Kewpie sends the link (via Morrissey reddit), originally posted by Danny_ in the forums (original post):

Interview: Douglas Coupland - GQ

In 2006 you interviewed Morrissey, whose song "Girlfriend In A Coma" inspired the title of your 1997 novel of the same name. What was that meeting like?
I'd actually never interviewed anyone before. With Morrissey, there was this shocking amount of money behind it—flying first class to Rome. I thought, give me some of those [sleeping pill] thingies or whatever, that make it so easy. I took one on the flight there and got to the hotel at like eight at night and took one and woke up at four in the morning and took another one and I woke up and thought, "Gee I feel alert and awake!" I had a coffee and the phone rang, and the woman on the phone says: "Morrissey's bored. He wants to know if you'll do the interview now." That's so Morrissey. So I went there and then I walked in the lounge area and everything started changing proportion—and then suddenly I was on the phone with my agent and I was like What Time Is It? I had this drug-induced, complete ... I kind of remember his hand being like, [gestures widely with arms] this big, and I kinda remember I was talking about the Creature from the Black Lagoon, I have no idea why. I don't know what happened for almost all of it— He well could have suggested we open up a seafood restaurant together, I don't know. And then I had to write around the fact. Morrissey if you read this: sorry.
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• Related item: "Papal attraction" - Douglas Coupland meets Morrissey, The Observer (Mar. 19, 2006) - Mar. 19, 2006

Kewpie also sends the link (via Morrissey reddit), originally posted by worm in the forums (original post / excerpts):

Johnny Marr & The Jarmans: The Cribs, The Smiths And The Trouble With Indie - The Quietus

Excerpt:

British musicians and actors do get that awful English-meets-LA accent
Gary K: As far as being influenced by LA, that's the death of your creativity. That's a by-product rather than the incentive

J Marr: I've resisted being there so many times, it's been on the cards and I've fought it tooth and nail. There were some ideas about The Smiths moving there in the mid-80s, I went over and I wasn't having it. I knew it would be as Gary described, I didn't think there'd be any good ideas there. I've had a couple of friends there sometimes, but I never felt I could write anything half decent there. I wrote one song there years ago, but that was it.

Morrissey lived there . . .
J Marr: [sharp] I can't speak for him, I'm just saying for myself.

...On laddism:

Gary Jarman: ... The Smiths had it, and they were so anti-laddism. You had a hardcore lad fanbase.

J Marr: Yeah we did, because we got in the charts. But it can be an opportunity. Because that only happens because the band rock like fuck. If a band play in a wet style, and very fey, those guys won't come back. With The Smiths, for all our ideas of Oscar Wilde and afternoon tea, we could do that, we knew that we really took care of business. No matter whether you're an artist, a creative intellectual, if you want to see a rock band you've got to rock like fuck, and that isn't being rockist.
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Kewpie also sends the link (via Morrissey reddit), originally posted by lainey in the forums (original post):

Johnny Marr interviews Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis - The Guardian
In 1983, Geoff Travis signed the Smiths to Rough Trade. 26 years later, guitarist Johnny interviews the label boss for the Cribs' takeover of guardian.co.uk/music

Kewpie sends the link (via Morrissey reddit), originally posted by Imbrie in the forums (original post):

Copeland tells Talking Heads, The Smiths to reform - Rhythm

Excerpt:

Police drummer Stewart Copeland has opened up in an interview with www.spinnermusic.co.uk about The Police, as well as drawing from his own experiences to advise the Talking Heads and The Smiths to ignore their sensible reasons for not getting back together and just go for it.

He told the website: "In most bands that I know, and certainly my own band, you have a real bond with your band members. Love them or hate them, there's a bond. We in the Police found and slayed a lot of dragons. We really put a lot of misconceptions about each other and ourselves to rest. We conquered the world together, same as Talking Heads. They have had a big part in each others' lives and wouldn't it be great if they all got along? It's like burying the hatchet".

He then went on to discuss The Smiths: "I don't know anything about the Smiths, but yes [they should reform]. It isn't any act of courage to not do it. What quality does it take to say no to something like that?"