M-S reports: *An English journalist is putting together a new book examining the unique relationship between Morrissey and his most obsessive fans. “Meeting Morrissey” will be released in late 2008 and will include a collection of fan stories and photos of encounters with the great man. Celebrity Morrissey fans from the world of TV and music are set to contribute but “Meeting Morrissey” is essentially about real fans: People who travel 4,000 miles for a concert, people who queue all night to be first in line, people who live for the music and Morrissey. Author Dickie Felton, and self-confessed Morrissey nut, said: “The book will be unique in that Mozzer fan culture is dramatically under reported. I’m not aware of any other singer who attracts the same sort of fan adoration as Morrissey. I want fans who have met Moz to get in touch and be part of the book!*

Further details on the project can be found here.

MP3: Moz – The Loop [alt link]

Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now! is out now.

The 192-page documentation features audacious pioneers such as Bikini Kill, Huggy Bear, Lungleg, Kim Gordon, Mambo Taxi, L7 & Le Tigre.

Also included is a foreward by The Gossip’s Beth Ditto.

Learn more about the book here.

MP3: Le Tigre – Deceptacon

Nick Drake’s fan-run MySpace page reports: *In Pink Moon, Petrusich explores the otherwise untold story of how Nick Drake’s 3rd and final album puttered and purred its way into the new millennium, nearly 28 years after its quiet release. In 2000, when Pink Moon’s sheepish, astral musings were used in a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial, the album was propelled towards a kind of fame that it had never known upon its initial release. Like dog-eared, over-highlighted copies of On The Road, today Pink Moon gets passed around, shuffled from friend to friend, and whispered into pillows on rainy days. Petrusich shows that the use of Pink Moon by the Cabrio advertising team ushered in a new age of commercial potential for underground artists and alternative bands, while also serving to expose a new generation of listeners to an artist that might otherwise have remained largely unknown. The book includes interviews with producer Joe Boyd, string arranger Robert Kirby, and the marketing team behind the ad.*

MP3: Nick Drake – Road

Nick Drake’s fan-run MySpace page reports: *In Pink Moon, Petrusich explores the otherwise untold story of how Nick Drake’s 3rd and final album puttered and purred its way into the new millennium, nearly 28 years after its quiet release. In 2000, when Pink Moon’s sheepish, astral musings were used in a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial, the album was propelled towards a kind of fame that it had never known upon its initial release. Like dog-eared, over-highlighted copies of On The Road, today Pink Moon gets passed around, shuffled from friend to friend, and whispered into pillows on rainy days. Petrusich shows that the use of Pink Moon by the Cabrio advertising team ushered in a new age of commercial potential for underground artists and alternative bands, while also serving to expose a new generation of listeners to an artist that might otherwise have remained largely unknown. The book includes interviews with producer Joe Boyd, string arranger Robert Kirby, and the marketing team behind the ad.*

MP3: Nick Drake – Road

Nick Drake’s fan-run MySpace page reports: *In Pink Moon, Petrusich explores the otherwise untold story of how Nick Drake’s 3rd and final album puttered and purred its way into the new millennium, nearly 28 years after its quiet release. In 2000, when Pink Moon’s sheepish, astral musings were used in a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial, the album was propelled towards a kind of fame that it had never known upon its initial release. Like dog-eared, over-highlighted copies of On The Road, today Pink Moon gets passed around, shuffled from friend to friend, and whispered into pillows on rainy days. Petrusich shows that the use of Pink Moon by the Cabrio advertising team ushered in a new age of commercial potential for underground artists and alternative bands, while also serving to expose a new generation of listeners to an artist that might otherwise have remained largely unknown. The book includes interviews with producer Joe Boyd, string arranger Robert Kirby, and the marketing team behind the ad.*

MP3: Nick Drake – Road

Here’s more via 18 Seconds Before Sunrise: *going on sale this monday (august the 20th) is a limited edition hardback book containing the icelandic documentary hlemmur on dvd as well as the sigur rós scored soundtrack on cd. the drawings in the book were done by the band members. a description, some images (with more to come) and information on the book is here. it goes on sale in selected book and record shops in reykjavík and iceland and online on smekkleysa and sandbag from monday.*

