Johnny Rogan (1953–2021)

This is a very detailed biography of primarily Morrissey, despite the title. At times he manages to make claims for what Mozza was doing on a particular date during his school days, without ever providing a source or hint of how he knows. This is intriguing, but the same level of detail becomes, frankly, a little boring when applied to the comings & goings of The Smiths various business managers. Its Morrissey we’re interested in, but inevitably the essence of Mozz still escapes us, despite all the digging & detail.… (more)

Johnny Rogan's Smiths biography, Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance was a comprehensively researched and fascinating insight into the story of one of Britain's greatest bands. It pulled no punches, yet it also showed respect and devotion for the artists and their work. Morrissey, of course, hated it, famously wishing that the author "ends his days very soon in an M3 pile-up". It was a typically amusing Moz overreaction that provided Rogan with an infamy he traded on, and surely sold more copies than any bland endorsement would have ever done.

The long-promised sequel focusing on Morrissey's solo years finally emerged in 2006, but despite the artist's recent "comeback" success, it made much less of a splash than its predecessor, which may explain why it's taken me this long to finally get around to reading it. Sad to report, though interesting and amusing in places, it has none of the insight of Severed Alliance, and seems at times just plain lazy.

Read the full review at my blog.… (more)