A
an old brown shoe
Guest
ON THE EVE OF HIS FIRST RECORD IN SEVEN YEARS, MORRISSEY OPENS UP HIS LOS ANGELES HOME, SITS DOWN FOR AN EXCLUESIVE INTERVIEW WITH GQ – THEN STANDS UP IN SOME OF HIS FAVORITE SUITS
By Jim Nelson//Photographs by Terry Richardson
You haven’t had a record deal for seven years. I find that hard to believe. In my mind I think of you as a superstar.
WELL SO DO I. THERE’S AN AMAZING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T. AND MOST OF THEM HAVE HIGH POWER POSITIONS AT MAJOR RECORD LABELS.
THE CULT OF MORRISSEY HAS EXPLODED IN RECENT YEARS, WITH BANDS FROM RADIOHEAD TO INTERPOL DESIGNATING A ROCK GOD.
Do you get sick of people being obsessed with the cult of The Smiths?
WELL, I GET TIRED OF PEOPLE ASSUMING THEY KNOW THE WHOLE STORY AND ASSUMING THEY KNOW THE INSIDE STORY. THAT EXHAUSTS ME, BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL, AND IT’S BETTER THAT THEY DON’T KNOW, AND FOR THE MOST PART THEY DON’T, BUT I GET TIRED OF BEING ASKED ABOUT RE-FORMATIONS, BECAUSE THERE’S REALLY ONLY ONE WAY TO ANSWER ON A GIVEN QUESTION, AND I FEEL I GAVE THE ANSWER 112 YEARS AGO, BUT PEOPLE EVERYDAY STILL ASK ME, AND I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY. LET LYING DOGS SLEEP IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS SAY IN REFERENCE TO THE SMITHS.
You said something recently that surprised me-that performing with The Smiths felt natural and good because there was hope of reaching people and “possibly helping.” And it struck me as odd. I mean, The Smiths as therapy?
YOU’D BE SURPRISED. I BEGAN TO GO TO CONCERTS WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. AND I WOULD STAND THERE, THE SMALL IMP THAT I WAS, AND I WOULD EXPECT THE WORLD TO BE LAID BEFORE THESE ARTISTS, AND IN SOME CASES IT WAS. SO WHEN I CLIMBED ONTO THE STAGE, I ALWAYS IMAGINED THAT I WAS SINGING TO SOMEBODY WHO WAS SIMILAR TO HOW I HAD BEEN. AS A MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE, I WANTED GUIDANCE AND SOMEBODY TO POINT THE WAY AND TELL ME THAT THINGS WERE NOT AS BAD AS I HAD THOUGHT OR, ALTERNATIVELY, I REALLY WANTED SOMEONE TO TELL ME THAT THINGS WERE. EITHER WAY IT WAS COMFORTING.
Is that what you mean by “helping”?
YES, BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS SAYING TO PEOPLE, IN EFFECT, HOW YOU REALLY FEEL IS ACCURATE. YOU’RE RIGHT TO DESPISE YOUR SURROUNDINGS, AND YOU’RE RIGHT TO FEEL QUITE BAD ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK. I’M SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT IF YOU’RE BEST FRIEND DOESN’T TELL YOU, YOU’RE IN QUITE A MESS.
I guess telling somebody “you’re ugly” can be a kind of favor?
IT’S WORTH POINTING IT OUT.
Did those early concerts you saw-David Bowie and the New York Dolls- shape your sense of performance and connecting to an audience?
YES, BECAUSE THERE I WAS, ALWAYS AS A 12-AND13-YEAR OLD-I WOULD BE THERE AT NOON, AND I WOULD BE PRESSED AGAINST THE DOOR TWELVE HOURS BEFORE ANYBODY WAS EVER GOING TO THINK ABOUT OPENING. AND I WOULD RACE TO THE STAGE, AND AN INDUSTRIAL CRANE COULDN’T MOVE ME. YOU WOULD HAVE TO BLOWTORCH ME OFF THE FRONT OF THE SET IF YOU WANTED TO MOVE ME. I WAS THERE, WANTING SOME FORM OF EVIDENCE, COMMITMENT. WANTING THE WORLD TO CHANGE. SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR ME. THAT’S WHAT I SAW. AND SO THAT’S WHAT I WANTED TO PROVIDE
When you and Johnny Marr formed The Smiths, was it a lifeline for you?
YES, BECAUSE I HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. AND IT WAS ALSO A CALLING, BECAUSE IT INSTANTLY BECAME SUCCESSFUL, AND IT DIDN’T REQUIRE A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT. PREPARATION, YES, BUT NOT EFFORT. BECAUSE AS SOON AS WE BEGAN, EVERYBODY WATCHED AND LISTENED, WHICH IS NOT TERRIBLY COMMON.
Were you completely unprepared for the success? Or, because you were young, did you almost expect it?
I WAS ASTONISHED WHEN THE FIRST CHART POSITION HAPPENED. IT WAS “THIS CHARMING MAN.” AND I SAT THERE READING THE CHART LIST, AND IT WAS NUMBER FIFTY-TWO, AND I WAS ABSOLUTELY HONORED AND AMAZED TO BE ON THIS BRITISH CHART, WHICH I HAD DIGESTED NONSTOP SINCE I WAS THREE INCHES HIGH.
Did you ever get comfortable with the success?
NOT REALLY. BUT I THINK THAT’S BECAUSE AS A CHILD I HELD THIS WHOLE THING IN SUCH IMPOSSIBLE ESTEEM, AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN LIFE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN BEING A PART OF THIS POP WORLD. AND SUDDENLY THERE I WAS. AND THERE WAS SIMPLY A PART OF ME THAT NEVER QUITE BELIEVED IT. AND I THINK THAT’S JUST THE DISABLING HUMILITY THAT IS BURIED SOMEWHERE, WHICH KEEPS ME SANE.
