February 1983
i-D Magazine
The earliest major interview of the Smiths. This one is so early, it even features first bassist Dale instead of Andy Rourke, and it refers to Morrissey as 'S'. Wonderful historical value.

June 1983
Sounds - June 4, 1983
Morrissey and Johnny are interviewed by early Smiths-supporter Dave McCullough, who fuels the "child molester" accusations. One of the earliest ever Smiths interviews...

September 1983
Melody Maker - September 3, 1983
The arrogance and enthusiasm of the young Morrissey comes shining through in this interview from a time when The Smiths were preparing to conquer the world.
New Musical Express - September 24, 1983
Morrissey and Marr discuss the "Child Molester" scandal in full.

November 1983
Sounds - November 19, 1983
In an interview dominated by Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Marr discuss the ideals of Smithdom.

January 1984
Interview CD (Ask Me, Ask Me, Ask Me)
A very young Morrissey discusses his love for Sandie Shaw, meeting Johnny Marr, and several early Smiths songs in this short interview culled from a CD.
No. 1 - January 7, 1984
As 1984 unfurls, Morrissey discusses his concept of an ideal world... and the sad state of the less-than-ideal world we live in. Great early photos!

February 1984
Zig Zag
A rather dull interview with Morrissey and Marr which focuses on their early media involvement.
Record Mirror - February 11, 1984
A short interview with Morrissey in which he makes his classic statement about the first album: "I think it's a complete signal post in the history of popular music." Indeed.
Sounds - February 25, 1984
Hugh Felder visits with Johnny Marr following a Smiths gig in an article which emphasizes just how intelligent and shrewd Johnny really was at managing the Smiths' pop machine.
The Face
Morrissey tells it like it was in this brief introductory article: "For a lot of people we're the event of the decade! We feel it would be a tragic waste not to buy our records!" Indeed, indeed!

March 1984
Melody Maker - March 3, 1984
An interesting early interview in which Morrissey discusses his problems with sex, his love of isolation, and the wonders of the first LP. This article was graciously donated by naomi.

May 1984
Hot Press - May 4, 1984
Morrissey discusses such serious topics as depression, suicide, and religion in this insightful interview by the Irish magazine Hot Press.
Record Mirror - May 5, 1984
Sandie Shaw discusses her initial impressions of Morrissey and The Smiths.
Jamming! - May 6, 1984
"Persuade me," dares the hopelessly spaced out (and uncredited) interviewer and so Morrissey does, with a heartfelt statement that goes far to explain what made The Smiths so very special.

June 1984
Rolling Stone - June 7, 1984
This is the infamous article in which the author stated "Morrissey admits that he's gay," which Morrissey later said was "news to him".
Creem
A short introduction to the brilliance of "that funny manchester group".
Musician
Another short introduction to The Smiths including a brief Morrissey interview.
Smash Hits - June 21 - July 4, 1984
Morrissey discusses his heroes Oscar Wilde, James Dean, and Billy Fury in this short but insightful interview.

July 1984
The Face
Very candid, very entertaining - one of the best of the early interviews.
Undress Supplement, NME
A humorous look at Morrissey's early Smiths fashion sensibilities.

September 1984
Record Mirror - September 8, 1984
A rare interview with all four members of The Smiths which is rather sad in retrospect because it points out just how close they all were at one time... and emphasizes just how tragic the current animosity is.

November 1984
Melody Maker - November 3, 1984
An insightful interview in which Morrissey makes some of his most outlandish statements, including the highly controversial "the sorrow of the Brighton bombing is that Thatcher escaped unscathed". Essential.

December 1984
Jamming!
Morrissey discusses the pros and cons of his newfound fame in this highly probing interview.
New Musical Express - December 22/29, 1984
Morrissey and Johnny Marr discuss the North, sexuality, and sundry other details.

January 1985
Star Hits Collection
Morrissey answers 20 questions (including the predictable "Are you gay?") and discusses the writing of "Hand In Glove" in this lighthearted teenzine excursion.
Smash Hits - January 31, 1985
Morrissey enthusiastically discusses his vegetarianism in this typically short (Smash Hits-length) interview graciously donated by naomi.

