The Smiths

Insightful and informed conversation between Chris Ott and Elliot Busch-Wheaton about Shoplifters of the World and the legacy of the Smiths and Morrissey in America.

Mark Taylor announced limited edition box set of Smiths Indeed fanzines

The legendary fanzine Smiths Indeed celebrates the 35th anniversary of issue one with a special limited edition box set of high quality reprints and a limited edition poster.

Produced by editor Mark Taylor with little more than a manual typewriter, Letraset and glue, the 12 issues of Smiths Indeed in 1986-1988 became collectors’ items and often fetch high prices online.

Mark has decided to release the special box set, which will be in a special box and shrink-wrapped with a hand-numbered postcard, to mark the 35th anniversary.

The poster will be released next week and will also be hand numbered and signed by Mark.

The box set will follow in July, with pre-orders announced shortly. Demand is expected to be high so you’ll have to be quick.

For more information about orders, email markfoodie@btinternet.com

Johnny jogs through 'Girl Afraid.'

...in the bathroom, of all places

I expect no-one in the band had anything directly to do with this, but The Smiths record label Warners have released a new promo article via their Dig website.

https://www.thisisdig.com/feature/the-smiths-artworks-all-album-and-single-covers/

From The Smiths to The Strokes: The 10 greatest albums released by Rough Trade

Far Out Magazine - By Joe Taysom

Salient part:

The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead

The Queen Is Dead set the stall for what an album should be and, ever since, few have made a guitar album that can even be mentioned in the same sentence as this iconic effort. The Smiths were on their third record and at the absolute peak of their powers.

The album is The Smiths’ finest work out of the four records they made during their time together and encapsulates everything great about them as an entity. Morrissey’s dark lyricism was juxtaposed alongside Johnny Marr’s sunny guitars that would be the perfect soundtrack to the 1980s. Every single track on the album is a bonafide classic. It simply wasn’t fair on other bands that The Smiths could cram tracks like ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’, ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’, ‘Cemetry Gates’ and ‘I Know It’s Over’ all on one album, which confirmed their voice of a...

"Shoplifters Of The World" is released today in theaters and on-demand


1987. Denver, Co. One crazy night in the life of four friends reeling from the sudden demise of iconic British band The Smiths, while the local airwaves are hijacked at gunpoint by an impassioned Smiths fan.

New reviews/media:

• Shoplifters of the World Director Stephen Kijak Celebrates The Smiths & Their Fans - cbr.com
• Shoplifters Of The World Star Helena Howard On The Smiths And Relating To The '80s - Exclusive Interview - Looper
• Joe Manganiello on Smiths film 'Shoplifters of the World' - New York...

5. ‘How Soon Is Now?’ by The Smiths​

At the peak of their powers, The Smiths were churning out indie hits at such a productive rate that when ‘William, It Was Really Nothing’ was released as a single in 1984, it was backed by both ‘How Soon Is Now’ and ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’.

In 2007 Johnny Marr told Uncut that he thought ‘How Soon is Now?’ was “possibly [the Smiths’] most enduring record. It’s most people’s favourite, I think,” he declared.

He may well be the right; the track’s post-night-out sadness has graced a million kitchens in its swooning hue of blue. Marr’s trademark tremolo is in full effect, and Morrisey’s miserable wordplay saunters over the top, swinging a wilting bouquet. Perhaps the record’s most remarkable feat is that it escapes insular oblivion behind the song and has somehow managed to worm its way...