I hate to think of Morrissey as an angry person,
I'm sure they can come to an agreement if they communicate,

give it a go?

Who would have thought? That whole Metallica/Napster thing was obsurd. I really do not think this should be.

In this article it says he had a verbal agreement
with Morrissey. Yet he claims to have no contract. He should be aware that contracts
need not be in writing to be valid and enforceable.

Well can you blame Morrissey I mean if a guy was selling videos and making money off you wouldn't you be ticked off? I hope Morrissey does seek legal action against Barry.

Well now it seems inevitable, that this DVD will be shut down in its tracks. Why won't Barry say if he is sending out any of the DVD's already. He should try to send them as fast as he can, before anything big happens. I would love to get my hands on this DVD, and the video.

I think Moz is being a tad selfish though. I just saw an interview yesterday from 1985. Maybe you guys have seen it. Its the black and white interview in which its just him and a camera with white sealed envelopes with one word questions. Well he talked about money, and he says and I quote "Money one thing you can say about money is that if never ever makes things worse". Well I just think Moz should let this DVD go through and talk to Barry, before he goes in to court again. Hope everything turns otu ok, for Barry he seem's like an honest guy.

Reuters (7/01/01)

As revealed today, pop singer Morrissey sold his soul to the dark lord for 6 bushels of potatoes and Wendy Wu.

A DVD entitled, "south with Morrissey", a documentary detailing the singer's southward slide of morals, was halted when the documentary director failed to observe the verbal agreement as mediated by Morrissey's manager, and satan's pawn, former whitehouse representative James Baker.

Fans were outraged by the star's lack of willingness to share the work. Citing Morrissey is greedy and an all-around party pooper, they responded from their commune after a days work of growing weed on the mountain and relaxing to records of Ken Kesey and his merry pranksters played at 33 1/3 rpm.

They went on to say absolutely nothing about Lars Ulrich, as it is the opinion of this journalist they would have if they had thought about it, but were too stoned to say anything and this journalist has a deadline to meet.

"yeah, maaannn. This morrissey cat....he's just a....cat."

More intelligent and informed fans could not be reached for comment.

this is really sad. if this bloke was an aquaintance of moz (it seems he was; they'd met a few times, he'd been allowed to film the tour, he provided the backdrop etc) then there's no way he should have released the results without the singer's full approval. that's why it's different to a normal bootleg (random bloke in crowd smuggles video recorder into concert).

also, morrissey shouldn't have ignored barry when he sent the dvd for his comments and let the whole thing reach the stage that it has.

this whole thing is just depressing. it's been said a 100 times before but I'm gonna say it again; "morrissey sign a record deal, record those 20 odd songs you've written and release the flipping things!"

good lord! has there ever been a harder time to be a morrissey fan?

john steed.

An open letter to Moz

Ok, why not post an open letter to Moz on this message board (maybe the manager of this site will move it to a ‘feature’ slot?) Regardless...About this whole lawsuit over the ‘South With Morrissey’ video issue...Ugh. Fame. Money. Lawsuits. I know, but this man doesn’t seem like an ‘enemy’ type. Maybe he’s just a fan with camera talent and the chance to work with you. For some reason, it ended abruptly. Hopefully it can be worked out amicably?

Regardless, the real reason for writing...I think I speak for many when I ask: Sir, why are you not releasing music? Your office is calling and leaving messages!!

It seems all we have to contend with for the past 4 years is a few concerts, lawsuits, reissue, repackage, repackage, lunch with Courtney Love updates, lawsuits, and your Los Angeles concert attendance schedule. But is it all enough?

Dont leave us with ‘Maladjusted’ as a swansong!(Trouble Loves Me, Lost, and a handful of others aside). I’d prefer ‘Kill Uncle’

Are you waiting for a major label offer? 7 digits? How about a really cool indie (like Matador?) where you can have total control and release everything you want. Do you really need 7 digits anymore? Men need their Gucci, Steven but....

Ive been an ardent fan for going on 16 years and lived by your release dates. They dont exist anymore. 4 years now and Im sure you have scads of songs to go. Can We Hear Them? You’re needed now more than ever, living in a city of Britney and Limper Bizkit.

