Morrissey's Autobiography / Penguin Books (UK) deal [updated] - true-to-you.net

UPDATE Sep. 13, 3:05PM PT:

link posted by jbabz:

Clarification - true-to-you.net
13 September 2013

The publication of Morrissey's Autobiography remains with Penguin Books.

This is a deal for the UK and Europe, but Morrissey has no contract with a publisher for the U.S. or any other territory.

As of 13 September, Morrissey and Penguin (UK) remain determined to publish within the next few weeks.

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Statement - true-to-you.net
12 September 2013

Although Morrissey's Autobiography was set to be available throughout the UK on September 16th, a last-minute content disagreement between Penguin Books and Morrissey has caused the venture to collapse. No review copies were printed, and Morrissey is now in search of a new publisher.

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UPDATE - media coverage:

The Story of Morrissey's Autobiography Keeps Getting Weirder by ALEXANDER ABAD-SANTOS - The Atlantic Wire

Excerpt:

But two spokespeople in Penguin's New York headquarters said they had no knowledge of any plans for publication.

A spokeswoman for Penguin's U.K. arm was a little more revealing when reached via email about Morrissey's latest signal to fans about the book.

"How nice that he seemed to say yes," said the spokeswoman, Rosie Glaisher. "Here's hoping."

But she added: "Nothing on the schedule at this time."

And then there's this comment to The Guardian this morning:

Penguin has refused to confirm or deny that the book was due to be published, or even the existence of the reported deal with the singer.

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Morrissey autobiography deal has collapsed, says semi-official fan site by Liz Bury - The Guardian

Morrissey pulls his autobiography days before release - BBC.co.uk

Excerpt:

A Penguin Books spokeswoman said there would be no comment on the issue.

Link/excerpt posted by HangtheDJ16:

Is Morrissey’s autobiography a book that will never come out? by Nick Clark - The Independent
Singer announces 11th-hour split from publishers – despite no evidence the book was anywhere near finished

Excerpt:

Lee Brackstone, creative director of Faber, said it was the “first I’d heard” about next week’s supposed publication. “I can’t see how they could turn the book around that quickly and nobody seems to know anything about it. It seems like mischief to me.”

Mr Brackstone had written an open letter to Morrissey in 2010 to woo him to the publisher, though “only half seriously” and continued in a similar tone yesterday. “I’ve grown out of it. All I can say is: that joke isn’t funny any more.”

He added: “It will be a wonderful book and I love him – he’s a hero to so many people and remains a vital influence in this moribund culture he constantly challenges. But working with him? I’m not sure I’ve the strength and fortitude much as I’d love to.”

One industry insider said: “There is simply no evidence of this book in existence. It would be on the radar of bookshops, certainly wholesalers. How else would it get sold? Out of the boot of his car?”

Morrissey’s autobiography was not listed as due for publication on the Nielsen Index, nor was it given an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) code which it would have been had it been coming out next week, according to the industry insider.

 

[Girlmostlikely]

I've run out of ideas now...

P.

Love this one!!

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

I was thinking "All Those Lies" would have been a good title too, as it appears in both a Smiths song and a Moz solo song, viz. The Queen Is Dead ("All those lies about make up and long hair...") and Speedway ("All those lies, written lies..."). Maybe I could do one more.

P.

yeah, I'd like that too I am guessing such would be, these days, a little to on the nose for our man
also, I think its lame it would only cover up to the end of "The Smiths"
don't get me wrong, I'll still read it, but I'd consider that just part 1

 

[Girlmostlikely]

This article from last year has some great title ideas

http://www.lowtimespodcast.com/hashtag-morrissey-autobiography/

 

[Girlmostlikely]

yeah, I'd like that too I am guessing such would be, these days, a little to on the nose for our man
also, I think its lame it would only cover up to the end of "The Smiths"
don't get me wrong, I'll still read it, but I'd consider that just part 1

I've seen quite a few people posting that the book may only cover up to the break up of The Smiths; I too hope this is not the case! But, where did this info come from? Is it purely a rumor, or did I miss something? A couple of the articles about the book from the other day did say it would cover/focus on Morrissey relationship with Johnny Marr. I just don't see that as being enough reason to think that's where he'll stop. I don't know. And I only heard the trilogy theory here, from Brummie Boy.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

I've seen quite a few people posting that the book may only cover up to the break up of The Smiths; I too hope this is not the case! But, where did this info come from? Is it purely a rumor, or did I miss something? A couple of the articles about the book from the other day did say it would cover/focus on Morrissey relationship with Johnny Marr. I just don't see that as being enough reason to think that's where he'll stop. I don't know. And I only heard the trilogy theory here, from Brummie Boy.

yeah, I am just passing on rumor but now in the hope that there will soon be a "true to you"
telling me how wrong I am and that its gonna cover up to say at least 04?

