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A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of the Smiths, by Tony Fletcher
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The definitive book about The Smiths, one of the most beloved, respected, and storied indie rock bands in music history.
They were, their fans believe, the best band in the world. Hailing from Manchester, England, The Smiths--Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce--were critical and popular favorites throughout their mid-1980s heyday and beyond. To this day, due to their unforgettable songs and lyrics, they are considered one of the greatest British rock groups of all time--up there with the Beatles, the Stones, the Who, and the Clash.
Tony Fletcher paints a vivid portrait of the fascinating personalities within the group: Morrissey, the witty, literate lead singer whose loner personality and complex lyrics made him an icon for teenagers who felt forlorn and forgotten; his songwriting partner Marr, the gregarious guitarist who became a rock god for a generation of indie kids; and the talented, good-looking rhythm section duo of bassist Rourke and drummer Joyce. Despite the band's tragic breakup at the height of their success, A Light That Never Goes Out is a celebration: the saga of four working-class kids from a northern English city who come together despite contrasting personalities, find a musical bond, inspire a fanatical following, and leave a legacy that changed the music world--and the lives of their fans.
- Sales Rank: #642060 in eBooks
- Published on: 2012-12-04
- Released on: 2012-12-04
- Format: Kindle eBook
Amazon.com Review
Q&A with Tony Fletcher
Q. How did the project come about?
A. For starters, I was a fan and a contemporary; I’m the same age as Johnny Marr, Mike Joyce, and Andy Rourke. (Morrissey is approximately five years older.) But primarily, it was because the only other biography on The Smiths had been published back in 1992. Somewhere between the benefit of two additional decades of hindsight, the public’s ongoing fascination for the group, and my own passion for their music, it seemed like time their tale was told. Or that I told the tale. Or both.
Q. You were granted more detailed interviews with more key players, and were loaned or provided access to more letters, company memos, and contracts than any previous author or journalist writing about The Smiths. Describe your experience.
A. I had come of age, as a teenage fanzine editor, alongside many of the key players at the group’s record company, Rough Trade. I’ve long known many of the musicians, producers, and businesspeople associated with The Smiths, on both sides of the Atlantic. I’d conducted Morrissey’s first television interview back in January 1984, and my old magazine (Jamming!) had developed a strong relationship with the band. All of these past experiences and ongoing connections helped open doors for me when it came time to research the book; many of these doors, I should note, had otherwise remained long closed to others.
Q. How/when did you first get into The Smiths?
A. As editor of Jamming! back in 1983, I was sent, if not personally delivered, the first single, “Hand in Glove,” by Scott Piering at Rough Trade, who later become one of the Smiths’ many managers. Word spread incredibly quickly on the group, and by the time I got to see them in concert, that September, they were already all over evening radio and it was obvious that they were going to be huge. I will be honest and say that it was only with the second single, “This Charming Man,” released in November 1983, that I was truly converted. It was absolutely magical—the first genuinely classic guitar-based pop rock anthem to have come out of Britain’s independent music scene—and from there, I was hooked. I saw them in concert every year, got every record, read every interview.
Q. What were some of the most important aspects for you to get across in your biography?
A. As with all my biographies, I really wanted to place my subjects in the context of their times. Nothing happens in a vacuum, least of all great pop music, however much the subjects themselves might wish to encourage such a notion! The Smiths were a product of post–World War II Irish immigration to Manchester, of Roman Catholic schooling, of inner-city slum clearance, of a rapidly declining industrial city that—not coincidentally—became one of the global capitals of punk rock, and then even more musically vibrant with the emergence of a post-punk independent music scene. I make no apology for setting out my stall, so to speak, on all of these cultural developments. I think it makes the story of The Smiths themselves that much easier to understand.
As a Brit who has lived in the States since 1987 (the year The Smiths broke up), I wanted to ensure that I place the band in American context as well. Almost everything written in books about The Smiths tends to start and end in Europe. Yet The Smiths were enormously popular in America—their two albums released in 1987 each sold 500,000 copies without a video or a live date—and it’s important to understand how and why that popularity came about. The increased popularity of college radio, the emergence of Anglophiliac “progressive commercial” stations, and the existence of an “alternative” dance floor all played their part, as did Morrissey’s ability to cross international boundaries, despite what some presumed to be parochial lyrics.
Finally, I wanted to make sure that this was a story about a band called The Smiths, not about a singer called Morrissey or the partnership between Morrissey and Marr. And as such, I was determined not to be drawn into the solo years and the ongoing acrimony, legal action, and lingering bitterness that seems to exist between certain band members. That side of the saga has been endlessly covered. I was determined that my particular narrative should end when the band ended.