IF YOU BUY ONE SMITHS ALBUM, LET IT BE “THE QUEEN IS DEAD.” ONE MORRISSEY ALBUM: “VIVA HATE.” (AND BE SURE TO LOOK OUT FOR THE SMASHING NEW “YOU ARE THE QUARRY.”)
It’s odd that the Smiths connect to people in suburban America, because you sang about places that we didn’t know. But you seemed to wrap up the isolation of suburban America.
ISN’T THAT JUST A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF BEING TRAPPED? WHETHER YOU’RE IN FLAGSTAFF OR YOU’RE IN CENTRAL MANCHESTER, IT’S THE SAME.
There was also that feeling that nobody could ever possibly understand you. Did you feel that then?
YES, AND THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE. AS TIME HAS PROVEN.
You used a word earlier in talking about music and the bands you loved- commitment. Is that why you were so devastated by John Marr leaving?
YES, IT IS COMMITEMENT, BECAUSE FOR ME IT WAS A HUGE EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT, AND THEN JOHNNY SIMPLY SAID, IT’S OVER. AND I DON’T THINK HE UNDERSTOOD THE INVESTMENT I HAD MADE IN IT. HE REPLACED IT WITH WHAT?
An empty career of crap. A few good licks on The The record. [Morrissey nods.]
I’m sure you think too much has been made of that- of the Johnny Marr-Morrissey thing, that it was like some divorce, but it sounds like it felt like that.
YES. AND I FELT THE MUSIC REALLY HAD IT’S PLACE. AND TI SHOULDN’T BE DESTROYED OR CURTAILED. I THOUGHT THE SMITHS WOULD EXIST AND WOULD BE ON OUR THIRTIETH ALBUM. I THINK WITH TIME HE REALIZED HE HAD MADE AN AWFUL DECISION. SO THE ONLY WAY HE COULD SUBSTANTIATE THAT DECISION WAS TO MAINTAIN THAT I WAS A MONSTER. SO THAT BECAME DEPRESSING, AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE GROUP’S EXISTENCE BECAME ENORMOUSLY DEPRESSING.
In some ways the breakup was what should have happened, because you’re fundamentally a solitary person.
WELL, EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. I NEVER IMAGINED I’D BE A SOLO ARTIST. AND NOW I COULDN’T IMAGINE BEING PART OF A GROUP.
In your early solo career, especially here in L.A., there was nothing like the level of idolatry that you had. And I guess I wonder, is that one of the reasons you moved here?
IF ONLY IT WAS. IT REALLY IS JUST SOMEWHERE I FOUND MYSELF. I CAME HERE SO OFTEN, AND I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT A PROPERTY. AND I FOUND ONE I LIKED. BUT I HAD ALSO BECOME SLIGHTLY DISILLUSIONED WITH ENGLAND.
Had you become disillusioned with England because of the bitchy world of music there?
WELL, REALLY THAT’S A GOOD ENOUGH REASON, I THINK. AND SO MUCH OF IT WAS TARGETED AS ME. AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, AND IT WENT ON AND ON, AND THEN I WAS INVOLED IN A TERRIBLE COURT CASE [OVER SMITHS ROYALTIES], AND SO I HAD WAVES AND WAVES OF BAD PUBLICITY, AND IT WAS RELENTLESS, AND IT WENT ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. AND YES, BACKLASHES DO EXIST, BUT THEY COME AND THEY GO. BUT THE ONE THAT ENDED ME JUST SEEMED TO GAIN MOMENTUM.
You have a new song called “America is not the world,” in which you say some pretty scathing things. By the way, it’s nice to hear you say the word hamburger in a song.
IT’S TAKEN ME YEARS TO SQUEEZE THAT IN.
But you do say, “I love you” to America pretty quickly in the song. Was that to protect yourself, as you are about to say some pretty scathing things?
NO, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY SCATHING THINGS IF IT’S COMING FROM THE HEART. BUT I STILL LOVE AMERICA AND I STILL LOVE ENGLAND.
I think you’ll probably get shit for the song.
OH, SHIT, YOU KNOW, LET IT FLY. I’M QUITE USED TO IT.
You Live in L.A. Can you feel comfortable in America?
ONLY IF I AVOID THE TELEVISION NEWS. IT SEEMS TO PUT THE FEAR OF GOD IN ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY FOR ANY REASON. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS GOOD NEWS IN AMERICA.
That sounds funny coming from somebody who wrote songs about being miserable.
WELL, THAT WAS HOW I HONESTLY FELT.
Are you any less miserable now?
YES, ABSOLUTELY. YES, I AM. BUT THEN, I THINK THAT REALLY IS BECAUSE OF AGE. WHEN YOU’RE YOUNGER, YOU SEE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN POWER AND THINK THEY MUST HAVE THAT POSITION BECAUSE OF SOME DEGREE OF SKILL. AND AS YOU GET OLDER, YOU REALIZE IT’S NOT TRUE, THAT MOST PEOPLE IN THOSE POSITIONS ARE ABSOLUTELY INEPT. AND THIS NATURALLY MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.
In Smiths songs, there was no harsher criticism you could lay on someone than telling they were “tired” and “old.” Now that you’re getting older, do those lyrics come back to haunt you?
NO, THEY DON’T, REALLY.
Do you mind getting older?