Honorary American, man with a large forehead and a beautiful face, recluse in an amazing home, vegetarian in this horrid hot dog world! Has the reel-to-reel broken down?

A call to arms

A farewell to arms?

Darling, What are you waiting for?

“It’s not much, but I’ve been far...”

Fondest,

I know

Is there any mention of Morrissey-solo.com in any of these stories....

Geez they never seem to give credit where credit is do.....

That's something that always pissed me off....Its happen before, some other site will published some story of Moz heard here first, and push it off as something their great Journalist researching minds has found...a little link would of be fine....

done ranting,
Moz cowboy

first off, i think moz should talk to this guy before, instead of start a fight. Morrissey has to much talent, and it's time to come with new material. he's a precious singer, and his past songs will be forever in millions of heart. Morrissey, please, be reasonable, your fans miss you a lot. I'm not writing this to judge you, I'm just saying that we really miss you. Your songs are like jewels for us. There are a lot of singers and bands out there, but they are not Morrissey. There's no one like you. Is it so much asking for a new album?

I have to say that it pisses me off to read this article without a mention of Morrissey-solo. The NME passed this off as if it were their own scoop. The NME did not do any research whatsoever. All they did was cut an paste the article from Morrissey-solo and make out like it was their story. Hey NME.. why don't you piss off and get your own stories. If you must leech, at least give Morrissey-solo the friggin' credit it and David deserves! We all know this is the only relevant source for information on Moz anywhere, apparently the music print media knows this too since they can't get their own Moz sources. Man that pissed me off. Another reason for Moz fans to hate the NME! David, I would be soooo pissed if I were you.

We know very well that most of the info on Morrissey are exactly here, on Morrissey-solo, and it's a disrespect to David Tseng that nme didn't even had the decency to mention his site. If you are fan of Morrissey, and you are on the net, you will first come to Morrissey-solo to search for news. That's the place for his fans. However, i never liked nme anyway. David dedicates a lot of his time to keep this site running, and he should receive the respect he deserves.

Hugs, David
x

Metallica Lars Ulrich style arguement.I don`t think that`s a valid arguement.First of all if I am not mistaken metallica got napster to provide them with the names of those napster users who downloaded their songs for free and made it so those users couldn`t get back to that site.Morrissey has never threatned to do anything of that kind.I`ve never heard him get worked up about or make a fuss about all the bootleg recordings of his shows that are in existence.In fact as I said in one of my other posts that I recall someone saying that during one of his shows he said this is for the bootleggers.There is a difference here he actually knew this person and allowed this person to film him and he obviously trusted this guy enough to let him follow him around and film him.Then this guy releases a dvd without his permission and Morrissey says he owns this footage.Maybe he feels betrayed and like it`s a breach of confidence.And let`s remember it is his image on this dvd and he has every right to control it.This is not like the napster/metallica thing at all.So that isn`t a valid arguement.And by the way I also think it was wrong for NME not to give davidT or Morrissey solo any credit and I agree with those of you that this is the only place for breaking news and information on our wonderful Mozzer.-Tibby How I Love All Of The Very Mozzer Things Of Life......

Well, I guess they had other sources as well, but the yahoo link said something about the video meant meant originally to a tv broadcast. Besides, both articles use the word "candid" - a word that I found a bit weird, but then I don't speak English well.

For the sad fact that all the flaming-horror has reached the press, I just have to say that perhaps it should be a good idea to write an open letter to Morrissey, signed by his true fans, showing our support and care, and so the press could not forget his truthful fans so easily and that might minimize the harm which was already done. Perhaps we should hear what Wendy has to say about this idea, she might approve that or not, I trust that she knows what is best to do.
For the future, I really hope that people can see that what they write here, without assuming any responsibility for, may have consequences for people who are exposing themselves, and the moderators should try to control flaming in a most efficient way.
I'm really very sad that it all happened. :(

I think some people posting above are a little misinformed. For a start, there is no such thing as a copyright on either facts or quotes, so nme are free to use reported speech as they see fit so long as they attribute the quotes to the people they come from. There is nothing taken from this site other than - arguably - the quote from the Moz spokesperson (but who's to say nme didn't pursue their own enquiries and get the same stock response?)

