I am a latecomer to the world of Morrissey. I was a fan of The Smiths in the eighties. But even then, I had only familiarized myself with "Meat Is Murder" and "Strangeways... ." When The Smiths broke-up, I got into other bands--mostly R.E.M., New Order, and Pearl Jam. Ask anyone that knows me, and they will tell you that I really don't like that many groups. I am very picky about what I listen to and will not listen to music just to hear something--anything. I prefer silence to noise.

Anyhow, so when I say I kind of put The Smiths on hold for a while, it simply means that I only listened to about three other artists on a regular basis, in the course of two decades. Oh yeah, I liked some singles by other groups. But not many artists could hold my attention for longer than a song or two. You see, I am no musician and I cannot sing worth a darn. But what I am is a lover of melody--especially the kind that leaves you gasping... like the hauntingly beautiful one in "Well I Wonder," for example.

Eight or so years ago I bought my first Morrissey solo album--"Vauxhall and I." I liked it. But for some reason I was just not getting it. Why? Well, what I have come to now realize is that I was not ready to love Morrissey in the eighties or nineties. Why not, you ask? Well, I had not suffered enough. That's right. Back then, I did not know what it was to be lonely, desperate, depressed--not really--not in any profound way. Yeah I had cancer at fifteen, divorced at twenty-four, and many other challenges had been thrown my way. But what I had not done, until recently, was give into these things. I had somehow remained detached from my pain--almost an observer to it. But then something magically happened. I took ownership of my life and all the feelings I had suppressed over the years. And in doing so, I realized that I was this woman who didn't have too many friends, would never marry, had been betrayed, felt unlovable... etc. I was this woman who Morrissey sang about. I was Morrissey; Morrissey was me.

So you see, I make no apologies for finding Morrissey so late in the game. I just wasn't ready to hear what this genius had to tell me back then. I am ready now though--with open arms and open ears. I will hear what he says again and again--be it "Now My Heart Is Full" or "Life Is A Pigsty."