I fell in love with Morrissey when, by happenstance, I saw The Smiths live in 1985. I wasn’t a sad or lonely teenager, but I was very emotional and deeply enamored of literature, film, art, music, and animals – things only my friends and I seemed to care about. So a singer writing and speaking so poetically about these things touched me deeply. Seeing Morrissey’s passion while onstage that night sealed my fate as an fan.
Flash forward 36 years – I love him as much if not more than ever. Over the decades I’ve bought the records, read everything I could about him, watched him on telly, and gone to upwards of 60 shows. While growing up and growing older along with him, he has been a sort of spiritual guide to me, in the way his heroes have been to him.
When in more recent years I went through a terrible crisis, his music buoyed me and helped me feel less sorrowful and alone. I finally understood what people meant when they talked about “the songs that saved your life”. During this time, that phrase became more than just a lyric to me. When I eventually recovered, I got a tattoo of my favorite Morrissey song – one he wrote to commemorate an exhilarating turning point in his life. For me, this was the perfect way to move away from those awful times.
While OG fans are no strangers to Morrissey controversies, the past few years have been very troubling. I am really and truly disappointed – but not in him. I am troubled and disappointed by the society we live in these days. How did we get to a place where an artist can be vilified, slandered, and treated like some dangerous criminal – simply for saying things? People either don’t agree with or don’t understand some things he’s said. So what? When did being misunderstood become a hanging offense? He has literally done nothing wrong. Meanwhile, many artists and other public figures who have actually done truly scandalous things get a free pass, and some are even celebrated.
Rather than my admiration for Morrissey dwindling of late, it has only grown as I see him endure endless, undeserved onslaughts but still remain true to himself, unapologetic, courageous, and kind. Plus, the fact that he continues to grow and branch out as an artist makes being a Morrissey fan as exciting and rewarding as ever.
Morrissey being a part of my life since I was a teen has made my life much richer in many ways – musically, philosophically, personally, ethically, artistically, and emotionally. I always have been and always will be proud to be a Morrissey fan.
– Kristin Collins
Letters to Morrissey 