strange. but id love to get paid for doing that.

The Smiths under academic spotlight

Iconic 80s band The Smiths are to be studied by some of the world's leading academics during a special conference.

The famous Indie quartet, credited with putting the 'miserable' in Manchester, will be analysed, constructed and deconstructed by scholars from around the world during a three-day conference in their home city next week.

The Smiths were the most influential of Indie bands in the 80s spawning thousands of bequiffed fans in floral shirts, copying frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey.

They have been described as the quintessential English pop group, with a string of hits bemoaning late-teen angst.

During the symposium, entitled 'Why Pamper Life's Complexities' - a line from the song This Charming Man, academics from across the globe will explore some of lead singer Morrissey and his band's lyrics and music from the literary and cultural points of view.

Dr Justin O'Connor, an expert on the Manchester music and cultural scene, said: "The Smiths have had a singular impact on popular culture.

"They looked like nobody else and sounded like nobody else, and their music had an emotional depth that moved people in a way that no band has managed before or since.

"In spite of their enormous cultural significance and personal resonance, The Smiths have yet to receive sustained academic attention.

"This conference aims to put that right and to critically examine what the band meant and continue to mean two decades after their untimely demise."

Among the themes addressed at the conference are: gender and sexuality, race and nationality, a sense of place, the imagination of class, aesthetics, fan cultures and musical innovation. It takes place at Manchester Metropolitan University on April 8 and 9.

God, Marr is looking rough. That hoodie makes him look like an over-the-hill mugger.

I might express my disgust at the plaigiarism, as in fact many Smiths fans the world over, myself included, have already pondered the social, emotional and moral significance of the band, and we need no supposed scholars to deconstruct it for us, thank you. However, for the band that saved lives to finally be recognised as such on a 'serious' academic scale is quite touching. Ambivalence is nice.

MISERABLE????
MISERABLE???

how dare they!
obviously not half as intelligent as they think they are!

If 2pac's lyrics can be studied and analyzed by a class at CAL, then of course The Smiths are due. Both of these talented acts used real life experiences to enlighten all those who were willing to listen. Morrissey deserves all the credit for his return to the forefront of authentic music.