March 1985
Time Out - March 7-13, 1985
Morrissey gives Band Aid and the Royals a severe tongue lashing in this fiesty interview.
Melody Maker - March 16, 1985
Morrissey is interviewed by a panel of fanzine writers and pontificates on the Thatcher and Hindley scandals, violence, and the nature of fame (ie the usual).

April 1985
Sounds - April 20, 1985
Antonella Black was obviously out to get Moz. Highly confrontational.

May 1985
Blitz
Morrissey satisfies his journalistic aspirations by interviewing his heroine Pat Phoenix. You can really see why he admired her so...
ZigZag
Another Antonella Black interview, this one less confrontational and rather less entertaining. Moz seems a bit timid here...
The Face
Nick Kent pens one of the most revealing articles ever on The Smiths, which goes into great detail regarding Morrissey's pre-Smiths life. Many illuminating comments are also made by Johnny Marr, who reveals his criminal history among other details. This article was incredibly unpopular with the band and resulted in Nick Kent's ostracism from The Smiths' camp.
Creem
A lovely article by Dave DiMartino, which brilliantly explores the uniqueness and artistic value of The Smiths.

June 1985
New Musical Express - June 8, 1985
A long and highly entertaining Morrissey interview which contains many priceless witticisms and insights.

August 1985
Melody Maker - August 3, 1985
Johnny Marr steps out from Morrissey's considerable media shadow and gives an entertaining and somewhat enlightening interview.
Record Mirror - August 3, 1985
A brief and entertaining interview in which Morrissey discusses his newfound love for America following the Smiths' triumphant U.S. tour amongst various other nifty topics.
Star Hits
Brief but hilarious excerpts from Morrissey's turn at reviewing the drab singles presented to him by the Star Hits staff. Substitute the band you love to hate for the bands Morrissey rips to shreds and enjoy the satisfied smirk that will doubtlessly cover your face.

September 1985
Record Mirror - September 21, 1985
Morrissey discusses his favorite soap operas of the past and present. Entertaining, whether you know the characters he's referring to or not.

October 1985
The Hit - October 5, 1985
An entertaining snippet of an interview in which Morrissey discusses his athletic past, amongst other surprises.
Smash Hits - October 22, 1985
Bosom buddies Morrissey and Pete Burns are the focus of a controversial interview loaded with camp humor. Of course, Morrissey later declared that many of the quotes were fabricated by the writer, (The Boy In The Bubble), so it should probably be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. Fascinating, nonetheless.

June 1986
Star Hits
A short and witty questionairre which includes the classic "the biggest lie I ever told is still working to good effect, so..." line.
New Musical Express - June 7, 1986
In one of his classic interviews, from just prior to the release of The Queen Is Dead, Morrissey discusses Band Aid, suicide, unhappiness, the Royal Family, and his genitals.
Record Mirror - June 14, 1986
An uplifting interview with a revitalized Johnny Marr, taken at the time of the release of The Queen Is Dead. Discussion centers on the court related delay in releasing the album, being stereotyped as a "rock 'n' roller", and the Smiths' status as heartthrobs. It's sad to think that less than a year later, Marr had decided to leave the Smiths...
No. 1 - June 28, 1986
Morrissey disses royalty, discusses his pop past, reflects upon Andy Rourke's "personal problems" and gets all macabre on us. Just another day in the life of a Pop Eccentric.

September 1986
Spin
A rather snide and unflattering article by Jessica Berens, who is obviously rather skeptical of Morrissey's integrity. Still, contains a few good quotes and is rather interesting.
Melody Maker - September 27, 1986
The infamous interview in which Morrissey is accused of racism for the first of many times (the "Panic" controversy). He also speaks candidly of his troubled youth and his gay bar past.

October 1986
Rolling Stone - October 9, 1986
A short article by David Fricke, which serves to summarize the Smiths career for the benefit of those Americans reading who were missing out on all the fuss.
Graffiti
A short questionairre (six questions) from a Canadian magazine. The saddest part is when Morrissey answers the question, "Is The Smiths' future bright?" and proceeds to discuss his reluctance to change the Smiths' sound by experimenting in electronics, etc. ... and thereby illuminates one of the primary reasons why Johnny Marr would leave the band a few months later.

