Coldplay, as much as i really like some songs of them, are no match for a morrissey in his prime or even not in his prime. And every genius is a geek in some way, but not every geek is a genius...

How can Chris Martin label himself geeky when he was voted one of the most sexiest people in the world? I don't get it. Besides, I don't think Paltrow enjoys that kind of talk.

I thought he served a cease and desist.
no sense

"Hellish catacombs within his perplexing psyche" is a bit hyperbolic!

But Simon Goddard knows his stuff; it's always a pleasure to read him.

Wahey the moz solo debacle is out in the press. We must all be so proud

Here we go...This should be a fun ride. :(

Morrissey is now suing Morrissey-Solo.com -

No, just a writ that threatened so, and apparently isn't going to be followed up on.

effectively turning his wrath on the very constituency that has sustained him for the past six years,

You wouldn't know it by reading half of the comments around here. And don't be so thick, he had a good reason. Plus, it was only the webmaster, not "the constituency".

attacking his own fan-base

David T is Morrissey's fan base? He went after him, not all or any of the posters, as the way this article is worded suggests.

for daring to suggest that he is anything other than an infallible messiah.

Come off it, it was a hell of a lot more than that. Here, let me say it. "Morrissey is not an infallable messiah." Watch his lawyers NOT fall on me for that.

To say the least, truly dissapointed.

Yes, this may be fantastic publicity for the Webmaster Morrissey-Solo, but it is absolute disaster for those of us who really want and need Morrissey to get some positive publicity and a record deal finalised quickly...

I don't know why, but it feels as if we will soon hear that the record deal mentioned in Word, and the Importance...documentary are about to be crushed.

we know that Chris Martin can't lick Clay Aiken's boots when it comes to being King Geek of the new generation.

anyhow, that article was what i was imagining was going to happen. a journalist doesn't want to flat out say, "moz didn't pay his crew" because there is a lot of shit involved with it if they did. but its much easier to say, "a website is being issued writs because they said moz didn't pay his crew" because the latter is a verifiable fact that David was contacted by a lawyer with a cease and desist order and told to remove offensive content.

its like a whack-a-mole game, if you think about it.

This is irresponsible reporting to say the least. I haven't purchased Goddard's book yet. I was going to but now I have second thoughts. Did the same kind of "thought" go into "Songs that Saved your Life"?

Someone was bound to pick up on it. It's a legitimate news item...

Hmmm… methinks a certain Mr. Goddard might be trying to get a bit of revenge on Morrissey because he didn’t embrace ‘The Songs That Saved Your Life’ with open arms.

"the hellish catacombs within his perplexing psyche"
Oh, dictators and murderers step aside, here comes… Doesn’t Goddard have a better place to direct his enourmous anger?

" after it was revealed that, with co-writer and guitarist Johnny Marr, he had drawn up a contract that would deny bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce an equal share of performance monies"

So Goddard is actually saying there was a contract? Interesting, maybe he should be called as a witness to the defence when case is brought up again ;)

"Morrissey is now suing Morrissey-Solo.com"

Jumping to conclusions, anyone?

"attacking his own fan-base for daring to suggest that he is anything other than an infallible messiah."

I personally don’t feel I have been attacked for calling him ‘anything other than an infallible messiah’. Actually I don’t feel very attacked at all.

Does SG know something we don't? David T, any follow-up comment since your last news item noting no new news?

kl

When I opened the paper yesterday and saw the article I was at first pleaseantly surprised, it's not often Morrissey appears in a paper such as the Evening Standard (or any paper these days come to that). Then I read it. The article is entitled "All Geek to Me" and begins by saying that Morrissey influenced Coldplay, Radiohead and Pulp - as if that were the only reason his work should be of interest! It is illustrated by two 20 year old photos of Morrissey and the Smiths, the main one is of a scruffy early 80s Moz in an overcoat,cardigan and beaded necklaces brandishing gladioli, caption: Morrissey wields his trademark gladioli. The article focuses mainly on the Smiths as if Moz has been doing nothing since 1987. His post Smiths career is summed up thus: "After an initial honeymoon period of even greater chart prosperity, his post Smiths career of mixed critical and commercial fortunes finaly ran aground at the end of the Nineties." So that covers Viva Hate, Your Arsenal, Vauxhall and I etc then.
The of course it goes into the legal wranglings with Mike Joyce and claims he is suing Morrissey-solo.com, ending with (Dial a Cliche indeed) "Heaven knows he really must be miserable now". Not as miserable as someone who has to rely on writing shite like this to make a living.

