5 Things You Might Not Know About Morrissey

Today we celebrate Morrissey’s birthday, and we do so by offering up a list of five things that you might not know about Morrissey. Then again, you might. It’s so hard to say when it comes to Morrissey, because his fans tend to be so devout that they devour each and every bit of information that emerges about their hero. Still, we gave it a go, so here’s hoping we succeeded. Additionally, we’ve also got a playlist for your listening enjoyment, which should remind you of all the reasons why you love the Mancunian, the myth, and the legend that is Morrissey.

1.    He was such a fan of the TV soap opera Coronation Street that he actually sent proposed scripts and storylines to the series’ production company.

Alas, his script went nowhere, despite describing it in his autobiography as “a word-slinger’s delight wherein young take on old as a jukebox is tested in the Rovers’ Return.” He did, however, end up appearing in an episode of the show as a boy with a bike, although he wrote of his appearance, “Even if you don’t blink at all, you will miss me.”

2.    Before joining The Smiths, he was briefly the lead singer of both The Nosebleeds as well as Slaughter and the Dogs.

Neither of the gigs lasted very long, but both opportunities came about as a result of the same musician: guitarist Billy Duffy, soon to find fame as the axeman for The Cult. Whilst with The Nosebleeds, Morrissey co-wrote a few songs for the band with such memorable titles as “Peppermint Heaven” and “I Think I’m Ready for the Electric Chair,” but the band disbanded before getting much of anywhere. As for Slaughter and the Dogs, Morrissey recorded four songs with the band and fronted the band when they auditioned for a record deal, but that didn’t end up going anywhere, either.

3.    After releasing the song “Margaret on the Guillotine” on his solo debut, VIVA HATE, he was questioned by the authorities.

Apparently, they were concerned that a man with such strong feeling toward the Prime Minister might well prove to be a security threat. Thankfully, Morrissey was deemed to be no immediate threat to Ms. Thatcher and was released after only an hour.

4.    He recorded a duet with Siouxsie Sioux, but its success proved limited because there was no video.

The gorgeous cover of the Timi Yuro song “Interlude” was recorded as a duet by Morrissey and Siouxsie and released in 1994. It only climbed to #25 on the UK charts, however, and the blame for its relative failure has generally been placed on the absence of a video. Apparently, the relationship between the two singers grew frosty over their thoughts about what the video should be, so they never made one, which infuriated their label so much that they held off on releasing the song. When it finally hit record store shelves, it was in the midst of summer, and if you’ve ever heard the song, you know it’s not exactly what you’d call a summer single. Oh, well, at least we’ve still got the song itself.

5.    He wanted to do a duet with Paul Weller, but he was denied the opportunity.

In 1992, just before the Madstock festival in London’s Finsbury Park, Morrissey – who was staying in the same hotel as Weller – slipped a postcard under Weller’s door and suggested that they might do a song together. It came to naught, however, and possibly never will at this point: Weller told Mojo that he wasn’t’ a fan of Morrissey’s solo work. “It’s a weird thing, because he’s a bit of a fan of mine,” said Weller. “But it’s not reciprocated.” Ouch.