a lot of people have been speculating about this lately. i hope more than anything that its not true, but i can't help but feel like it might be.

I would think that is hard to believe. It doesn't seem like a smart business decision seeing as how he is having a great tour and has a well received album out.

We can always throw out the possibility that this is his last solo tour and he and Johnny might be reuniting. But, why would he want to do that? Right now he has alone has the spotlight and can do solo and Smiths songs.

He is probably waiting for Alain to get back to his old form.

He wouldn't have tried so hard for so long to get a record contract.
File under RUMOUR

That if this was true he would of announced it by now as he would get far more ticket sales if this were to be "the last tour".
Speaking of last tours, I saw the shadows this year on their "last tour", they forgot to mention next years "encore tour" though!

handsome_devil

Surely it's difficult to continue after having written the (possibly) enigma-shattering autobiography? Having said that, he has said in recent interviews "I'm fascinated by artists who continue to create records into their latter years" and "the closer I get to absolute senility, the happier I feel" etc.

When I listen to stuff like "Irish Blood, English Heart" Don't Make Fun of Daddy's Voice" "Come Back to Camden" and "You Know I Couldn't Last" I feel genuinely excited about where his next direction will take him and I haven't felt this way about Morrissey's work since stuff like "Sunny," "Boxers" and parts of "Southpaw Grammar," which was a long time ago. It would be terrible if Moz were to quit when he seems to be at an artistic peak. Still, he is blessed with impeccable taste and he's probably best placed to time his exit from the musical scene. It's a difficult thing to achieve to balance what he has left in the tank against shattering his image and credibility by going on too long.

I've often wondered if he'll release the autobiography shortly before he turns 50, based on things he's said in past interviews. He said "If I reach 50, it will imply a certain lack of resolve... or something" and when questioned about this by NME in 2004, he replied, "I'm not yet 50.. am I?" which was quite an enigmatic response. He's also said in the past "I will know when it's time to leave.." so based on this, I assumed he'd release another album or two between now and 50 and then make a dramatic exit, following the autobiography.

Perhaps he feels he won't be able to take the stage to perform live after this record though - so perhaps he'll just release albums and not do the live stuff in future - but who knows?

My feeling is that Morrissey still possesses the genius he's always had and he's creating great music and performing brilliantly live - possibly better than at any time since he left the Smiths. So why stop? There could be some great moments to come. Sure, some of the recent b-sides have been a little bland, but "Daddy's Voice" "IBEH" and "YKICL" are classic Morrissey. It would be a terrible loss were he to quit the scene now.

It's okay if Mozzer quits. What else do you want him to do for you? At least he'll still be around by signing the bands that matter to Attack.

if he advertised a tour as his last id be sure to be at as many of the shows as humanly possible and as close as possible too. i saw 3 shows this last time around but it would be depressing to think that i'll never again be in the same room as the man.

the fact that he is playing how soon is now and bigmouth (plus other various big smiths tunes) at every concert lately leads me to believe this is his last tour

I am only going to my first Morrissey concert in December.It can't be the last as well.I would be so devestated if he stopped.Morrissey is still as genius as he was 22 years ago.His genius wil never fade.

There are some ugly people around here.

broken, you are so obviously replying to yourself, just pack it in loser.

Is it 1993 all over again?

he's coming back as the lead vocalist of a band called The Smiths?!?! No longer known as Morrissey - Solo?????

then i woke up

Morrissey still has a few good albums inside him. His words and that voice don't sound to me as if they are ready to pack it in just yet.

As far as touring and zigzagging here and there and country to country, I can see how that may have taken a physical toll on him.
He may have had enough of that.

If he were to play occasionally and in certain cities, I would still go to see him and be content with that.

He did say some form of goodbye at each of the shows I went to in PHL, NYC and NJ. They were really just little one-liner hints and not full blown farewells, with the exception of one of the Philly shows. To my knowledge, that was the only one during which he said a few lines and was visibly upset. Something like "our paths may never cross again..." Please, Moz, one more cd and tour!! I can't imagine what life would be like w/no new Moz stuff to look forward to....

Right after he finishes cleaning my gutters.

At least that's the rumor I heard.

