Do the Smiths like their record company?

I think we're mismanaged in many ways. We haven't had much record company assistance. We're not really in the traditional mold, and I think they find us slghtly problematical. Everything we've achieved we've done by ourselves.

Do the Smiths like touring?

Last year it was absurd, really hysterical. The most insane place was Detroit. Instantly there was a stage invasion and we had to stop the show because people just piled onto the stage. The first night in L.A. they brought in the police, the second night they had to bring in the army. People were so responsive -- I had to be dragged off the stage several times. It was really insane.

Are the Smiths political?

I am very politically minded, but I find that if you're going to convey an idea you have to restrain yourself. If you do it in a violent, hysterical way people won't listen. If you do it in an almost medicinal way, which I try to, people are more open.
In England there is a curious climate. Nobody stands alone. They all clump together and suddenly realize that nobody is making any strong statements. It's just the mere fact of them all being together that seems to be the statement, which is pointless. The real reason for being there gets buried somewhere.

Do the Smiths like videos?

I've never seen a promotional film [Morrissey thinks video is a "misplaced word"] that I liked. No, there was one, by Derek Jarman for "Panic." I didn't see the ones for "The Thorn In His Side" and "How Soon Is Now?" until they were on television and I thought they were just dreadful. I love records, I love 45s, I love pop music and I am very interested in film, but I'm not interested in combining the two, certainly not in a tacky way. I don't care for promotional films. They don't have much to do with the records themselves -- they're really put together to appeal to the type of people who wouldn't dream of buying your record anyway. I don't want to hand it to those people. It's not the world I live in. It's like the daily newspaper mentality -- who wants to pander to that? If it were up to me no one would ever have seen any Smiths videos. The records are there to speak for themselves, and they should do that.

Are the Smiths literate?

I've read everything. I've read everything twice. There is one writer I don't think you over here have heard of -- Shelagh Delaney, who came from Manchester in the late '50s. The most famous thing she wrote -- at the age of 19 -- was A Taste Of Honey. It was made into a hugely successful motion picture. She has inspired me more than anybody. I also have a vast collection of Oscar Wilde. I find him endlessly fascinating. I found a first edition here, it cost me $35.

Is The Smiths' future bright?

I think the Smiths will last. Maybe people will tire of our sound. It seems likely but I'm not prepared to do anything outrageous at this stage. Musically I don't think it would be wise. I like the way we are and the way we do things. It's a matter of more people coming around to the Smiths rather than the Smiths changing. When groups become successful, they always feel obligated to go off on various tangents. They go through their heavy electronic period, their religious period, and so on. That's boring. People should just have faith in themselves being themselves.

The above article was originally published in the October, 1986 issue of the Canadian magazine Graffiti.
Reprinted without permission for non-profit use only.