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. THE OLDER I GET, THE BETTER I FEEL. I’M FASCINATED BY PEOPLE IN THEIR EIGHTIES AND NINETIES. ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE STILL CREATING AND LIVING IN AN INTERESTING WAY. I AM FASCIANTED BY THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY NOW THAT THEY’VE LIVED FOR SO LONG. I ALWAYS FELT MORE RELAXED WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE MUCH OLDER THAN ME, AND I STILL DO. YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE MOST PART ARE ABSOLUTELY BORING. THERE’S NOTHING AUTOMATICALLY INTERSTING ABOUT BEING YOUNG. SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU ARE 20, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE ANYTHING USEFUL TO OFFER ANYBODY. I THINK IT’S FASCINATING TO SURVIVE TO 80, WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW MUCH IS AGAINST ALL OF US EVERY DAY, WHETHER IT’S ILLNESS OR DEFEATISM OR THIS ABSURD PLANET THAT WE’RE STUCK ON. IT’S A MIRACLE YOU CAN GLUE YOURSELF TOGETHER THROUGH YOUR THIRTIES AND FOURTIES, THEN BURST INTO YOUR FIFTIES. IT IS ASTONISHING. AND IT SOMEBODY REACHES 80 OR 90, THEN THEY HAVE SURVIVED. AND I MUST ASK THEM HOW.
You’re impressed.
I’M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED.
And you’re not very impressed with the young.
I AM NOT AUTOMATICALLY IMPRESSED WITH CHILDREN. I DON’T SORT OF GRAVITATE TOWARD THE CHILD, AND I DON’T FIND THEM FASCINATING JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE 3 AND BOUNCING. THAT TO ME DOESN’T WARRANT ANY PARTICULAR ATTENTION. AND BLOND CURLS ARE ABSOLUTELY IMMATERIAL TO ME. PEOPLE HAVE TO PROVE THEMSELVES. YOU CAN’T SIMPLY SIT IN A CORNER AND EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE MAGNETICALLY DRAWN TO YOU.
Do you despise children?
I DON’T. BUT I DON’T MAKE ANY ALLOWANCES FOR THEM JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE 6 AND FULL OF FRECKLES.
Is it their cuteness that bothers you?
CUTE? WHAT’S CUTE? WHAT IS CUTE?
Cute is knowing that you’re adorable.
OH YES, I CAN’T STAND ANYBODY WITH AN ATTACK OF THE CUTES, WHETHER THEY BE 4 OR 54. AND THAT BRINGS US TO AMERICAN TELEVISION. EVERYBODY HAS A CRUSHING ATTACK OF THE CUTES. IT DRIPS FROM THE SCREEN, AND IT DOES THE COUNTRY ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD. AMERICA IS RIFE WITH GIFTED AND INTELLIGENT PEOPLE, BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE NEVER EVER CONVEYED ON THE AMERICAN SCREEN. AMERICA SEEMS LOCKED IN THIS BELIEF THAT WE CAN ONLY CONVEY FROTHY PEOPLE. ANYONE ELSE SHOULDN’T BE SEEN. BUT IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SEEN WHO CHANGE ART AND CULTURE AND FASHION AND MUSIC. IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTANTLY PUSHED AWAY WHO CHANGE THE WORLD AND ALL THIS FROTHY FLUFFINESS.
Are we a vulgar culture?
I DON’T THINK SO. YES, LOTS OF AMERICAN PEOPLE TALK VERY LOUDLY, AND NOBODY UNDERSTANDS WHY. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T, SO THEREFORE I THINK WE’RE JUST PAYING ATTENTION TO THE UNINTELLIGENT ASPECTS OF AMERICAN CULTURE. BECAUSE LET’S FACE IT, MOST PEOPLE, THERE’S NOTHING THERE. THERE’S NOTHING- THERE’S NOTHING TO KNOW.
Is there anything on TV you like?
WELL, AMERICAN TELEVISION IS QUITE DIFFICULT. I LIKE CERTAIN WITTY SITUATION COMEDIES. THERE’S NOT MANY OF THEM. AND MOST OF THEM ARE QUITE OLD.
Which one’s?
I’D RATHER NOT SAY. BT IT’S NOT LEAVE IT TO BEAVER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT/ I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OBSESSED WITH FILM SCRIPTS, AND AS A CHILD I WOULD TAKE TELEVISION AND BIG OLD REEL-TO-REELS AND LISTEN BACK TO THE DIALOGUE, AND GOD KNOWS WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING? I REALLY DON’T KNOW. A MORE PATHETIC SIDE YOU COULDN’T REALLY CONJURE UP, BUT THERE I WAS AT THE AGE OF 9 WITH A REEL-TO-REEL, TAPING DRAB NORTHERN TELEVISION PROGRAMS. BUT THEN, I WAS ALWAYS TERRIBLY CRITICAL, SO I VIEWED TELEVISION AS AN ACIDIC TELEVISION – CRITIC REVIEWER. I DIDN’T WALK AWAY. I SAT THERE MOANING TO THE SCREEN AND POINTING AT THE CHARACTERS AND CHIDING THEM. IT WAS JUST QUITE PATHETIC.
You’ve talked about how, when you were young, you were swept away be what you thought was glamorous. It seems to me that you’re still looking for glamour/
IT SEEMS TO BE GONE. WHERAS IF YOU SEEK FOOTAGE FROM FIFTY YEARS AGO, EVERYBODY SEEMS TO BE NATURALLY GLAMOROUS. BUT YES, I THINK GLAMOUR HAS GONE.
I think you’re glamorous.
WELL, YOU MIGHT BE WRONG.
But you’re still drawn to some idea of pop glamour.
