Complaint against tommy gun in Quarry poster rejected
posted by davidt on Friday December 03 2004, @09:00AM

Benton writes:

Moz found not guilty of encouraging gun crime.

ASA adjudication.

---
Alex Large also writes:

Morrissey has been investigated by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority after a complaint that the posters for You Are The Quarry glamourised the use of guns.

A woman Manchester claimed the advert was irresponsible and made a complaint to the ASA.

But Moz was cleared of any wrongdoing.

In it's ruling, the ASA said: “We considered that, because it was a 1920s sub-machine gun and Morrissey was dressed in an old-fashioned pinstripe suit, this meant the poster was likely to be seen as a reference to gangster films rather than as a glorification of gun crime or violence.”

 
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    Complaint against tommy gun in Quarry poster rejected | Log in/Create an Account | Top | 81 comments | Search Discussion
    Threshold:
    The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
    for the love of moz... (Score:2, Funny)
    HAHA!

    are people really that bored that theyd complain about a gun in a poster???
    sunday -- Friday December 03 2004, @09:07AM (#141000)
    (User #11904 Info)
    "a hundred other words blind me with your purity..."
    well wadda you know (Score:1)
    a complaint came from the UK and not the US!? i guess they should have released the "censored" version over yonder as well.
    suededisco -- Friday December 03 2004, @09:53AM (#141009)
    (User #8691 Info)
    Guns don't kill people - Morrissey does! (Score:1)
    I well and truly do think that Morrissey should've been "done" on this one!! (joke)
    What a LOAD of rubbish! How about censoring all the homo-phobic gun worshipping R'n'B artists first? This is the man who used to swing gladioli around in the early days for God's sake! Like Morrissey said recently: the only thing he has not been accused of (yet) is murder. What's next?
    seb71 -- Friday December 03 2004, @10:09AM (#141014)
    (User #13191 Info)
    And another thing! (Score:1)
    The new U2 album makes no reference whatsoever to the dismantling of any sort of bomb, nevermind the Atomic variety that the title suggests the listener will be able to dismantle! Have I got a case?
    Sleepy lifeguard -- Friday December 03 2004, @10:14AM (#141017)
    (User #4562 Info)
    Gun Control: The Celebrity Way (Score:1, Insightful)
    Dear Jim,

    Morrissey ought to be ashamed for brandishing that gun like that on his album cover.

    Signed,

    Jayson Williams, 'Beretta', and Phil Spector

    Well clones, it was only a matter of time before some freak would crawl out of the rock to protest Moz's album cover. Just like those people who complain about violence on t.v. this person is looking to blame the world's problems on album covers. I don't think it's part of Morrissey's m.o. to go around with a tommy gun and hold people up.

    So if he was wearing his Gucci priest jacket instead of the pinstripes it would have been deemed as "a glorification of gun crime or violence"? If Moz was likely to bust a Jayson Williams and shoot his limo driver in the back, i'm sure he would have done it to all those stalkers invading his front yard. Hell, i'm surprised he hasn't already. You have nothing to worry about, Moz isn't going to harm anyone nor is he 'glorifying' violence. What's the matter? Did 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' rub you the wrong way? Or, did you see Moz backstage and get snubbed? 'Violence' or 'glorification' of it in t.v., music, video games, isn't a reason to whine. Whatever the case, let the man hold his gun and let me hold my joystick.

    OUT
    Jim Rome -- Friday December 03 2004, @10:20AM (#141018)
    (User #720 Info | http://www.jimrome.com/ )
    ...and how?
    Little did they know that actually.... (Score:2, Interesting)
    the Tommy gun is a reference to the good old New York Dolls 'Lipstick Killers', from the films of Bob Gruen. I've said it before, so I may as well say it again.

