I've been dreading this sort of comment for some time.

However, before we all get our collective knickers in a twist, he's not the first popular musical artist to state they don't want to go on forever... and then just keep on going.

Morrissey would probably miss his musical career, too.

One imagines that that's why he came back from his hiatus in L.A in the first place.

HUDDERSFIELD LAD IN GERMANY.

It's his life. He's in a position to choose. He's changed before, and could find a style to feel and look as dignified as he always has, still does. A trial retirement is a nice idea too, isn't it?! Demand for his contribution on all kinds of pop culture issues would soar. Who knows? The future's not ours to see. Here's to rocking with the Mozzer in 2009!

What we have read just right now children are truly dreaded words. The mere thought of no more Mr. Morrissey making new music breaks my heart and has just ruined my day. You are far from losing your touch, please continue on for many years, even if you don't tour-at least delight us with new music every so often.

Dear god, please help me.

Well, the question was about "making music" not performing it so conceivably Morrissey could continue singing for many years from now.

Would a Vegas residency really be that bad? It was good enough for Elvis.

Still waiting for that autobiography.

If only he had quit after "Vauxhall and I"! The last 15 years have been painful to witness; dreary records, halfhearted live shows, one disappointment after another. I hope he quits now, thus freeing himself from those bumbling subordinates who make up his mediocre backing band. Who knows, maybe a few years out of the limelight could make him realise how much time he has wasted? And he can then come back in a few years time with a stunning set of songs with new collaborators. Oh what a joy that would be, but sadly I doubt it will ever happen.

It's called publicity for his new tour. You create an illusion of scarcity. Morrissey not making music for as long as he can stand on his own two feet is a fools gamble. Its his complete identity. Will NEVER happen.

Intriguing teaser statement. I'm sure the full interview will expand a little more. Age is an entirely irrelevant criteria with regard to starting or ending artistic projects. Ask any of the above artists. Or me. I'm 48 and haven't the slightest intention of 'pushing the button' unto 2012.

Artists can never retire, just stop publicly producing and performing. Maybe he just fancies some kind of Lutyens House - Jekyll Garden type twilight. Probably in Ravello.

Or maybe he'll do a Cohen Zen retreat to Mount Baldy for another 7 year hiatus. His managers and accountants will nick all his cash whilst he's 'finding himself', he'll be broke, and then he'll return for a farewell tour playing fantastic 3 hour sets every night.

If he does 'retire' I hope this means the autobiography is going to happen, which would be very amusing in a Nikki Sixx 'Years In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star' kind of way.

I completely understand what he's saying, but...ummm...And, yes, I want him to be happy and do what he feels is best, but...uhhhh...I just hate goodbyes.

Of course, I'm only joking (kinda)! He's given us so much and I'm so thankful for all it. I don't think I could have made it without him through the years. We'll have the autobiography to look forward to, and I'm sure he'll always have his hands in music some way or another.

;'(

Saaad.

Did he not give off similar noises during the Quarry tour? Often ending shows with "Don't forget me" and "Sometimes farewell means just that". I remember going to a hell of a lot of that tour thinking it was the last one!

He's only saying that to boost ticket sales...!

I don't think his concerts in Afghanistan are selling very well....!

I kinda understand his sentiments about this - although he has said this before!

But as someone with nearly 30 years in the business, it must be gruelling: You've probably done and seen everything, you know the pitfalls inside-out and the fame just sort of....becomes pointless.

But it has been one hell of a ride being a Morrissey fan. It has been GREAT. It's almost been a blessing. I love them man and his records and whatever decision he makes, I'll understand.

And by the way, some people here are very very nasty. Why bother posting here if you only have your negative thoughts to spread? Negativity will get you in the end. Trust me.

I remember Moz saying that the only time he feels alive and happy is onstage. He may take a break from recording/touring, but he'll never stop performing unless his voice gives out or Boz refuses to play with him anymore.

When he walked in the door to record Ringleader Of The Tormentors.

I have loved the guys music for years but this stuff he put out from ROTT until now is just flat out lame and uninspired.

All good things must come to an end. It's a natural thing and I really think Moz should fold up the tent.