YES, I STILL DO LOVE THE WHOLE THING, EVEN THOUGH I’M A SEVERE CRITIC, AND I’M WATCHING ALL THE TIME, AND I VERY RARELY SEE MODERN GLAMOUR. BUT I DON’T STOP LOOKING FOR IT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO GET THOSE FLASHES, AND WHEN YOU DO COME ACROSS SOMEBODY WHO IS RADIANT PHYSICALLY AND ARTISTICALLY, THEN THEY REALLY ARE WORTH THE SEARCH. I FELT THAT WAY WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG ABOUT JAMES DEAN. WHETHER HE WAS WEARING A TUXEDO OR IN HIS UNDERWEAR, OR WHETHER HE WAS BEING DELIBERATELY SCRUFFY, HE ALWAYS LOOKED FASCINATING. AND WITH DEAN THAT WAS THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF IT, I THINK. HE DIDN’T REALLY HAVE AN AGENDA. I THINK HE ACTUALLY WAS FAIRLY MISERABLE.
Maybe that’s what glamour is: misery with good lighting. What about the first time you saw Bowie back in the early 70’s? What that glamour for you?
YES, IT’S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND NOW HOW DIM THE WORLD WAS AT THE TIME WHEN HE EMERGED AND HOW RESISTANT IT WAS. BECAUSE ALTHOUGHT IT WAS 1972 WHEN HE EXPLODED IN ENGLAND, ENGLAND WAS REALLY STUCK IN 1967. ALL THOSE HAIRY AMERICAN GOURPS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST THAT ROCK MUSIC COULD OFFER. AND THEN ALONG CAME THIS VERY, VERY SKINNY BOY WHO REALLY EFFECTIVELY LOOKED LIKE A WOMAN, AND WANTED TO, AND WANTED TO SOUND LIKE A WOMAN. THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, WHICH WAS AT A STAGE DOOR IN MANCHESTER, HE WAS ARRIVING FOR THE SOUND CHECK, AND THERE WAS NOBODY AROUND BUT ME AND A FEW OF THOSE SCRUFFY LITTLE KIDS, AND HE EMERGED FROM THIS CAR DRESSED IN HIS ABSOLUTE GLAMOROUS FINERY WITH THE MOST ENORMOUS WOMEN’S SHOES. AND IT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
It was life as art.
IT WAS ART WALKING BEFORE YOU. AND HE COULDN’T SUSTAIN IT, OF COURSE, BUT IT WAS THERE FOR THAT MOMENT, AND THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH.
Bowie’s not glamorous anymore, that’s the problem with his career.
WELL, HE’S NOT THE PERSON HE WAS. HE IS NO LONGER DAVID BOWIE AT ALL. NOW HE GIVES PEOPLE WHAT HE THINKS WILL MAKE THEM HAPPY, AND THEY’RE YAWNING THEIR HEADS OFF. AND BY DOING THAT, HE IS NOT RELEVANT. HE WAS ONLY RELEVANT BY ACCIDENT. ONE CAN’T HELP BUT THINK BACK TO THE EARLY 70’S AND WONDER IF ALL THE EXCITEMENT AND THE GLAMOUR THAT HE HAD WAS THE INFLUENCE OF OTHERS. PERHAPS HE’S JUST DOING NOW WHAT HE ALWAYS DID, WHICH IS ZAP FROM THE PEOPLE STANDING NEXT TO HIM. AND WE HAVE TO ASSUME THAT FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS OR MORE HE’S BEEN SURROUNDED BY ACCOUNTANTS AND DRAB, FORGETTABLE PEOPLE. BUT THE MUSIC WAS FASCIANTING, AND IT WAS AN EXPLOSION, AND IT CHANGED THE WORLD. AND SO IT WILL BE REMEMBERED FOREVER.
There was a moment when you were irrelevant. Did it matter to you?
WELL, I WAS NEVER IRRELEVANT TO MYSELF. AND I WAS IRRELEVANT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND THEY WERE THE PEOPLE WHO MATTERED TO ME. BUT SUDDENLY THERE WAS A TIME WITH MORRISSEY WHEREBY IT WAS OKAY AND IT WAS ACCEPTABLE AND TI WAS RIGHT TO SAY THAT HE WAS FINISHED. AND IN ENGLAND, ONCE THAT HAPPENS, EVERYBODY JOINS IN. BUT I NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE MEANING THAT I HAVE, AND I WOULD HAVE. AND THAT’S WHY ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO TREAT GOOD PUBLICITY AND BAD PUBLICITY AS BEING EXACTLY THE SAME. YOU CAN’T LET THE GOOD GO TO YOUR HEAD, BECAUSE THEREFORE YOU MUST-IF YOU ARE BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF-YOU MUST BELIEVE THE BAD. SO CONSEQUENTLY I DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING.
Right.
WHICH IS VERY CONFUSING ON THURSDAY NIGHTS.
I’m wondering if you’ve ever felt completely at home.
DO YOU MEAN ON THIS PLANET?
Yeah.
NOT AT ALL. THAT’S WHAT I FRET ABOUT ALL THE TIME. THERE’S A PLACE IN MY MIND, OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE FANTASY SETTING, AS THERE IS IN ALL OUR MINDS-BUT NO.
And what’s that fantasy?
IT’S SELF-CONTROL, AND IT’S LEARNING TO BE STILL AND BE QUIET AND SIT STILL AND NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE REVOLVING WORLD. BUT IT’S JUST A PLACE OF PEACE. FEELING SETTLED WITH ONESELF.
Is it death?
NO. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT DEATH ISN’T MORE RAUCOUS THAN LIFE?
There’s a new song on your album in which you tick off the dreary days of the week. I think Wednesday is “suffocation.”
Are you still having bad weeks?
WELL, YES. I MEAN, IF YOU DO HAVE A WEEKLY JOB, YOU CAN SEE HOW THE WEEK JUST PARES YOU RIGHT DOWN. AND BY THE WEEKENED, IF YOU’RE STILL WALKING AND TALKING AND MAKING SENSE, IF YOU DO SO, THEN GOD BLESS YOU.
Do you still keep mostly to yourself in L.A.?
ABSOLUTELY.
Why?