Q. What surprised you most about the interview process? What was the most interesting conversation you had?
A. I was warned, early on in the process, that the breakup of The Smiths had caused so much still-existent tension among its major players that I would need to tread very carefully and diplomatically if I wanted to get my interviews. This turned out to be sage advice. I was not totally surprised, but certainly intrigued, by how many of my prospective interviewees checked in with Johnny Marr before talking to me. (By comparison, only two or three people told me that they would only talk with Morrissey’s permission.) Which leads to the most interesting conversation—without doubt, it was the extensive multiple interviews I conducted with Marr. We spoke for 18 hours across two days in Manchester, including an almost unbroken 12-hour interview on the second day, which ended, around midnight, with us taking a nostalgic drive past Morrissey’s old house, where Johnny had first knocked on the door back in 1982. (Even then, we continued the interview process with phone conversations and multiple e-mails.) Johnny was incredibly giving not only of his time but of his memories, his emotions, and his regrets—and the book would not possibly have been the same without his input.
Q. What are the biggest misconceptions people have about The Smiths?
A. That they were miserable. You only have to look at pictures of The Smiths: they were having such a wonderful time throughout most of their five-year arc. Morrissey certainly suffered from periods of depression, and his claims to celibacy, his admission to suicidal thoughts, and his determination to write, as he said in a print interview, “for people who wouldn’t normally go to concerts, watch television, buy records or listen to the radio,” rendered him utterly unique within the world of pop music. But he was also one of the funniest characters in the history of that pop music, as evidenced by any number of his interview quotes—and also by his lyrics, never more so in the frequently misinterpreted “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.”
From Booklist
Indie cult heavyweights the Smiths never charted a single higher than number 10, but they are widely considered to be an important musical component of British pop music of the 1980s. Their enigmatic vocalist and lyricist, Morrissey, is a bit of a hero to the disaffected, which only adds to his and the band’s angsty cachet. Of course, they broke up in 1987, but with rumored reunions that never materialized and the individual members’ post-Smiths activities (as a solo), Morrissey has cracked Top 10 lists), their self-conscious legend lives on. In relating the story of the band, Fletcher centers on Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, digging deep in terms of the details of the band’s creative process and progress—but with plenty of time for conjecture about the comprehensively enigmatic Morrissey. If readers are curious about, say, the ongoing mystery of Morrissey’s sexuality, Fletcher provides ample discussion of the various extant theories thereon. Morrissey just likes to know people are thinking about him. The result is a highly detailed—if a little ardent—omnibus Smiths and Morrissey source, useful as a reference and a straight-through read. --Mike Tribby
Review
“After reading A Light That Never Goes Out, I'm on the path to understanding Morrissey... In the end, I came away with a richer appreciation of the ethics, psychology, and artistry of [The Smiths]. Plus a burning desire to listen to the music.”
—The Austin Chronicle
“The terrific British music writer Tony Fletcher has just published the definitive biography of [The Smiths].”
—Salon
“If there's a ghost fifth member of the Smiths, it might be Tony Fletcher…Fletcher reveals detail after detail.”
—The Village Voice
“Meticulously chronicles the rise of one of the '80s' best bands. This charming man Fletcher…did a fine job of recounting England's The Smiths.”
—Newsday
"There's no shortage of books on the Smiths, but this 600-page tome is the one fans want, and rightly so."
—Exclaim!
“Mr. Fletcher accomplishes the key task of a music biographer, which is a richer enjoyment of the music.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Fletcher, who has written biographies of drummer Keith Moon and R.E.M., combines original interviews with quotes and anecdotes from the vast paper trail of the British music press to piece together this enigmatic band’s rise and fall in obsessive detail.”
—The Boston Globe
“Consistently perceptive… Fletcher demonstrates a great facility for placing the band's work in perspective.”
–The San Francisco Chronicle
“[Fletcher] was blessed with full access to the band’s records, its business associates and, critically, its actual members. Guitarist Johnny Marr and bassist Andy Rourke granted the author extensive interviews….Fletcher’s book is exhaustive in its attention to detail.”
–The Washington Post
“Fletcher perfectly captures the wit and complexity of the band and its music…Best of all for the group’s ongoing admirers and fans, [he] displays an unflagging enthusiasm in describing every aspect of how the Smiths produced a ‘torrent of brilliant work in a blazing stream of exhaustive glory.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A full account of the singularly influential English band, drawing on extensive research and interviews...An up-to-date and revealing rock biography that sets a standard of completion that will likely prove hard to beat.”
