"The Smiths" name thought in Tom Hingley biog "Carpet Burns"

Am not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere. I did a search and couldn't find it. In Tom Hingley's autobiography "Carpet Burns: Life with the Inspiral Carpets" (Amazon link) he mentions using a rehearsal space "Out of the Blue" in Blossom Street, Ancoats. He mentions that the word was that The Smiths had also used the rehearsal space. Nearby in Sherratt Street there was an old pub named The Smith's Arms. The place was apparently decorated with pages from the "Daily Record" newspaper recording moments from WW2 including D-Day and VE Day. One headline there, says Tom, was 'Louder Than Bombs'. Now I understand that "Louder than Bombs" comes from Elizabeth Smart. Am just reporting what Tom wrote.

38780_carpet_burns.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Interesting. Thanks Tingle 3 for that nugget of information. You sound like you're slightly worried you'll be attacked for posting this. You shouldn't be afraid of some of the negative ninnies on this site. I love the idea that a poster, together with the Elizabeth Smart reference, could have prompted Moz to pick that title. We'll never know but it's a nice thing to think about.
 
Interesting. Thanks Tingle 3 for that nugget of information. You sound like you're slightly worried you'll be attacked for posting this. You shouldn't be afraid of some of the negative ninnies on this site. I love the idea that a poster, together with the Elizabeth Smart reference, could have prompted Moz to pick that title. We'll never know but it's a nice thing to think about.

Too right I'm worried. I've been around Morrissey-Solo since 1997 or whenever and I know what it's like! It's the idea that the band may have been named after a pub I find a little hard to believe and possibly sacrilegious. He wrote "We'll probably never know if The Smiths got their name from the pub, and the name of one of their albums from a headline displayed within, but it would seem strange if the two things didn't have at least some influence upon them." BTW, a little further on in the book Tom mentions that he held a sustained note at the end of 'Move' which he considered was the sort of touch Morrissey might have added to a Smiths single.
 
Last edited:
I know the place well, and have never thought that it had any relevance. It has been mentioned recently that, as it's a vacant crumbling building, it would make a suitable home for a city base to honour The Smiths. That was just a throwaway local journalist remark though.

I pass it on match days when I walk back into town for a post match pint.
 
just watched jesse eisenbergs new film and that was also called louder than bombs,decent film,only clicked on incase there was any mozz references in the film.worth watching though.
 
I know the place well, and have never thought that it had any relevance. It has been mentioned recently that, as it's a vacant crumbling building, it would make a suitable home for a city base to honour The Smiths. That was just a throwaway local journalist remark though.

I pass it on match days when I walk back into town for a post match pint.

Just to clarify. The fact that it's derelict and crumbling wasn't the reason why it was suggested. The name obviously played that part. It was suggested as a way to save and use the building before it decays further.
 
Louder Than Bombs doesn't sound very wartime. Back then, headlines were mainly dry and descriptive. France falls, Churchill to address Commons at noon. That sort of thing.
 

Trending Threads

Back
Top Bottom