THE OLDER I GET, THE MORE PRIVILEGED I FEEL TO LIVE ALONE, TO NOT HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR OTHER PEOPLE’S CRAP AND THEIR DIRT AND SO FORTH. TO LIVE ALONE IS AN ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE, AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
No tea with your neighbor Nancy Sinatra?
WELL, YES, I’LL HAVE TEA WITH NANCY. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I’D LIVE WITH HER. I MEAN, I DON’T HAVE TO MOVE IN WITH HER IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
You can always kick her out.
YES. THERE COMES A TIME WHEN THERE’S NOTHING LEFT IN THE POT.
By Jim Nelson//Photographs by Terry Richardson
You haven’t had a record deal for seven years. I find that hard to believe. In my mind I think of you as a superstar.
WELL SO DO I. THERE’S AN AMAZING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T. AND MOST OF THEM HAVE HIGH POWER POSITIONS AT MAJOR RECORD LABELS.
THE CULT OF MORRISSEY HAS EXPLODED IN RECENT YEARS, WITH BANDS FROM RADIOHEAD TO INTERPOL DESIGNATING A ROCK GOD.
Do you get sick of people being obsessed with the cult of The Smiths?
WELL, I GET TIRED OF PEOPLE ASSUMING THEY KNOW THE WHOLE STORY AND ASSUMING THEY KNOW THE INSIDE STORY. THAT EXHAUSTS ME, BECAUSE PEOPLE DON’T REALLY KNOW ANYTHING AT ALL, AND IT’S BETTER THAT THEY DON’T KNOW, AND FOR THE MOST PART THEY DON’T, BUT I GET TIRED OF BEING ASKED ABOUT RE-FORMATIONS, BECAUSE THERE’S REALLY ONLY ONE WAY TO ANSWER ON A GIVEN QUESTION, AND I FEEL I GAVE THE ANSWER 112 YEARS AGO, BUT PEOPLE EVERYDAY STILL ASK ME, AND I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY. LET LYING DOGS SLEEP IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS SAY IN REFERENCE TO THE SMITHS.
You said something recently that surprised me-that performing with The Smiths felt natural and good because there was hope of reaching people and “possibly helping.” And it struck me as odd. I mean, The Smiths as therapy?
YOU’D BE SURPRISED. I BEGAN TO GO TO CONCERTS WHEN I WAS 12 YEARS OLD. AND I WOULD STAND THERE, THE SMALL IMP THAT I WAS, AND I WOULD EXPECT THE WORLD TO BE LAID BEFORE THESE ARTISTS, AND IN SOME CASES IT WAS. SO WHEN I CLIMBED ONTO THE STAGE, I ALWAYS IMAGINED THAT I WAS SINGING TO SOMEBODY WHO WAS SIMILAR TO HOW I HAD BEEN. AS A MEMBER OF THE AUDIENCE, I WANTED GUIDANCE AND SOMEBODY TO POINT THE WAY AND TELL ME THAT THINGS WERE NOT AS BAD AS I HAD THOUGHT OR, ALTERNATIVELY, I REALLY WANTED SOMEONE TO TELL ME THAT THINGS WERE. EITHER WAY IT WAS COMFORTING.
Is that what you mean by “helping”?
YES, BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS SAYING TO PEOPLE, IN EFFECT, HOW YOU REALLY FEEL IS ACCURATE. YOU’RE RIGHT TO DESPISE YOUR SURROUNDINGS, AND YOU’RE RIGHT TO FEEL QUITE BAD ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK. I’M SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT IF YOU’RE BEST FRIEND DOESN’T TELL YOU, YOU’RE IN QUITE A MESS.
I guess telling somebody “you’re ugly” can be a kind of favor?
IT’S WORTH POINTING IT OUT.
Did those early concerts you saw-David Bowie and the New York Dolls- shape your sense of performance and connecting to an audience?
YES, BECAUSE THERE I WAS, ALWAYS AS A 12-AND13-YEAR OLD-I WOULD BE THERE AT NOON, AND I WOULD BE PRESSED AGAINST THE DOOR TWELVE HOURS BEFORE ANYBODY WAS EVER GOING TO THINK ABOUT OPENING. AND I WOULD RACE TO THE STAGE, AND AN INDUSTRIAL CRANE COULDN’T MOVE ME. YOU WOULD HAVE TO BLOWTORCH ME OFF THE FRONT OF THE SET IF YOU WANTED TO MOVE ME. I WAS THERE, WANTING SOME FORM OF EVIDENCE, COMMITMENT. WANTING THE WORLD TO CHANGE. SOMEONE TO DO IT FOR ME. THAT’S WHAT I SAW. AND SO THAT’S WHAT I WANTED TO PROVIDE
When you and Johnny Marr formed The Smiths, was it a lifeline for you?
YES, BECAUSE I HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. AND IT WAS ALSO A CALLING, BECAUSE IT INSTANTLY BECAME SUCCESSFUL, AND IT DIDN’T REQUIRE A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT. PREPARATION, YES, BUT NOT EFFORT. BECAUSE AS SOON AS WE BEGAN, EVERYBODY WATCHED AND LISTENED, WHICH IS NOT TERRIBLY COMMON.
Were you completely unprepared for the success? Or, because you were young, did you almost expect it?
I WAS ASTONISHED WHEN THE FIRST CHART POSITION HAPPENED. IT WAS “THIS CHARMING MAN.” AND I SAT THERE READING THE CHART LIST, AND IT WAS NUMBER FIFTY-TWO, AND I WAS ABSOLUTELY HONORED AND AMAZED TO BE ON THIS BRITISH CHART, WHICH I HAD DIGESTED NONSTOP SINCE I WAS THREE INCHES HIGH.
Did you ever get comfortable with the success?