MP3: Sigur Ros – Fonklagid (live)

Here’s what to expect, courtesy of Amazon: *Elliott Smith’s intensely intimate music and open-hearted, Beatlesque pop songs have left a deep mark on a generation of fans and musicians in the wake of his tragic death in 2003. In Autumn de Wilde’s remarkable photographs and conversations with close friends, family, and musicians he inspired, this is the first and only portrait of the beloved and troubled singer/songwriter by those who knew him well. Complementing de Wilde’s riveting, personal images are ephemera, handwritten lyrics, and revealing talks with Smith’s inner circle, many speaking here for the first time. Also included are a foreword by Beck Hansen and Chris Walla, and a live CD of unreleased solo acoustic performances.

Autumn de Wilde directed Elliott’s video for “Son of Sam” and created the packaging for his album Figure 8; the cover image of him in front of a wall in L.A. led to the site becoming a spontaneous memorial for the singer after his death. She has also worked with Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, the Raconteurs, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jenny Lewis, Fiona Apple, and others. She lives in Los Angeles. Beck Hansen has collaborated with de Wilde for many years, most recently on photographs and videos for his album The Information. Chris Walla is a guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie and has worked as a producer with numerous bands.*

Pre-order the book via this link.

MP3: Elliott Smith – Satellite

Last Christmas, I received one of the best gifts this slut could ask for – a limited edition copy of Riceboy Sleeps (review here). For those not familiar with Riceboy Sleeps, in summary, it is an art & music collaboration between Jonsi Birgisson (Sigur Ros frontman) and Alex Somers (his multi-talented boyfriend). Their first picture book (Riceboy Sleeps) was so well-received that the duo has decided to expand its release, visit the US with their art and lastly, to release a 10″ vinyl of their premiere single. More info below via Sigur Ros MySpace bulletin.

*For the release of Riceboy Sleeps Jonsi and Alex held an exhibition at Gallery Turpentine in Reykjavik, Iceland, where they exhibited 14 works from the book, each installed in an old, reclaimed window-frame. Since then, Jónsi and Alex have been busy creating new art and music. They plan to release their first single later this year on 10-inch vinyl. They will be traveling to Arkansas, USA in August for their first solo exhibition outside of Iceland. Then, in October, they will be showing their work at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, and will also be a part of the Sequences Art Festival in Reykjavik.

Meanwhile, a second edition of Riceboy Sleeps is being printed – this time without the hand-numbering – and will be released outside of Iceland for the first time. Finally, the boys have a lithographic print for their picture titled ‘In the Sea’. The lithograph was made in an edition of 100 and is signed, stamped and numbered by the artists.

In their own words… Riceboy Sleeps is a project we began a long time ago. We make art and music together. We love to observe and find beauty in the small things. Our goal is to create works that are honest and will inspire and bring hope to people…*

Learn more about Riceboy Sleeps here on its MySpace page.

MP3: Sigur Ros – Staralfur

No, we’re not joking. Stalkers of the world, unite. More info below.

Via Moz-solo: *Phill Gatenby’s new book “Panic on the Streets: The Smiths and Morrissey Location Guide” is out now. It concentrates more on Morrissey’s locations (in addition to the earlier Smiths book), and has a lot of information on locations in and around London – references from influences, videos, songs, lyrics, photoshoots and many more.*

Pretty Pretty Thieves has a great interview with Gatenby discussing the book in further detail.

Purchase your very own copy of Panic here at Amazon.com.

MP3: The Smiths – Well I Wonder

First it was Sufjan, the essayist and now it’s Sufjan, the author!

Prefix shares that Sufjan will be providing the introduction to the upcoming Dave Eggers-edited book, The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007, due out this October. The collection will include fiction, nonfiction, comics, and blog posts. Learn more about the collection here through its publisher’s site, Houghton Mifflin.

MP3: Sufjan Stevens – Free Man In Paris (Joni Mitchell cover)