We’ve made it halfway through 2026 y’all. And for my friends, readers and dearest ones in the LGQBTIA+ community: Happy Pride!
June is a busy month for birthdays.
- Alanis Morisette celebrates her 52nd birthday today
The Smiths‘ Mike Joyce celebrates his 63rd birthday today. Now, as I’ve mentioned once or twice on this site: I’ve been a fan of The Smiths for some time. Although over the past decade or so, I’ve had a difficult time resolving my manhood with Morrissey becoming such an enormously racist asshole. But for the moment, that’s neither here nor there.
What I will say is that Joyce, along with his bandmates were behind some of the most beautiful, sensitive songs ever written and recorded. Every time I think of The Smiths, I think of drinking pal from Clem’s, a young, passionate, super smart American-born Irishman who loved music. We would talk about music quite a bit, and one of the most frequent subjects that would come up was how much we loved The Smiths’ 1985 effort Meat Is Murder — in particular how we thought “Barbarism Starts at Home” and “Headmaster Ritual” were among their greatest songs ever written or recorded.
Happy birthday, Mike!
___
The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.
To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.
I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.
Make a one-time donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.
You can follow me on the following social platforms:
X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent
Instagram: @william_ruben_helms
Threads: @william_ruben_helms
Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement
As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.
Discover more from The Joy of Violent Movement
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.