Morrissey: Landscapes of the Mind

by David Bret

Examining the complex nature of a multi-faceted man, a biography of Morrissey, lead singer of the British rock group the Smiths, is the story of a lonely young man who became a transatlantic rock idol Original.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

David Bret is a French-born British author of showbiz biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.

Reviews

[minnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is full of inaccuracies,rubbish writing,and bizarre references to french people, don't read it if you don't need to.

[Cobi · Rating 2 out of 5]

extremely fawning, to an almost embarrassing degree. he’s always talking about how morrissey was way stronger than people expected. if youre a morrissey head theres almost nothing you didn’t know already, but all the quotes from various interviews are worth the price of admission. i loved every second of reading this though

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very goofy book; lots of references to the development of Morrissey's pecs and embarrassing gushing. But, like me, you'll probably read it anyway.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I ever read because I actually wanted to (the other firsts were The Firm and Jurassic Park!! entertaining thrillers for sure). My first job was at Haagen-Dazs in South Coast Plaza when I was 14. On my breaks, I would go to the B. Dalton across the hall and read this book. Everything in it that was non-Morrissey was brand new to me, like all the context of 1960s-1980s England, much of the music that inspired Morrissey, like the New York Dolls, or the fact that some people weren't as enthused by the USA as my parents were. Even though it was a short read, and probably extremely limited in many ways (I'm recalling this book 18 years after the fact), I learned a ton and it partially put me on a path that I'm still on today.

[Barry Lillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new here, nothing revealing, in fact a rather bland biography of one of music industry's most enigmatic singers/artists. At least David Bret agrees that Morrissey is a lyric writing genius. Sadly it's full of track-listings and waffle and if I had to read the word 'opines' one more time, I'd quite cheerfully strangle this charming man...

[Jose.phine · Rating 5 out of 5]

:) *sigh* what can i say... morrissey is someone else i could talk about for hours he truley is an icon which brings about so much beauty into the world

[Tommy Menace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh how I love Moz in all his moping and glory! Bret's story of Morrissey's career is a labor of love, but does do justice to all the logistics of the music industry which tickled the cogs in my brain so nicely. I will say it is weird that Bret wants to mention himself at all moments possible despite this being a book about someone else.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book on Morrissey because it teaches you so much about his place in the world of music and his persona, but the "true" Steven Morrissey still remains a mystery.
Before reading this, I didn't know much about the history of Morrissey or the Smiths, and this was a really well-written and well-researched bio- great for those of us who were born after the Smiths' explosion. Bret explores the legends and the rumors and tries to get to the bottom of most of them- but a few (such as the truth behind how Morrissey and Johnny Marr met for the first time) still remain a mystery at the end.
It's also a great exploration into the meaning behind Morrissey's lyrics and music videos. I loved reading Bret's detailed explanations for each aspect of the few music videos Morrissey produced and the reason behind each prop. You learn why Morrissey chose each person who contributed vocals to his songs as guests, and why he chose to cover the songs he did. Bret also has a great insight into Morrissey's lyrics and shows why Morrissey was relatable to so many young men and women, and why he is still relevant today.

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

saw Morrissey in mexico city a few months back and he was great. the book is interesting but i think the author wants to get it on with moz as he constantly refers to him as an ethereal beauty which he clearly is not. too much brown nosing i think.

[X · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of soporific.. It has an extremely interesting subject, but the prose doesn't grip you with bizarre details or engrossing facts.

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read--But nothing too passionate is revealed.