But David T uses Morrissey's name and Morrissey does not approve of this site so he is well within his rights to distance himself from it publicly. Whatever the intentions of the site it's not hard to find numerous examples here that would reflect poorly on Morrissey if people were to assume he approves. You can say that the site does a lot for Morrissey but the site trades on his name also, and Morrissey is simply making it clear that he's not giving his stamp of approval.
Of course this is nothing new. The mystery is why anyone would choose to continue a site dedicated to a person who can't stand it or him.
Morrissey is a public figure. He is one who has, year for year, made massively congratulatory comments
in a positive way regarding the manic devotion of his fans. That this site should use his name is only common sense. I don't see it as manipulatory of Morrissey at all. It's a Morrissey site. Makes sense to have Morrissey's name in it. It's no deeper than that.
Furthermore, it's called
Morrissey Solo...as in, "we acknowledge and support that Morrissey and his music exist after and outside of The Smiths." One of Morrissey's primary lamentations lately is that even in 2011, journalists and critics
still focus on The Smiths. An entire website based on his solo legacy is, to me, something he should hold at a higher premium.
Remember when that f***wit held up a radio station at gunpoint and made the DJ play only The Smiths? I remember an interview in Uncut or Raygun in 94, they asked Morrissey about it and he supported the guy. He chose his words carefully but you could tell he had no problem with it.
So as far as I'm concerned, Morrissey accepts that the hardcore fanbase is just that:
hardcore. If he does not understand that this pendulum swings both ways, then he's being silly.
Regarding the theory that the ire is over Viva's Hollywood Bowl audio leak: I doubt it. That's an absurd notion based purely on co-incidental timing.
It's far more likely the result of the negativity over the new songs. I, personally, hated them at first but have become quite fond of them. I think many others would say the same thing.
BUT EVEN IF EVERY SINGLE POSTER HERE said the songs flat-out sucked (which they, the fans,
didn't and which they, the songs,
don't)...what is the basic message of these shirts? That it is OK to hold up a human being at gunpoint so that he plays only Morrissey's songs...but if the consensus of fans is that that Morrissey's newest work may be less than stellar, than the website they choose to express themselves through can go f*** itself?
Ego, ego, ego.