Autobiography

By: Morrissey

Narrated by: David Morrissey

“Practically every paragraph has a line or two that demands to be read aloud to the mirror, tattooed on foreheads, carved on tombstones.” –Rolling Stone

“Morrissey is a pop star of unusual writing talent.” –The New York Times

Autobiography covers Morrissey’s life from his birth until the present day.

Critic reviews

“Practically every paragraph has a line or two that demands to be read aloud to the mirror, tattooed on foreheads, carved on tombstones.”–Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone

“Morrissey is a pop star of unusual writing talent.”–The New York Times

“As I floated, unmoored, Morrissey would drop in a single masterfully executed sentence. He’s a writer with a gift that he bends to bizarre use.”–Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker

“[Morrissey] is at his very best as he conveys what it was, and is, to be a youth lifted free by the sense of possibilities glimpsed in pop music and films and TV and poetry. He also writes as though he has a clear sense that Autobiography could provide the same kind of beacon, the same kind of life raft, for its most impressionable readers as he found in others. And that’s exactly how he should write, for one of the main reasons Morrissey matters as he does is because he has always been that kind of artist.”–GQ

“Rancorous, rhapsodic, schizophrenic: Autobiography delivers a man in full” –Andrew Male, Mojo

“A wonderfully entertaining read.”–Daily Mirror

“Morrissey's Autobiography is brilliant and relentless. Genius, really.”–Douglas Coupland

“This is the best book ever. Like ever.”–Wonderland

“The Best Music Biog Ever ... In the world of rock autobiographies, Morrissey's is nigh-on perfect.”–NME

An Autobiography only Morrissey could write.

Would you consider the audio edition of Autobiography to be better than the print version?

Yes. When the reader is engaging it adds to the experience as opposed to slogging through just to digest the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The way he tells his story. And it is his story and not necessarily the story of The Smiths. While I would have enjoyed more details about the creation of his music I know that there are plenty of books that deal with just that. This is his life though and he tells it in a way that only he can. Very literate and literary.

What does David Morrissey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a wonderful job with this material. He doesn't seem to interpret what he thinks the story should be or how it should be told, but he adds an elegance that makes the material shine.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh, actually. A few times. A big smile when I'd hear a certain turn of phrase.

Any additional comments?

This is not a history of The Smiths and while some of the stories from his childhood are things that will likely lead me to Google some items it was a pleasure to listen to.

Riveting, Horrific and Inspiring

There were so many moments when I struggled to understand colloquial English from the slums of Manchester but the stories were so intriguing that I will likely listen to this book many times. I was not a fan of Morrissey or his music, but now I'm interested in finding out if I am a believer.

It left me wanting more.

As smooth as silk. A written masterpiece.

The most beautiful book I've listened to, complimented by excellence from the voice reading it to us. i am enlightened and yet crave for more.

My criticisms are minor. He is especially hard on overweight people, yet he is no hypocrite. He seeks and appreciates his idea of perfection and isn't above pointing out where even he falls short. He is briefly political, yet he doesn't dwell long on politics and we really just better understand his perspective.

After this work, I am as much a fan as I was when his music reached out to southe my soul long ago. Some call his work dark, yet it was like a candle in the darkness to my once lost soul...

We hate it when our friends become successful

I was curious to hear his side of events so I was eager check out this book having recently finished Marrs 'Set the boy Free'. I have to admit It was almost aggravating me hear him repeatedly refer to Johnny Marr in the way that he would, although not knowing either individual personally who am I to complain. I was curious about the review that said to skip the legal proceedings and I can see why one may want to do that, still I found it to be enlightning. It has definitely made me wonder how many of the hateful things attributed to Morrissey were actually misrepresentations by the press though I am pretty sure he is still no saint.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who has ever held an affinity to Morrissey.

fantastic job

I had a hard time reading this book because of Morrisseys writing style. Thankfully this audio book was very entertaining.