Why Morrissey wants to die alone

SteveG

New Member
The Norway massacre statement

In Amsterdam we have a Zoo, the “Artis”, in which most of the buildings are protected monuments. You can therefore see the layout of the cages of 100 years ago, which were incredibly small. What was acceptable then, seems horrifying today. Empathy grows with education, humanity is (hopefully) continuing this evolution, and perhaps in another hundred years people might be more willing in trying to understand Morrissey's statement on the Norwegian massacre. But today they don't, and Morrissey knows that very well.

“f*** Morrissey-Solo.com”

Despising a fan site that has kept him alive during the hard years makes only sense based on the assumption that Morrissey doesn't want a die-hard fan base. Morrissey wants to be at the Top of the Pops and in the number ones position of his hated charts. The contradiction of hating the Madonnas of this world and yet longing to be embraced by the exact same public is obvious.

No record label needed

Another indication is his new unsigned album. There is no other artist who is less in need of a record label than Morrissey: we would all spend the same 60 pounds, some of us did for Radiohead's self released collectors box. Financially this is the better choice, for the fans it is the better choice, but for Morrissey it is still unthinkable, because financial success, let alone the fans don't seem to be part of the equation.

Setting himself up for failure

When Morrissey's all-time hero Oscar Wilde heard somebody called him a homosexual, he could have ignored it. Instead he sewed this person and through this trial ended up in prison which led to his demise. It would seem Morrissey is trying to orchestrate the same fate for himself. By kicking into the few taboos today’s society still has (see Norway), alienating even his most faithful followers (Morrissey-solo.com) and firing the most successful mangers on the planet (like livenation's Azoff) he is all set to succeed in his relentless attempt to self destruct.

P.S.

Nobody will take Morrissey art away for me, not even himself, I will always love the phenomenon (call it what you want) Morrissey, even if the individual does everything to seem truly unlovable.
 
I probably shouldn't comment on a thread with this title, bit I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately (what fan hasn't?).

Morrissey revels in the fact that he's a thoroughly unpleasant person; he talks about it in interviews, he writes and sings songs about it, and I take him at his word that he's unfit for human cohabitation.

It's his alienation that still draws me in: in The Smiths era he was so incandescent, so new, so charming, clever and talented, so full of the vigor of youth that his extreme self-possession came across as a celebration.

As his solo career went on he was still so ridiculously beautiful, his lyrics were still so devastating, his voice so rich, his demeanor so intense that he continued to seduce. The image of a man alive only on the stage, dependent on an audience from which he's completely alienated created a tension that few pop stars could match.

During his "comeback" it was his audacity that kept things going: his refusal to give up, his confidence in his own genius, the fact that he improbably managed to remain "Morrissey" even after all those years; it took my breath away.

But, as Emerson noted: "Every hero becomes a bore at last." Age has a way of stripping away pretense and illusion. The mask starts to slip. I think it's for this reason that most performers mellow publicly: they become tearful and express gratitude, they become sentimental and indulge in a sense of warm nostalgia.

Not Morrissey, no sir; he's still swinging for the fence, he's still alienating his fans, and the media, and his live audiences, and entire nations, and he's not going to change his ways because he wasn't kidding, his alienation wasn't a youthful pose or an artful conceit. He's still out there on the edge; he's pop music's most successful target.

Morrissey seems well on the way to ending up as the music world's loneliest icon; that's quite an accomplishment.
 
The Norway massacre statement

In Amsterdam we have a Zoo, the “Artis”, in which most of the buildings are protected monuments. You can therefore see the layout of the cages of 100 years ago, which were incredibly small. What was acceptable then, seems horrifying today. Empathy grows with education, humanity is (hopefully) continuing this evolution, and perhaps in another hundred years people might be more willing in trying to understand Morrissey's statement on the Norwegian massacre. But today they don't, and Morrissey knows that very well.

