I didn't mean to do anything wrong and I didn't do anything wrong! It's all their fault because I never do anything wrong. Sure I knew for weeks that my name was in for IOW but didn't say anything because I was really really busy and stuff... and like I said, it was all their fault!
Come on guys, love me!

Kisses, Mozzer

Morrissey splitting with Sanctuary?

Well, either he's using this as leverage for a fatter Sanctuary contract or he thinks that other labels may offer him a better contract due to the fact that "Quarry" shifted as many units as it did (most in his career, right?).

But didn't Sanctuary give him his own label imprint? Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. I surely hope that Sanctuary wrote somewhere in the contract that if he pulls out, Attack stays with them.

I have to admit, this all sounds like typical Morrissey: laying blame on second and third parties, pulling out of gigs, going through low channels to get him message out, etc. I know it’s been said about 350 times already, but he KNEW that IOW had him penciled in as the headliner several months ago – it’s just poor form to make mention of it now and blame the people that were good enough to bend to your whims and give you the contract of a lifetime.

Is it any wonder why Johnny bailed on the band? I used to resent Marr for destroying the greatest band in the world -- now I sympathize with him.

My only question is, where does this leave Jed? Poor Jed.

i realize that some time must have long passed since you long thought of what i have to say. maybe you never really did. maybe you have never thought of me more than just a cute little cut out character on the internet that you don't really have to pay much heed to because, after all, it is your call as to what attention i deserve to receive. maybe this will even fly under the radar depending upon who you have roped in to do your bidding of sorting through the messages on the quest to find your "real" fans.

however...

i'm sure that right now you are depressed that your fans are still angry regardless of your excuse. i realize that of all the things in the course of human history a concert is not that big a deal, but do you even understand how people react when they've had their feelings hurt?

yes, that's right. you've hurt a lot of people's feelings.

sure, you could say that many people weren't going to the show anyway and they just want something to bitch about, but the truth is that it highlights something unsavory about how you think of your fans in general.

from what i've gathered, you seem to think that it's all about you, the media, and the record company. your own fans have taken a status of being the general nuisance you have to contend with. you seem to think that you only have two fans on this planet: janice long and julia riley. i suppose that nobody else is entitled to know if you were going to play a concert or not. the whole thing reeks of "i'm only going to let my real fans know and fuck the rest of them" and just handed the rest of us over to Sanctuary to deal with because you weren't going to expend that much energy on the "internetters" and whatnot. you've had enough practice at cancelling shows that this was just another one for the books.

and now that Sanctuary has said what it said, you now call upon us to rise up against them. gee, well you can't have it both ways. do you want your fans to like you, morrissey? it didn't seem like a big concern about 2 months ago that people would be upset.

I shouldn't compare, but JK Rowling, the author of one of the most successful book series in history, interacts with the people who run fan websites...and on a friendly note. she even goes out of her way to resond to them. at this point, she could opt never to speak to them because i'm sure even the website administrators don't really expect her to do it. after all, even if she sold half the books, she would still be ungodly rich and have enough of a fanbase that most people would envy. yet, she does it anyway out of some vague notion of appreciation.

maybe Sanctuary screwed up this time around, but it's probably one person who jumped the gun, but you always get confused between a few bad apples and the masses in general. take this website for example. you have the blanket idea that nothing but heathens come here.....and probably especially no more so than right now, but i don't know how you expect people to react when they find out that they needlessly spent hundreds of dollars to see you. sure, even i learned the hardway that to spend any amount of money to see you is a big gamble, but why should fandom be that cynical? why would you even want your fans to think of you as that guy that they can't even trust enough to make an excursion out of town? after all, you've now broadcast a very powerful message to them that their efforts don't mean a hill of beans by saying, "that's the record company's fault and i don't owe anything to my fans to rectify the situation."

there. i'm sure you probably hate me forever and ever....if you already didn't for me being an "internetter" or whatever endearing term you have now created....but let's face it, it just was never destined to work, right? instead of holding onto that hope that had laughably died and nobody bothered to tell me, i might as well say something on behalf of everybody else. me being from the wrong side of the tracks and all, i'm sure it doesn't matter. in a 22 year old's mind, yes, when you see this guy who is much older and handsome and appears to know what he wants out of life and you latch onto it in some mild hope that he was different.