—Kirkus
"Finally, the full story of the Smiths: four kids, a city, a sound, a dream, a scandal, a legend. Tony Fletcher reveals the emotionally intense, wildly comic, totally fascinating details of how this band changed the world. It belongs in any fan’s scholarly room."
—ROB SHEFFIELD, bestselling author of Love Is a Mix Tape
"A Light That Never Goes Out is an exhilarating read! Tony Fletcher not only examines the Smiths’ impact on the music and culture in their UK homeland, but he explores their lasting effect on America and their undeniable influence on American indie rock. I highly recommend it."
—MATT PINFIELD, host of MTV2’S 120 Minutes AND The Hivecast on iTunes
"An intriguing portrait of an intriguing band that is as rich in intellectual history as it is in rock trivia. Keith Richards, eat your heart out."
—GARY MARCUS, bestselling author of Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning
"Written with love and filled with gemlike moments—like Johnny Marr singing along with a 45 of the Marvelettes ‘You’re the One’ during his first meeting with Morrissey—Fletcher chronicles one of the twentieth century’s most gorgeous and subversive bands. Fans will swoon; the inexplicable rest of you will learn what the fuss was about."
—WILL HERMES, author of Love Goes to Buildings on Fire
From the Hardcover edition.
Most helpful customer reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Well done
By Amazon Customer
It's a good read. Tony Fletcher's always on point. I have no desire to review books, but read it now.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Love, love, love this book
By Maryann
If your a Smiths fan you must read and own this book. I couldn't put it down from the moment it arrived.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Frustrating and Incomplete
By Jen in CA
I wanted to like this book, I really did. But this a book that claims to be about the Smiths, yet does not get into talking about the Smiths until around page 200. Before that we are treated to some history about the industrial revolution and Manchester's place in it. There is deep background on the slums and housing developments of Manchester and a lot of information about the family history of both Morrissey and Johnny Marr. There is a lot of information about the Manchester music scene prior to The Smiths. I mean, there is just SO MUCH INFORMATION about things that are peripherally related to the Smiths, but not actually related to the formation of the band or about the band itself in anything but the broadest sense. Yes, there would have been no Smiths if they hadn't both been raised in Manchester, but that's self evident. It doesn't need to be elaborated upon so thoroughly.
It becomes frustrating pretty early on in the read, waiting for some juice, some info, the dirt on the band and instead being given the barest hint of detail about the band itself but loads and loads of info about Rough Trade and other Manchester bands. I felt like the author danced around everything but never really delivered the goods. Every time I thought, "Here we go, now we'll get into it," it meandered off again. The timeline of the Smiths is there, but the real story, the behind the scenes particulars that I was hoping for were frustratingly elusive.
It also ends abruptly. The author references the lawsuit that Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke brought against the band several times but the book ended without any discussion at all about the what the members of the band did after the breakup. I would rather have skipped the lessons on the industrial revolution and Thatcherite England and read instead about Morrissey, Mars, et al post-Smiths. I think the years after the band broke up are a really interesting piece of their puzzle, but the author doesn't delve into it at all. Is there an "enduring saga" of the Smiths? We don't know because Tony Fletcher doesn't talk about it.
Also, there is a general overuse of parentheses throughout the book. Some pages are covered in parenthetical information and the author has a really annoying habit of giving words or phrases dual or additional or contrasting meaning by using parenthetical appendages. For instance:
"...it was another thing entirely to parade a (much younger) member of the aristocracy..."
"...his increasingly (and unapologetically) flamboyant changes..."
"...had remained under British rule (and neglect) for the past half century..."
"...immediate (if wary) interest..."
"...rescued (somewhat embarrassingly) by an elderly couple..."
"...infamous for listing the (cheap) production costs of their records on their (broadsheet-style) single sleeves..."
"...all enjoyed (their first) British top 10 singles..."
"...a moment of (men's) liberation..."
"...long standing (lack of) approach to business..."
"...dealing with it all as (ab)normal life in the Smiths..."
"...take greater responsibility for his own (in)actions..."
"...delegating some of his long-standing (and long suffering) responsibilities..."
This is just a small percentage of the parentheses employed in this text. They are incredibly distracting and toward the end of the book I wasn't reading so much as looking for the parentheses and fuming. Then, when it ended suddenly and without a (certainly called for) epilogue I was disappointed (and angry).
A Light That Never Goes Out is a missed opportunity. A good editor and an author more willing to discuss the band he's talking about instead of detailing every bit of his research into Manchester and England's industrial age could have turned this into a compelling portrait of a band that implodes under the pressure of two large personalities. Instead it flounders under Fletcher's inability to find and maintain a focus on his subject matter.
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