I think he should have moved on a little further back where he would have been on a higher note than this latest release will bring him. I think some of the songs on these previous albums, the latter two in particular are stupid. When I listen to the words, I cant help but think, WHATS THE POINT OF THIS SONG? WHO CARES? What is he saying? THIS IS NONSENSE. A Frog in Daddy's throat? WTF? I feel like the lyrics in these songs are stretched and forced. Certainly the music is subpar with this current lineup. Morrissey clearly doesnt have the vocal range he once had. it happens to the best of them. It is not his fault so much. he is just getting older. Believe me this is not something I take great pleasure in saying as I am a huge fan of Morrissey but I just feel these current albums with the exception of some songs are not very good.

No. No. No. No. No. Please Morrissey, No!

Morrissey should of course call it a day some time in the not too distant future. Not because there is anything lacking musically, lyrically or performance wise but quite simply and obviously because he is getting on in years. No-one in his business can carry on for ever without starting to look pathetic. Who enjoys watching someone like Keith Richard on stage looking like he's about to breathe his last. There is no dignity in carrying on whilst looking like death.

Now having said that, I don't believe it's time to stop quite yet. I'm looking forward to Refusal and going on the songs which I have heard (live on the last tour) I don't feel that he has lost any of the ability to write or perform which has enthralled many of us for years. He's as relevant as ever as an artist and will hopefully continue to be so but it won't go on for ever.

What will life without Morrissey be like? Well, if it happens, there will forever be something missing from my life but the songs will never go away and that is what we will have to hold on to.

As long as he is happy in his retirement and feels in himself that it's time then it will be time to allow him to go with his dignity intact. Let's just hope that it's not too soon eh!!

Remember reading in a 1994 biography (Landscapes of the Mind) that Morrissey had claimed he might only do two more albums. He did Southpaw, Maladjusted and then disappeared for a while.

Perhaps if his stock plummets again he might again disappear for a while - Viva Hate got to number 1 and spent twenty weeks on the chart, Maladjusted got to number 8 and spent just three weeks on the chart; Quarry spent eighteen weeks on the chart, Ringleaders only ten. I expect the next one will spend less than that, although releasing it in February gives it a better chance of a higher chart position.

Meat Is Murder managed a paltry 13 weeks, Strangeways 17, Queen Is Dead 22, Smiths 33 and Hatful 46.

is still mocked by many but utterly adored by others! I would be happy to hear the odd "covers" album and a few nights at the Royal Festival Hall each year. Or hear him as a guest on "Just a minute".
Move back to England, or South of France and become a Dirk Bogarde-esque closet homsexual living with your "manager".

Much truer to the proper Moz, than this nonsense of living in America

i love mozzer just as much as the next person but i think it's time for him to bow out. i think he's at the back end of his career now. i don't want to see him at age 69 performing at small packed venues. ROTT and YOR were less than sub-par studio works.

A bit of kindness wouldn't go amiss. Or a bit of common sense?

Do you want to buy a new album by U2/Coldplay/Adele/Dido/Tesco or Morrissey?

Morrissey is an Artist.

The longer he continues to record sub-par, after sub-par album the more distant the fond memories of Bona Drag, Vauxhall & I, and Your Arsenal will become. They're already starting to seem like career anomalies.

He really should have retired after Vauxhall & I. His lack of interest in making quality music was obvious at the time, and he even suggested as much. Of course, actions speak louder than words, and Morrissey's apathy toward virtually every aspect of his career since then has been glaringly obvious. It doesn't need revealing.

It seems that he really has been in it for the money. Inflation is an unforgiving mistress, and despite what anyone believes, Morrissey could not have continued living his lifestyle, and supporting his mother without hitting the Vegas circuit, and bringing in some cash.

Who else is going to buy the potatoes?

Unfortunately, like an overpriced t-shirt available for purchase in the lobby, Morrissey's albums have simply become promotional vehicles for his tours.

Yes, there's undoubtedly an element of "this could be the last time" showmanship (though I'm not sure why people are saying that it's to "help ticket sales" when all the forthcoming UK dates are sold out anyway), but, much as performing is clearly what makes Morrissey feel "alive," this has to be balanced against a strong sense of style and dignity. Much as I'm sure he'd love to sing until he drops dead, I personally doubt he's got much more than another five years in him before he starts to come across as old and undignified.

But what is more hilarious than anything is the fact that this MB has recently been full of all those twats calling him crap and telling him to pack it in... and yet the moment there's a hint that he actually might, everyone turns into snivelling little girls sobbing their hearts out. The hypocrisy here is pathetic.