Secondly, the response from the director was emailed to anybody who asked via the contact email on the www.southwithmorrissey.com site. I personally asked about the status in light of the Moz "official" comment that had been put out and was sent exactly what was posted up on this site.

Thirdly, the link to the piece on yahoo.com was originally taken from Ananova (who supply their news copy), who in turn took the story from nme (as their copy states).

Instead of complaining about the press getting to a story and www.morrissey-solo.com not being mentioned in the story, people should be congratulating David for keeping the fans informed so quickly on a topic that I'm concerned could result in those same fans losing money on a risky purchase. I know for a fact that nme haven't ripped off anything that David Tseng/ has written on this matter, but there's no question that he was the first person to get the story out to the people that'd want to know. Hats off.

Incidentally, the great job David does is acknowledged by the fact that this site is listed as the top link in the Moz section on nme.com. Check out http://www.nme.com/nme/External/Artists/Artist_Pag e/0,1226,60693,00.html. Oh, and to counter a previous wild allegation, I can vouch that the writer of the nme.com piece hasn't touched marijuana for about a year and a half. And also that the strange assertion that nobody has mentioned similarities with the kind of thing Lars Ulrich was saying over the Napster debate can be dispelled by reading both this site and others.

(ps - I've just tried to post the above message, and the system this site is built on says "please don't use so many caps. using caps is like yelling!" Looks like technology used surrounding a Moz site doesn't like nme (note the small case) either!)

I hope my Dvd will come before he gets sued ;-P

If this continues and given that Moz has all the free time in the world (you know, not recording and all), I think it will save him a lot of money to study and pass the bar exam. Morrissey and Associates, Barristers and Solicitors. Of course, the associates would be Dallow, Spicer, Pinkie, Cubitt........

My grievance is not so much the aspect of this person selling this DVD and profiting off of it, without Morrissey receiving any monies. That would not be right. Yet, the creator of the DVD has already went on the record and said that was not his intention to do anyway and he was more than willing to give Morrissey his cut. The issue is Morrissey and his legendary capriciousness! He had given this gentleman a verbal agreement to do this....hence this is why he travelled with Moz and the band and HAD this kind of access. Now, in typical fashion (as any Moz/Smiths fan would know) based on past failed promises and broken agreements...Morrissey has backed out of something with no explanation whatsoever! Then everyone is supposed to shrug their shoulders and not ask why and continue to fawn over him like "mindless sheep", as so many of the visitors to this site so willingly do and then take on the incredibly huge task of defending him and justifying his behaviour because he is Morrissey. Once again, this is not excusable no matter who you are....it is lack of respect to fans, associates and in the past...fellow band members (Joyce, Rourke, Marr, Stepen Street, etc.) And the fact that he has produced no new material, and is making no effort to even do so...while keeping everyone hoping and waiting and on the edge of their seat clamoring for something...anything new, is really a piece of work!

I hate it how most people think Morrissey is so goddam perfect. He has enough money as it is, and as this issue is all to be about money, i think Morrissey is wrong here. 4 years it's been since ANY new material from him. If Morrissey continues with this spontaneous attitude, which can get nasty, as seen here, he will never get a record deal. Will the threats of lawyers occur 'IF' he manages to gain a recording contract. Morrissey is one of the most feared artists in the profession today. Record companies know how lucrative he can be financially, but they also know how destructive and detremental he can be also. Morrissey has been bled dry of material by us, our loving fans, which is sad to say. I really do think Morrissey should either promote himself more and continue his career at a quicker pace, or call time on his very illustrious and interesting career. At the moment im sad, if one of these two things occured, i would be much much happier for Moz.

Anonymous: please see my response re: the Howie Klein posting. Perhaps you've already read it, but have chosen not to respond? Hopefully your silence is not from his hired goons.