NOT REALLY. BUT I THINK THAT’S BECAUSE AS A CHILD I HELD THIS WHOLE THING IN SUCH IMPOSSIBLE ESTEEM, AND I THOUGHT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN LIFE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN BEING A PART OF THIS POP WORLD. AND SUDDENLY THERE I WAS. AND THERE WAS SIMPLY A PART OF ME THAT NEVER QUITE BELIEVED IT. AND I THINK THAT’S JUST THE DISABLING HUMILITY THAT IS BURIED SOMEWHERE, WHICH KEEPS ME SANE.
IF YOU BUY ONE SMITHS ALBUM, LET IT BE “THE QUEEN IS DEAD.” ONE MORRISSEY ALBUM: “VIVA HATE.” (AND BE SURE TO LOOK OUT FOR THE SMASHING NEW “YOU ARE THE QUARRY.”)
It’s odd that the Smiths connect to people in suburban America, because you sang about places that we didn’t know. But you seemed to wrap up the isolation of suburban America.
ISN’T THAT JUST A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF BEING TRAPPED? WHETHER YOU’RE IN FLAGSTAFF OR YOU’RE IN CENTRAL MANCHESTER, IT’S THE SAME.
There was also that feeling that nobody could ever possibly understand you. Did you feel that then?
YES, AND THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY ACCURATE. AS TIME HAS PROVEN.
You used a word earlier in talking about music and the bands you loved- commitment. Is that why you were so devastated by John Marr leaving?
YES, IT IS COMMITEMENT, BECAUSE FOR ME IT WAS A HUGE EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT, AND THEN JOHNNY SIMPLY SAID, IT’S OVER. AND I DON’T THINK HE UNDERSTOOD THE INVESTMENT I HAD MADE IN IT. HE REPLACED IT WITH WHAT?
An empty career of crap. A few good licks on The The record. [Morrissey nods.]
I’m sure you think too much has been made of that- of the Johnny Marr-Morrissey thing, that it was like some divorce, but it sounds like it felt like that.
YES. AND I FELT THE MUSIC REALLY HAD IT’S PLACE. AND TI SHOULDN’T BE DESTROYED OR CURTAILED. I THOUGHT THE SMITHS WOULD EXIST AND WOULD BE ON OUR THIRTIETH ALBUM. I THINK WITH TIME HE REALIZED HE HAD MADE AN AWFUL DECISION. SO THE ONLY WAY HE COULD SUBSTANTIATE THAT DECISION WAS TO MAINTAIN THAT I WAS A MONSTER. SO THAT BECAME DEPRESSING, AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE GROUP’S EXISTENCE BECAME ENORMOUSLY DEPRESSING.
In some ways the breakup was what should have happened, because you’re fundamentally a solitary person.
WELL, EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. I NEVER IMAGINED I’D BE A SOLO ARTIST. AND NOW I COULDN’T IMAGINE BEING PART OF A GROUP.
In your early solo career, especially here in L.A., there was nothing like the level of idolatry that you had. And I guess I wonder, is that one of the reasons you moved here?
IF ONLY IT WAS. IT REALLY IS JUST SOMEWHERE I FOUND MYSELF. I CAME HERE SO OFTEN, AND I BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT A PROPERTY. AND I FOUND ONE I LIKED. BUT I HAD ALSO BECOME SLIGHTLY DISILLUSIONED WITH ENGLAND.
Had you become disillusioned with England because of the bitchy world of music there?
WELL, REALLY THAT’S A GOOD ENOUGH REASON, I THINK. AND SO MUCH OF IT WAS TARGETED AS ME. AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS, AND IT WENT ON AND ON, AND THEN I WAS INVOLED IN A TERRIBLE COURT CASE [OVER SMITHS ROYALTIES], AND SO I HAD WAVES AND WAVES OF BAD PUBLICITY, AND IT WAS RELENTLESS, AND IT WENT ON FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. AND YES, BACKLASHES DO EXIST, BUT THEY COME AND THEY GO. BUT THE ONE THAT ENDED ME JUST SEEMED TO GAIN MOMENTUM.
You have a new song called “America is not the world,” in which you say some pretty scathing things. By the way, it’s nice to hear you say the word hamburger in a song.
IT’S TAKEN ME YEARS TO SQUEEZE THAT IN.
But you do say, “I love you” to America pretty quickly in the song. Was that to protect yourself, as you are about to say some pretty scathing things?
NO, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY SCATHING THINGS IF IT’S COMING FROM THE HEART. BUT I STILL LOVE AMERICA AND I STILL LOVE ENGLAND.
I think you’ll probably get shit for the song.
OH, SHIT, YOU KNOW, LET IT FLY. I’M QUITE USED TO IT.
You Live in L.A. Can you feel comfortable in America?
ONLY IF I AVOID THE TELEVISION NEWS. IT SEEMS TO PUT THE FEAR OF GOD IN ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY FOR ANY REASON. THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS GOOD NEWS IN AMERICA.
That sounds funny coming from somebody who wrote songs about being miserable.
WELL, THAT WAS HOW I HONESTLY FELT.
Are you any less miserable now?
YES, ABSOLUTELY. YES, I AM. BUT THEN, I THINK THAT REALLY IS BECAUSE OF AGE. WHEN YOU’RE YOUNGER, YOU SEE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IN POWER AND THINK THEY MUST HAVE THAT POSITION BECAUSE OF SOME DEGREE OF SKILL. AND AS YOU GET OLDER, YOU REALIZE IT’S NOT TRUE, THAT MOST PEOPLE IN THOSE POSITIONS ARE ABSOLUTELY INEPT. AND THIS NATURALLY MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF.
In Smiths songs, there was no harsher criticism you could lay on someone than telling they were “tired” and “old.” Now that you’re getting older, do those lyrics come back to haunt you?
