Autobiography

By: Morrissey

Narrated by: David Morrissey

Length: 12 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

"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.

©2011 Whores in Retirement (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Better than expected

What did you love best about Autobiography?

Being a voyeur.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author of course, for obvious reasons.

What about David Morrissey’s performance did you like?

Great timing and delivery.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Morrissey in the 70s was extremely interesting.

Morrissey by Morrissey read by (David) Morrissey

Where does Autobiography rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Moz is the tops and in fine literary form in his autobiography. Covers his Irish heritage and upbringing in England and his severed alliance with Smiths co-founder and guitarist Johnny Marr. Also goes into his hatred of Margaret Thatcher.

What did you like best about this story?

Morrissey's strong opinion and point of view.

Have you listened to any of David Morrissey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. Just watched him on AMC's The Walking Dead

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Any fan of The Smiths or Morrissey will love this book.

Just ok. Read if you're a fan. Skip if not

Would you try another book from Morrissey and/or David Morrissey?

Yeah. David Morrissey did a great job and I'll read anything by Morrissey.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

lacking.

Which character – as performed by David Morrissey – was your favorite?

There aren't really any characters, but then again Morrissey is a character unto himself, either way David Morrissey is does a really good job. He has a really nice voice and is able to pull off the funny little Morrisseyisms that Moz tends to say now and then.

Do you think Autobiography needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yeah because I didn't think there was enough detail in this.

Any additional comments?

Honestly, I LOVE Morrissey but this book was just ok. As a fan, I found it interesting but but lacking in detail. He just kind of breezes over topics/relationships rather quickly. However, His writing is really lovely and he comes off as charming and witty which is no surprise. I would love to read some fiction by him as I think he is a great story teller normally. I love him but I'm not going to give him 5/5 just because he's Moz which is what i feel people are doing.

beautifully written

skip the legal stuff, you'll regret it if you don't. five more words remaining. whatever.

Excellent performance by the narrator

I liked the story since he was very open about his life, but there were some things that I thought were overly dramatic. The way he repeated himself about Joyce and the judge made me want to skip ahead after awhile. It sounds like he was treated unfairly though, and I can imagine his anger about the foolish way that was handled. I enjoyed the book overall, and the highlight is the narration by David Morrissey. I could listen to him read just about anything.

Very well written

I was a major Smiths fan in my formative years, so it is great to hear Morrissey's take on events as they unfolded through the songs. Though, in true Morrissey fashion, the tone is always one of a certain downcast robot from Hitchhiker's Galaxy, I thought the writing and story telling were great!

MOZ LOVE!

A must read for all Morrissey fans. Read the book and listening to it read by David Morrissey brought it to life again for me in a completely different way. Highly recommend listening to it.

Morrissey his way

Wonderfully narrated and very funny in dry, I presume Morrisey way. Excellent listen although he may have dwelled a little too long on the court case, but it's his retribution.

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.

Long-winded gripe session

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would like to hear more about the creation of The Smith's music and the stories that inspired them to write some of their songs.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Don't know.

Have you listened to any of David Morrissey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. He is very good.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

Any additional comments?

I love The Smith's and Morrissey's music and never knew a great deal about the band. I was hoping this would be an informative peek behind the scenes, but disappointingly, it drags on and on against all those who wronged Morrissey. The book is very artistically written, especially the beginning about his childhood. We all know Morrissey to be opinionated and I can allow him his fair share of gripes, but the greater part of the book dwells in negativity. Morrissey was an instrumental player during a great period for music, however, he seems very pessimistic about all that happened to him. Rightfully so? Maybe. I would just like to hear more about the music and songs and less about his legal woes or his rants against those who eat meat.