Having read about Morrissey's objection to the sale of this bootleg video I could only shake my head and stifle a grimmace. My adoration of Morrissey shall not be questioned; I love him more than I do any other singer, songwriter, poet, pop icon in the world. However, my cynicism never lets me forget that Morrissey, being a celebrity, can act like a complete narcissist. It is my firm belief that once artists begin to imbue their work with a certain amount of sacredness they are beginning to take themselves way too seriously. Napster and the many artists who spoke out against its existence fall under this category. Morrissey has no right to threaten a legal suit against the maker of this bootleg. When I say 'right' I am talking more about an artistic principle. Morrissey is slowly becoming a caricature of himself and trying to milk the past of its fruitful bane. When the issue is money then celebrities who demand to be paid for every one of their images that are captured on film are no longer artists, they are an establishment, to use the tired out old phrase, they are a sell-outs. If Morrissey truly wanted to make art for art's sake he would sign with an indie label or use his wealth to finance the release of his new album. Since his fan base is small and there is a slim chance he will ever win a new audience the net would be the most logical place for him to release material. This has all been said before but I repeat it to underscore the harsh reality that Morrissey will not put out anymore new material. And do we really want him to? We already have too many larger than life artists and what is worse we already have too many larger than life 'indie' artists. Morrissey should be thankful that people are even interested in his work at all and that his visage is actually out in the world circulating. No, I'm afraid Morrissey is wrong in this situation and I'm afraid that so are many of his fans for taking so much of what he has said and done far too seriously. The relationship between the pop icon and the pop fan is a reciprocally sick relationship--but would we want it any other way? I wouldn't. Morrissey is dead, long live Morrissey!

maybe morrissey is up to no good,maybe the only reason he is going to take legal action is because this is the only way he can get money right now,maybe he does not have a new album ready? and this is how hes going to get money? by backstabbing a person whom he gave "all" access to in the first place.

im just saying maybe

Morrissey backstabbing the person he gave all access to.It`s the other way around.Morrissey gave this person all access then the guy turns around and sells the dvd without his permission.I`d say Moz was the one stabbed in the back.Morrissey says he owns this footage anyway.Doesn`t anyone out there think he might be doing this for the sake of his fans.Maybe he doesn`t want them shelling out 29 dollars for an inferior product.And this is really quite a different situation than some concert bootleg.So please I implore you give a little something for all the beautiful music Morrissey has given to us.Don`t buy it!Show him how much you love him.And stop all the Morrissey bashing!About the NME thing I really do think it was unfair for them not to credit this site or it`s visitors.Because we didn`t all agree that blocking the sale was wrong.The April issue of "Mojo" gave credit to "The Arcane Old Wardrobe" for it`s interview archives.You`d think the NME could do the same.-Tibby How I Love All Of The Mozzer Things Of Life........

I don't see why people are having such a problem seeing the similarities with the Metallica attitude towards Napster. Just because people said a "Lars Ulrich-style" attitude doesn't mean the two things are exactly the same.

Metallica don't want material getting to fans without them getting money.

Morrissey doesn't want material getting to fans without him getting money.

That's the point that was made, and it's valid. I can't understand why people are writing essays explaining why the two things are so different.

