Just who exactly is a Morrissey fan?
A Fan interview with Janis
Hello everyone, my name is Janis. I live in Morelia, a weird city in Mexico. I’m 19 years old, and I’m a psychology student. I’m just another teenage girl who really loves Moz and The Smiths (and red lipstick).
Why are you a loyal fan of Morrissey?
Because he has inspired me in many ways, to keep going, to write, his music has been my way of dealing with the world and my way of saying what I think. He is incredibly talented, and he deserves a lot of respect for that. He has spoken about topics that no one before has dared to do, and he does it in a very elegant way. The way he expresses joy, sadness, love, and much more, is very unique. And also, because he has inspired many of my other favourite artists like Suede, Placebo, Radiohead.
What is it that resonates between you and him?
The passion for our favourite things. I think he felt for his idols, the same as I feel for him. Eternal admiration.
How has he inspired you?
I am a girl who has always questioned everything around her, and he has inspired me to do this. He inspires me to understand my personality, my feelings, and my experiences. I am very introverted, but I am certainly also very passionate. I am a person who feels and experiences everything and does that in a very intense way. Morrissey has inspired me to get to know myself better and to try to understand everything inside of me. It has had a lot of impact on my life. Morrissey is an artist that I have really been able to identify with. He is very honest, and he is very transparent, unlike many other artists, he really preaches and feels what he expresses and promotes. That’s very inspiring. Also, I don’t have many things, and there aren’t many things I can do, but Morrissey has inspired me to write for hours and hours.
What is it about his songs that inspire you? Strengthen you? Entertain you?
His songs have definitely strengthened me in ways I can’t even explain. Morrissey has explained everything that I have not had the courage to explain. He has the correct words to explain how I do not feel comfortable with myself, with my city, with my friends, and with my family. I find happiness and peace dancing to his songs around my room with fake flowers. Being very honest, every song I have heard from him (The Smiths and his solo career), have a special place in my life. My special songs are Let Me Kiss You, Asleep, Still Ill, How soon is now, Never had no one ever, and many more.
What cause has he inspired you to pursue?
Respect for animal life. I was inspired at a young age by Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, and Davey Havok. However, Morrissey was the person who made me want to be more informed on the subject. It is not easy to be vegan in a country like mine where basically all food is made from animal products. But I definitely want to do it, and I want to be more responsible with what I consume.
Do you have a story about when you met him?
I have never met him, and it is really sad. There is nothing I want more than to go to a concert of his. I have spent hours and hours watching his concerts and imagining what it will be like to meet him. However, I am sure that I am going to be speechless. Just thinking about it gives me a lot of emotion.
Do you have a story about how you discovered him?
I was 13 years old, and I was very upset and sad about life. I started reading a book called “the perks of being a wallflower”, where they talk a lot about the song Asleep. In another book called “Eleanor and Park” there is the song How soon is now. I’m a girl who was raised with grunge and metal, so the first time I heard How soon is now, I was faced with something completely different. I had never seen anything like The Smiths, and I still can’t find another band like them. The guitar sound had me completely ecstatic and hearing the lyrics of the song made my mind collapse. I had never heard a song like that. It cost me more work to love Asleep, I loved it from the beginning, but it also made me reflect on my life and on difficult times I was living. It is a song that intrigues me a lot. It took me a while to process this new world, but from that moment, Morrissey began to be part of my life. Sometime later, I discovered Let Me Kiss You. The way Moz interpreted the song moved me a lot. Seeing him perform it live, and listening to the lyrics more up close, they made me almost cry. I was obsessed with the song. I used to write fragments of the lyrics on the tables in my classroom. I was first a fan of Morrissey and later became a fan of The Smiths, even though I already knew the band.
Have you got any tattoos that are inspired by him?
I had a temporary tattoo of his name. I am planning to get a tattoo of him for my 20th birthday.
If you would also like to submit a fan interview, you can do so at this link:
Just Who Exactly Is a Morrissey Fan?
Letters to Morrissey 