Sheppard, David (2022). "We Changed People's Lives". MOJO the Collectors' Series: The Smiths – Hand in Glove 1982-1987: 105.

In May 1982, Johnny Marr and his friend Steve Pomfret went to the home of Steven Morrissey in Stretford to invite him to form a band. [7] Marr and Morrissey had met at a Patti Smith gig at Manchester's Apollo Theatre on 31 August 1978, when Marr was 14 and Morrissey was 19. [7] They bonded through their love of poetry and literature. [8] A fan of the New York Dolls, Marr had been impressed that Morrissey had written a book on the band and was inspired to turn up on his doorstep following the example of Jerry Leiber, who had formed his working partnership with Mike Stoller after turning up at Stoller's door. [9] According to Morrissey: "We got on absolutely famously. We were very similar in drive." [10] The two found that they were fans of many of the same bands. [11] When Marr looked through Morrissey's singles collection, he found the Monochrome Set, a band they both admired. [12] Marr later said that without them the Smiths would not have existed. [13] The next day, Morrissey phoned Marr to confirm that he would be interested in forming a band with him. [14] a b "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com . Retrieved 21 July 2020. Of the Derek Jarman videos, Panic was definitely the best,” Morrissey later said. “We never actually met Jarman – he did them privately while we were in America, which was absolutely the only way we’d agree to do it.”This much-loved compilation album features a photo snipped out of the July 1983 issue of the French culture magazine Liberation. Included in a feature on the French author Jean Cocteau was this photo of a fan called Fabrice Collette who bears a tattoo based on one of Cocteau's drawings. The Smiths had a longstanding devotion to vegetarianism and animal rights causes, imploring their fans to become vegetarian in the song Meat Is Murder. Morrissey, a vegetarian since the age of 11, prohibited the band from eating meat and later walked offstage during a set at Coachella as he could smell meat cooking. Peak Morrissey:“I once had a dream, and it never came true/ And time is against me now/ Time is against me now” 43. “Sweet and Tender Hooligan” I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish” finds Morrissey feeling trapped and thinking about Oscar Wilde once more. It is one of the most underrated songs by The Smiths. Peak Morrissey:“I stole and I lied, and why?/ Because you asked me to/ But now you make me feel so ashamed/ Because I’ve only got two hands/ Well, I’m still fond of you” 11. “William, It Was Really Nothing”

While the album was sonically a progression from the previous one, the songwriting wasn’t as strong. However, the LP did contain its share of gems, including The Headmaster Ritual, Well I Wonder and That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore.Peak Morrissey:“Tried living in the real world/ Instead of a shell/ But before I began/ I was bored before I even began” 16. “Ask”