 

[shayde]

As another person with first-hand knowledge of the UK publishing industry, I have to say you're partly right and partly wrong. Also, why is the automatic assumption that Morrissey has "pulled" the book? It could be that the publisher is unhappy with content, either because wished for content is absent or unwanted content is present, and Morrissey is unwilling to compromise (I'm sure we can all guess his response if, say, a record company boss asked him to alter some lyrics before an album was released).

hi, yes you're also correct. my novel is coming out through a smaller publisher and i'm not famous (yet!) so i'm sure there is some different in the process between being an unknown author and being morrissey. though my main point is there is a process and a book doesn't suddenly not happen a few days from publication. it would falter while still in the contractual stage, other than very extreme situations. like people have theorized i wouldn't be surprised if it is due to legal concerns from the publisher - with the author making potentially libelous claims without proof. morrissey's personality seems to suggest this would be on the cards. libel laws are there to protect him from journalists making unsubstantiated claims of say, racism against him, but also to protect other people and make sure he doesn't get to carried away and 'remember' things that may not have happened.

the danger is his book is more a work of fiction....

 

[yesterday]

I found the extract on the ghost on saddleworth moor a bit of a slog to get through I hope there are more luminescent parts 600 pages... I wonder if Rogan will read it. It would be interesting to hear his critique.

 

[Girl-Afraid]

I am so excited/disappointed with this news.

Come on Mozzer, I need this reading material! I'm ready to lock myself in my room for a week.

 

[Anonymous]

Whatever is going on here, it is Morrissey that's being weird, not the publisher. If the book was due out today then, by last Thursday when M made his announcement, it would have been stacked on pallets waiting to be delivered. There's no way Penguin would have done anything to jeopardise it at that stage. It's just Morrissey trying to hold them to ransom and, judging by Friday's follow-up message, discovering that he can't because they own the book now.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

Well, it's September the 16th, and no sign of a Morrissey autobiography for pre-order on either Amazon or the Penguin website.

What exactly was that TTY bullshit really about, I wonder?

 

[Anonymous]

If the book was due out today then, by last Thursday when M made his announcement, it would have been stacked on pallets waiting to be delivered.

Alternatively, the book may have originally been due out today but postponed some time ago.

 

[BrummieBoy]

I still think the book would sell boatloads if he went with I AM VAGITARIAN but I'm just the resident crazy person so what do I know?

I'm afraid "I Am Vulgarian" would be a much more appropriate title for your thread/autobiography. Sorry 'bout dat! Bye now, CG. Bye, for ever!..

regards and adieu
BB

 

[BrummieBoy]

Final message from "BrummieBoy" aka: LOKI....4tehlulz...

Ok, fun thread, but as with all things Morrissey: we tire of this charade! This blast starts with all sorts of nonsense rumour/facts hidden in plain sight stuff, then wigs out into the mother of all bizarre taunts, hints, seven veils stuff at the end. You have been warned: this comment may trigger bowel movements, migraine, flashbacks and LOLz! May contain irony and was produced in a Jargon Factory where peanuts are present. I've been told by a mix of reliable/ completely unreliable/total troll sources:

The book exists. It's a trilogy. It's been read, legally cleared, and the deal is in place, despite endless quibbles over minutae of printing and presentation. And there's an almighty row over marketing spend, billboards, etc, which wasn't properly covered in negotiations, so not just pique from Moz but Penguin messed up too [not surprised by endless rows, ask any record executive who's attempted to 'manage' Morrissey]

The 'publication' date is for the xmas rush. [eminently sensible/bankable strategy, why sell it now?]

Sept 16th was the announcement/pre-oder date with Morrissey signing blank copies for publicity hysteria purposes in select locations in the UK. This was yet another attempt to hang onto Bowie's career coat-tails by providing a knock-out punch like 'The Next Day', for the first fight of his Third Act: The Smiths. Morrissey [solo], and the very surprising developments that lie ahead if/when his health returns to full blossom....

