Popular Culture Review Vol. 5, No. 1, February 1994 | Page 79

The Smiths,
Pop Culture Referencing,
and Marginalized Stardom
When questioned about the name of his band, lyricist and lead
vocalist Morrissey defended his choice of 'The Smiths' by stating, "it
occurred to me that nobody could put any possible connotations on the
name. It came at a time when group names were vastly important,
biblical, monstrous and had a great deal to say. I wanted to get rid of
that drivel and just say something incredibly basic."^ The choice of a
name—The Smiths—which almost defines the generic certainly
cannot be supported as being 'free' of connotations; indeed, the name
alone engenders a whole set of aesthetic and ideological
implications. Even further, given his lyrics for The Smiths,
Morrissey clearly is aware of these implications. The name suggests
the most undistinguished rock group, yet the Smiths are driven by the
fiercely eccentric and self-obsessed Morrissey, whose personal vision
inspires the music and lyrics. The naming of the band, posing a
tension between a label and the unusual musical and lyrical style of
the Smiths, serves to illustrate the striking star image of the group.
This image is based upon the transformation of a political statement,
in this case the reasons behind the choice of name, into personal
terms. In many instances, this transformation of the political into the
personal is centered around a system of pop-culture referencing which
renders accessible the larger political and ideological concerns of the
group. In this paper, I will examine the unique form of stardom
achieved by the Smiths and Morrissey, with particular attention to
the historical and institutional determinants which aided the
development of their image.
Historically, The Smiths, formed in 1983, are tied strongly to two
movements in British music from the previous decade: 'glam' or
glitter rock from the early '70s and the punk movement from the mid
to late '70s. The glam rock movement depended heavily on artifice
and personal style, with artists such as T. Rex, Gary Glitter and Roxy
Music, emphasizing fashion and image with music. Undoubtedly the
most influential glam rock artist of this period was David Bowie.
Bowie's early incarnations, particularly as Ziggy Stardust, were