Gaslight Anthem Singer Brian Fallon's Advice To Morrissey: "You Need To Get Over It"

[Anonymous]

Hey Skylarker, unfortunately, the moment you announce a love for a band, you unleash all the contrarians who simply have to say they are crap. Job done. Well done for having an ongoing interest in new stuff.
As far as the reunion of Morrissey and Marr, I am afraid I am in favour of the detractors. The last time these two played together was a lifetime ago. I can think of no reason why they should gel after all this time. At 50 plus, your younger self is a stranger.

By Jove, Peterb, what a knowing set out! to poor Skylarker. Every time sense is coming from your posts. And this nauseous band, 'Gas bottle' or whatever? Drek!

we'll let you know

[Anonymous]

What better term can you use for a performer who keeps an inferior guitarist and writer around in place of the man who single-handedly revived his career by writing four Top 10 singles when he needed them the most? He is selling less and less and instead of fixing the problem, he keeps making it worse. Someone should remind Morrissey that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is Einstein's definition of insanity. But he'd probably call him a 'Jew Boy' just like he did Spencer Corbin.

I think that I'm falling in love with you...

[Skylarker]

None of this has anything to do with trying to convert any of you to liking The Gaslight Anthem. I never expected you to have some kind of revelation...after all, Brian's not a fop, so yeah, pretty sure he's gonna fly under your collective radar. But yeah, that wasn't my point here.

My point was to bring up a media clip of a current musician -you know, one who is relevant and actually sells records- discussing Morrissey. Is this front page news? No. David put it on the front page; I never submitted it to him as "news." But as news is slow these days, hey why not. After all, the only other front page content are reports of Morrissey playing the exact same setlist EVERY SINGLE FUCKING NIGHT or else telling a nation, country, city, town, group of people, etc. what they should do and how they should live. THAT is news. Right?

I think it's hilarious that when someone criticizes Morrissey -even if it's in a playful, measured way and imbued with backhanded compliments- the first thing you people do is piss yourselves and whine and stomp your feet and pull out your rifles.

True Morrsey apostles. You must be proud to have never left the age of 14.

[applebuttaz]

Christ, he wouldn't have to write as a 25 year old. The Smiths were a name. A logo. It was Morrissey writing and singing words at 25, now he's still doing so at 52. What he calls himself is irrelevant, the banner is irrelevant, all of you people get way too hung up on that shit.

The Smiths were a chemical, emotional, and psychological fusion between Morrissey and Marr. That is what should be sought after. I'm not saying that Morrissey magically lost his powers after 1987. I'm saying he was an extremely intelligent, interesting, gifted writer and personality and remained so long after The Smiths broke up and he made some immensely powerful songs and albums after The Smiths. But, after Marr left, and certainly after Alain left, those paints lost their canvas. He is probably still a very gifted writer but as his chosen form of expression is music, he needs a partner who can write music. Without that he is a bored, barrel-scraping shadow chasing former glories and proffering half-baked crap that doesn't stimulate his fans, doesn't stimulate record companies, and probably doesn't even really stimulate himself.





I couldn't give two fucks whether or not you enjoy The Gaslight Anthem, but just for shits and giggles, point out some of Brian's lyrics that you consider "terrible."





"I'm so sick of girls saying they're strong...
If you have to say it, you are wrong."

i don't know what a gaslight anthem is, i can't make a judgement till i hear songs, plus..everyone has shit lyrics..even bands i like have shit lyrics..i'm not one to defend artist when they make shit lyrics.

[applebuttaz]

No, just adding more terrible lyrics to his list.

Hopefully people will look at these, without his reputation and vocals clouding their judgment, and realize that he just isn't trying very hard anymore. It's funny, because there is a recent picture of him with a sign that reads "I am the REAL and PROPER poet laureate."



With modern lyrics like those, I don't think so.

lol, that was funny, he stopped caring after maladjusted.

[DAVIE]

Meh just listened to a few Gaslight Anthem songs.
Just another modern "samey samey" band. Same bland vocals. Same bland guitar. SAME SAME.
The Smiths vomit all over this band, to be frank.

When I first saw this thread I was just thinking....who the hell are Gaslight Anthem? nuff said.

[Anonymous]

What is there to get over? Morrissey believes there was a time and place for the Smiths and it's in the past. This is a perfectly mature stance. It's everybody else that makes a big deal about the Smiths not reforming and can't get over that Morrissey won't reform the band.

[Anonymous]

he stopped caring after maladjusted.

He's not the only one.

[goinghome]

that is why "F* Morrissey Solo"

I'm really laughing, Morrissey returns to Smiths?? how coul it be?, does it posible a 52 year old man can return to 25 about feelings or thoughts about life or music?

Word: and pathetic beyond.

[crawleyrocket]

Morrissey is The Smiths. The other three can't be reformed without him but heaven knows they need it. The gap lies in their career not in his. The is nothing wrong with him, how could he be reformed?

[Amy]

Now the Press have a chance to wildly misconstrue what was said:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news/bri...y-marr_1326023

[Skylarker]

Meh just listened to a few Gaslight Anthem songs.
Just another modern "samey samey" band. Same bland vocals. Same bland guitar. SAME SAME.
The Smiths vomit all over this band, to be frank.

