Morrissey-solo
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posted by
davidt
on Wednesday November 20 2002, @09:30AM
Elizabeth writes:
Here's the text of a short piece from The Herald on Saturday 2 November. Heaven knows, he is miserable now. A tidal wave of brain-dead Britneys has driven the morose Morrissey to new levels of depression. But his tour, and the promise of two albums, could save the day, says Mark Smith. Morrissey is bored. Extremely, utterly, and overwhelmingly bored. He is sitting in his hotel room in Birmingham, the latest stop on his new tour of Europe, and is, among other things, attempting to deal with the vagaries of laundry and room-service orders that are never right. But it is not those irritations, today at least, that are responsible for his thoroughly fed-up state of mind. The reason for the boredom is music, or, more specifically, modern music. It does absolutely nothing for the 43-year-old singer and lyricist, formerly of iconic 1980s band The Smiths, but now passionately solo. When he looks - and it's not often - all he sees is a windlashed wilderness populated by occasional braindead Britneys and Geris. It is a situation which depresses, angers, and, of course, bores him. In The World is Full of Crashing Bores, one of several new songs which he has been unveiling coquettishly to his fans at the recent gigs, Morrissey makes those feelings blindingly clear. During the clashing, soaring sermon, he spits out at "lockjaw pop stars thicker than pigshit". The target isn't one pop star in particular - it is the entire music scene. "I find everybody incredibly lame, very, very lame," he says, exasperation in every consonant. "So it makes it impossible for me to read the music press, watch music television, and so forth. I just find it so irritating because it is all aimed at the lowest possible common denominator. Some of us out here are intelligent and we don't need everything to be reduced to a level of complete idiocy." At this point in his career, it would seem Morrissey's antipathy to modern music is mutual. He has been without a record deal for five years and, although there have been on-and-off negotiations, as yet nothing has emerged. He says Sanctuary are trying hard to lure him, but that they are "not close". "I've been offered a couple of deals, but nothing very worthwhile. People are beginning to think I'm being stroppy and asking for the universe and I'm holding out for unspendable amounts of money, but it isn't true. I don't get approached." The problem is Morrissey has one, maybe even two, albums waiting to go. "At the moment, there is nothing I can do about it. I must wait, and unfortunately, that wait is developing into a long time." You would think that, what with all this boredom and frustration, Morrissey might sound like a bitter heckler bawling from the balcony. In fact, his complaints are delivered politely and convincingly in a cool voice, traces of Mancunian accent hovering at the edge of his syllables; his beautifully-formed sentences becoming instant lyrics to songs yet to be written. He hates his current position, but doesn't need to see his name in HMV's window to feel happy. Much of his happiness comes from Los Angeles, where he has lived now for five years in the home once owned by the Hollywood actress Carole Lombard. He moved there "accidentally" but the city has ended up becoming essential to him for its unlikely beauty and its colourful Hispanic element; the negative, narcissistic side does not bother him. "In Paisley or Middlesbrough, you will find exactly the same thing: people who are obsessed with their own vanity and that's a worldwide disease. In LA, you just have to take things with many tongues in many cheeks." Among other things, his time in LA is spent thinking ("for me, that's work") and writing his autobiography ("most people have made the index, but they'll be sorry about it"). The book, he says, is an act of catharsis, not revenge. "It's a question of setting a multitude of records straight and it's the only way I can do that." I ask him why he hasn't set the record straight on his relationships (that well-roasted celibacy chestnut). "I just feel, well just leave them [journalists] to it really. Why should they know everything?" When he does fly back to Britain, he finds that, as the plane descends, his heart sinks. In the past, he has celebrated England, but now he is mostly disillusioned, due in large part to the domination of Labour and the Tories, the Scylla and Charybdis of politics. "I just wonder why England goes on with these two parties; they are both completely redundant and useless. For a country that is somewhat known for violence and strong reactions, politically they will just accept anything. Foot-and-mouth; salmonella - the British government are killing people and no-one seems to mind." He is also particularly furious at the government's attitude to animal rights. "You'll find the police always protecting the meat industry, but you'll never find the police protecting animal rights activists. As long as people can get money from animals, it's okay." This passion for animal rights is something that has exercised Morrissey's mind since before the days of The Smiths. One of his greatest early songs, Meat is Murder, with its agonised omnivores and groaning chainsaws, led to thousands of Smiths fans throwing their beefburgers in the bin and it is just as important to Morrissey. "That song is incredibly important. I've never heard another song like it. Ever. Which is something odd to say about any song, since most songs have been heard in some form or another before." He has heard "a million times" that the song has converted people to vegetarianism. "Which is why I continue with it because I think every night it does have an effect and if it is 45 people who reconsider then it's just the best thing that could happen to me." As for future songs, they must continue to exist only in the ephemeral universe of a Morrissey gig. They are sung to a small world, and then they are gone. But an album will almost certainly emerge sooner or much later. Until then, Morrissey is still adjusting to his detached relationship with the music industry as someone might become used to a debilitating disease. Then he will be back. Bored, but never boring. Morrissey is appearing at Barrowland, Glasgow, tomorrow.
