OP: The Smiths and solo Morrissey are pretty much the last "iconic" acts of the 80's with a large gay following that I've not really gotten into yet. What would be a good album to start out with, and above that, what are some good songs to sample from all eras?
X: Just curious, why do you think the Smiths and Morrissey have a large gay audience? Sadly I've never seen the Smiths, but I've seen Morrissey about 6 times live, and I don't recall seeing a lot of gay people at any of his shows.
Y: I worked in a record store for a year from 1990-1991. The ONLY people who bought Morrissey's albums/singles (and we sold a TON of them) were 14 year old boys. Never sold one to a girl. And never to anyone older than 14-15.
Z: Have you ever seen the number of men that nearly faint at the edge of the stage just for the chance to touch Moz's hand? Do you think these are straight guys?
Dang.