Simon Goddard's Mozipedia takes obsession too far. It's everything you ever wanted to know about Morrissey... and quite a bit you probably never wanted to know, unless you're a stalker. This massive 500 page breeze-block of a book traces the sources of every lyric, every drummer, every acquaintance... yet throughout all this, the author can't decide whether he wants to stick to just the facts or offer a critical assessment, indulge in hearsay and gossip or tow the official Morrissey line.
Often fascinating, the track by track entries are vital, but many of the others blur the line between curiosity and trainspottery. Want to know more about every actor, poet, playwright, musician, philospher and street-sweeper Morrissey has ever expressed even a passing interest in? Then this is the book for you. But even if you're only reading a couple of entries a night (as I did), you may find such scrupulous attention to detail combined with dogmatic hero worship gets a little tiring after a while.
Goddard's Morrissey fixation also blinds him to the merits of other artists (unless they're artists Moz adores - the entry on Moz's precious New York Dolls falls over itself to keep the great man happy), and he's often two-faced in his critical appraisal. For example, in an entry on Lloyd Cole, Goddard writes...
"When it came to cultural references, Cole was notoriously heavy handed, peppering his lyrics with the names of Simone de Beavoir, Grace Kelly and Norman Mailer. Although Morrissey has borrowed from literary and cinematic sources, never has he sung anything as crudely referential as "she looks like Eve Marie Saint in On The Waterfront".
Later though, in the entry on Pier Paolo Pasolini...
"Italian neo-realist film director referenced in You Have Killed Me along with his debut feature film ACCATONE."
So it's OK for Moz to namedrop obscure Italian filmmakers in his lyrics, but not for Lloyd Cole to romanticise a woman by comparing her to one of Hitchcock's favourite actresses? Now I'm a big fan of both Morrissey and Cole, so I like to think I'm unbiased... but really, which is the better song, the better lyric? Rattlesnakes or You Have Killed Me? Come on, Simon - take off the blinkers for just a second, man!
Most amusing of all is the entry on infamous Smith biographer Johnny Rogan -Goddard seething with jealousy that Rogan's Severed Alliance found its way onto Morrissey's radar while his own Songs That Saved Your Life merited less than a blip. One wonders what Morrissey would make of Goddard's latest love letter? I can't help but think that, like me, he'd find it a little excessive... though hardly worth the effort to complain about.
All that said, I consider myself fortunate to have read the Mozipedia. Firstly because many of the entries provided information I hadn't read before (and I've read a fair few Morrissey books in my time). There's certainly no faulting Goddard's research. Secondly, I didn't have to pay for it. It was a gift from the world's most generous blogger. He knows who he is. Many thanks, JC.