    From
    www.geocities.com/costelt/smithsmoz/NYDolls/nydolls.htm

    page 11:
    "The Dolls had planned a series of concerts in the UK for July of 1974, including dates at Glasgow, Buxton and London. The actual dates were announced, but the group had to pull out at the last minute due to visa difficulties. Instead they went to Hollywood to make a film, 'Hey Good Lookin'', for Warner Brothers. Exactly how the film came about is uncertain. It was a live action and animated 5-'s caper about The Amboy Dukes, 'the toughest band ever to come out of Brooklyn'. It featured a collection of dwarves, and the Dolls alternated between their usual regalia and gangster garb. 'Hey Good Lookin'' was never to be released and now remains in the Warners vaults."
    Tingle -- Friday December 03 2004, @10:31AM (#141020)
    (User #5731 Info)
      Jesus! (Score:2, Funny)
      I am sure when "Jesus" is released as a single he will be accussed of blashemy and spoiling people's christmas.
      Isn't it great that we still have a truly original and living (I know you hate me saying this) pop-star? Somebody who doesn't release endless remixes, somebody who still has got something to say, who releases great b-sides and somebody who isn't kissing the a*** of the well and truly corrupt music industry.
      Morrissey, please do not retire yet.
      seb71 -- Friday December 03 2004, @10:43AM (#141023)
      (User #13191 Info)
      • Re:Jesus! by Poppycocteau (Score:1) Friday December 03 2004, @10:45AM
        • Re:Jesus! by goinghome (Score:1) Friday December 03 2004, @11:09AM
        • Re:Jesus! by Biscuit Buscemi (Score:1) Friday December 03 2004, @03:55PM
          who's to blame (Score:0)
          no way!
          surely the blame for gun violence should be placed on the posters for Swervedriver's "Duel"!
          Anonymous -- Friday December 03 2004, @12:16PM (#141047)
            dumb ass lady (Score:0)
            what a stupid bitch
            Anonymous -- Friday December 03 2004, @01:12PM (#141054)
            Remember The Old Phrase.... (Score:1)
            .... 'Guns don't kill people........ Bullets do.'
            mick ransommich -- Friday December 03 2004, @02:16PM (#141064)
            (User #8642 Info)
            'Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference'.
            reminds me (Score:0)
            of when the Anti Arab Defamation League complained about Killing An Arab by the Cure. there was a great parody called Killing A Carrot that followed.

            Standing on the farm with a hoe in my hand, staring at the skying, staring at the land ....
            Anonymous -- Friday December 03 2004, @03:41PM (#141071)
            • Re:reminds me by sunday (Score:1) Friday December 03 2004, @03:49PM
              • Re:reminds me by Did a bad thing (Score:1) Monday December 06 2004, @04:20AM
                People like to find things to be offended by (Score:1)
                This is just another example of how so many people nowadays try very hard to find things to get offended by.
                LoafingOaf <franticflintstoneNO@SPAMgmail.com> -- Friday December 03 2004, @03:50PM (#141075)
                (User #778 Info)
                Fuck it, Dude. Let's go bowling.
                  I looked at the ASA link - madness (Score:2, Insightful)
                  =====
                  Objection to a poster for the album "You are the Quarry" by Morrissey. The poster featured a photograph of Morrissey, wearing a suit and holding an old-fashioned ''tommy gun''. The complainant, who saw the poster in an area of Manchester that he believed had high levels of gun crime, objected that the advertisement was irresponsible because it glamorised firearms.
                  ======

                  Yeah, just another PC anti-gun idiot who wants to trample on freedom of speech.

                  ======
                  Adjudication:
                  Complaint not upheld
                  The advertisers said they had not intended to offend and regretted any offence their advertisement had caused. They believed, however, that the poster did not glamorise or condone violence, whether associated with firearms or not.
                  ======

                  Well. Of course it DOES glamorize violence. But so what? Why should it be illegal to make a poster?

                  ======
                  The advertisers said the poster had been influenced by a famous Second World War propaganda photograph of Winston Churchill holding a tommy gun;
                  ======

                  This should've been in the news item on this site. I don't think anyone knew this was the inspiration for the pic before. David, you cut out the real NEWS in this news item!

                  ======
                  they maintained that the use of an old-fashioned firearm in the advertisement would lead most people to realise that the advertisement harked back to past times rather than provoking gun crime in the present.
                  ======

                  That's obviously true. Don't know why they have to defend themselves though.

                  ======
                  They argued that the fact that the gun was not smoking, or pointing at the viewer, encouraged the conclusion that the poster did not support gun crime.
                  ======

                  I would hope it wouldn't make a difference where the gun was pointing, since I happen to believe in FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.

                  The smoking thing...well obviously everyone's got the government cracking down on what the demonized "BIG TOBACCO" companies. I don't think it's right to ban advertising for a legal product, however.