Good Morning, Mr Barry J Derbyshire :-)
You (or your buddies) are saying that Moz wants to prevent your little scummy bootleg DVD released 'cause it "is the only way he can get money right now". But I think Moz regularly receives plenty of royalties from the Worldwide sales of both Smiths and solo material... He does not need some extra cash that bad... I think for him it is a matter of principle and some written or explicitly verbalized agreement between Him and you broken... Yeah, bootlegs are a fact of life, and maybe Moz would better to ignore small-time buggers like you, Mr Barry J, but hey, don't tell us you are holier then other bootleggers and Maria Magdalena... You have a "chutzpah" to charge $29 bucks for the 30 MINUTES(!) footage of questionable quality, and Morrissey and his people may do Mr Average Mozfan a favour by explicitly distancing themselves from your 30-minutes long cinematic err... masterpiece... 'cause I doubt that this DVD has any redeeming value... Of course, I'm not god myself and maybe your DVD shows something interesting, even if against Moz wishes, but don't you agree that you didn't do your legalistic homework before releasing it for sale... A least not to try throw mud in the Morrissey direction, sell your little shady DVD in silence, there is no need to tell us about "knowing past history" of Moz or him "backstabbing" you... Essentially, you illegally took piece of something which is HIS... So Moz had 2 legit options: ignore you or stop you on the tracks... He chose the second one... And no need by you and your friends to set little cowardly flames around this messageboard... As of kids itching to shell another $29 bucks for the DVD, why not to buy some legit Moz-related memorabilia on e-Bay or in the small indie-shops instead.. I'm talking about rare LP singles, posters, badges et cetera... I think Moz deserves some respect... There are bootlegs and there are bootlegs... I have bought some Tori Amos and Iggy Pop bootleg CDs myself, but I knew that those artists don't mind those bootlegs even if they does not endorse them... But I would never buy your DVD mister, even if you will sell it to me for one buck, 'cause to buy your product is against explicit wishes of an artist, therefore it is a blatant disrespect of Moz to help you with your house downpayment.. or your brand-new car or whatever, Mr Barry J... Suggestion: why not to make Brittney Spears or Mandy Moore bootlegs... Mucho better $$$ and wider audience of 13-year-old middle-school girls... Perhaps their security people would throw you out in 3 minutes and kick you a little bit in the process (good!)... but why not to try it anyway with a hidden camera maybe... If this would fail, Mister Barry J, you could always make good money by shooting home-movies for Beverly Hills weddings and Bar Mitzvahs... I mean, I don't want you to be poor and miserable, I want you to be plump and jolly... Cheers, precious, and keep your cinematic scums elsewhere... :-)

Doesn't Morrissey have the right to control his own image as a performer? When you hire someone to film you, they are acting as your agent (i.e. employee). They do not have the right to go and sell those images without your consent--just as companies own your work product and you cannot turn around and sell it to others. If I worked for a newspaper, for example, even on a freelance basis, and I am paid for my services, I cannot turn around and sell my article/photo directly to others without consent or without retaining some pubishing rights. What if Morrissey didn't like the way the film came out--the way he looked, what he said, the quality? Doesn't he have some control over how he publishes information about himself? Maybe he was planning to do something different with that material. It sounds like he has a pretty good case against this filmmaker. Whether legal action is the best course to remedy this situation, however, is HIS decision, no one else's.

I'm sorry, but this NME article isn't even newsworthy. Morrissey threatens legal action...again! It draws a parallel to the Joyce case almost before you can finish reading the bold print title. It's completely cliche. Really, I can't understand why some people here feel the need to ramble on over such a cloaked topic. The facts are elluding everyone and quite honestly, all this second hand guess work is becoming almost as redundant as the headline in question.

I was having email problems yesterday. Please try to contact me at this address instead:

jrazor6@hotmail.com

Sorry for any inconvenience!

"...the scales of justice sway one way in the rooms of those least likely to..."

Enough of this. It really is none of our business what Morrissey's reasons are regarding this matter with the dvd. His life is HIS life, he is not an object. I still cannot believe the insults that are being thrown about on this site. It's one thing to be an objective, eyes-open fan, but it is another thing to only care about yourself and what you can obtain from another person. Morrissey deserves to be able to relax and live life as he sees fit. And when the right time comes to release a new album, he will. Where did this strange idea come from that he owes us new material by a certain date? Just let it go, and live YOUR lives.
Have some faith, and please try not to be so quick with the tiresome slurs.

sometimes this seems like an ancient arena. meat and blood to the public. lions around a corpse, yada yada yada... morrissey, as an artist, has the right to feature his image, music, art, name, face, as he may want. i understand his point, since i'm aldo an artist, and i'd hate to see my works "without my desire', being used everywhere. the discussion here is floating on the "permission" stuff. but above all these, let's face it: it's his work, his art, his name. i am one of those who think that j barry didn't have bad intentions, and you people are talking music business, so some of those harsh remarks on Morrissey have some sense, and even some credibility. But, I don't think we should jump on personal judgements. Seems that wendy is one of those who know Moz is person, and her message on the board was very eloquent. She doesn't have the right to call the fans names. But my point is: morrissey is an artist, a real, great one, and if he is pissed off with this case, so what??? damn, it's his work!

the only thing that saddens me is the giant void in our lives, without a new album, without news on him. I assume most of us love him. Regarding the video, well, let's get real: sooner or later, we will have this video in hands, with or without j barry. lot's of bootlegs running everywhere, why would be different now?

