Since his days with The Smiths, Morrissey has been long forgotten by some, while there are others who wonder why this aging rockstar, who is well past his prime, is still around making music. But there are also legions of Moz worshippers still packing decent-sized venues to see him perform live and buying his music, which he has been consistently putting out with a solo career that has far outspanned that of The Smiths. Morrissey: From Where He Came To… is specifically catered to these loyal Morrissey fans.
The first disc of this feature takes a very specific approach. It tells the story of Morrissey’s career after The Smiths, album by album, starting with his very first solo release, Viva Hate. In a way, this DVD is not a story of Morrissey per se, but a deconstruction of each of his solo albums. It provides an insider’s view into the making of each of these albums from the various collaborators themselves, each recounting his experience of working with Morrissey, along with additional inputs from various music journalists. Although this DVD was released in 2009, it concludes with his 2004 “comeback” record You Are The Quarry.
The DVD comes with the disclaimer that it has not been authorized by Morrissey. It contains no music by either Morrissey or The Smiths, which is in turn replaced by some homegrown music included by the production company. This is nothing to brag about and is thankfully used to a minimum. This is a strict documentary-style feature, consisting of interviews only with no video footage whatsoever. There is an aspect of dryness to the pedantic presentation of this feature, but a Morrissey fan will find the interviews plenty entertaining.
The second disc, however, tells the story of Morrissey with The Smiths and is way more fun to watch. This disc follows the same format as the first, as it tells the story of The Smiths this time through interviews and by picking apart their records one by one. However, this disc is far more entertaining, as it contains plenty of music by The Smiths, in addition to clippings from music videos and live footages by the band nicely juxtaposed with the interviews.
Between the two DVDs, there is over three hours of material, which will not only please and satisfy any Mozzer fan, but will also provide a fascinating insight into the ups and downs of the fine (and sometimes not so fine) career of this charming man.
