A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths by Tony Fletcher
"There's more to life than books you know, but not much more..."
---The Smiths, "Handsome Devil"
Tell that to the author. At almost 700 pages, Tony Fletcher's book about the band that gave Morrissey to the world aspires to be the definitive account on the Smiths. This ambitious biography offers plenty of details about the band's formation, concert tours, songwriting inspirations and studio sessions. More than that, though, the book offers a glimpse into the world that formed the group's members, that of working-class 1970s Manchester and its nascent post-punk music scene. New interviews with guitarist and co-songwriter Johnny Marr and bassist Andy Rourke offer fresh perspectives on the band and its era (Morrissey, as you would expect, declined to participate) and the book overall displays the kind of obsessiveness usually associated with cultish bands like this. While it may not help you recreate the perfect Mozzer coif, it is still worth a read.
Brett @ Central