MORRISSEY--RECLUSE WITH A STAR MISSION

Let’s face it. Morrissey is strange.

That’s not a put-down. That’s a statement of fact. Look at the evidence.

First of all, Morrissey, the 26-year-old lead singer and lyricist of the Smiths--the cultish British rock quartet--is known as just plain Morrissey. He likes to forget that he grew up, apparently in misery, as Steven Patrick Morrissey in Manchester, England. Also he’s not your typical macho, girl-hungry rock star. Morrissey, who deplores sexual labels, claims to be celibate.

Unlike other rock stars, who are generally very social, he’s almost a total recluse. “I never go out,” said Morrissey, who was in town recently to perform in some local shows. “The only time I’m out a lot is when I’m on tour and then I’m only out with people when I have to be. As a member of the Smiths, I’ve never been to a party. I’ve been to a club twice and then I left before 10 o’clock. I’d rather not be exposed to the party side of rock ‘n’ roll.”

The bottom line is that Morrissey isn’t too crazy about people. “I have very few friends,” he said. “That’s all I really need. I don’t like to meet people. I avoid it when I can. I like to slip away rather than be introduced to a lot of people. Hiding out is a form of self-protection.

“I’ve learned how to cope with these situations. I head for the nearest exit. Now you see me, now you don’t. One minute I’m there and the next I’m running down the fire escape.”

He’s not too keen on his peers either: “Among the major league rock stars I never meet anyone I can scarcely converse with. Those people aren’t for me.

“People only think that rock stars can be one kind of person. But I want to prove there’s a place in this business for people like me, people who are shy and sensitive. I want to prove that you don’t have to be moronic and silly and macho and flashy and self-absorbed to be a rock star. For heaven sakes, you don’t even have to be sexy. I’ve proven that at least.”

Now here’s the part that really weird. This recluse wants to be a big star.

“Sure I want to be popular but not for any vacant reasons--like I’m hungry to be idolized,” he explained. “I just want the Smiths’ records to be heard. If I’m popular, if the Smiths are popular, then people will hear the music.”

As a big rock star, Morrissey has fantasies about being on a guest on the David Letterman and Johnny Carson shows. “I see the Letterman show and I see (singer) Nina Hagen as a guest,” he said. “I see the Carson show and I see (singer) Belinda Carlisle. I have nothing against these people and I’m not bragging but I know I could be on those shows and be more interesting than those two.”

Strangely, Morrissey isn’t a grump. He laughed a lot during the interview in his hotel room. His manner is unusual, though, alternately low-key and aggressive. He’s intelligent, articulate and very well-read. He can be droll and somewhat caustic, at times coming across like a mild-mannered William Buckley.

The Smiths, also including drummer Mike Joyce, bassist Andy Rourke and guitarist/composer Johnny Marr, are a doom-and-gloom band. Since Marr and Morrissey formed the quartet back in 1982, the music of their four albums has been infused with undercurrents of depression and loneliness. Morrissey’s lyrics, a large part of the Smiths’ appeal, are literate and brimming with insight. They’re the essence of simplicity but still manage to conjure up a flood of imagery.

Loneliness is a prevalent theme on the Smiths’ latest Sire album, “The Queen Is Dead.” But content and the tone of the music are often in sharp contrast. Though somber and laced with dark humor, some of the songs are also quite melodious (Marr writes the music for Morrissey’s lyrics), complete with bright, sunny textures.

Listening to some of these songs, like “I Know It’s Over,” is often unsettling, but that’s Morrissey’s intention. He’s opposed to the kind of escapist fare that has always dominated pop music.

“I don’t believe in escapism,” he said, his tone mirroring his disgust. “It’s silly and trite. Those escapist songs don’t deal with what’s going on in people’s lives. They deal with what’s one-dimensional. It’s sugar-coated and not real life.

“I sing and write about what I see. Obviously everything I see isn’t very attractive and pleasant. I sing about the gray areas, about the dark side of things. But that’s there, part of life.”

The Smiths are very popular in England and parts of Europe but the band hasn’t really caught on here, though it has accumulated a large cult following in some big cities. The problem is that the Smiths get very little radio air-play. Morrissey basically blames his record company--Sire--for that and has publicly berated the label for non-support. Sire executives, now used to Morrissey’s jibes, seem blase about them.

Would Morrissey ever consider leaving Sire? “I think about it night and day,” he replied. “But we have a contract. We’re stuck here.”

Industry observers contend the Smiths aren’t likely to ever be a major band in this country for one particular reason-- Morrissey’s voice, which simply isn’t commercial. He’s well aware of that.

“They say I have this morbid, monotonous voice,” he said. “Not everybody has a wonderful, pretty voice. I have two keys, very high and very low. I have no mid range. I’m the first person to admit that.

“I’m proud of my voice. It’s never doctored on records. They don’t do all these high-tech things to beef it up and smooth it out. If I sing off key, so be it. I want to sound like a human being.”

Videos could help give the band a higher profile. There’s one drawback, though--Morrissey hates videos.

“They are so far removed from the notion of making records,” he explained. “They’re so silly. To me it’s like the world of leprechauns and fairy stories. When you see some singer dressed in an Arabian costume rushing across the desert, that’s a bit much.”

Sire executives have been trying to talk Morrissey into making a video but he absolutely refuses.

“They would love for me to do something like dress up as a policeman and get on the back of a camel and tramp across the Sahara while I was lip-synching some song,” Morrissey said. “Forget it, I’m not going to do some weird video. I know people say I’m weird but I do have my limits.”