The only 'retirement' that will ever happen is medical or because of Death. Artists do NOT retire, but caveat that the future might be rubbish cuz Moz is both artist and fame addict, etc. [sounds promising, even if only a bit of it is true, the Bowie cloning sounds spot on]

Morrissey isn't interested in the US anymore, or anywhere else, he's returned to base-camp and to his senses, to drink from the wellsprings of these Isles Of Wonders to re-invigorate, re-inspire his Art. [doubt it, but you never know]

Virtually no-one other than Morrissey and a few select legal folk know anything about this. Except "BrummieBoy". Lots of people work in Penguin HQ. They are drones, not queen bees like me/him/her/them. Srsly!There is absolute fury that Moz crashed this car again by poker face gamesmanship. Just ask JK Rowling how frustrating it is to mastermind a genius book launch plan/campaign only for it to crash'n'burn because "someone with a big nose, who knows" made a hames of it. That would be Morrissey.

To confirm/clarify/obfuscate/deny:

David Bowie did NOT ruin this innovative 'empty pages' signing materstroke whistle-stop tour around the Isles of Wonder. Morrissey did that by jumping the gun, unable to stand the stress of strip-poker. After all these years. Who knew?

"BrummieBoy" did NOT ruin this, nor did any of the coterie in his/her radical art-terrorist collective. We knew about Birmingham Library and the signed copy to be presented to Malala Yousafzai to:

a) ensure everyone is clear Morrissey may ineptly troll the immigration debate but he is absolutely not a racist.

b] to give Malala something of great value that she can use in the years ahead , auctioning it to fund her charity.

Madonna did NOT ruin this, even though she knew, through "BrummieBoy", all about Malala.

Morrissey did NOT suggest this masterstroke, "BrummieBoy" did.

No one in the 'innermost sanctum' of Penguin did this. Morrissey did this. As to what is now redeemable? Who knows? Oh, and for the record, the military operation to keep the draft manuscripts secure was an #epicSecurityBreachFAIL!. However, none of the Men In Grey Suits who both facilitated Morrissey's rise and have an option on his demise, did anything to compromise the work, merely pointing out what content would be legal or aesthetic suicide. "BrummieBoy" is their Eminence Grise. He/she green-lighted Morrissey in 82 and can bring his career to an abrupt end at any stage. It's worth noting the following:

If Morrissey or any of his flunkies ever again harass or disturb the quiet enjoyment of any 'fan' or Audience patron along the lines of the discraceful scenes in Bradford and Copehagen, then the consequences may be such as to reduce the entire life-work of [Stephen Patrick] Morrissey to rubble. You have not erased your past, and this autobiography is merely another humourous attempt to do so. You were gifted certain memes and cobbled together a usable persona which you've had a passable 30 year civil service careers worth out of. "We hate it when our friends become successful, and if they're Northern, that makes it worse..." ahem!

"BrummieBoy" sez:"We could care less about your ridiculous conceit of Fame, and we laughed to a coma at the staged paparrnazis in TYWTML! Dream on, your faux-fame never extended beyond a silly cult you cultivated, you are infamous for being a crashing bore, no more."
"The Youngest Was The Most Loved" [2006]

"This slow-motion black and white video directed by AV Club features Morrissey in the role of a criminal in handcuffs being taken to a car by Italian policemen played by Morrissey's musicians. Meanwhile, paparazzi surround the car, desperate to get a shot of the star criminal. "

http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/discogvl-moz.htm

We note with wry amusement the apparent Downfall Of Gaga as the court transcripts of her patheticness emerge:

http://www.entertainmentwise.com/ne...Disgusting-Human-Being-In-Response-To-Lawsuit

^THIS!

Well, Stephanie Germanotti! If proven to be true, that certainly goes WAAAY beyond "devious, truculent and unreliable", doesn't it? Allegedly. If it's credibly established, then it's bye Gaga! Career over. "Fame" is also over. Except eejits like Morrissey cannot see it, and couldn't see it when it was pointed out to them in 197*. The snub and diss from the stage of those within the Moseley Shoal at the early shows in Brum and on Cannock Chase wasn't the imperious gesture of Pop's new Caesar as the Diva hoped, it was a ridiculous and fatal error of judgement .

" he treats good human beings who help him - this isn't me, I've never helped him, I'm fond of him because I'm fond of his talent and his creativity - he treats excellent good human beings who try to help him like pieces of dog dirt. He tramples on them. It's not his fault, he's just a terribly unpleasant human being, in terms of pure human values, he is not a nice person."

Why do you think he's like that?

