The Smiths make pretty traditional music — dance music with a heavy bass line and an emphasis on piercing vocals. Their influences are all personally different, but the end sound comes through as the Smiths every time. Their direction is to stick as a four piece and not to become another faceless image.

Id But why return to a basic sound?
J (Johnny Marr) "Everyone is trying so hard to be innovative and original and I think that went as far as it could with Brian Eno and David Byrne. But they knew how to do it. Music today is back to the mid '70's; people need to start thinking again and now's the time for a band like us to get things together."
D (Dale - the original bassist) "We're the only people doing this; we're not part of a drifting trend. We haven't gone for an original sound, it's just turned out that way. We've a lot of different influences but also a lot in common. We're certainly not a Manchester band."

Id How difficult has that been for you in Manchester?
J "It's no more difficult for us to do it in Manchester than London. In fact I think here is just the right place to do it. You don't become part of a passing mood."
D "Yeah, if you've got a good idea, NOW's the time to get it together and put it forward. Things are so bland and there are so many big gaps."
J "It's like fashion. All these stray 'perrys' are night-clubbing now, which puts others off going out. It's not necessary to move to London, but what bothers me is that whole 'Joy Division' thing. It's very patronizing being a Manchester band. The music up here is pretty trashy. It's got direction but it's the wrong one. Bands need to be more positive and stop limiting themselves."

Id Any views on modern technology available to bands?
D "I think that's all gone too far. Like guys can just speak through a computer and out comes the perfect pitch. That's why music is in a state."
J "I don't think it effects the music scene that much. I mean if people want to become a technical band it's up to them. It's all down to whatever you want to do, and those things will never replace the real thing. You don't get any depth or real sounds."

Id Why the Smiths?
S (Steven Morrissey) "The name doesn't mean anything, it simply serves its purpose. I think it's very important not to be defined in any one category. Once you're defined you're limited and musically that petrifies me."

Id How important are clothes to you?
S "The don't have the relevance they once had, like in the '60's you could look at someone and assess their personality. That's not the case anymore. Clothes are no longer the window of the soul."
J "People take clothes too seriously. If we said 'right, we're going to have that image' there are bound to be people who don't like it. We're just gonna be honest about it and then if people don't like us it's because we're the Smiths and not because of what we wear. We're not opinionated; groups narrow their audience by using guidelines like image."

Id OK, so is style important?
S "Style has nothing to do with clothes. You can't become stylish; either you are or you aren't. But you can become fashionable. You can go out and buy the stuff. But again, if you wear it badly it means nothing."
J "Style is more of an attitude and awareness is important. You've got to think big."

Id What are your strongest feelings?
J "Music and fashion has become really bland. It doesn't mean anything anymore. Youth has no movement; everyone is just jumping on each other's bandwagon. I'd like to see that change."

Id What does the word soul mean to you?
D "It's the centre, it's a feeling. The soul is where everything comes from."
J "It's emotional meets radical and the ability to make decisions emotionally."
S "Something that people are particularly afraid to expose. I don't know why; maybe they're afraid of intimacy — it's so private."

Id How important is music in society?
S "It's probably the most major influence on life. Every person has a favourite record or tune. It's the easiest way to effect and change people's lives. It's certainly more important than politics."
J "And it effects those people not directly involved, like housewives. They may see a punk in Sainsburys and take no notice, whereas 5 years ago they'd have freaked out. Music dictates everything socially, and bands influence people in that society by what they say."

Id Are you ever tempted by that power?
S "We're obviously tempted, because it's so powerful, like films used to be. It effects people's lives so much and it's so tempting to change people's lives. That's true power because people's lives are so isolated in this modern age. I think the best power you could have is to get people to think about themselves with a reflective influence because people are so complacent about everything."
D "Yeah, it's all too easy to slag off bands like The Exploited but at least they're out there doing what they want to do and not watching TV."
J "I feel sorry for the punters who fall for that stuff. Like most people wearing 'Exploited' on their jacket don't even know what the word means."