Letters written by a young Morrissey before he formed The Smiths are to go to auction in London, where they are expected to sell for £22,000 (€25,814).
The letters were written by Morrissey between the ages of 14 and 20 to a Birmingham pen friend, Simon Pitt, who would go on to become the city’s poet laureate.
They include one in which Morrissey says: “My ambition is to be a rock ‘n’ roll star or an actor, or a writer.”
Another letter, dated a number of weeks later, adds: “I always said I was a genius, but nobody listened.”
The letters, written between 1974 and 1979, are being offered as separate lots and are expected to fetch a combined £22,000 (€25,814) estimate when they go on sale in Before The Smiths: The Morrissey Letters, which will be held at Dawsons Auctioneers in London.
The period documented in the letters was featured in the 2017 biopic England Is Mine, which follows the young singer, whose full name is Steven Morrissey, as he struggles to find his place before forming The Smiths with guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982.
Listen: Louder Than Bombs: The Smiths in Ireland, Nov 84, broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1’s Doc on One in August 2023
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Morrissey also speaks about seeing The Sex Pistols at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1976, which he says changed his opinion on the band.
In the letter, he says: “As for the Pistols… they were pathetic. I take back all that I’ve said about the Pistols… They are just plain bad. Period.”
He talks about meeting Patti Smith, along with Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan of The New York Dolls. Morrissey was president of the band’s UK fan club.
Morrissey also speaks of visiting New York punk club CBGB, attempting to join The Clash while there, and becoming the vocalist with Manchester punk band The Nosebleeds, his first experience fronting a band.
In the letters, he says of his experience with the band: “I’m in showbusiness… I’ll spring on this unsuspecting world yet…
“One thing I won’t do is record for the sake of it… I’m all set for superstardom. But then, I’ve always been a star, haven’t I?”
The Before The Smiths: The Morrissey Letters sale will take place at Dawsons Auctioneers on 26 August
Morrissey also speaks about politics in the letters and his dreams of moving to America.
One letter following Margaret Thatcher’s election as British Prime Minister in 1979 reads: “Did you vote? Labour, I hope? God knows what tortures that miserable Thatcher has prepared for us woikin’ class folk. I dread to fink.”
The final letter sees Morrissey reveal he has joined a band in London who “have a recording contract and all that rubbish”.
Peter Mason, auctioneer and senior valuer at Dawsons, said: “What struck me most was just how funny Morrissey is.
“Running through almost every letter is a wonderful sense of humour and genuine warmth that makes him an incredibly endearing character.
“Alongside the wit and unmistakable literary voice that would later become synonymous with Morrissey, the correspondence also captures Britain at a fascinating moment in its cultural history.
“Through his observations on punk, music, politics, and everyday life, the letters offer a vivid snapshot of the changing British music scene and political landscape during the 1970s while documenting the emergence of a remarkable young talent long before the rest of the world knew his name.”
With The Smiths – completed by Marr, bass player Andy Rourke, and drummer Mike Joyce – Morrissey was one of the pioneers of British indie rock in the 1980s.
Watch: The Smiths perform Shoplifters of the World Unite at Dublin’s Cathedral Club for the RTÉ One programme Megamix, broadcast in February 1987
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The band released four critically acclaimed studio albums in The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986), and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), before breaking up in 1987.
Following the break-up of The Smiths, Morrissey launched a successful solo career with hits including Suedehead, Everyday Is Like Sunday, and November Spawned a Monster.
The Before The Smiths: The Morrissey Letters sale will take place at Dawsons Auctioneers in London on 26 August.
Source: Press Association