C
Cili Barnes
Guest
I'd just like to post about something which I feel is very relevant to at least five of the posts down below.
Due to my relatively recent discovery of this website, my (seemingly lost) love for our Mozzer has been rekindled and lately I've been completely immersed in Steven's deep and rich voice from morning 'til night almost everyday since I've been visiting this (very wonderful) website. My better half and I are both recovering Mozaholics and lurking around here lately... I've, er, fallen off the wagon so to speak.
Anyhow, I've reviewed many albums and artists over the past couple of years and doing what I do, I'm forced to listen to loads and loads of new music all the time to form and then share my opinions on it all. One thing that I've noticed is how @#!!!ing talented Steven is in comparison to others that do what he does. I find that Steven very truly does not have any peers. And I do speak in the present tense. His music still has a very individual sound which is very rare when you think about it. Steven's music has always been unique. I think it's just familiarity that obscures our ability to appreciate that sometimes. It's not just his voice that I'm typing about either.
I read that little thread a few posts below this one about Steven having lifted all his lines and now possibly revealing some well-masked handicap now that he's stopped doing that. My opinion is that he's just very comfortable (I'm avoiding using "complacent") now and he just isn't as earnest in his attempts to connect with his fans. I don't feel that Steven is very ambitious anymore as an artist but still enjoys writing and singing and performing. So what if his words have lost some of their poignancy? I see him as a man that is just doing what he's doing simply because he still likes doing it. If you've read any of his recent interviews or if you've been fortunate enough to speak to him directly, Steven has become a much more calm and content individual whereas the Morrissey of the Smiths had a much more desperate personality. I do agree that he's lost that desperate and ambitious quality to some degree but he's also accomplished a hell of a lot and he's succeeded in reaching his career goals so why the hell shouldn't he be cheerily content?
Although the impact of his lyrics has softened a bit, his melodies and songwriting still carry an unmistakable Moz quality about them. I don't feel that THOSE talents (yes, they ARE talents) have been lost at all. His songs still have every bit as much irony and humor to them. He is definitely in complete control of his skills.
I have so many things that I'd like to type but dizziness is preventing me from doing so. I would like to squeeze in a question though. Could it be that Steven's recent failures in connecting with his fans (to the same degree that he did as a Smith) through his lyrics be due to the fact that all of what he was as a Smith is now gone in his personality? I mean, he's still got his humor and wit but he's lost his melancholy. I happen to believe that to some small effect, Steven may be a little directionless without his depression. When you're always sad, there's no question as to what you'd like to express because one doesn't really have a choice. Depression has that extremely overpowering, saturating quality to it. I wonder if Steven doesn't struggle with finding themes to write about now that he's lost such an integral part of his art and character. He understood and defined himself through his sadness and maybe now he's just finding that there really wasn't much to say beyond all those gray skies.
I'd better stop now. The world is disappearing...
Due to my relatively recent discovery of this website, my (seemingly lost) love for our Mozzer has been rekindled and lately I've been completely immersed in Steven's deep and rich voice from morning 'til night almost everyday since I've been visiting this (very wonderful) website. My better half and I are both recovering Mozaholics and lurking around here lately... I've, er, fallen off the wagon so to speak.
Anyhow, I've reviewed many albums and artists over the past couple of years and doing what I do, I'm forced to listen to loads and loads of new music all the time to form and then share my opinions on it all. One thing that I've noticed is how @#!!!ing talented Steven is in comparison to others that do what he does. I find that Steven very truly does not have any peers. And I do speak in the present tense. His music still has a very individual sound which is very rare when you think about it. Steven's music has always been unique. I think it's just familiarity that obscures our ability to appreciate that sometimes. It's not just his voice that I'm typing about either.
I read that little thread a few posts below this one about Steven having lifted all his lines and now possibly revealing some well-masked handicap now that he's stopped doing that. My opinion is that he's just very comfortable (I'm avoiding using "complacent") now and he just isn't as earnest in his attempts to connect with his fans. I don't feel that Steven is very ambitious anymore as an artist but still enjoys writing and singing and performing. So what if his words have lost some of their poignancy? I see him as a man that is just doing what he's doing simply because he still likes doing it. If you've read any of his recent interviews or if you've been fortunate enough to speak to him directly, Steven has become a much more calm and content individual whereas the Morrissey of the Smiths had a much more desperate personality. I do agree that he's lost that desperate and ambitious quality to some degree but he's also accomplished a hell of a lot and he's succeeded in reaching his career goals so why the hell shouldn't he be cheerily content?
Although the impact of his lyrics has softened a bit, his melodies and songwriting still carry an unmistakable Moz quality about them. I don't feel that THOSE talents (yes, they ARE talents) have been lost at all. His songs still have every bit as much irony and humor to them. He is definitely in complete control of his skills.
I have so many things that I'd like to type but dizziness is preventing me from doing so. I would like to squeeze in a question though. Could it be that Steven's recent failures in connecting with his fans (to the same degree that he did as a Smith) through his lyrics be due to the fact that all of what he was as a Smith is now gone in his personality? I mean, he's still got his humor and wit but he's lost his melancholy. I happen to believe that to some small effect, Steven may be a little directionless without his depression. When you're always sad, there's no question as to what you'd like to express because one doesn't really have a choice. Depression has that extremely overpowering, saturating quality to it. I wonder if Steven doesn't struggle with finding themes to write about now that he's lost such an integral part of his art and character. He understood and defined himself through his sadness and maybe now he's just finding that there really wasn't much to say beyond all those gray skies.
I'd better stop now. The world is disappearing...