us your money or give
us your trousers."
And as I handed them my
trousers ...
(Well, you've got to make the
Most of Life, haven't you?)
    Morrissey
   August/Winter Eighty-hate.

How can I get ahold of Morrissey?
Ah, wouldn't we all like to talk or write to him? As far as I can tell, there's no way to definitely get a message to him. He likes his privacy -- even moreso than many celebrities. It seems he's aware of the Internet but not an e-mail user (or web surfer). One avenue is to write his record company in the hopes they pass along the letter. This is quite a longshot. I've never seen his postal address and anyone who has it probably guards it with their life.

How do you spell Morrissey's first name?
It's spelled S-T-E-V-E-N. Wasn't that in a song he wrote? :)

Is Morrissey gay?
Dunno. Morrissey has contradicted himself so many times on the subject of his sexuality that it's hard to tell. Although he has always made it clear he doesn't consider himself a spokesman for the gay population. His use of "gay icons" in the Smiths' record sleeves led many gay activists to denounce him. For the last word, we must turn to the wise words of the man himself : "I refuse to recognize the terms hetero-, bi-, and homo-sexual. Everybody has exactly the same sexual needs. People are just sexual, the prefix is immaterial."

Is Morrissey racist?
Look on the Lyric FAQ page for discussion of that question.

Is there a Morrissey fanclub?
Well, not officially. But there is a french fanclub at http://perso.libertysurf.fr/mythismorrissey .

Is there an e-mail list about The Smiths or Morrissey?
You bet there is! Maladjusted is the name of the current e-mail mail list devoted to the discussion of The Smiths, Morrissey and related topics. The homepage is at http://www.debaser.org/maladjusted/ with subscription info.

The history of Smiths e-mail lists is

1990 - 1992     1992 - 1994     1994 - 1995     1995 - 1997     1997 - 1999     1999 - 
 Strangeways       Bigmouth         MozTalk           Ask            Panic     Maladjusted
 

What happened to Gary Day?
Gary apparently left Morrissey's solo group before "Vauxhall and I" because of rocky relations with Morrissey.

What was their first gig?
The Ritz, Manchester, October 4, 1982.

What was this Smiths convention I hear about?
On Feburary 23, 1997 in Pasadena, California the first ever (in the U.S.) Smiths Convention was held at the Pasadena Convention Center. 2,000 people were in attendance and special guests included Mike Joyce (drums) Andy Rourke (bass) and a good cover band by the name of The Sweet and Tender Hooligans. Merchants were on hand selling everything Smiths (or Moz) and an auction of various Smiths artifacts (set lists, gold records, snare drums used live) fetched top dollar. A video of a very early Smiths gig in 1983 was shown which includes highlights such as Johnny on backing vocals. Mike and Andy signed autographs and Conventioneers danced the night away to Smiths tunes. Many Askers got the chance too finally meet each other but for those who had no part in the list it seemed to be quite a disappointment. One reviewer made a very accurate description of the convention as being "nothing more then a smiths garage sale". You can find Scott Krajewski's and others convention experiences at http://www.cemetrygates.com/vault/convention/homepage.html.

What were The Moors Murders?
The murders were committed by Tan Brady and Myra Hindley between November of 1963 and October of 1965. The victims were Lesley Anne Downey (10 years old), John Kilbride (12 years old), and Edward Evans (17 years old). Hindley and Brady committed the murders, buried the bodies "on the moors" and then went about their daily life. The murders were the most gruesome and horrendous thing ever to happen in Manchester and the town was left in fright and shock. Lesley Ann Downey was kidnapped and murdered after being gagged, stripped, and photographed. Edward Evans was strangled and beaten to death by 14 hits with an axe and was later found in Myra Hindley's upstairs room packed in a blanket. The book, Beyond Belief, tells the tale.

Where can I find books about Morrissey and The Smiths?
You can check the Cemetry Gates Bookstore for information on several books with links to purchase them online from Amazon.com. Unfortunately the must-have book Peepholism is out of print. However a reader reports that it can be special ordered from Barnes and Noble.

Where can I find that Morrissey font?
The TrueType font made from Morrissey's handwriting can be found here.

Where can I find Morrissey desktop themes?
Right now we know of two places: Nobody Loves Us and Our Souls,Our Souls,Our Souls.

Why all the flowers at concerts?
Morrissey's passion for flowers probably stems from Oscar Wilde's love of flowers. The Smiths spent a fortune on Chrysanthemums and Gladiolas so Morrissey could pass them out at gigs and wave them about. The Smiths became known as the "Flower wimps" and were criticized quite harshly.

Why did The Smiths break up?
One of those "no one will ever really know the answer" questions. About all that anyone can agree on is that the main reason the group broke up was because Johnny left the group due to personal difficulties with Morrissey. Morrissey and Johnny also might have wanted to move the band in different directions thus causing difficulties.

Why "The Smiths"?
One day Johnny Marr and Morrissey were sitting in Morrissey's house when Morrissey started scratching the worlds "The Smiths" on a large piece of cardboard. Morrissey hadn't intended the name to stick, but Johnny loved the name. It was the idea that the name was simple that made the name enticing for the group. "Smith is the most common name in the universe. It is inoffensive." states Marr.

Or Morrissey came to Marr one day with a piece of paper. On it were written three things "The Smiths Family," "The Smiths," and "Smithdom." He asked Marr to choose one, and he went for ... well, you know what he went for.

Or the name The Smiths comes from the fact it was David Smith who told the police about the identity of the Moors Murderers. After his arrest, Ian Brady said "I'm going to get you Smith!"

Will The Smiths ever reunite?
Ahh the everlasting question. Sadly though, it seems "no" is the resounding answer of the former band mates. Mike Joyce said it best at Smiths Convention 97 that "everything that had to be done, was done, and that's that".
On a brighter note, Morrissey said during the In Person (boxers) tour in early 1995 that he would enjoy playing more Smiths tunes (he has played London and Shoplifters) in the future as he still finds most of them to be great songs.
On an even brighter note when asked the very question of "Will the Smiths reunite?" in December of 1993 he responded "I don't think it would be called The Smiths. Hand on heart, gun to my head, err, if it was to happen - which is very unlikely - it would be called Morrissey and Marr. But that's very theoretical and hypothetical. With the emphasis on pathetic." A few months later Morrissey was told about this, and was asked if he would ever write with Marr again. He said, "Of course, yes, but immediately I don't see the point and neither does he. So why? Obviously I would consider it. I would love to hear his music again. And sometimes I do feel sad that he gives it to people who can't write lyrics terribly well...ha ha!"