NO, THEY DON’T, REALLY.
Do you mind getting older?
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. THE OLDER I GET, THE BETTER I FEEL. I’M FASCINATED BY PEOPLE IN THEIR EIGHTIES AND NINETIES. ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE STILL CREATING AND LIVING IN AN INTERESTING WAY. I AM FASCIANTED BY THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY NOW THAT THEY’VE LIVED FOR SO LONG. I ALWAYS FELT MORE RELAXED WITH PEOPLE WHO WERE MUCH OLDER THAN ME, AND I STILL DO. YOUNG PEOPLE FOR THE MOST PART ARE ABSOLUTELY BORING. THERE’S NOTHING AUTOMATICALLY INTERSTING ABOUT BEING YOUNG. SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU ARE 20, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE ANYTHING USEFUL TO OFFER ANYBODY. I THINK IT’S FASCINATING TO SURVIVE TO 80, WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW MUCH IS AGAINST ALL OF US EVERY DAY, WHETHER IT’S ILLNESS OR DEFEATISM OR THIS ABSURD PLANET THAT WE’RE STUCK ON. IT’S A MIRACLE YOU CAN GLUE YOURSELF TOGETHER THROUGH YOUR THIRTIES AND FOURTIES, THEN BURST INTO YOUR FIFTIES. IT IS ASTONISHING. AND IT SOMEBODY REACHES 80 OR 90, THEN THEY HAVE SURVIVED. AND I MUST ASK THEM HOW.
You’re impressed.
I’M VERY, VERY IMPRESSED.
And you’re not very impressed with the young.
I AM NOT AUTOMATICALLY IMPRESSED WITH CHILDREN. I DON’T SORT OF GRAVITATE TOWARD THE CHILD, AND I DON’T FIND THEM FASCINATING JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE 3 AND BOUNCING. THAT TO ME DOESN’T WARRANT ANY PARTICULAR ATTENTION. AND BLOND CURLS ARE ABSOLUTELY IMMATERIAL TO ME. PEOPLE HAVE TO PROVE THEMSELVES. YOU CAN’T SIMPLY SIT IN A CORNER AND EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE MAGNETICALLY DRAWN TO YOU.
Do you despise children?
I DON’T. BUT I DON’T MAKE ANY ALLOWANCES FOR THEM JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE 6 AND FULL OF FRECKLES.
Is it their cuteness that bothers you?
CUTE? WHAT’S CUTE? WHAT IS CUTE?
Cute is knowing that you’re adorable.
OH YES, I CAN’T STAND ANYBODY WITH AN ATTACK OF THE CUTES, WHETHER THEY BE 4 OR 54. AND THAT BRINGS US TO AMERICAN TELEVISION. EVERYBODY HAS A CRUSHING ATTACK OF THE CUTES. IT DRIPS FROM THE SCREEN, AND IT DOES THE COUNTRY ABSOLUTELY NO GOOD. AMERICA IS RIFE WITH GIFTED AND INTELLIGENT PEOPLE, BUT THESE PEOPLE ARE NEVER EVER CONVEYED ON THE AMERICAN SCREEN. AMERICA SEEMS LOCKED IN THIS BELIEF THAT WE CAN ONLY CONVEY FROTHY PEOPLE. ANYONE ELSE SHOULDN’T BE SEEN. BUT IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SEEN WHO CHANGE ART AND CULTURE AND FASHION AND MUSIC. IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTANTLY PUSHED AWAY WHO CHANGE THE WORLD AND ALL THIS FROTHY FLUFFINESS.
Are we a vulgar culture?
I DON’T THINK SO. YES, LOTS OF AMERICAN PEOPLE TALK VERY LOUDLY, AND NOBODY UNDERSTANDS WHY. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T, SO THEREFORE I THINK WE’RE JUST PAYING ATTENTION TO THE UNINTELLIGENT ASPECTS OF AMERICAN CULTURE. BECAUSE LET’S FACE IT, MOST PEOPLE, THERE’S NOTHING THERE. THERE’S NOTHING- THERE’S NOTHING TO KNOW.
Is there anything on TV you like?
WELL, AMERICAN TELEVISION IS QUITE DIFFICULT. I LIKE CERTAIN WITTY SITUATION COMEDIES. THERE’S NOT MANY OF THEM. AND MOST OF THEM ARE QUITE OLD.
Which one’s?
I’D RATHER NOT SAY. BT IT’S NOT LEAVE IT TO BEAVER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT/ I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OBSESSED WITH FILM SCRIPTS, AND AS A CHILD I WOULD TAKE TELEVISION AND BIG OLD REEL-TO-REELS AND LISTEN BACK TO THE DIALOGUE, AND GOD KNOWS WHAT THE HELL I WAS DOING? I REALLY DON’T KNOW. A MORE PATHETIC SIDE YOU COULDN’T REALLY CONJURE UP, BUT THERE I WAS AT THE AGE OF 9 WITH A REEL-TO-REEL, TAPING DRAB NORTHERN TELEVISION PROGRAMS. BUT THEN, I WAS ALWAYS TERRIBLY CRITICAL, SO I VIEWED TELEVISION AS AN ACIDIC TELEVISION – CRITIC REVIEWER. I DIDN’T WALK AWAY. I SAT THERE MOANING TO THE SCREEN AND POINTING AT THE CHARACTERS AND CHIDING THEM. IT WAS JUST QUITE PATHETIC.
You’ve talked about how, when you were young, you were swept away be what you thought was glamorous. It seems to me that you’re still looking for glamour/
IT SEEMS TO BE GONE. WHERAS IF YOU SEEK FOOTAGE FROM FIFTY YEARS AGO, EVERYBODY SEEMS TO BE NATURALLY GLAMOROUS. BUT YES, I THINK GLAMOUR HAS GONE.
