Morrissey hits out at Wikipedia for failing to ‘set the record straight’

Singer shared a brief statement from his personal website about the apparent errors

Morrissey has expressed his annoyance at what he says are two inaccurate credits on his Wikipedia page.

The controversial former Smiths frontman and solo artist often shares personal updates and grievances from his website, Messages from Morrissey.

In the latest post on Sunday 1 December, under the title “Madness”, the “Bigmouth Strikes Again” singer wrote: “Wikipedia confidently [lists] me as an ex-member of Slaughter And The Dogs, and an ex-member of The Nosebleeds.

“I did not ever join The Nosebleeds and I have no connection whatsoever with Slaughter And The Dogs. Is there anyone at Wikipedia intelligent enough to set the record straight? Probably not.”

As Stereogum notes, Morrissey’s friend Stephen Pomfret, recounted Morrissey replacing Ed Banger in the short-lived Manchester punk band The Nosebleeds, formerly Ed Banger and The Nosebleeds, at the same time that future Cult guitarist Billy Duffy replaced Vin Reilly.

“I tried to persuade Morrissey to buy some equipment because we were spending a fortune on guitars and amplifiers,” Pomfret said. “He bought a microphone for £8. I thought, ‘That’s not quite what I had in mind, Steven!’ He said, ‘That’s all I can afford!’”

Morrissey objected to the Wikipedia entries (Getty Images)

In the book, Morrissey is credited with writing the lyrics for songs including “The Living Jukebox” and “Toytown Massacre”.

Meanwhile Duffy – who recommended that Morrissey team up with his friend, guitarist Johnny Marr – recently told The Independent how he met Morrissey when he was around 16 and played with him in his first band.

“We approached Morrissey, who was then more of a journalist writing for the NME and doing local gig reviews… we loved the New York Dolls and Iggy Pop, Patti Smith,” Duffy recalled.

He continued: “We contacted him and got together, and he had a go at being a singer.”

Duffy’s website also details the new lineup of The Nosebleeds, who played two local gigs in 1978, which would have been Morrissey’s first public performances.

In a review for NME of their second and final gig at the New Ritz on 5 August 1978, when the band opened for John Cooper Clarke and Magazine, Paul Morley wrote: “Lead singer is now minor local legend Steve Morrison, who, in his own way, is at least aware that rock’n’roll is about magic, and inspiration.

“So The Nosebleeds are now a more obvious rock’n’roll group than they’ve ever been. Only their name can prevent them being this year’s surprise.”

Johnny Marr and Morrissey, formerly of The Smiths (Getty)

Morrissey acknowledged the gig in his 2013 memoir, Autobiography, but seemed to regret his involvement as he called it a one-off by a “no name” band that he and Duffy played in with The Nosebleeds’ rhythm section.

“I am lumbered with this miscued [sic] name in private sufferance forevermore,” he said.

Meanwhile, guitarist Mick Rossi of Slaughter and the Dogs claimed in John Robb’s 2006 oral history Punk Rock that Morrissey tried out for the band after previous singer Wayne Barrett-McGrath quit.

“I’ve got four demo tracks that I recorded with Morrissey on vocals round at my mam’s house, songs that never come out,” he said.

“He was very shy, very introverted, not like he is now. He was singing more conventionally than he would have to later on in The Smiths, when he tended to sing and flow into the chorus, not like in a typical song where there are separate bits.”

In September, Morrissey fired his management after Marr rejected his claim that the guitarist had successfully applied for ownership of The Smiths’ name “without any consultation”.

Marr then issued a statement, seen by The Independent, that refuted these claims. He explained that he initially reached out to Morrissey via his representatives “to work together in protecting The Smiths’ name”, after an attempt by a third party to use it in 2018.