Please Close The Door Behind Me - Morrissey statement at TTY

It's a long one!

PLEASE CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND ME - true-to-you.net
20 August 2014

Morrissey statement

In response to 77 million questions I can only say this much on the subject of the Harvest drama. It is quite true that Harvest initially appeared like a saintly beacon of light, and they instantly packed us off to France where we recorded World peace is none of your business. The universe was back in balance, and we all considered this to be the very best Morrissey recording ever, and even the boo-hoo-suck-it-off elements of the press appeared to want to agree. At last I am born.

It all seemed too good to be true. It was. I believed that the rich soil of the album had several strong hit singles. Frayed tempers began when Harvest arranged the 'spoken word' films, none of which gave any clue as to what World peace is none of your business intended to be, or is. The films were OK, but they went nowhere and stayed there.

With every nerve alert, we pushed the label for a proper video for Istanbul to precede the album, not least of all because a single ahead of the album release might inch the album to a higher chart position. The label backed off, even though Istanbul received 55 radio plays in just seven days on a major US station. Instead, the label requested a fifth spoken-word film, which naturally had me fumbling around for an axe: no independent thought required. The UK label, meanwhile, created a quite fantastic television advertisement to transmit during the week ahead of the album release. I could taste excitement once again. The TV ad never appeared and my hackles bristled as my bristles heckled. The label responded with frosty aloofness, and I suddenly realized that we were not, after all, of the same species. I ploughed into them insisting upon "proper band videos, where the band play and I sing" - an evidently confusing concept that required seven weeks of explanation, detailed graphs and several drawn up maps.

The label suggested I come to Los Angeles and read passages from Autobiography in front of selected audiences. As frightening as that idea was, I hung on, desperate to believe that Harvest were not as cheap as they now looked. I hope to finish this statement whilst I'm still clean-shaven, so I will jump to the final curtain: during the weeks of the album release, the label were minus one single structural idea, and it appeared evident that each member of the team was acting in separate rooms without doors or windows. Mutual mistrust exploded between Harvest and I, and with fashionable pessimism, the label boss yawned and ordered the surface smartness of dropping World peace is none of your business three weeks after its release. There, now! This would not have happened to the Teletubbies.

Sorrily botched the project may now be, but it's worth it to get Morrissey out of our Inbox. Yes, I can be intensely persistent, and I certainly have an over-active fantasy-life, but the Harvest experience tells us that despite the blinding flash of teeth and smiles, it doesn't take much for the coin to flip and suddenly we're all compromised and shattered. All you need to do is disagree with the vanity of the label boss and your beheading will be slotted in between bottles of the most average champagne on the market. Just one weak-chinned drone can assert the fist of injustice and all of our efforts are flushed away. And thus ... they were.

I might be wrong, but I think World peace is none of your business will instantly disappear from iTunes and record stores and every download-upload-offload outlet on the planet, because Harvest technically have no right to sell it.

Most of the Harvest team are very nice, and I sincerely thank them for trying and caring so much - even if their promotional duties were fully undertaken by the Morrissey audience themselves, whose You Tube videos for World peace is none of your business fully provide the art that the label could not muster. The listeners instantly understood how entertainment could also be art. Staggeringly, I still believe that there's a label out there with my name on it, and one that will issue World peace is none of your business, and afford it the respect it deserves.

Thanks for reading this (rashly assuming that you have), and thanks once again to the Harvesters who tried.

We are boot-camp ready for Lisbon in October, so with the will of many gods, hopefully at least 38 of you will turn up.

MORRISSEY
20 August 2014



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Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I love and admire Morrissey, and I am so grateful to have his music and everything about him—good/bad, weak/strong—in my life. And that's all I have to say right now.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I love and admire Morrissey, and I am so grateful to have his music and everything about him—good/bad, weak/strong—in my life. And that's all I have to say right now.

Me too....that was a damn entertaining letter.

I agree with Morrissey....this is the best one yet. Shame about Harvest....

I bought two copies just in case....
 
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Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

Fortunately he does seem optimistic about the future. As a fan it becomes difficult to be when he is not.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

At least he was sober when he wrote this one.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

This is actually quite non-rambling, isn't it?

"The UK label, meanwhile, created a quite fantastic television advertisement to transmit during the week ahead of the album release."

That would be Virgin EMI. It's hard to tell, but is that him giving them a seductive wink?
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

Wow, I honestly didn't expect to get his side of the story so soon. It's a lot less damning than I thought it would be.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

It is difficult to discern what he wants in a label - like wants the attention of a tiny indie label, with the grandeur of a big name. I think he should swallow his pride and just sign with a small independent label, or make his own company, and get just a publishing deal with a giant. He could approach directors he likes to make the music videos he wants, surround himself with a few shrewd execs.

He also needs to accept that he's not Bowie, and the world isn't going to flock to his new album which is dropped from the ether - he needs a proper promotional schedule.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometime voices,
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open, and show riches
Ready to drop upon me; that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.”

― William Shakespeare, The Tempest
 
I wish I could find some clever and interesting words to express how much Morrissey has enriched my life, but unfortunately, I don't. He has, without any exaggeration, saved me, given me hope, and inspired me. I hope (pray) that he continues to be in my, our, life(s).

World peace is none of your business is beautiful and to see it not promoted by Harvest just shows how f***ed up the music business is.

Please Morrissey, if you read this, as unlikely as that is, continue to fight for your exceptional art. I, we, love and need it.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I've read this a few times now, and I really am surprised (in the best way) by how positive it is and how forward-looking his attitude seems to be. There's a clarity to his words that I wouldn't have expected given everything that's gone on over the past few months, and with the amount of anger (much of it justified) that he's expressed in other recent TTY posts.

I'm so glad he wrote this. I'm sure there are a lot of well-meaning people at Harvest (whose names we'll never know) who are glad, too.
 
Very eloquent letter from Morrissey. I hope the YouTube videos have helped him realize that traditional record companies are obsolete when it comes to his needs. So often people have called The Smiths the ultimate indie band. It's time Morrissey revels in his independent outsider status. Keep recording, keep shooting videos, and get them out there your way, Moz.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

Nice. Great read
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

He must have just gotten laid before he wrote this.
 
This is more drivel blaming the record company for everything; perhaps they (like many) believed the final product (WPINOYB) is NOT GOOD.

Here is another thing--the great writer has a pronoun usage error. Mutual mistrust exploded between Harvest and I, and with fashionable pessimism, the label boss yawned and ordered the surface smartness of dropping World peace is none of your business three weeks after its release.

The correct pronoun is "me."

Secondly, how dare Morrissey use the word "behead" after the horrible event that this ISIS nutcases just did to an innocent journalist. All you need to do is disagree with the vanity of the label boss and your beheading will be slotted in between bottles of the most average champagne on the market. Just one weak-chinned drone can assert the fist of injustice and all of our efforts are flushed away.

More of the same "woe is me." This is a despicable act.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

Well, this all comes as no surprise..he blows off half his tour (yet once again) that is essentially the promotional venue for the album..and you don't expect the label to drop you??? I do agree with him..the spoken word bits were stupid and unflattering..BUT to the labels credit I did see a LOT of advertising on the web for this album.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

This letter made my night. No, my week.

I'd be lying if I didn't have a laugh while reading it. He's so clever that it hurts. My Lord, I do adore this man!

Very happy to hear how positive he is. Now, where the hell is that label that has his name on it so we can get him back up and running again?
 
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