                  ======
                  The Authority noted the gun in the advertisement was a 1920s submachine gun. It considered that that, and the fact that Morrissey was dressed in an old-fashioned pinstripe suit, meant the poster was likely to be seen as a reference to gangster films rather than as a glorification of gun crime or violence. The Authority did not object.
                  ======

                  Do you see how crazy the world is getting? I'm glad that the ruling went Sanctuary's way (seems like a no-brainer to me) however one still sees the MADNESS at work here from the nanny-state, squash free speech mentality. Having to argue over the type of SUIT Morrissey wears? Dear Lord! The picture is clearly not obscene or indecent in any way. It's a suave looking Morrissey weilding a cool Tommy gun. If the poster had hard core obscene pornography, then I'd see the need to crack down. Or if it were indecent, then I'd say there should be restrictions on WHERE you can place the poster. But a dude in a suit with a gun? Why is this even an issue?
                  LoafingOaf <franticflintstoneNO@SPAMgmail.com> -- Friday December 03 2004, @04:09PM (#141082)
                  (User #778 Info)
                  Fuck it, Dude. Let's go bowling.
                  when I first saw it I said exactly this..."huh?" (Score:1)
                  Look I love the Moz but I do have to say that seeing him holding a gun was the first...the very first...time I have questioned his choice. Art is art and I am no one to tell Moz what to do but I thought the very nature of a firearm like that (made only to kill humans and cause suffering) was against eberything Morrissey stood for. I do understand it was more the nostalgic gangster chic he was after but still....
                  Ahh.....I shouldn't have posted this. I do love the Moz and this is a small thing but please Moz if you read this think twice about glamourizing guns. You don't have to be pro or anti. Of course Morrissey could put a severed head on his album cover and I woud still buy it because the man walks on water. Truly.
                  MOZ IS GOD -- Friday December 03 2004, @05:52PM (#141097)
                  (User #3249 Info | http://www.myspace.com/coldwarspies )
                  why are you people getting worked up about this? (Score:2, Insightful)
                  if government agencies in the UK work in the same way that they do in the US, then basically every letter that gets sent in, regardless if the subject is "i'm convinced that aliens from Pluto conspired with the Mormons to create Tofu Burgers" or something of legitimate concern that affects the living, is actually researched and responded to.

                  and as you can see by the two paragraph response, somebody spent roughly 10 minutes on it because they knew their time was being wasted. i can almost see the person who made the phone call to Sanctuary rolling their eyes as they dialed the number, and upon getting an answer, they said, "hey, i'm just doing my job, but..."
                  suzanne -- Friday December 03 2004, @08:02PM (#141106)
                  (User #36 Info | http://www.myspace.com/snootywriter )
                  I scare dead people.
                    Let's not be so naive. (Score:2, Insightful)
                    Well, the CD cover is not entirely my cup of tea - I like the cover of "Let Me Kiss You" much more - but one shouldn't act like Morrissey's lyrics are free of violent imagery. In fact, his songs are littered with it. "Girlfriend in a Coma", "Alsatian Cousin", "Sorrow Will Come In the End", etc. much much more. Sometimes the violence is done by others, othertimes the general ill will and anger is expressed by him.

                    He's a harmless chap though. And a CD cover doesn't change that.
                    sadlad -- Saturday December 04 2004, @12:34AM (#141111)
                    (User #5434 Info)
                      who's the target (Score:0)
                      remember when moz was on kilborn's show and kilborn asked him something about record company executives and moz's response was a gesture and sound that basically said that they should all be mowed down with a machine gun. that's what i thought of when i first saw the album cover and several songs on the album address the problems with the music industry as well. so, to me, the album cover represents moz's return to music and what he plans on doing to all of the posers out there. figuratively, not literally, of course.
                      Anonymous -- Saturday December 04 2004, @11:02AM (#141129)
                        Who was it? (Score:1)
                        Who was this "lady" from Manchester?
                        Maybe, Mrs. Mike Joyce?
                        the write one <wildefleur@comcast.net> -- Saturday December 04 2004, @01:30PM (#141139)
                        (User #10056 Info | http://www.myspace.com/mozzapheliac )
                        "it's my life to ruin my own way"
                        The Em Oh Zee- Straight outta Manchester (Score:1)
                        I too object to the way Morrissey glorifies violence and guns.
                        I also disagree with the way he refers to his backing band as "my miscellaneous assorted niggaz".
                        Furthermore, I feel that Morrissey objectifies women when he encourages female fans to "pop them thangs" and says things like "if you gotta bigger booty, come on down and do your duty".
                        Helen Highwater -- Saturday December 04 2004, @08:08PM (#141159)
                        (User #12131 Info)
                        "I love the romance of crime... (Score:1)
                        ... and I wonder does anybody feel the same way I do?"