Having been out of the way for a while, drinking green tea and reflecting, I just wanted to join this thread to say that this is total and absolute RUBBISH.

Expect more great shows ahead in 2004 and also what better way to record a new album after the tour.

Hazard

I don't think this will be his final album. He might decide to take a vacation after all is said and done with YATQ, but he'll come back eventually. He probably needs the rest as he didn't tour for a while. Granted, he toured on his own twice since the fall of Maladjusted, but this tour is much more hectic and important as it is backed by a record label.

Say what you want about TWIFOCB, but it's an important song. To hear that song being played on the airwaves, (or at least released as a single) during this era of music is too good to pass up. Of course it won't be that 'hit' that most people want from him. What ever happened to TFOTGTD? Wasn't that supposed to be the song that should have catapulted Moz to the household name he should be? As great of a song as it is, it turns out that IBEH was the most important song for him on this album because it brought him back out of the obscurity of "Morrissey? What ever happened to him?", that most music listeners were wondering before this album was released. This song would be equally important in that it states Moz's opinion on the current music scene stronger than any of his other releases.

That is a real shame if he doesn't get to all the tour stops he was supposed to do. If the man wants to retire, he has every right to. But at least visit all those fans that got the brunt of the cancellations. Give them a chance to say goodbye before you exit for the next ten years Moz.

*Yawn*

"A very public pre-planned exit"...bollocks.

dear morrissey-soloers,

don't fret about anything, lovers. morrissey has documented all of his musical efforts!

and by the way, rumors are odious.

sit and wait patiently, children. and please attempt to restrain yourselves from creating silly myths about our humble hero. they only excite.

He was searching 7 years a record company just to say farewell?.... mmmm....
And his voice is now greater than ever. Remember when "Vauxhall" seemed the last one (even Morrissey said something about that).
  I hope this is a rumor

Moz is NOT going anywhere!

He may not put out a new album for a couple of years, but this is NOT his farewell. There is NO evidence to suggest it, other than the idle musings of people with too much time on their hands.

Just silly really....

People love a little drama. don't they?
Wasn't Morrissey gonna quit in '93? "Maybe another album?"...he he...

www.mymarilyn.net

Moz has been saying goodbye to people at a lot of the live shows.
He was hugely humiliated in the mid-late 90's by his commercial decline and subsequent failure to get a record deal for all that time.
He's just had his best year ever commercially. Three top ten singles and a platinum album. Amazing. The only way is down. He put so much (7 years worth of) effort into Quarry but it received pretty mixed reviews and even us fans on this website voted it the 7th best Morrissey/Smiths album (when he thought it was THE best). Must be truly exasperating for Moz.
Nope, I'm afraid this is beginning to look like the end of the line.
If the next single is promoted as his last ever, there's a slim chance of a number one even though Crashing Bores is pretty duff...
John

sorry can't believe this at all, mozz is enjoying it too much, the timing is not right, obviously going to be a quiet year, next year. Rumours, they get people talking. see you soon mozz, thanks for a TOP year

His living is that he sings.
That's all.

You know i couldnt last would be a better final single

I selfishly hope he isn't retiring, but let's face it, there are now a few compelling shreds of "evidence" floating around:

1. He's always been pretty contemptuous of the senior citizen rock brigade - yep, the older "establishment" artists doing the rounds of the Queens Jubilees (Sir Morrissey anyone? Not!!!);

2. He's always had a grand, dramatic sense of occassion hovering like an aura around him (it really would be just sooo Moz to exit stage left with a grand flourish and a brace of fresh Top Tens in his pocket);

3. He could (right now as oppossed to one year ago) quit at the top of his game commercially and with face-saving dignity intact;

4. He does, by the way in case you hadn't noticed, now have another "job" (A & R for Attack);
 
5. He's committing his version of events to paper at last (or so we are led to believe).

Over and above all this, perhaps the biggest giveaway is the reports of his glowing face peering from the balconies of venues eagerly lapping up the performances of his favourite artists, some now performing purely because of his initiative. Sounds like the ultimate fan's dream come true, and we all know Moz never once stopped being a music fan first and foremost.