Wow. This is either incredibly indie or incredibly fucked up. I have a feeling it might be both.

Sanctuary had his name in for Isle of Wight on the website (which bears his name and therefore one would think might bear a personal check in once in a while) since February, then four months later, two weeks from an actual event that has been well publicized in three different media formats (print, internet, and radio) he goes through fan sites to issue a statement of justification which doesn't admit any personal blame (considering that is actually from him). Even when you aren't to blame, conceding some blame or attempting to make amends one's self can actaully be a sign of good faith.

So again wow, that's a real "fuck you" to the establishment: the buisness side of music-making, ethical norms and traditions etc. But on the other hand it's just a shitty thing to do to all involved. But he's never claimed to be right in the head.

P.S. Does the fact that this makes me a bit indifferent to him then mean that I am, in fact, a crashing bore. I knew it. Because it's true, no one ever turns to me and well...you know the rest.

After this fiasco, one wonders who will want to take on the seemingly thankless task of "signing" Morrissey.

How very true to form that from the jaws of victory (YATQ's commercial success) he should snatch defeat (out on his own again).

I pray he finds a label soon. I also pray that he changes co-writers.

You all have to remember that there are other labels and other managers. The last album is a great return, but it had been waiting in the wings for years. The next album will be better. Tours have been arranged by Morrissey many times over, and have been more completely organised and better than the biggest labels could ever arrange - albeit with considerable hard work and skill/knowledge.

The best is yet to come from Morrissey and Boz. For me, I will be here, ready and waiting.

You should all realise that the 'music world' and record companies in general are full of fools and swindlers. Sanctuary are just like the rest. They should all give more - I mean Morrissey was specifically mentioned in Sanctuary's yearly profit report - the cheek of it !

H

There is very little else to say on this subject. None of the links in the above article have anything new to add to what we already know or don't know as it more accurately is. I'm sick of all the bitching and moaning that appears to be rampant on this site. It was a badly managed and handled situation from the outset and as a result many fans purchased tickets and made related arrangements for a concert that will not happen. Thats all nothing more, there have been more comments made on this subject than tickets purchased. Lets put it to bed now, and goodluck to those seeking compensation, you have every right to demand it.

With very many fans how can Morrissey or any other artist get any work done if trying to pander to every demand? Whatever happened to operating in good faith? The conclusions being jumped to all round are astounding e.g. Morrissey said the contract given him by Sanctuary expired last year but didnt' state that he wouldn't work with them again. I like the fact that they do not comment negatively and defensively on Morrissey's explanation of events - room for reconciliation?

Here’s a piece from Moz’ NME interview last year:
“ Also, when you are very young you tend to be slightly in awe of people who are older than you. You assume they know a lot more than you do, particularly people in positions of authority. And as you become less young you realise that people in positions of authority actually know next to nothing and that's quite shocking, I think. Everyone's just on the nod and if you can actually get the job done it's astonishing. Most people can't get the job done."

And some examples to back him up!

"IDIOTS AT WORK...
I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed that I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction unless the card was signed.
When I asked why, she explained that it was necessary to compare the signature on the credit card with the signature I just signed on the receipt.

So I signed the credit card in front of her. She carefully compared that signature to the one I signed on the receipt. As luck would have it, they matched.

ADVICE FOR IDIOTS
An actual tip from page 16 of the HP "Environmental, Health & Safety Handbook for Employees: "Blink your eyelids periodically to lubricate your eyes."

IDIOTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbour call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road. The reason: Many deer were being hit by cars and he no longer wanted them to cross there.

IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the individual behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg.

IDIOT SIGHTINGS
Sighting #1:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate, when the airport employee asked,
"Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" I said, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" He smiled and nodded knowingly,
"That's why we ask."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sighting #2:
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it is safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged co-worker of mine, when she asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals to blind people when the light is red. She responded, appalled, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sighting #3:
At a goodbye lunch for an old and dear co-worker who is leaving the company due to "downsizing," our manager spoke up and said, "This is fun. We should have lunch like this more often." Not another word was spoken. We just looked at each other like deer staring into the headlights of an approaching truck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sighting #4:
I worked with an Individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the life of her could not understand why her system would not turn on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Auto Mechanic
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told that the keys had been accidentally locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger's side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered it was open. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "It's open!" "I know," answered the young man. "I already got that side."'

