Why pamper life's complexities?: Essays on The Smiths

by Sean Campbell (Editor), Martin Hargreaves (Contributor), Sean Campbell (Editor)

For five short years in the 1980s, a four-piece Manchester band released a collection of records that had undeniably profound effects on the landscape of popular music and beyond. Today, public and critical appreciation of The Smiths is at its height, yet the most important British band after The Beatles have rarely been subject to sustained academic scrutiny. Why pamper life’s complexities?: Essays on The Smiths seeks to remedy this by bringing together diverse research disciplines to place the band in a series of enlightening social, cultural and political contexts as never before.

Topics covered by the essays range from class, sexuality, Catholicism, Thatcherism, regional and national identities, to cinema, musical poetics, suicide and fandom. Lyrics, interviews, the city of Manchester, cultural iconography and the cult of Morrissey are all considered anew. The essays breach the standard confines of music history, rock biography and pop culture studies to give a sustained critical analysis of the band that is timely and illuminating.

This book will be of interest to scholars and students in the fields of sociology, literature, geography, cultural and media studies. It is also intended for a wider audience of those interested in the enduring appeal of one of the most complex and controversial bands. Accessible and original, these essays will help to contextualise the lasting cultural legacy of The Smiths.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

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Reviews

[Katey Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of essays relating to The Smiths and their place in society, politics and musical history.

Some essays were more interesting to me than others, with particular praise going to Joseph Brooker's ' Has the World Changed or Have I Changed?- The Smiths and the Challenge of Thatcherism', Cecelia Mello's 'I Don't Owe You Anything - The Smiths and kitchen-sink cinema' and particularly Karl Maton's 'Last Night We Dreamt that Somebody Loved Us - Smiths fans (and me) in the late 1980s'. This is partly due to the content relating to areas that appeal to my own personal interest, but also because I felt they were most accessible and original.

One area which could have been stronger for me was a wider use of sources - many essays referred to the same key interviews and lyrics which made this book repetitive at times when read as a collection.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

In one word, this book was fascinating. I read every article from the front cover to the back and was floored with every read. From The Smiths and queerness to belonging and kitchen-sink cinema no stone is left unturned in this collection. I learned so much, and also gathered so much insight into the band I adore more than anything. This will no doubt inspire my own research in years to come. To all the contributors to the book and the editors, thank you.

[katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating- this essay hit every mark and highlights the importance and relevance of the smiths that goes beyond their discography. even if you are not a huge fan of the smiths you can appreciate the background of their music, the impressive musical arrangements and the impact they have had on music up till this day.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

[Yuri Cunha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooray for essays on popular music! This is a book I've been waiting years to read: insights into my favourite band of all time. Some articles are better than others, of course (pun kind of intended), but most of them are worthy of a read. This should be done way more often and with many more bands. Let a second symposium on The Smiths come along! Downsides would be some information is repeated throughout the book in different articles - not enough to bother that much, but after you've read loads of books on The Smiths it kind of gets you in a "pff, I know that already" mood. It's not, thankfully, a book focused on the history of the band or either of the members. If you want that, there are plenty more options for you: Goddard, Simpson, Rogan, you name it. A must for Smiths fans who take the band seriously.