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Morrissey interview in The Glasgow Herald (Nov. 2, 2002), by Mark Smith
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I would advise... (Score:1, Interesting)
Ah yes maybe a shrink would help too - I must try one myself these days, must produce some effect to help us to deal with sadness, depression and general frustration. Anyway writing his autobiography is probably helping already.
He never sounded more human to my ears than in this short interview, even looks like he has the same problems that lots of people have.
(User #284 Info)
Morrissey on Joy Division (Score:2, Informative)
From http://arcane.morrissey-solo.com/moz/interviews/1990/deepend.htm [morrissey-solo.com]
NK: What do you feel about New Order?
M: I never, ever understood New Order. I don't feel hate, anger, jealousy or anything strong for them. But that's the problem! They just passed over my head. Or under it."
NK: What about Joy Division, then?
M: I saw them just before 'the death' and I was astonishingly unmoved. As were the audience, I might add. To me, it's all just... legend.
(User #4664 Info)
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The Life of Morrissey... (Score:1)
(User #724 Info)
Morrissey's autobiography? (Score:1)
(User #852 Info | http://www.geocities.com/morrissey_81)
Mark Smith (Score:1)
(User #3877 Info)
Hurry and write Mr. Morrissey! (Score:0)
Yay! (Score:0, Troll)
UK Press Subeditors (Score:0)
Morrisseys House ??? (Score:1, Insightful)
Stay Away(That means you Ambitious Outsiders),
Private Eye
good article (Score:1)
(User #6922 Info)
No, he's dating voluptuos blondes (Score:1)
And what's all this celibacy crap? Are these journalists all morons, or do they take us for utter idiots? I, for one, don't need any press statement, "ladies and gentlemen, I have the honour of informing you that I am...". One look at the man is enough for me, as I know very well that the most handsome, rebellious and fascinating men are...
(User #7236 Info)
A tidalwave of braindead Britneys? (Score:2, Insightful)
(User #4231 Info)
There is some music that Moz likes!! (Score:0)
I am sure there are some songs he likes out there but it would go against his style to admit it. What a great breakthrough for him, BTW, to say he is happy. This way he wins in the end regardless of what happens in his career :)
Oh, and my opinions are always right.
- Red Hill
Did y'all here the news about Moz & Pam Anders (Score:0)
Gimme a break. (Score:0)
Yawn! Here we go again... (Score:1)
If it walks like a duck...
(User #5434 Info)
Aye! (Score:1)
(User #6230 Info | http://opendiary.com/entrylist.asp?authorcode=A128747)
The Moz Who? (Score:0)
From I remember you, but many people don't --J
Surely that claim belongs to Saint George? (Score:0)
Not like the English, who insist on allowing themselves to be embarrassed repeatedly in a masochistic fashion at Cricket.
The only effort they seem to put into the Ashes these days is thinking up reasons (which become more pathetic with the passing years) as to why the Ashes should remain in England, when they've had no real claim on them for the last decade.
Never mind, as the frequent occurences of football hooliganism show, they can always gain solace in the fact that they're good at fighting. A very laudable claim to fame, and one which I'm sure Morrissey approves immensely. At least his celibacy is a choice.
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Re:William Wallace is a POOF (Score:0)
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