First of all, I hope everyone is doing well. Secondly, after reading everyone's obversations, I thought I'd add some of my own.

On April 10m 2005 I was tipped off that Moz was not going to play IOW.

Why didn't I say anything?
1. I promised to keep it quiet.
2. Who would believe me?
3. I was hoping against hope that afterall he would play.

Now I feel like we, the fans, are kids stuck in the middle of a divorce. "It's mummy's fault!" "No, it's Dadday's fault." Back and forth and back and forth. Between Sanctuary and Moz. Shuffling the blame between them so that we don't know what the truth is.

At this point I don't give a sh*t who's fault it is. The end result is the same. Morrissey is not appearing.

As a longtime Morrissey fan (15 years +) all I can say is that tour after tour I've heard this same excuse over and over - The story being that Morrissey was booked to play, but he never agreed to it. Therefore when he cancels, he's not really cancelling.

Example one: Kill Uncle tour east coast
Example two: Carnegie hall (front row seats! now that hurts)
Example three: Fuji Music Festival
Example four: IOW

I'm sure there are more examples out there I just posted the onnes that were relavate in my situation.

My point is, the first time you hear that excuse, it's completely believeable.

The second time you hear it, it's still believable, yet you boil it down to dumb luck.

The third time you're downright skeptical.

And afterthat it's just bullsh*t.

This cancellation combined with every other reason (legitimite or not) that Morrissey has canceled doesn't make me mad. It just frustrates me. It's hard enough to be a Morrissey fan, why make it any harder?

Whether it's the lack of legitimate Moz information (e.g. Alain), website snafus, f*cked up ticket pre-sales, overpriced concert T-shirts or three different versions of the SAME FREAKIN'ALBUM -- cancelling a show absolutely does not endear me to being a Morrissey fan.

It does the reverse. It makes me think, why do I bother? Why do I spend time and effort and money on this? Why not give up and become a Coldplay fan? Surely that must be much easier?

It all boils down to this: On April 10 I was told from a 'friend on the inside' that Morrissey wasn't playing the IOW festival. And if I knew that -- and I'm an absolute nobody -- then Morrissey sure as hell knew that. He should have done the responsible thing and let the appropriate people know it was a no-go.

The only thing I can guess is that he is/was holding out for a specific deal from Sanctuary -- that if the deal were sucessful he would have played the festival. After weeks of negotiation the deal didn't go through. Now suddenly it's one week from the festival and even if the deal did go through tomorrow there's no time to get the band together. So the show was cancelled. That's my best guess at what happened. That, in my heart is what I have to believe.

If I believe that Morrissey sat around idllly while we flocked to buy tickets knowing that he would never show I honestly think I would be heartbroken. That's just cruel.

I guess somewhere, somehow, Moz's music means so much to me that I'm willing to stick to by him.

But now I'm questioning how much stickness I have left in me...

I just want people to leave him alone now, the media's jumped on the bandwagon & this is going to get dragged out, isn't it. I'm not upset anymore, a little disappointed still but that's because i don't get to see him, not because of this fiasco.

IT'S JUST TOO SAD.

from last night's show

"Morrissey, all over the papers, saying he's pulled out of the Isle of Wight. Just to re-iterate he has NOT pulled out because he was never doing it in the first place. And we did tell you that at the beginning of March on this show and he actually said, at the time, please let people know I'm not doing it because that's how it will look - they'll be saying I've pulled out and I've never, ever agreed to do it."

It is funny...People are actually surprised that Morrissey is cancelling a show...It happens...Now you have your "Morrissey Cancels" drama to tell your friends and family...If you are a fan then you know that shows get cancelled...No need to fume over it...I hold tickets to three cancelled Morrissey concerts...Did I cry, did I accuse, did I curse the heavens... no I just made other plans...

I hate to bring this debate to a dramatic conclusion - even if my view is Sanctuary are a complete set of fools - but for those thinking of travelling, have you ever been to the isle of wight ??

