MEN: Billy Duffy on Moz/Marr, cancer & Real Housewives (8 October, 2019)

The Cult rocker Billy Duffy on beating prostate cancer, introducing Johnny Marr to Morrissey... and becoming a Real Housewives star - Manchester Evening News

The Cult rocker Billy Duffy on beating prostate cancer, introducing Johnny Marr to Morrissey... and becoming a Real Housewives star

Excerpt:

"Billy, who has played guitar since the age of 14, inspired The Smiths legend Johnny Marr to start performing as a guitarist after the younger musician overheard him rehearsing with his high school band across the street from where he lived on Altrincham Road in Baguley.

In 1978 at a gig at the Manchester Apollo Billy introduced Johnny to his friend and fellow fan of the underground New York punk rock scene Stephen Morrissey, who he performed with in the short-lived punk band the Nosebleeds.

Johnny and Morrissey then went on to form The Smiths.

"I got Morrissey to sing for the first time and the first time he sang professionally was in 1978 under The Nosebleeds," Billy recalled.

"We did just two shows."



Regards,
FWD.


See also:
Johnny Marr & Billy Duffy: "How Soon Is Now?" (Roundhouse, 3 Sept., 2019)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I did read it, & found it a bit thin & weak if I'm honest.

I really enjoyed some parts of STBF, but he was clearly playing it safe and trying not to ruffle feathers. It skirted over the Smiths split and barely mentioned Morrissey - then we had 5o pages of "I joined this band and it was great, then this other band was great, all my mates are great, my life is great...". It was a whitewash of his life.
 
Didn't Morrissey deny being in The Nosebleeds lol

I think he denied being in a band and that there were recordings. The recordings was clearly false, if I’m remembering clearly, but the other depends on what you call a real band
 
I really enjoyed some parts of STBF, but he was clearly playing it safe and trying not to ruffle feathers. It skirted over the Smiths split and barely mentioned Morrissey - then we had 5o pages of "I joined this band and it was great, then this other band was great, all my mates are great, my life is great...". It was a whitewash of his life.

Yep, agreed, Johnny Safe...I felt truly, truly, disappointed.
 
Yep, agreed, Johnny Safe...I felt truly, truly, disappointed.

When you think that he's actually been far more honest with journalists over the years than he was in his own book, it's hard not to feel cheated. Autobiography has its problems as well, but its strength was that Morrissey adds so much colour to his past - describing facial expressions and recalling old conversations, even reproducing notes and letters from decades ago. His book seemed like a labour and a kind of catharsis that took years to stitch together, STBF comes across as a cash grab. And for someone who HATES being described as a session musician, Johnny's book was basically "Smiths Smiths Smiths, then I joined a load of other bands, Smiths Smiths Smiths". The Morrissey pub story was the only thing of real interest and he milked it to death in the media.
 
Last edited:
I did read it, & found it a bit thin & weak if I'm honest.
I agree. The one word that came to my mind once I finished Marr's book was 'inoffensive'. It was as if he was stepping around on eggshells careful not to harm anybody's reputation, even slightly. With that kind of filter at play, it's never going to make for a compelling read. Nobody is that much of a good guy.

Surely he met some people along the line he didn't like? Surely he has a regret here and there? Or was it just rolling happiness and increasing success every single day? Because that's how it comes across in the book. It all felt 'correct' and in line with the official 'story', but somewhat akin to a PR exercise.

Perhaps Marr should play No-More-Mr-Nice-Guy now and then and do, or at least say, something that sounds opinionated and edgy. He needs to tear a page from Morrissey's book (but figuratively not literally, as Moz's Autobiography is lacking also but in a very different way).
 
Last edited:

Trending Threads

Back
Top Bottom