What Your Friends And Family Make of Your Adoration of Morrissey

[Morrissey the 23rd]

"You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all part of the same compost pile".

[JoyDiv007]

I met you in Manchester. You are crazy.

Well your just as crazy.

[Morrissey the 23rd]

Well your just as crazy.

More so I hope.

[JoyDiv007]

Yes you sure are. Never met anyone quite like you before.

[nugz]

I am.

and what does your therapist have to say about this?

[esheh195]

They think that I'm gay

hahahahaha...my dad thought i was gay forever cuz of my love of morrissey. LOL maybe it was the fact that i went from paula abdul and claudi schiffer posters to posters of Moz. lol
He's gotten better and i can play it around him the few times a year we're in the car together..but he still looks at me like 'hmmmm' haha
didnt help when he asked what i wanted for christmas and i told him to get me a bottle of avignon cuz i ran out...he's like 'where'd you find this cologne?' and i'm like 'oh, i tried it cuz morrissey wears it!'

[Not Right in the Head]

when he asked what i wanted for christmas and i told him to get me a bottle of avignon cuz i ran out...he's like 'where'd you find this cologne?' and i'm like 'oh, i tried it cuz morrissey wears it!'

Man, I thought that you were kidding about that cologne in the other thread!

[esheh195]

Man, I thought that you were kidding about that cologne in the other thread!

Hey..at least I'm honest about it. LOL I have a compulsive need to spend money on shit I don't need...so naturally when I heard that's what he wore, I was like...'well, might as well try it' Anything to waste money. lol

[Jane]

My family long ago stopped caring about anything that I do. My friends like top 40.

[Morrissey the 23rd]

and what does your therapist have to say about this?

Should I see one again? They keep quiting their jobs to follow Moz after I introduce him to them.

[Not Right in the Head]

Should I see one again? They keep quiting their jobs to follow Moz after I introduce him to them.

That's a very interesting statement, exaggerated or not.

[Morrissey the 23rd]

That's a very interesting statement, exaggerated or not.

I did once see a head doctor and he asked what my friends and family may be concerned about regarding about me. I explained how much Morrissey has influenced me and how much time I dedicate to him. The shrink said he understood and I that have nothing to worry about. That is true.

[PregnantForTheLastTime]

My friends snap up Kelly Clarkson CDs on the day of release. 'Nuff said.

[paintavulgarpicture]

My friends snap up Kelly Clarkson CDs on the day of release. 'Nuff said.

oh dear.

[blink853]

My friends usually call him the original emo, which irritates me, but i found out yeaterday that my sister clearly does understand afterall, because for xmas she got me an andy warhol-stylee morrissey print canvas and a signed photo of him with a certificate of authenticity! Swoon! Another of my older sisters and her husband bought me a vinyl record of "i just want to see the boy happy" a while back when it came out.

I think they all think its phase that will pass, but support me in my addiction!
They are admittedly still concerned over my decision to go to the sunderland gig however

[justme]

I think they all think its phase that will pass, but support me in my addiction!

AH,AH, AH... yes, keep them thinking it's a phase, just don't tell them some of us are still "going through a Moz phase" after ohhh...let's say, 15 years (in my case) or more ...

[justme]

well, let me see:

Parents - have no idea who the man is, but my mother finds his quotes very funny

Brother & sister in law - Like him (more the smiths than Solo, and even have a few smiths records)

Sister & brother in Law - have no clue

Nephews - have no clue, but I will start working on them soon

Friends - most like him (even attended gigs) - some are BIG fans and
even those who do not like him, respect his work and my admiration for him.

So it's not too bad, I guess

[sweet and tender hooligan]

My dad likes Morrissey and i use to drag him to concerts but he doesn't want to go anymore- so i have to go alone My mum thinks he's funny but they both don't like how much i like him and they complain about how my obsession with Morrissey makes me do stupid things. My brother makes fun of morrissey at any chance he has and my sister doesn't like him. My friends are sick of how many times i talk about him. I always see their eyes rolling when i do.
And that is why i come on here to talk about Morrissey to people who care

[standingonmyfingers]

My husband doesn't get it, except in a thoughtful, intellectualized way. . .there is no equivalent in his life. That said, he is very understanding and he was truly happy and excited for me when I had my first front-row experience/first holding-Moz's-hand experience and was generous with time (he got to try out stay-at-home-parenting for a whole week) and $$$ when I decided to splash out and go to the NYC residency, then pay an ungodly amount to be front row here at home this fall. He has been witnessing my "crushes" for years now, and while my relationship to Morrissey and his music is more complex than a crush, it's similar in some ways. Hubbi knows by now that I'm a swooner.