                        ive read a few of the comments here and ifind it amazing that people were so shocked to see Moz weilding a gun on the cover of '...Quarry'. Morrissey has never shyed away from violent imagery, and increasing over his career he has used it more often. even in the way he performs with the whipping of the microphone cord he conjures up feelings of violence. look at his lyrics over the years:

                        A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours
                        Ambitious Outsiders
                        Ammunition
                        Asian Rut
                        Barbarism Begins At Home
                        Bigmouth Strikes Again
                        Boxers
                        The Boy Racer
                        Death At One's Elbow
                        Girlfriend In A Coma
                        Hand In Glove
                        The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
                        The Headmaster Ritual
                        I Want The One I Can't Have
                        Is It Really So Strange?
                        Jack The Ripper
                        The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
                        The Lazy Sunbathers
                        Maladjusted
                        Margaret On The Guillotine
                        Meat Is Murder
                        Michael's Bones
                        The National Front Disco
                        The Operation
                        Reader Meet Author
                        Rusholme Ruffians
                        Sister, I'm A Poet
                        Speedway
                        Such A Little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference
                        Suedehead
                        Suffer Little Children
                        Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
                        Sweet And Tender Hooligan
                        The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils
                        That's Entertainment
                        This Is Not Your Country
                        Unhappy Birthday
                        We'll Let You Know

                        these are not the songs of a man who doubles over in disgust at the thought of violence; rather these are the songs of man who realizes the passion and excitement that comes with violence and can embrace it.
                        chrisarclark <clarkinatorclark@hotmail.com> -- Saturday December 04 2004, @08:16PM (#141160)
                        (User #9259 Info)
                        "I'm just passing through here on my way to somewhere civilized and maybe I'll even arrive, maybe I'll even arrive..."
                          Re:"I love the romance of crime... (Score:2, Insightful)
                          Thought you were going to somewhere civilised!!
                          But since you've shown how commonly Moz uses violent imagery, it obviously has a place. If he embraces it, I do not think it is necessarily in acceptance, more in realistic encounter in order to process it somehow. The 'sweetness' he wants to 'bludgeon in your bed' for example I think is about naming angry frustrated emotion because love, peace and harmony are so elusive. And like when he said in the documentary that he wishes 'Joyce the very worst for the rest of his life'. People are rarely that honest about universal feelings of betrayal, hatred, vengance. The big choice is whether and how to act on them, not if we have them. Myself and friends into Morrissey's music agree about the shock in words like that, that create a little revolution in your brain, as if, by naming conflict, you have a bit more control over it, a clearer overview. So Morrissey the witness, rather than violence approver, makes more sense to me.
                          goinghome -- Sunday December 05 2004, @04:21AM (#141179)
                          (User #12673 Info)
                          [ Parent ]
                        the person had a point (Score:0)
                        if for no other reason than the album cover is shit and it's lame holding a gun for no real reason.
                        Anonymous -- Sunday December 05 2004, @06:47AM (#141183)
                        Re:Another Dumb - Ass Liberal.... (Score:1)
                        take your pathetic pussy footed comments and shove in your hamburger!!!!!
                        Pepe <suedehead@linuxmail.org> -- Saturday December 04 2004, @10:09AM (#141125)
                        (User #7783 Info)
                        [ Parent ]
                          Your comedy character isn't working (Score:0)
                          Try again
                          Anonymous -- Sunday December 05 2004, @05:01AM (#141180)
                          [ Parent ]
                            Re:Another Dumb - Ass Liberal.... (Score:1)
                            Such complaints are much more likely to come from the reactionary, religious, right, where most of societies problems come from!
                            Did a bad thing -- Monday December 06 2004, @04:10AM (#141231)
                            (User #12526 Info)
                            [ Parent ]
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