However, he has recently sung "The pleasure hasn't gone" referring to his art, so who the hell knows? Not us, that's for sure. But then again, there's "Get Off The Stage", isn't there, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Bottom Line: We don't know what we don't know.

has finally arrived. Even in the coldest winter years between Maladjusted and The Greatest Pop Comeback of All Time (tm), it was obvious that one day, Morrissey would make another album -- it was just a question of when.

I think the manner in which the rumour describes his exit from the world of music is probaby spot on -- it will galvanize the mythology that surrounds Morrissey with a lasting strength that very, VERY few artists have been able to forge. He will escape the imperfect denouement that so many of his idols past and present couldn't (including those who died young). Whether Quarry is the last is definitely not certain, but I think Morrissey will pack it in, as he said, before 50. The autobiography would cap it...

One question -- what is Morrissey's contract with Sanctuary? Was it only for one album? Did Sanctuary go through all this work for one great record and some brilliant b-sides?

There's only one place that The Moz can finish his career, and that's Manchester!

Morrissey wouldn't be able to retire if he tried. I remember about 12 years ago David Bowie announcing to the world he would NEVER play his hits again. That lasted for about 2 years and now he plays them ever concert.

Theres one reason and one reason alone that Morrisey returned. He like so many artist love the spotlight.

Some points:

1. I hope he does not retire. I love his music.

2. If he DOES choose to go this way, I think it would be a mistake. Morrissey will not be going out on top - well, maybe commercially, but artistically, he has more to achieve. YATQ is NOT his best work, I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but to these ears Vauxhall is SO much better - and 'Crashing Bores' will see him go out with a whimper rather than a bang - as John said, it's quite a lame track, particularly in it's plodding Quarry incarnation.

3. This "grand exit" we're talking about - don't be fooled. Most of the general public neither know or care about Morrissey. If Elvis had quit in 68 before his 70s decline, it would have cemented his reputation rather than what did happen, which is to many he became an overweight laughing stock. But Elvis is known to EVERYONE. Morrissey is known to comparatively few. Many will have HEARD of him, few will care whether he's around or not. The people who WILL care are us, who would buy his records regardless of his age and fashionability. His "grand exit" will have virtually no impact. I always think of Johnny Cash - if Cash had retired in 1970, he'd have avoided the years of decline that followed in the 1970s/80s, BUT - we would never have received the superb 1990s 'American Recordings' albums he made with Rick Rubin, which stand among his very best work. Point is, never say never - Morrissey announcing his retirement will be shooting himself in the foot. With Cash, the excellent American albums made worthwhile the years of lesser material in the 1980s - and I wouldn't want to change that. Those of you who think Moz should go "on top" - consider this - you may be turning your nose up at three or four superb Morrissey albums. Maybe he wouldn't make another great album for ten years; fifteen years; whatever - but then if he came back with a stonker, it'd sure be worth it. He should not retire. It doesn't really benefit him because to a lot of people he has yet to prove himself - I don't believe Quarry will be regarded as much more than a solid at best record in ten years time. As it stands now, there's about an equal helping of dross and brilliance in his solo catalogue - on the "brilliant material" side, you have half of 'Viva Hate', half of 'Bona Drag', 'Your Arsenal' and 'Vauxhall' plus a couple of other tracks like 'Boxers' and 'Trouble Loves Me'. On the dross side - the other half of 'Viva Hate', 'Kill Uncle', 'Southpaw Grammar', 'Maladjusted' and some of the YATQ material. Most of the YATQ material is average. To me, his long-term reputation as a solo artist is still very much in the balance. He has work to do yet, and his retirement won't do favours to anything other than his own vanity. Plus, to most of the public, this will be a "legend" they care nothing about. In his head he may be cementing his credibility, in reality the kids who are buyinf Franz Ferdinand records or the oldies who never liked The Smiths anyway really won't give a stuff if he retires. We will, they won't. But we're prepared to accept the rough with the smooth anyway, as he must know by now.

Plus, he's the king, and the world will be an emptier place for us without his music.

A long time ago.

So, an anonymous person fires in a rumour from an unreliable source. Is that really worth blocking the airwaves for?

Still upset about John Peel passing away meself...