My mother dismissed it as "this obsession of yours." I keep telling her that the way she loves Neil Diamond (and lately, Dr. Phil) is similar. I've seen that swoony look in her eyes! She gets it, whether she will admit it or not.

My sister gets it; REM was the band that saved her but the parallels are clear. She's my go-to girl when it comes to gushing about Moz and all things Moz-related.

I long ago came to understand that more people (here in the US, anyway) have never even heard of Morrissey and/or the Smiths than are on the level of fandom I am, and that's OK. As a younger person, I was inflexible when it came to people having similar interests and reference points to mine, but as I've gotten older, I've relaxed a lot and widened my worldview. . .and now it's actually kind of nice to have Moz/the Smiths and my relationship to them and the music all to myself. I've given up trying to explain it to people who "just don't get it," but not in an angry way, as I once did. And it is so nice to occasionally encounter a fan (that's why I love -solo and the people I've met IRL from here. . .while I enjoy having Moz to myself in some company, I enjoy equally the ability to talk about him and his work with people who are equally in the know) that I have really been able to let go of the idea that "No one understands me!!!" which is such a common symptom of youth.

--jeniphir

This reply is my first post on Morrissey-solo. I was supposed to ask this question earlier in the year, forgot, now Morrissey came up in general conversation today and I remembered. You see, I am the husband, not the fan. I like the music, but have no desire to discover any intimate details about him or his life. In the end I don't believe he could be any more interesting than by neighbor. My wife's re-awakened adoration this summer really put me in a place I've never been before. My temporary replacement has put my confidence level at an all-time low. You speak of "having Moz all to yourself" and "not having to explain it". The world is closed off. How many hours a week or a day do you (or any of the others reading, including my wife) spend reading the boards or tracking down Smiths/Morrissey details and history? Editing/collecting videos, pictures and recordings? Privately emailing other new found "secret" friends that aren't discussed? What are you not doing in sacrific? When your young children ask you "What's the deal with Mom and Morrissey?" and you get a lump in your throat, where do you go and what do you do? I'm trying to find an excuse to spend more time with my wife, but I no longer think that my company is what she wants. So I ask you "What's the deal with you and Morrissey?"

[esheh195]

This reply is my first post on Morrissey-solo. I was supposed to ask this question earlier in the year, forgot, now Morrissey came up in general conversation today and I remembered. You see, I am the husband, not the fan. I like the music, but have no desire to discover any intimate details about him or his life. In the end I don't believe he could be any more interesting than by neighbor. My wife's re-awakened adoration this summer really put me in a place I've never been before. My temporary replacement has put my confidence level at an all-time low. You speak of "having Moz all to yourself" and "not having to explain it". The world is closed off. How many hours a week or a day do you (or any of the others reading, including my wife) spend reading the boards or tracking down Smiths/Morrissey details and history? Editing/collecting videos, pictures and recordings? Privately emailing other new found "secret" friends that aren't discussed? What are you not doing in sacrific? When your young children ask you "What's the deal with Mom and Morrissey?" and you get a lump in your throat, where do you go and what do you do? I'm trying to find an excuse to spend more time with my wife, but I no longer think that my company is what she wants. So I ask you "What's the deal with you and Morrissey?"

Wow, dude. Um...IMHO, this might be a topic better reserved for a private marriage counseling session than a Morrissey forum.

I know for me, the whole "moz to myself" or "not having to explain it" isn't so much due to the fact that I am trying to exclude other people from a little secret Morrissey fantasy world that I have created for just the two of us. It's more that Morrissey's work tends to be rather galvanizing...I think you tend to gravitate towards liking him or hating him rather quickly. A lot of people really just don't get what I love about Morrissey's work, so I don't really try to explain why I feel like I do. Sure, sometimes I spend too much time here chatting with fans or googling stupid pictures to place in a thread (*my own shameful addiction )...but honestly, it's an escape like anything else and I know, from personal experience, if I wasn't wasting time on solo, I'd be wasting it elsewhere.
The fact is that if you're feeling alienated from your wife, suffering from admittedly low self confidence because of the situation and have your kids asking what's up with Mommy and Morrissey, maybe you should speak honestly with her rather than voice your frustrations on a worldwide forum. I mean, if I was with someone who wanted to share in my Moz passion, I would be ecstatic. If you feel unwelcome or like you are getting in the way of your wife and her love of Moz...maybe there is bigger problem there than Moz?
I love Morrissey and sure, I can get caught up in Mozmania sometimes. I'll listen to his music more than other bands, read interviews, try to go to multiple shows and chat with fans...but I know for me personally, it's not a situation where I would sacrifice my loved ones well being for a mere popstar...regardless of how big a fan I am. The people who say things like "I would leave my husband or wife for Moz and I tell them so" AND mean it...haha, well simply put...they frighten me. LOL