Why isn’t Morrissey more famous? Shouldn't he be a 'national treasure' by now?

Why isn’t Morrissey more famous? Shouldn't he be a 'national treasure' by now?

Why isn’t Morrissey even more famous? It's widely agreed that he is a genius, so it’s not a lack of talent. In the UK we refer to a few people, such as David Attenborough and Alan Bennett, as "national treasures". Why doesn't Moz have that label yet? Don’t forget, you can join us on YouTube for a full, professionally recorded video version from the studio. Our producer, Gary, from Red Eye [http://redeye.co.uk], does a marvellous job of putting it all together. This time, hosts Chris and George speak to the well-known and well-respected journalist Brendan O’Neill, who writes for publications including the Spectator and Spiked [https://spectator.com/writer/brendan-o%E2%80%99neill/], about cancel culture, the blocks that stop Moz’s rise to “national treasure” status in 2026, and how the singer’s public image could now be moving into a more positive place. We have a new feature: ‘Morrissey and Wine Introduces’. Each episode we’ll have an exclusive performance from an up-and-coming musician who’s inspired by Moz and The Smiths. This time it’s Brody Londrigan, just 18 and from Arizona, who plays ‘Your Dreams Don’t Have To End’ from his new album ‘Isle Of Swine’. Check out his stuff with this link [https://linktr.ee/Brodylondrigan]. George’s grandma Nanny Val is back in the studio, this time giving her take on ‘The Monsters of Pig Alley’. The boys analyse the lyrics of ‘That’s How People Grow Up’ - and we do the ten-question trivia quiz. Oh…and George has a new quiz theme song…so you better grab some cotton for your ears. If you want to support us and join a thriving community of fans in our members-only WhatsApp chat, consider signing up to our Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/MorrisseyandWine]. It's about £5 a month and all the money goes into a pot to keep improving the podcast.

The big Alain Whyte interview, from crippling stage fright to always defending Morrissey

In this bonus episode we bring you a 45-minute interview with Alain Whyte, Morrissey's most prolific songwriter and a musician who many consider to be the "secret ingredient" in much of Moz's success. We also touch upon 'The Monsters of Pig Alley', the magic behind Morrissey's 2004 comeback, Alain's reasons for leaving the band in the 2000s, and why he would love to work with Moz again. If you prefer the written word, head over to our Substack for a long-read feature [https://substack.com/@morrisseyandwine] based on this interview. We hope you enjoy this chat over a nice glass of wine. Long live Morrissey, and Godspeed.

'I did a Ouija board with Morrissey while we made Bona Drag'

Andrew Paresi, a familiar voice to Radio 4 listeners and the primary drummer for Bona Drag, joins us once again to dive into that fan-favourite compilation album. They had a private chef, a tennis court and a swimming pool - no wonder it's such a good record. We hear all about that and more. Nanny Val returns to the studio to react to a Morrissey track for the first time, as suggested by our Patreon members. This time it's 'What Kind of People Live in These Houses? George questions Chris in the ten-question trivia quiz, and he does rather well. Don't forget you can watch us on YouTube for the full video show [https://youtu.be/iUKtSlSP7cU], which will be online around six hours after the audio-only version. If you like what we do, there's a good way to support us while also joining a thriving community of fans. Our Patreon costs around £5 per month [https://www.patreon.com/c/MorrisseyandWine] and gives you access to the members-only WhatsApp chat, our archive of full-length interviews and bonus monthly episodes. This show is produced by Gary at Red Eye [https://www.redeye.co.uk]. It takes a lot of skill to look this podcasty. Thanks, Gary.

First reaction to new Morrissey album 'Make-up Is A Lie' (bonus episode)

Super-fan Chris and newspaper journalist George give you their first reaction to the new Morrissey album 'Make-up Is A Lie'. It seems this is an album of "part twos" to much-loved songs from the back catalogue, with many tracks offering returns to some of Morrissey's central themes. Alcohol features prominently, particularly booze to excess. And the layered lyrics are a gift to fans like us, with so much to analyse. Grab a glass of wine and join us to discuss all this and more. This is an audio-only, makeshift bonus episode, but we'll be back in a week or two with a full, professional video episode, when we'll be doing a deep dive into Bona Drag - and we're joined by someone who was there in the studio creating it with Morrissey. Find us on YouTube for our past shows, where we've interviewed key figures including Stephen Street, Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer. Join us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes [https://www.patreon.com/c/MorrisseyandWine], access to the members-only WhatsApp chat, yearly deliveries of hand-made pin badges and a fair bit more. It doesn't cost a lot but it really helps us to keep the show going. Godspeed!

Everything we know about Morrissey's new album 'Make-up Is a Lie'

We pull together everything we know about Morrissey's forthcoming album 'Make-up Is a Lie'. Nanny Val comes into the studio to react to 'Seasick, Yet Still Docked' and the boys analyse the lyrics of 'The Night Pop Dropped'. There's also the 10-question trivia quiz and the boys enjoy a couple of bottles of wine. Do you want to support what we do? Join our Patreon for exclusive benefits [https://www.patreon.com/c/MorrisseyandWine], including access to the members-only WhatsApp chat, bonus monthly episodes, the chance to choose Nanny Val's next song and more. Don't forget that we do a video version of this show too (and we've got a new set). Just head over to our YouTube page [https://www.youtube.com/@morrisseyandwine] to watch. This episode was produced by Gary at Red Eye [https://www.redeye.co.uk].