February 1987
Record Mirror - February 14, 1987
Morrissey discusses the infamous "makeup" photo session, "Panic", the Housemartins, and Pete Burns, among many other topics.
New Musical Express - February 14, 1987
Johnny Marr discusses the problems that surrounded the Smiths in 1986 in this informative article.

April 1987
The Face
Nick Kent follows up his controversial 1985 article with another enlightening and illuminating work. This one finds The Smiths at the beginning of the end and sheds light on Andy Rourke's heroin abuse, the band's managerial woes, and sundry other issues the band confronted at the end of 1986.

July 1987
Creem
Interviewed during the recording of Strangeways..., Morrissey discusses the idiocy of record companies, the hysterical reaction of American Smiths fans, and the evils of video.

August 1987
Q
An excellent article/interview from the last days of The Smiths.
New Musical Express - August 8, 1987
From the files of the NME newsdesk comes this brief interview with Johnny Marr, in which he explains his reasons for leaving The Smiths.

September 1987
Melody Maker - September 26, 1987
Just prior to the breakup Moz discusses celibacy, fame, England, and EMI.
Star Hits
A light-hearted and funny post-Johnny Marr split interview.

October 1987
i-D
An interesting post-split interview given by a moronic journalist. (This guy's commentary is so loaded with inaccuracies, it's absolutely laughable!) The highlight of the interview is Morrissey's confession of when he lost his virginity, after playing coy-boy in so many other interviews.

AKA Post-Mortem Musings

1988
New Musical Express - April 9, 1988
A collection of quotes from Morrissey's many NME interviews.
The Catalogue
A post-Smiths interview from the British independent record label magazine, The Catalogue, at the time of the release of Rank. Gives some insight into the early Smiths and the independent vs. major label controversy.

1989
New Musical Express - June 24, 1989
One of those rarities - a Johnny Marr interview - in which the master of melody lends some insight into the breakup of The Smiths.
Melody Maker - September 23, 1989
A very good comprehensive history of the Smiths.

1990
Guitar Player - January 1990
An interesting article which does slip into some extremely muso episodes which will delight guitar players but only midly entertain everyone else. Still, it does contain great insight into Marr's early influences, his career with The Smiths, and his immediate post-Smiths gigs with The Pretenders and The The.

1992
Record Collector - November/December 1992
An exhaustive interview by Severed Alliance author Johnny Rogan in which Johnny Marr covers many interesting aspects of the history of The Smiths. And the concluding sentence is among the saddest ever uttered.

1993
Select - April 1993
A rare interview with Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke, timed to coincide with the re-release of all the Smiths' albums. Enlightening, indeed.
Select - December 1993
A long and detailed interview with Johnny Marr which covers the history of The Smiths.

1994
Q - January 1994
An exceptional and huge article which features the people who were there at the time discussing the history of The Smiths. Extremely insightful.

1997
The Guitar Magazine - January 1997
Johnny Marr discusses his career, from a distinctly muso perspective.
Vox - June 1997
On the 10th anniversary of the Smiths' split, Vox searches through the archives of the NME to highlight the key moments of The Smiths' glorious career. A rather interesting little stroll through the archives.

2000
The Rourke/Joyce Aziz Interview - January 2000
An interesting little interview snippet in which Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce discuss the Smiths court case in depth.
Mojo - March 2000
Mojo's "Time Machine" feature looks back to March 3, 1984 - a time when The Smiths had three singles in the U.K. Indie Top 10 ("What Difference Does It Make?", "This Charming Man" and "Hand In Glove"). It includes interesting comments by John Porter and Mike Joyce about the happenings of the time.
Mojo - August 2000
A brief article about "The greatest British songwriting partnership of the '80s".

2001
Q - February 2001
A day by day analysis of the Smiths' first UK tour.
Mojo - April 2001
An excellent, comprehensive look at The Most Amazing Year In The Life Of The Smiths: 1986.
Q Special Issue - June 2001
'The World Won't Listen' is selected as one of the best album covers of all-time. Contains interesting information on Morrissey's process of designing covers and a spot-on interpretation of the 'World' cover by Johnny Marr.
Designer Magazine - September 2001
Johnny discusses singing "Meat Is Murder" at the Linda McCartney tribute, and the post-Smiths landscape this interesting interview.