Morrissey - Early life Steven Patrick Morrissey (born 22 May 1959 in Davyhulme), 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 stance. 1959–1976: Childhood Steven Patrick Morrissey was born on 22 May 1959 at Park Hospital in Davyhulme, a neighbourhood in Trafford, Greater Manchester. His parents, Elizabeth (née Dwyer) and his father Peter Morrissey, were Irish Catholics who had emigrated from Dublin to Manchester with his older sister Jacqueline a year before he was born. His first home was a council house in central Manchester, which was demolished in the late 1960s. A council house, corporation house or council flat is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. In other words, a British My House, My Life. Living in the area as a child, he was deeply affected by the Moors murders; the crimes left a lasting impression on him and would inspire the lyrics of the Smiths song "Suffer Little Children." The Moors murders were a series of murders committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in Manchester between July 1963 and October 1965. The victims—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans—were aged between 10 and 17, at least four of whom were sexually assaulted. He also became aware of anti-Irish sentiment in British society. In 1970, following the "slum clearances", the family moved to another council house in King's Road, Stretford. Slum clearance in the UK has been used as an urban renewal strategy to transform low-income and disreputable settlements into other types of development or housing. The first mass clearances took place in northern cities. From the 1930s onwards, local councils were expected to draw up plans to clear slums, although progress stalled with the outbreak of the Second World War. Slum clearance resumed and intensified after the war, while the 1960s saw the greatest number of housing renovation projects undertaken by local authorities, particularly in Manchester, where it was reported that around 27% of housing "may" be unfit for human habitation. However, the majority were solid, well-built structures that could have been refurbished or repurposed. The houses, churches, schools and pubs that had formed close-knit communities were devastated, with families scattered to other areas. By the end of the decade, a Housing Act in 1969 provided a financial incentive for authorities and landlords to improve existing housing stock and extend the life of many old properties. By the 1980s, opinions began to change that clearance was ineffective and too costly, both fiscally and in terms of breaking up communities. In 1985, it was revealed that England and Wales had seen over 1.5 million homes declared unfit or demolished over a 30-year period, displacing over 3.6 million people. Education After his primary education at St Wilfred's Primary School, Morrissey failed his 11-plus exams and went on to St Mary's Secondary Modern (Comprehensive) School, an experience he found unpleasant. The "eleven-plus" (11+) test is a standardised examination given to some pupils in England and Northern Ireland in the final year of primary school, governing admission to secondary schools that use academic selection. The name derives from the age range for secondary school entry: 11–12. The eleven-plus test was used throughout the United Kingdom until 1976, but is now used only in counties and districts in England that provide selective schools rather than comprehensive schools, i.e. a school that accepts pupils without relying on academic achievement or specific aptitude. Morrissey excelled at athletics, although he was an unpopular loner at school. He left school in 1975, without having received any formal qualifications. He continued his education at Stretford Technical College, where he obtained three O-levels in English literature, sociology and the General Paper. The O Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification awarded as part of the General Paper. It originated in the United Kingdom and has been adopted, often with modifications, in several other countries. A "general paper" refers to an English language assessment exam, usually in a school or university context. It is a writing exam that assesses a student's ability to express themselves on a range of topics, ranging from social and political issues to more philosophical or scientific subjects. He was critical of his formal education, later stating: "The education I received was so basically bad and brutal. All I learned was to have no self-esteem and to feel ashamed without knowing why." He has also claimed to have been subjected to corporal punishment as a student, which is the subject of The Smiths' 1985 song "The Headmaster Ritual". Education is a recurring theme in his lyrics, such as "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils" from Southpaw Grammar (1995) and the bonus track "Because of My Poor Education" (2009) from Years of Refusal. The working title of his first solo album Viva Hate was Education in Reverse and it was initially released in Australia under that title, although this was later amended. Family life and influences In 1975, he travelled to the United States to visit an aunt living in Staten Island. The relationship between his parents was strained and they eventually separated in December 1976, with his father moving out of the family home. Morrissey's mother was a librarian and encouraged her son's interest in reading. He was interested in feminist literature, and was particularly fond of the Irish author Oscar Wilde, whom he came to idolise. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet and playwright. After writing in a variety of literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwrights in London in the early 1890s. Considered by most commentators to be the greatest playwright of the Victorian era, Wilde is best known for his 1891 gothic philosophical fiction, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The young Morrissey was a fan of the soap opera Coronation Street ; he submitted scripts and proposed stories to the soap's production company, Granada Television, but all were rejected. Coronation Street (colloquially known as Corrie) is a British soap opera created by Granada Television and broadcast on ITV since 9 December 1960. The soap opera is set in the fictional town of Weatherfield, Greater Manchester. The location was based on Salford, the hometown of the soap's original writer and creator, Tony Warren. Originally broadcast twice a week, Coronation Street has increased its running time in recent years, currently airing three 60-minute episodes per week. The soap opera has become a significant part of British culture. Coronation Street was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's longest-running television soap opera on its 50th anniversary. Coronation Street was originally influenced by kitchen-sink realism and is known for its portrayal of a working-class community with a mix of humour and strong, relatable characters. Kitchen sink realism is a British cultural movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art,[1] novels, films and television, whose protagonists could often be described as "angry young men" who were disillusioned with modern society. It used a style of social realism that depicted the domestic situations of working-class Britons, living in cramped rented accommodation and spending their free time drinking in dingy pubs, to explore controversial social and political issues ranging from abortion to homelessness. The gritty, realistic style contrasted sharply with the escapism of the so-called "well-made plays" of the previous generation. Morrissey was also a fan of Shelagh Delaney's kitchen sink realism A Taste of Honey, and its 1961 film adaptation; many of his later songs directly quoted A Taste of Honey. In a 1991 interview, Morrissey said of his youth: "I got lost in music from a very early age, and I stayed there... I fell in love with the voices I heard, whether they were male or female. I loved those people. I really, really loved those people. For what it was worth, I gave them my life... my youth. Beyond the perimeter of pop music, there was a drop at the end of the world." He later revealed that the first record he ever bought was Marianne Faithfull's 1965 single "Come and Stay With Me". He became a fan of glam rock in the 1970s, including English artists such as T. Rex, David Bowie and Roxy Music. He was also a fan of American glam rock artists such as Sparks, Jobriath and New York Doll. He formed a British fan club of New York, attracting members through small advertisements in the back pages of music magazines. He was also a fan of female pop singers of the 1960s, including Sandie Shaw, Twinkle and Dusty Springfield. Morrissey and his mother. Alex