5 000 / 5 000 Morrissey — Early bands and published books Steven Patrick Morrissey (Davyhulme, 22 May 1959), known as Morrissey, is a British singer, songwriter and author. He rose to prominence as the lyricist and lead singer of the band The Smiths, active between 1982 and 1987. He has since embarked on a successful solo career. Morrissey's music is characterised by his baritone voice and distinctive lyrics with recurring themes of emotional isolation, sexual desire, dark and self-deprecating humour and anti-establishment stances. After leaving formal education, Morrissey worked in a series of jobs, including as a civil servant and then an Inland Revenue clerk, as a salesman in a record shop and as a hospital porter, before quitting his job and claiming unemployment benefits. He used much of the money from these jobs to buy concert tickets, attending performances by Talking Heads, the Ramones and Blondie. He was a regular gig-goer, taking a particular interest in the alternative and post-punk music scene. Having met guitarist Billy Duffy in November 1977, Morrissey agreed to become the lead singer of Duffy's punk band Nosebleeds, although Morrissey later said in 2014 that he "never joined" the band. Morrissey co-wrote a number of the band's songs—"Peppermint Heaven", "I Get Nervous" and "I Think I'm Ready for the Electric Chair"—and performed with them, but the band soon disbanded. William Henry Duffy (born 12 May 1961) is an English rock musician, best known as the guitarist for the band The Cult. Duffy was born and raised in Manchester. He is of Irish and Jewish heritage and ancestry. He began playing guitar at the age of fourteen, influenced by Queen, Thin Lizzy, The Who, Aerosmith, Blue Öyster Cult and the early work of Led Zeppelin. In the late 1970s, he became involved in the punk movement, influenced by the New York Dolls, The Stooges, Buzzcocks and the Sex Pistols. He began playing guitar with several punk rock bands while still at school in the late 1970s, including Studio Sweethearts. Formation of the Cult After leaving school, Duffy left Manchester when Studio Sweethearts moved to London, working as a shop assistant at Johnsons on the King's Road. Studio Sweethearts subsequently disbanded and Duffy began playing guitar in the band Theatre of Hate. Shortly after, he met Ian Astbury, then lead singer of Southern Death Cult, who was sufficiently impressed by Duffy's talents that he left Southern Death Cult to start a new band with him called Death Cult. After releasing two singles, the band shortened their name to The Cult. On the Cult's debut single, "Spiritwalker", Duffy created a distinctive flanged sound using a then-unfashionable guitar: a mid-1970s Gretsch White Falcon, which later became Duffy's main instrument. The Cult's debut album, Dreamtime, was released in 1984. It was followed in 1985 by Love, which featured the hit "She Sells Sanctuary". Morrissey became known as a minor figure in the Manchester punk community. In 1981, he became close friends with Linder Sterling, the lead singer of the jazz-punk band Ludus; her lyrics and singing style influenced him. Linder Sterling (born 1954, Liverpool), commonly known as Linder, is a British artist known for her photography, radical feminist photomontage and confrontational performance art. Linder had designed the cover for the Buzzcocks' single "Orgasm Addict" and Magazine's debut album, Real Life; before forming Ludus with Arthur Kadmon (born Peter John Sadler, 19 February 1958, Stockport, Cheshire) is an English guitarist who worked with a number of Manchester new wave bands, including Manicured Noise, the Distractions and the Fall. Soon after, former Nosebleeds drummer Philip "Toby" Tomanov and bassist Willie Trotter joined to complete the band. Kadmon was a formative figure in the band, playing with them from 1978 to 1979. He left after touring with the Buzzcocks. During his time with the band, only two unreleased studio demos were made, while the rest of the group's repertoire was recorded and released with Kadmon's replacement, Ian Devine. Ludus made their live debut at the Factory Club, supporting The Pop Group, in October 1978, recording a demo that same month. The following month, Ludus played shows at well-known punk venues such as Eric's Club in Liverpool. Since their live debut at The Factory, Ludus have received positive reviews from the press. In January 1979, Paul Morley, writing for NME, commented: "Ludus are anything but ordinary. A rich and fascinating quartet, led by the enigmatic Linder, whose mellow, enchanting voice adds layers of mystery, fragility and haunting strength to their esoteric music... Arthur provides the solids, Linder the shadows; Arthur the rain, Linder the wind. t's a classic combination... The overall mix is ​​of precious dance music: gothic, but not as bright as Magazine; impressionistic and expressionistic; compact and exuberant. It's music that chills and warms, with images that scare and comfort... Still young, still insecure on stage, their music is already self-aware. And they're getting better all the time. Take good care of them." In February 1979, Ludus returned to the studio to record another demo, produced by Howard Devoto, Linder's boyfriend at the time. Shortly after a brief UK tour with the Buzzcocks in March 1979, Kadmon and Trotter left the band. Kadmon later joined The Distractions and Trotter went on to work in the television industry. Ian Devine replaced them, after the band signed to New Hormones. New Hormones was an independent record label in Manchester founded by Richard Boon, Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley. It was the first independent punk rock label in the UK. After signing to New Hormones, the band moved into more abstract directions, including jazz, improvisation and, after signing to Les Disques du Crepuscule, even French pop. Disques du Crépuscule is an independent record label founded in Belgium in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré, known for their relationship with Ian Curtis. A provocative live performance at The Haçienda club in Manchester on 5 November 1982 saw Linder take to the stage dressed in a dress made of raw meat. After a period of exile in Brussels, the group disbanded in 1983. In October 1985, Morrissey wrote liner notes for an unreleased Ludus compilation album and offered this final compliment: "Ludus have imposed upon us the decorative impulses of their music, and nowhere more significantly than in the volume that now lies before you. People who know true genius will love this record... Their singing takes my breath away... Linder has gone to Brussels and I have been stuck in Manchester, fighting the tides of fortune. Our shrill spirits still glide through the ugly streets of Manchester, always wet, always caught off guard, always spectators, our hearts damaged by so many air raids." Wanting to become a professional writer, Morrissey considered a career in music journalism. He frequently wrote letters to the music press and was eventually hired by the weekly music review publication Record Mirror. He wrote several short books for local publisher Babylon Books: in 1981, they released a 24-page booklet he had written about the New York Dolls, which sold 3,000 copies. This was followed by James Dean is Not Dead, about the late American film star James Dean. Morrissey idolised Dean and covered his bedroom with photographs of the dead film star. James Byron Dean (8 February 1931 – 30 September 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was profound, even though he appeared in only three major films: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he played a disillusioned and rebellious teenager, East of Eden (1955), which showcased his intense emotional range, and Giant (1956), a sprawling drama, all three films were preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for their "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance." He died in an automobile accident at the age of 24 in 1955, leaving him as an enduring symbol of rebellion, youthful defiance, and restless spirit. Alex