I have read the NME stuff, and i just am sorry for not see any mention to this site. David T is a great guy, and I had the feeling that they simply "ignored" morrissey-solo. But, quoting Morrissey: "the more you ignore me, the closer i get"...

...interesting that Morrissey hasn't been too concerned with his image being tarnished by inferior products when most of those inferior products have been released by the very same record companies he's collecting royalties from.

this 'release' is more appealing that the last 47 compilations put together..so of course he'd want to stifle it...

I never thought I'd make a comment like that, ever. Christ Morrissey, do something....you once said that you have an audience with a very real need...that need is more acute than ever. You DO actually have a moral responsibility to get on the stage...!

(Cue aggressive 'feedback' from self-righteous "he doesn't have to do anything for anyone types"...most of whom live in Morrissey's backyard.)

Hi everyone! This is my first post, so please forgive me. ;)

If Morrissey and J. Barry had an agreement that the footage was to be made into a TV documentary, I can understand why Morrissey is upset that Barry is selling DVDs of the footage. I happen to think that $29 is a LOT of money for any DVD, let alone a bootleg. His site isn't secure, he's using a post office box...it just seems that someone who would want to go into a business venture so big as to sell a DVD would take more care in assuring the privacy and safety of his customers.

Barry already stated that Morrissey never returned any of his messages or responded to the copy he was sent. Just because Morrissey didn't respond to him didn't give Barry permission to sell the footage. Barry should have kept the footage private until he got an answer from Morrissey.

I don't agree with those people who think that Morrissey is money-hungry. Face it, the man has plenty of money. What he would get from the DVD sale wouldn't make or break him. However, he does have a right to say how his image is being used. If he agreed to something verbally, and it wasn't done in the way he agreed to it, he should fight to get it done correctly.

Another thing: if Barry got so much access to Morrissey, his staff, and the show, why is there only half an hour of footage? If it were me, I would have shot everything possible.

The reason I disagree with the whole Morrissey is like Lars Ulrich debate is because there is no similarity to the two at all.First of all Lars Ulrich went after his own fans when he got napster to provide the names of users who had downloaded metallica songs on that site.And then had them blocked from entering that site.Morrissey has never threatened to do anything of that kind.
Let`s face facts here this footage rightfully belongs to him and if doesn`t want it released that`s his perogative.If he chooses to block the sale of the dvd he has every right to.That doesn`t make him greedy or vindictive.It just means he standing up for himself.I don`t think this thing is about money at all.It`s about someone taking something that is rightfully yours and then making a profit from it.Like someone stealing your car and then selling it for their own financial gain.
Third as Xhris and Joe Buck said J. Barry was hired to do a job and the end results don`t belong to him.Morrissey is only standing up for himself and has every right to do so.
Last but not least Morrissey doesn`t owe us anything.Yes we love,admire and adore him ,but he`s not a machine just cranking out a product.I`m sure anything he releases has to feel right for him.Maybe he just wants to live right now and not have pressures and stresses.So let him be.Nobody has any right to make demands upon him.Maybe the reason he hasn`t signed a record contract is because their not treating him properly and maybe it is because of money and there`s nothing wrong with that.(If there`s anyone that deserves to get paid handsomely it`s Morrissey.)I`m sure that everyone here likes and wants money.And as one post reported what Morrissey said about the subject of money "It certainly doesn`t make things worse". So I`d say he was within his right`s.-Tibby How I Love All Of The Very Mozzer Things Of Life..........

I'm rather proud of my own contributions to the debate in hand.

Morrissey is great singer, and a wonderful musician. I hope he can wade through the mess and sort it all out.

Hazard

Morrissey SHOULD SUE HIMSELF.

DeB of the West Sider Riders.