When I first saw this thread I was just thinking....who the hell are Gaslight Anthem? nuff said.

So, because you didn't know who they were, it's "enough said"?

Who the fuck knows who Vini Reilly is, man? For that matter, who cares?

What is there to get over? Morrissey believes there was a time and place for the Smiths and it's in the past. This is a perfectly mature stance. It's everybody else that makes a big deal about the Smiths not reforming and can't get over that Morrissey won't reform the band.

What he meant by "get over it" (and I can't believe I have to spell this out) is that modern day Morrissey should wake up and realize that at 52, now far from the prime of life, devoid of a sexual aura, unable to sell records, fronting a paint by numbers bar band, no hope for a record deal, shitty songs, etc...he can't keep carrying on as he has been. His diminutive "weirdness" where the sexual ambiguity is concerned, and the theatrics, and the diva bullshit, was in the past given counterbalance by his good looks, great songs, youthful energy, etc. but now, in 2012, is just gross pantomime, and embarassing. It's all about shocking people and his little asinine concept of himself as "edgy" and avant garde because he dresses his band is speedos and makes them wear Assad Is Shit shirts.

By saying he should reform The Smiths, I doubt Brian was literally calling for a Morrissey / Marr / Joyce / Rourke reuinion per se. I mean, I doubt Fallon gives a shit. I think the overall point he was making was that Morrissey is a good singer and The Smiths were a great band, and it would be nice if somehow some trace of that greatness could be refound.

Now the Press have a chance to wildly misconstrue what was said:
http://www.contactmusic.com/news/bri...y-marr_1326023

Their transcript is verbatim but the context they place it in is, as always, laughably absurd and plagued with hyperbole. "War" and "broadside"...the music press caters to lowest common denominator morons and children who can only understand things in a cartoon context.

Again, and I can't make this clear enough...Brian complimented Morrissey as a singer and a musician. What he mocked was the theatrics and the gross campy creepiness.

How THE FUCK is that hard for these people to understand.

[Anonymous]

Poor Skylarker and "Brian", nobody understands that already exists a super band as smiths or beatles called "Gaslight Anthem"
Mozza has to be serius worry about their opinions

[Anonymous]

The Gaslight Anthem are Against Me-wanna be's trying to be like Springsteen. It's an utter recipe for disaster. Easily one of the worst bands to come out in the past decade. I saw them before the 59 Sound came out and the amount of retardation shown for that band since is embarrassing.

I'm currently laughing my ass off at Skylarker trying so hard to defend them. His/her whole case fell to shambles after his/her first post. I mean, the only thing the Gaslight Anthem has captured is the reality of how mind-numbingly boring modern music is in general. How that band can be seen as "interesting" in any sense of the word is testament to my theory that most music listeners (A) hate music and/or (B) hate music.

The Gaslight Anthem are like the Ataris (or one of those type of bands) to me and they all are relegated to the same path. Give or take a few years everyone will forget them and they will be playing shit bars to no one. It's only a matter of time.

[applebuttaz]

Morrissey is The Smiths. The other three can't be reformed without him but heaven knows they need it. The gap lies in their career not in his. The is nothing wrong with him, how could he be reformed?

If morrissey is the smiths, i hope he can play guitar better than marr because marr isn't better than marr. The music itself is just as iconic as his lyrics.

[Anonymous]

It's hard not to agree with Skylarker, irrespective of whether you're a Gaslight Anthem fan or not (I've never heard them).

There are still hints of brilliance in Morrissey's output and I still scan the setlists in hope of some variation or new material. I love to hear Morrissey interviewed and no doubt I'll buy his book at Christmas. But I put a lot of it down to my own nostalgia. My remaining friends who used to go to his concerts and wear 'Motorcycle Au Pair Boy' t-shirts 20 years ago are barely aware that he's still performing.

[crawleyrocket]

If morrissey is the smiths, i hope he can play guitar better than marr because marr isn't better than marr. The music itself is just as iconic as his lyrics.

The point being that The Smiths can't reform without Morrissey.

[Anonymous]

Wow, Brian Fallon has piled it on. Compare that video of Old haunts to the clip of him being interviewed! No wonder the guy is asking him about Pizza.

To get back on topic, he's got a point about Moz. However, I can't take him seriously since his band is essentially a fawning Springsteen impersonation machine.

[Worm]

"all I did was post a link to a 60 second clip about some guy talking about how Morrissey should stop taking his clothes off and just reform The Smiths" and offered criticism in "a playful, measured way and imbued with backhanded compliments".

Really? Is that what you did?

"bored, barrel-scraping shadow chasing former glories and proffering half-baked crap that doesn't stimulate his fans, doesn't stimulate record companies, and probably doesn't even really stimulate himself."

"Brian could write better lyrics in his sleep than anything Morrissey has offered us for the last 10 years"

"Morrissey's done."

"pompous fruity washed-up laughingstock who doesn't see what a botched abortion his career has become"

"at 52, now far from the prime of life, devoid of a sexual aura, unable to sell records, fronting a paint by numbers bar band, no hope for a record deal, shitty songs"

"gross pantomime, and embarassing"

"gross campy creepiness"

Why do you deliberately pick fights with people on this site and then, when they respond angrily, stand back as if you're the sane, mature, reasonable one?

[Anonymous]

Gaslight what?? Brian who???