“f*** Morrissey-Solo.com”

Despising a fan site that has kept him alive during the hard years makes only sense based on the assumption that Morrissey doesn't want a die-hard fan base. Morrissey wants to be at the Top of the Pops and in the number ones position of his hated charts. The contradiction of hating the Madonnas of this world and yet longing to be embraced by the exact same public is obvious.

No record label needed

Another indication is his new unsigned album. There is no other artist who is less in need of a record label than Morrissey: we would all spend the same 60 pounds, some of us did for Radiohead's self released collectors box. Financially this is the better choice, for the fans it is the better choice, but for Morrissey it is still unthinkable, because financial success, let alone the fans don't seem to be part of the equation.

Setting himself up for failure

When Morrissey's all-time hero Oscar Wilde heard somebody called him a homosexual, he could have ignored it. Instead he sewed this person and through this trial ended up in prison which led to his demise. It would seem Morrissey is trying to orchestrate the same fate for himself. By kicking into the few taboos today’s society still has (see Norway), alienating even his most faithful followers (Morrissey-solo.com) and firing the most successful mangers on the planet (like livenation's Azoff) he is all set to succeed in his relentless attempt to self destruct.

P.S.

Nobody will take Morrissey art away for me, not even himself, I will always love the phenomenon (call it what you want) Morrissey, even if the individual does everything to seem truly unlovable.

That's a very interesting comment - unusually for this site. Prepare to be banned or attacked by the moderators asap.
 
The Norway massacre statement

In Amsterdam we have a Zoo, the “Artis”, in which most of the buildings are protected monuments. You can therefore see the layout of the cages of 100 years ago, which were incredibly small. What was acceptable then, seems horrifying today. Empathy grows with education, humanity is (hopefully) continuing this evolution, and perhaps in another hundred years people might be more willing in trying to understand Morrissey's statement on the Norwegian massacre. But today they don't, and Morrissey knows that very well.

“f*** Morrissey-Solo.com”

Despising a fan site that has kept him alive during the hard years makes only sense based on the assumption that Morrissey doesn't want a die-hard fan base. Morrissey wants to be at the Top of the Pops and in the number ones position of his hated charts. The contradiction of hating the Madonnas of this world and yet longing to be embraced by the exact same public is obvious.

No record label needed

Another indication is his new unsigned album. There is no other artist who is less in need of a record label than Morrissey: we would all spend the same 60 pounds, some of us did for Radiohead's self released collectors box. Financially this is the better choice, for the fans it is the better choice, but for Morrissey it is still unthinkable, because financial success, let alone the fans don't seem to be part of the equation.

Setting himself up for failure

When Morrissey's all-time hero Oscar Wilde heard somebody called him a homosexual, he could have ignored it. Instead he sewed this person and through this trial ended up in prison which led to his demise. It would seem Morrissey is trying to orchestrate the same fate for himself. By kicking into the few taboos today’s society still has (see Norway), alienating even his most faithful followers (Morrissey-solo.com) and firing the most successful mangers on the planet (like livenation's Azoff) he is all set to succeed in his relentless attempt to self destruct.

P.S.

Nobody will take Morrissey art away for me, not even himself, I will always love the phenomenon (call it what you want) Morrissey, even if the individual does everything to seem truly unlovable.

agree, this is one of the most interesting posts I read on the forums in a very long time.

well, he once sung "I will not change and I will not be nice" and he still stays true to this statement.
 
Interesting, good post.
I would like to think Morrissey had more wits about him to be so self destructive, especially at this age, but I could see this being the case, especially subconsciously.
 
@SteveG and Anaesthesine: Gentle, loving, caring, yet very realistic and honest posts. Bravo! You expressed so very nicely what I could've said only with bitter disappointment and four-letter-words! And thank you for reminding me to stick with what I love about Morrissey: his music.
 
But, as Emerson noted: "Every hero becomes a bore at last." Age has a way of stripping away pretense and illusion. The mask starts to slip. I think it's for this reason that most performers mellow publicly: they become tearful and express gratitude, they become sentimental and indulge in a sense of warm nostalgia.
Exactly what is happening now in the worst way. Maturity means setting aside self-righteous indignation, to reveal a world that exists beyond yourself. The fact that Morrissey wasn't just miserable but bitter, is indeed a sad fact to behold.