Robert Smith has been saying this for years and has yet to call it quits (although maybe he should). I don't think Moz will...or if he does that he'll be done for good.

...will be the one who misses Morrissey the most. Maybe Nick will find another artist's fan site and post insipid comments there, if he or she isn't already doing that.

will be farewell....

I can finally enter a year without worrying about my Morrissey budget.

whether you like the new material or not, who the hell else is there recording anything like it? when morrissey packs in with music, so do i

Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Iggy Pop (shirtless and still fit) are still performing, well into their sixties. All three of them have plenty of energy. Mr McCartney was even jumping like a chimp on stage recently, in a TV transmitted show. I don't think they look ridiculous at all. Even the old farts from Pink Floyd were like gods in their greyness. So... only less-then-thirty people are allowed to have passion? If Morrissey were trying to start a career in Make Me a Model, I'd understand.

If the problem is that he feels that he has said all he has to say, then that's different. It's true that his lyrics are not that elaborated these days (for the most part), the words are more simple - but, you know, that's the mojo of YOR for me: he is very direct in what he's saying and for some reason his singing became more vehement due to the lyric's simplicity.

I wish him good luch with my heart in my hand, and grateful he left a legacy. But, I have to say, it was quite interesting to have had a man half-strip himself at the age of nearly 50, although I think his problem was being a bit bloated with the carbs and not the age. Look at Iggy, for Christ's sake!

deformed...and we thank you

One day goodbye will be farewell

www.myspace.com/kingofrob

that Morrissey can envision a life outside of pop music; it indicates a healthy state of mind. All these statements he's made in the past about not feeling "alive" or "real" away from the spotlight were cause for some concern. Sure, it's silly to worry about the mental state of a pop singer, but he helped me through a tough time, and I'll never forget it.

I say bow out while you are still the greatest pop vocalist alive (which he most certainly is); leave 'em crying for more.

The thought of Moz calling it quits guts me, as there has never been another musician who has been so influential in my life. The Beautiful South retired and now Morrissey is contemplating it...how can he possibly know how I feel?

http://mozziestar.wordpress.com

You continually complain about Morrissey and will continue to complain once he stops making music. Nothing seems to be good enough for some of you... Not that record!... not that song!... he's not touring enough!... he's touring too much!... you blame him for aging and evolving as an artist... you blame him for not still being the same person as he was in the 80's when he was with the SMITHS!

We don't have to love every song he has ever sung. It's a matter of personal preference. If you feel that he has lost it and should have retired long ago, perhaps it was you that lost the love for listening to Morrissey and should retire first.

He could have at least ended his career with a good album.

Why does he have to do this shit to me again.

That was a statement, yes, not a question.

Everytime I get myself back on my feet, here he comes to swoop down. Yeah, I'm taking it personally. I really can't fucking afford to go to even one gig this time, even though he's playing closer to me than he ever has before. Like half an hour away.

Now I'm gonna have to go. Fucker.

I love the guy. What can I say. (Another statement.)

M

nice way to try people to sell his album though
I personally think he should've thrown the towel
after Quarry already

i dunno the whole album yet, but ending career
with a ROTT like, or a flop is not what he dserves
what he desrves is some time of, time to rest,
write his bio maybe, but take time to end with
a last album, where he took time, which I think
why ROTT was on a scale of 10, well a 6.5

anyway if he's really ending my life would be
a lot emptier, this website would go on, but with
less, and not that many news

but we still dream about a Smiths reunion, well
it will never happen with Mike Joyce, so without
him, it would be awesome
and now the man himself is calling it an end

we'll see, and hope he'll be around siting in a chair on stage singing new york dolls song acompanied by the bar's piaonoman

I'm sad

He'll be our generations Leonard Cohen and still touring when he's 74, plus he loves the adulation too much. Ain't gonna happen - maybe longer between albums but that's not always a bad thing.

Hes said hes quitting before.

Around the time of Vauxhall and at the end of the Quarry touring schedule.

If Years of Refusal is as lackluster as Ringleader maybe he should have a rest at least.

If Morrissey does indeed quit, I expect countless "best of" compilations to emerge over time. The money's gotta come from somewhere, hasn't it?