It's a great place to hide away for a few days, but catching that ferry is not my way to travel to any concert. Sorry, but there are some big boats, small boats, sailing boats and hovercraft in those waters. I also wouldn't want the Oriana getting in the way of me.........

If he splits with Sanctury lets hope he can find another record lable ASAP, but hopefully they can iron this out because Sanctury up till now seem to have been pretty great to Moz.

Even with his recent sucsess, I fear for him being back on the record lable hunt :(

Sanctuary have done everything for Morrissey. They've promoted him to no end, when every other record label left him for dead. They've bowed to his primadonna demands, allowing him his personal imprint (Attack) when no-one else was prepared to put up with him. They even gave him Johnny Thunders's guitar.

Sanctuary gave Morrissey a second chance, and he repaid them with big sales. But now he's turning his back on them. Why? It was just last year on the Janice Long show he was singing their praises. Does he want to go with a bigger label? A bigger label will just sign him, then ignore him, relying on the already-established fanbase for sales. A fanbase that will once again dwindle, and once again he'll find himself playing 500-1000 seat venues. You would have thought five years in the wilderness would have given him a fresh perspective, and make him appreciate being a star once again. But it seems a lesson learned is a lesson easily forgotten with Morrissey. Record deals don't materialise overnight, and this will delay his next release, destroying any momentum he may have built up with "You Are The Quarry". Not to mention that this only adds to his reputation of being difficult to work with, does he think people don't talk? At Morrissey's level the music industry is a small world.

Morrissey, you're 46. Isn't it time to finally grow up?

Morrissey came to me in a dream in April and told me that he would not be playing Isle of Wight; he implored me to spread the word.

I put it down to the extra spicy daal I'd had before bedtime.

I'm sorry, I've let everyone down.

Is this the first time Morrissey has it all and fucks it up? Is this the first time there's betrayal in the air - and Morrissey is the innocent victim? is this the first time people who has supported Morrissey is treated like shite? Egomania rules in this mans world. Fame fame fatal fame...

I would be very interested to read the full statement from the Festival organisers however.
I would think that is the most dependable in all of this. Did they actually receive confirmation from Morrissey or just his record company?

What statement did they put out when the cancellation was confirmed?

Oh and do none of them listen to the radio after midnight?

In a way I feel sorry for them, having to get a replacement at such short notice.

Hurrah. travis are now headlining!

Sanctuary didn't screw up. Morrissey's announcement for the I.O.W. show had to go through several channels to be officially announced. In the real world within the music industry, a concert appearance by an artist as huge as Morrissey isn't confirmed lightly -- lawyers and contracts must be brought before an event such as I.O.W. can use Morrissey's name and image can be used. I know because I deal with this kind of stuff on a weekly basis. For Morrissey to pull out so long after an official announcement is completely unacceptable. To blame it on his record company who he praised last year is unprofessional. I

  I totally agrre with the comment above. Moz always seems to have good excuses when it comes to cancel shows, I don't believe Sanctuary would risk announcing dates without Moz agreement. Otherwise there is obviously a communication problem! where is jed these days, why has he not posted messages on this site like he did with the Bencassim incident?, has he already been ejected from his management seat?

NO one has signed him yet!!! He shouldn't be so fast to burn his bridges.

Also, I don't like how he used Sanctuary. Obviously they bent over backwards to sign him (or else he wouldn't have signed) and then once he uses them to make the best sales of his lifetime he drops them!
     

...NOW?

And why did he only announce it at 31th, surely it was known way before?

Morrissey is a great artist. He saved my life. He will go to history as a great lyricist and one of the greatest pop-icons of all times. That's what counts. Dylan Thomas was a bastard but his poetry is just as breathtaking anyway.

Aka: I love the artist - the person, I will never know. There's always a lot of talk about Morrissey but I bet my poor white arse that most of it it's crap. And remember! The rumuors only heart if they're true. So my guess is that Morrissey sleeps with a good conscience. And if the next album is a masterpiece all of this talk will mean nothing. Because it's the work that counts. It's what you put on the table that remains. Everything else is ashes and shadows.

I have spoken.

Daniel Leone, Napoli, Italia, centre of the universe