Not Morrissey, no sir; he's still swinging for the fence, he's still alienating his fans, and the media, and his live audiences, and entire nations, and he's not going to change his ways because he wasn't kidding, his alienation wasn't a youthful pose or an artful conceit. He's still out there on the edge; he's pop music's most successful target.
His alienation is still conceit, precisely because he's working so hard to ensure it. If was truly beyond human comprehension he would placidly go about his life alone, but the fact that he continually stirs controversy shows that he knows how to push buttons. He knows that what he said about the Norway massacre was wrong, which is why he refuse to recant his statement, in order to do the exact opposite of what was expected of him. Which proves that he could behave otherwise. It feckless, and it's unnecessary.

Morrissey seems well on the way to ending up as the music world's loneliest icon; that's quite an accomplishment.
Well he's certainly worked hard at it.
 
This all ties in pretty well as an explanation of the Norway comments. Morrissey has long professed his inability to form meaningful relationships with people, and often acts like he thinks this is some sort of wonderful virtue rather than just him depriving himself of the most key part of the human experience. Our relationships and friendships are, by and large, what separates us from the animals. Morrissey has no inclination towards such things, pities those who identify themselves through their relationships and consequently he'd rather be seen weeping over a hamburger wrapper outside a kid's birthday party at McDonald's than weeping over a kid's grave in Norway.

Morrissey has always seemed distant and untouchable, mystified by the motives, drives and relationships of people in general and alternately scornful and envious of them. Over time that has transformed into naked, cold-hearted contempt.

He deliberately chose to bring up the fast food issue in relation to Norway at a time when the world was showing solidarity for a country devastated by the loss of partners, children, parents and friends. Remember, he could have discussed fast food and animal rights any old time. One can only conclude that it pisses Morrissey off to see humans mourning other humans, and that the severing of a bond like a mother to her child through one man's evil and hatred is no more saddening than a chicken being made into someone's dinner. When Morrissey's mother dies, I hope he has someone on hand to take him to a KFC, hold up a bargain bucket and show him how unimportant she was.
 
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When Morrissey's mother dies, I hope he has someone on hand to take him to a KFC and show him how unimportant she was.

Slightly off-topic but I really hope that Morrissey's mother outlives him, because if she died I think he would go into complete mental breakdown and end up a tragic case like Billy Mackenzie. Really do not want to see that happen to our man.
 
His alienation is still conceit, precisely because he's working so hard to ensure it. If was truly beyond human comprehension he would placidly go about his life alone, but the fact that he continually stirs controversy shows that he knows how to push buttons. He knows that what he said about the Norway massacre was wrong, which is why he refuse to recant his statement, in order to do the exact opposite of what was expected of him. Which proves that he could behave otherwise. It feckless, and it's unnecessary.

I don't think he's faking it. Fame has a built-in alienation factor, and fame like Morrissey's is almost incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't had a taste of what it means to be worshipped (physically and otherwise). One has to build a firewall around oneself, and be careful who one lets in. Morrissey started out as a sensitive, somewhat combative person, and he's ended up in a place that's genuinely very lonely. There are very few people who can relate to his life experience, and vice-versa.

I think that Morrissey (mis)spoke from the heart, because he seems unable (or unwilling) to edit himself. At least I'd like to think so, because if he thinks that this is good PR then he's madder than a hatter.

This all ties in pretty well as an explanation of the Norway comments. Morrissey has long professed his inability to form meaningful relationships with people, and often acts like he thinks this is some sort of wonderful virtue rather than just him depriving himself of the most key part of the human experience. Our relationships and friendships are, by and large, what separates us from the animals. Morrissey has no inclination towards such things, pities those who identify themselves through their relationships and consequently he'd rather be seen weeping over a hamburger wrapper outside a kid's birthday party at McDonald's than weeping over a kid's grave in Norway.