Slow down, now. Let's think from a marketing standpoint. How many Kiss, Rolling Stones, Ozzy, Who, Cure, etc...tours have been billed as their last AFTER the tour is over? As always, they do it BEFORE the tour starts. It's called a "Farewell Tour". The last gasp to squeeze some more money out of the fans that have seen the band a million times. Last chance to grab collector merch, etc...
    If he didn't want to play to half empty halls in the south he wouldn't have been keeping this all a secret. Sure he needs a break. He did a crap load of promoting and touring this year. I'm sure he's beat.
    And I wouldn't hold my breath about the autobiography. As I remember in early interviews this year he mentioned it wasn't about to be finished. Look at how long he shopped this last CD. How long do you think he'll hold out for the book?

The Mozz-ster said it all.... & I am not one.

what a complete and utter load of tosh. He searched for 5 years to get a deal. i recall an interview pre yatq where he stated they had loads of songs ready , not just an album , but loads. 5 years is a long time to be creative and experiment , and i dont believe for one minute this is the end. All i would say is , its a bit worrying regarding Alain , we havent had anything official released , and if its a personal health matter , thats the way it should stay , but , if it isnt , i think the band owe it to us to say blah blah blah.... only with words of course.To the person who started this rumour , your a cock.

can someone tell me when moz has talked about the autobiography before? i thought he always took a "the songs speak for themselves" approach to his life. i also think the suicide talk is ridiculous with how hes made such a point in recent years how happy he is. why now when hes made it this far?

This rumour is unlike most others that I read on this site, in that it kind of makes a bit of sense.

There is no point in Morrissey continuing on and on and on just for the sake of it. If he does make another album then the comeback appeal will have gone and it will be back to just 'us' again, and we won't see 3 top ten singles and a number 2 album, so in that regards it would be a backward move.

However, chart positions are not really something that I imagine he is too concerned about, but musically and lyrically can the they better Quarry, because if not I think it would be a perfect time to bow out (as much as I would hate it).

If 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' gets into the top ten at Christmas, and then 'The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores' is hyped as a last ever single and comes in at Number 1, it would be a fitting moment, both signing of on that Lyrical note and of course leaving on the No.1 spot.

I honestly believe that it would be very difficult for him to continue being enigmatic old Mozza if he reveals much in his biog, and he seems determined to finish it. I can see him being a fantastic novelist and maybe even playright after his Musical journey.

I dont think that Morrissey's creative career is over after he finishes singing, however I personally think that he should stick around for another album (maybe two) because I want to hear more, but maybe that wouldnt be the right decision to make. Only Moz can decide.

I for one would buy his books or watch his plays, he is a supremely talented man who can offer a great deal if he puts his mind to it.

Dont Leave Us. There is Work to be done.

So not true, any of this. This site is rapidly becoming a haven for gossip mongers and fish-wives. How tragic.

It's really hard to say with old mozzer if this is the last album/tour. He tried to pull that off with 'vauxhall and i'. He doesn't seem like one to announce a 'farewell tour'. Too many crashing bores have already cashed out on that one. But after 7 years with no recording deal for him to finally get a record made and released and then retire just doesn't make too much sense. > Was it just to show everyone he could still do it? // Was it done so he could get more of an audience to read his autobiography? // Was it done so he had a nice ending to his biography? // Was it done so he can start signing acts to a record label?
I personally don't think morrissey is going anywhere. Maybe a bit of a break after the tremendous year he has just had. Possibly the most exciting ever.
There's plenty left from Morrissey. Let's hope he keeps rockin !!

I don't think this is his last tour etc. For one, he's said many times he writes all the time (and that he will probably never stop), and now he has a record deal (espcially after waiting 7 years for it), why would he stop releasing? Plus he has himself admitted he can't live without fame/music. What would he do with himself? Maybe he'll downsize the tour a little though, he's all over the place at the moment!

Listen to the lyrics from the B sides to Let me kiss you - especially I am two people - he implies that if he doesn't end the love affair (with his fans...), then someone/something inevitably will - I think he's calling it a day boys. Gutted.

He loves making music too much to leave without being dragged off. And dare I say, he loves the drama of the whole thing too. Don't believe it,