"I've no idea. Some people are nasty people. One of the things was, from the beginning, very cleverly, when he was doing his second gig, he behaved like he was Little Richard, like a major pop star. With that arrogance, with that treatment of other people. That was his thing and it worked. But he's a miserable, he's not a nice human being."

http://www.howdoesitfeel.co.uk/tonywilson.html

Was Tony Wilson speaking the truth? A mosaic of supplementary materials has emerged. Drum'n'BassGate, Brighton. Oslo. an African orphan, etc. The winds of Karma rose and delivered Metal Peru-Loo in response. Want more? We each create our own reality. Does anyone seriously imagine Morrissey will be remembered in a century as Oscar is today? That is absolutely delusional. But there might be *someone* out there who will be, someone to eclipse Salinger, to eclipse everyone, to ignite the black hole, dark star apocalypse and devour the very concept of 'Fame' within the crushing maw of their posthunmous event horizon. These are serious times, they requires a serious response. Not "Kid's A Looker"...*sigh* *LOL!*

NB: There is no such person as "BrummieBoy". It's certainly not the devout Pious X Catholic married man that was set up and framed as "BrummieBoy". He sees all that has happened as just another cross to bear, and he will never ever betray anyone, including Morrissey, no matter how often he is put on the rack by self-appointed, soi-disant 'art terrorists' like trickster-god LOKI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki

Loki is also the Warrior Lord Fisher-King of the BCFC Zulu Piky Peaky Blinders..Everyone, especially Morrissey should think very carefully before ever trying to unmask him/her/it/them. Expect No Quarter should anyone, anywhere be so foolish as to take this to the streets, to the fight-club, or to the Court of Queen Elizardbeast 11.

With every good wish. Yours in jubilo! and in flagrante delicto!

L O K I

[and with that, the transmission to "Morrissey-Solo. com endeth forever.Srsly! 4 evva! Never coming back, not even to monitor, nor The Secretary. Shazza, pull the plug on this one, it's back to the Peaky Blinders and Sabbath. #ManchesterEpicFAIL!]

Goodbye everyone. enjoy yourselves: it's later than we think..BB.

[and with that, the transmission to "Morrissey-Solo. com endeth forever.Srsly! 4 evva! Never coming back, not even to monitor, nor The Secretary. Shazza, pull the plug on this one, it's back to the Peaky Blinders and Sabbath. #ManchesterEpicFAIL!]
=
"
the transmission from B10 9EY in 1920 to the 'fan' 'artist' and 'audience' community gathered at "Morrissey-Solo.com" ended @ 14:10 GMT on Monday 16th September 2013. Few at that time realised what had happened...future generations would scavenge in the archives trying to trace the trail and to rescue the bones of a saint: St Andrew of the small heath and the sparkling brook..aka: LOKI. Allegedly!

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

Peaky Blinders is utter shite.

 

[yesterday]

A penguin classic I was looking forward to was on pre-order for 200 days and then they increased this by about another 100. You can't tell publishing is not an exact science there are many factors at play, why can't people understand that it maybe a while some books are rushed out to meet a deadline others are delayed for one reason or another. The conspiracy theories here are getting tired. There is a distinct possibility that there was either some confusion in the Morrissey/Penguin camp or the first statement was a P.R. stunt to gauge media interest in the book.

 

[Irish blood Irish heart]

Wow brummieboy you've really outdone yourself with your last (ever) post, some of it is quite interesting, most of it is downright bizarre, you've either got too much time on your hands or have mental health/narcotics issues. I don't think you are completely and utterly insane though, that honour solely belongs to bennie the butcher. If this was a movie it would take the brilliant mind of dr Hannibal lector to analyse benny, but then if this was a movie benny would be dr Hannibal lector, benny the butcher or benny the cannibal? I'm not sure which but I certainly wouldn't eat any meat from his "shop"

 

[Peterb]

Peaky Blinders is utter shite.

Why did you hate is so Johnny?
I wasn't paying too much attention when I had it on but it looked well acted at least.

 

[Johnny Barleycorn]

Why did you hate is so Johnny?
I wasn't paying too much attention when I had it on but it looked well acted at least.

I just felt it was another BBC show jumping on the Boardwalk Empire bandwagon. Ripper Street was last years effort. Looks good, competently realised on all sides, but no spark. They sort of meander without giving the notion of real story progression. Sad to say, but US drama is head and shoulders above ours here these days. It wasn't always the case. Sam Neill is good, of course, but when isn't he?

Also, Cillian Murphy gives me the absolute creeps. I think it's the stretched skin face. Weird looking bugger. The stuff of nightmares, and actually looked less freakish with the hessian sack on in Batman.

 

[satchmo76]

Surely the title would be "I was right and you were wrong."

But how would he pad out the 600 pages of self-justificatory bullshit?

 

[chrisarclark]

brutal that the cover has to include that terrible Penguin caption- such a great cover shot marred (that picture is the best thing about the last "Best of").