This paper is read by middle Englanders on their daily commute back to the suburbs. Picture the scene: all those thousands of Reggie Perrins and Jerry Leadbetters, who know nothing of Moz, on their way back to Metroland reading this article. How depressing.
This piece of trash reinforces the old cliches about Morrissey and the Smiths and says nothing about his work after 1987. No mention was made of last year's triumpant tour other than in relation to the rumour posted on this site about non-payment of the crew!
It really is quite depressing that someone like Goddard is quite happy to make a living out of Moz and put the boot in with such an unrepresentative article. Maybe he's been spending too much time with Mike Joyce. Moz should issue an immediate fatwa on Simon Goddard. On second thoughts, maybe he should get his lawyer to send him a letter!

Disgusted of Mile End

Simon, you've spent too long with Joyce the Devil, listening to his pathetic whining and yelping.
Please get over the fact that you cannot be famous on your own terms, but have to suck up to failed punk drummers and council house rats.
Simon, writing, being, creating is NOT 'treading water'. But what would you know, your only talent (?) is dissecting the true art of others, the writer of the music and the singer of the songs.
Go away Simon, please.

Morrissey was cleverer than Kajagoogoo AND Nik Kershaw. Nice of you to give the population of London those 2 huge plus points before telling them about what you really wanted them to know on the court cases and "suing his fans" bit. Quite well balanced that.

This article really made me think. The whole ordeal is quite sad, infact. This piece makes the reader assume that Morrissey is a "has been," and, honestly, there are fair reasons to back that up. But you can't really shoot Morrissey down; he hasn't changed all that much and some folks should have known better. I still adore Morrissey, don't get me wrong; I just think he's experiencing some misplaced anger. I hope that he can put some of these latest events into perspective before he ends up hurting people he shouldn't have hurt.

and it shows. and Chris Martin is not a geek. he's a dork.

should blame Morrissey for Coldplay...

that's taking slander onto whole new levels of degradation...

every once in a while an article or a quote of someone comes and startes the issue again of moz's career, how could they say it's going down? haven't they listened to the songs?

once we used to argue his songs and albums are as good as ever. in the last 6 years we seem to admit he's got some issues but still we refuse to accept the notion that going solo was bad for him.

all those journalists, singers, former-fans, are saying what they're saying because going solo for moz as a non-musician is a very meaningful act.
he no longer stands for something greater than himself, no longer represents a generation - he doesn't represent the anonymous john smith, but morrissey only. morrissey haven't learned guitar or piano, haven't searched for new horizons, but continued to make his die hard fans (like me) happy.

he manipulated our love for him to make us psychologically stagnated.u can say "speak for yourself" but think before u write.
many of those we blame are constantly looking for the new musical thrill, some do it for the hype, but most because they really enjoy the melody, the harmony, the excitment of discovering new sounds - the edge's guitar, depeche mode doom sounds, the cure heaven-like riffs, the stone roses mix of rhythm and force, radiohead every-sound, and so on. it has been too long since morrissey has put something like that, and by never really spotlighting his guitar mates, its as if he told us "the music doesn't matter, it's just me".

so the press becomes tired of delving into the lyrics, the want to compare, praise and criticise melodic quality and morrissey has forced them to focuse on him. even the lyrics are not the same, so morrissey's lovers are doomed to adore him for the nostalgia, for the live act, for his looks, interviews (which are filled with nostalgia), and the witty things he say - which also depends a lot if you love the guy on the first place.

face ot, in the last 8 years morrissey has done very little. it's more than half of his solo career, in fact he made only 2 good albums since parting with stephen street, then it all became about him.

don't get me wrong. i like morrissey because for many moments he gave me, but he's making it hard for me.
i do feel he has been attacking his fan base, because he knew david is going to inform us all (or should have known) but didn't give a damn and never once addressed us all those years to explain, inform or whatever.

i can see why SG writes what he writes, it's no reason not to buy the book. indeed, he sounds to me like someone who would not appreciate YA or V & I but it's not his fault ;)
c'mon critics. kill me

noam

The issue of whether this site is being sued or not aside (probably typical newspaper sensationalism anyway), I think there's some over reaction here to the gist of this article.

On the issue that "a glorified mix-tape" is "scant substitute" for a proper return from Moz, I have to agree. Great as it is that this Under The Influence CD is getting him back on magazine covers, surely I can't be the only one who senses a case of 'Emperor's New Clothes' here? We've been begging for a new album for years now and my patience is all but exhausted with this deal that may/may not be happening. Forget various artists CDs of your favourite records Morrissey - WE WANT A NEW ALBUM FROM YOU!

I don't agree with Goddard if he thinks Moz is finished, but I think he's writing as a frustrated fan here rather than a bitter journo (he does say "the greatest lyricist of his generation" - who on this site can argue with that?).

Moz does call Coldplay "Oldplay"(and Radiohead "Radiodead")...hardly a compliment!
Although I agree with their fairtrade stuff, I find the whole "ideal son-in-law with a nice smile" thing a little too dull for my liking!

Coldplay is nothing compared to them. But what is Coldplay anyway?