As anyone who knows me in real life will confirm, I’m obsessed with Morrissey. Morrissey and motorbikes – it just makes sense.

Ever since a mate at school wrote the lyrics to ‘Frankly Mr Shankly’ in the back an my English exercise book when I was 14 I’ve been hooked. To most people my obsession is unhealthy and my record collection is obscene, but to others I’m an amateur and my collection is a nice start.

With a career spanning 30 years, over 20 studio albums and (at last count) 341 songs of the finest lyrics I find that most situations in life can be marked with a throw away one liner, half a verse, album title or pun.

The name of this web site – Far Off Places – is taken from the opening track of Ringleader of the Tormentors, there’s a verse at the end that sums up the spirit of the trip.

If your God bestows protection upon you
and if the USA doesn’t bomb you
I believe I will see you
somewhere – safe
looking to the camera
messing around and pulling faces

I’m determined to get a Morrissey reference into every post and update on this blog throughout the trip. Some will be easy, possibly too obvious, I’ll be riding past Newport Pagnal, and through Belgium and Luxembourg. And thankfully there’s a new track on the latest album simply called ‘Istanbul’. But as far as I know, he’s never sung a line about Germany, Croatia, Pakistan… At a push I might have to squeeze in ‘On the Streets I Ran’ if I’m lacking inspiration in Esfahan.

By the time I get to India, I might be struggling, and have to resort to puns… ‘This Charming Nan’, ‘I Know It’s Okra’, or ‘You’re The One For Me, Chapati’ (thanks to UncleSkinny I have 20 to chose from).