You, you so called “fans”, you made this happen. Mmmmm Hmmmm, FYI, it had nothing to do with his age, his good looks and more importantly his talent, and being beautiful both on the inside and the outside. Being beautiful on the inside just, well just enhances his beautiful way, ways … forever more.

But then you, you fragments, byproducts, spawns of the “enemy” … you victims with your by the way, not, not unnoticed statements, over and over and over again. Like highly questionable broken records … Rolling Stones fans come to mind. Clones, yuk … I hate The Rolling Stones, I despise them.
You conformists, shopping bags … you made this happen. You give us the creeps.
And you know what? These are just the facts as of January 14, 2009. OK, Right … other than the few “new” songs, i.e. Shame and Education. You won’t be getting any “new” records, like the masterpiece YOR … compiled. That’s right. These are just the facts and this makes you very mad. So carry on and rip the next few while you can. Please keep in mind Sorry Doesn’t Help. You are not sorry, because if you were sorry, you wouldn’t have said it. You won’t be getting any “new” records from the beautiful, kind, true, deep, understanding, generous, compassionate Morrissey. So get it out of your heads. And this is a fact. But then you, you think this is “unusual”.
This retirement is going to be quick and easy for Morrissey. A piece of cake. The only thing is for you people – and I am not talking about the few kind, nice ones. They know who they are. I’m talking about the ones that I don’t particularly care for which is most of you … victims. I don’t care for most of you on these boards.

You are very upset, sarcastic and angry. Your sarcasm from what I have read reflects this.
Bottom line is you expected Morrissey to accomplish it all … according to your rules and regulations. Reality check – he has accomplished it all and he didn’t need to have accessorized your rules and regs.
And Nickie over there is so upset.

After the next few, that’s few “new” songs – you’ll, you shall be sitting ducks, sitting ducks.
And, and I’ll always have Morrissey who I love sooooo much. And you, you brain dead conformists, you will have to deal with all of the pain and sorrow.

Morrissey shall have a bright, warm, beautiful future after the next few “new” songs, that I, I haven’t heard yet. You, you “fans” being absent from his life will definitely make his life an improvement, not that he needs improvements. But then, what are you going to do now, you shopping bags … you assumed wrong --- again. You ruined his good name.
It’s so sad, you things, you hate life … but you fear death.

Oh, Morrissey, you big silly-willy.

If anyone can redefine the concept of the mature pop singer with imagination and dignity, it's you.

Go on, I dare you.

i don't want to hear this, whether it's genuine or not.

To me Morrissey is a bit like Marc Bolan: Highs and lows, ups and downs. When he is good he is REALLY good. But still absolutely magical & fascinating. Marc's career was a bumpy ride, there were quite a few singles which were completely ignored but then he came back again & again. And Bolan always kept his fans - through thick & thin.

Some of the Bolan albums were met with VICIOUS critism, according to the critics they all sounded the same. And in a way they did: Bolan had a very distinctive "T.Rex" sound.

A bit like Morrissey really...

They've retired - some of them several times - and yet they're still working. How can we miss them when they won't go away?

I will knock his ass out if he does this.

God, In a sense I'd be so happy and yet so sad at the same time. Thinking back to all those years ago when I first bought Your Arsenal back in Oct. 1993, and when I pressed play the rush of power from the sound that entered my mind was astounding. It changed my life. To now, seeing Moz continue his work and being apart of that as a fan. In between time learning and coming to love the Smiths. It was a great path to walk and would be a beautiful end. Go out on top Moz. Go out on top. Love you.

Off topic but what's the deal with DC and Philly?

It's the man's call. If he wants to quit, I wish him the best and thank him for all the amazing music he's made over the years.

I've taken my precautions. I have all the music, and my memory is deteriorating.

I'm looking forward to an endless rediscovery of new Morrissey and Smiths songs!

I hope he finds love, peace and harmony. In his world.

.....I changed my mind again. I think Moz should do whatever he wants. In/out of retirement...do plays...be a politician....sing big band hits. My opinion of the past few records don't matter to anyone, but there has been something missing since Southpaw....I wish he would form a songwriting partnership with someone.....a real partner. Not even Marr...but somebody fresh, younger or older. I hear Glasvegas and I see OK musicians...not nearly as talented as the Mozley Cru...BUT, they are hungry, passionate and truly have a do-or-die mentality. Their songs are incredible as are the melodies, but pretty much anyone can pick up a guitar and play them. I miss the Alt Moz.....