Morrissey has always seemed distant and untouchable, mystified by the motives, drives and relationships of people in general and alternately scornful and envious of them. Over time that has transformed into naked, cold-hearted contempt.

He deliberately chose to bring up the fast food issue in relation to Norway at a time when the world was showing solidarity for a country devastated by the loss of partners, children, parents and friends. Remember, he could have discussed fast food and animal rights any old time. One can only conclude that it pisses Morrissey off to see humans mourning other humans, and that the severing of a bond like a mother to her child through one man's evil and hatred is no more saddening than a chicken being made into someone's dinner. When Morrissey's mother dies, I hope he has someone on hand to take him to a KFC, hold up a bargain bucket and show him how unimportant she was.

I liked your post until that last sentence, which was completely unnecessary. Just because Morrissey comports himself like a thoughtless oaf doesn't make it right for anyone else to do so.

Plus, all the sanctimonious self-righteousness happening online is a bit much. Yes, Morrissey f***ed up (again). Yes, people who have been dealing with this tragedy have every right to be personally offended and hurt. As for the rest of us, we're all just so perfect: we never misspeak, or hurt anyone's feelings, or say the wrong thing at the wrong time. We care about everyone, everywhere, all the time. We're all a bunch of angels, and we can go online and vent our bile at targets like Morrissey who live a good part of their lives in public, and mess up, and make us feel good about ourselves. How sad. :rolleyes:
 
Dear Friends: "Your not right in the head, nor am I and this is why I like you". That's about it in a nutshell. Once again, all we ever need ,or care to know about Morrissey is honestly and with open & contrite heart written for all to see & hear. Maybe, just maybe the big message here is..Accept me for what I am friends and I will do all I can to accept you as well....My only rule is, Harm or Kill NO living being..."???
 
A very interesting thread - thanks for the thoughtful and mature analysis provided.

I find it curious that he's generating theses controversies at a time when his concert performances are reaching new heights.....
 
When Morrissey's all-time hero Oscar Wilde heard somebody called him a homosexual, he could have ignored it. Instead he sewed this person and through this trial ended up in prison which led to his demise.

I never knew Wilde was such an accomplished seamstress...you learn something new everyday, I guess.
 
I never knew Wilde was such an accomplished seamstress...you learn something new everyday, I guess.

Had Oscar Wilde actually sewn a Lord Douglas, he should probably have stuck pins in it.
 
He deliberately chose to bring up the fast food issue in relation to Norway at a time when the world was showing solidarity for a country devastated by the loss of partners, children, parents and friends. Remember, he could have discussed fast food and animal rights any old time. One can only conclude that it pisses Morrissey off to see humans mourning other humans, and that the severing of a bond like a mother to her child through one man's evil and hatred is no more saddening than a chicken being made into someone's dinner.

I think you're forgetting the context of this entire event. It was a few words spoken at a small live concert way across in eastern Europe in front of a few hundred people. 10 to 15 years ago, no-one else would have ever been any the wiser. Foolishly perhaps (in this age of instant communication) he had no idea it would be seized upon so readily by the world's media.

It pisses Morrissey off to see humans mourn other humans? Sorry but this is absolute nonsense. If it was the case, why describe the killings as 'horrific', and media frenzy handing fame and notoriety to the mass murderer as 'repulsive'?

Your comments would be understandable if a) Morrissey's off-the-cuff words in a Warsaw concert had been a carefully-worded statement published on True to You (or wherever) and b) he hadn't reacted to the furore by making a statement condemning the actions of the murderer. Neither of these is the case.

For what it's worth, I was sickened by Morrissey's initial comments when I read them after the Warsaw concert, but the context of these words and his subsequent clarification means I am now happy to still go and see him live, and follow what he does (as I otherwise wouldn't have been).
I really wish he would focus less on animal rights and vegetarianism these days - he's done the subject to death, and cover the cruelty of human beings a little more, as he has done so eloquently in the past on songs like Suffer Little Children and Barbarism Begins At Home.
 
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