I think you’re glamorous.
WELL, YOU MIGHT BE WRONG.
But you’re still drawn to some idea of pop glamour.
YES, I STILL DO LOVE THE WHOLE THING, EVEN THOUGH I’M A SEVERE CRITIC, AND I’M WATCHING ALL THE TIME, AND I VERY RARELY SEE MODERN GLAMOUR. BUT I DON’T STOP LOOKING FOR IT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU DO GET THOSE FLASHES, AND WHEN YOU DO COME ACROSS SOMEBODY WHO IS RADIANT PHYSICALLY AND ARTISTICALLY, THEN THEY REALLY ARE WORTH THE SEARCH. I FELT THAT WAY WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG ABOUT JAMES DEAN. WHETHER HE WAS WEARING A TUXEDO OR IN HIS UNDERWEAR, OR WHETHER HE WAS BEING DELIBERATELY SCRUFFY, HE ALWAYS LOOKED FASCINATING. AND WITH DEAN THAT WAS THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF IT, I THINK. HE DIDN’T REALLY HAVE AN AGENDA. I THINK HE ACTUALLY WAS FAIRLY MISERABLE.
Maybe that’s what glamour is: misery with good lighting. What about the first time you saw Bowie back in the early 70’s? What that glamour for you?
YES, IT’S DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND NOW HOW DIM THE WORLD WAS AT THE TIME WHEN HE EMERGED AND HOW RESISTANT IT WAS. BECAUSE ALTHOUGHT IT WAS 1972 WHEN HE EXPLODED IN ENGLAND, ENGLAND WAS REALLY STUCK IN 1967. ALL THOSE HAIRY AMERICAN GOURPS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST THAT ROCK MUSIC COULD OFFER. AND THEN ALONG CAME THIS VERY, VERY SKINNY BOY WHO REALLY EFFECTIVELY LOOKED LIKE A WOMAN, AND WANTED TO, AND WANTED TO SOUND LIKE A WOMAN. THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM, WHICH WAS AT A STAGE DOOR IN MANCHESTER, HE WAS ARRIVING FOR THE SOUND CHECK, AND THERE WAS NOBODY AROUND BUT ME AND A FEW OF THOSE SCRUFFY LITTLE KIDS, AND HE EMERGED FROM THIS CAR DRESSED IN HIS ABSOLUTE GLAMOROUS FINERY WITH THE MOST ENORMOUS WOMEN’S SHOES. AND IT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
It was life as art.
IT WAS ART WALKING BEFORE YOU. AND HE COULDN’T SUSTAIN IT, OF COURSE, BUT IT WAS THERE FOR THAT MOMENT, AND THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH.
Bowie’s not glamorous anymore, that’s the problem with his career.
WELL, HE’S NOT THE PERSON HE WAS. HE IS NO LONGER DAVID BOWIE AT ALL. NOW HE GIVES PEOPLE WHAT HE THINKS WILL MAKE THEM HAPPY, AND THEY’RE YAWNING THEIR HEADS OFF. AND BY DOING THAT, HE IS NOT RELEVANT. HE WAS ONLY RELEVANT BY ACCIDENT. ONE CAN’T HELP BUT THINK BACK TO THE EARLY 70’S AND WONDER IF ALL THE EXCITEMENT AND THE GLAMOUR THAT HE HAD WAS THE INFLUENCE OF OTHERS. PERHAPS HE’S JUST DOING NOW WHAT HE ALWAYS DID, WHICH IS ZAP FROM THE PEOPLE STANDING NEXT TO HIM. AND WE HAVE TO ASSUME THAT FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS OR MORE HE’S BEEN SURROUNDED BY ACCOUNTANTS AND DRAB, FORGETTABLE PEOPLE. BUT THE MUSIC WAS FASCIANTING, AND IT WAS AN EXPLOSION, AND IT CHANGED THE WORLD. AND SO IT WILL BE REMEMBERED FOREVER.
There was a moment when you were irrelevant. Did it matter to you?
WELL, I WAS NEVER IRRELEVANT TO MYSELF. AND I WAS IRRELEVANT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND THEY WERE THE PEOPLE WHO MATTERED TO ME. BUT SUDDENLY THERE WAS A TIME WITH MORRISSEY WHEREBY IT WAS OKAY AND IT WAS ACCEPTABLE AND TI WAS RIGHT TO SAY THAT HE WAS FINISHED. AND IN ENGLAND, ONCE THAT HAPPENS, EVERYBODY JOINS IN. BUT I NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE MEANING THAT I HAVE, AND I WOULD HAVE. AND THAT’S WHY ULTIMATELY WE HAVE TO TREAT GOOD PUBLICITY AND BAD PUBLICITY AS BEING EXACTLY THE SAME. YOU CAN’T LET THE GOOD GO TO YOUR HEAD, BECAUSE THEREFORE YOU MUST-IF YOU ARE BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF-YOU MUST BELIEVE THE BAD. SO CONSEQUENTLY I DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING.
Right.
WHICH IS VERY CONFUSING ON THURSDAY NIGHTS.
I’m wondering if you’ve ever felt completely at home.
DO YOU MEAN ON THIS PLANET?
Yeah.
NOT AT ALL. THAT’S WHAT I FRET ABOUT ALL THE TIME. THERE’S A PLACE IN MY MIND, OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE FANTASY SETTING, AS THERE IS IN ALL OUR MINDS-BUT NO.
And what’s that fantasy?
IT’S SELF-CONTROL, AND IT’S LEARNING TO BE STILL AND BE QUIET AND SIT STILL AND NOT BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE REVOLVING WORLD. BUT IT’S JUST A PLACE OF PEACE. FEELING SETTLED WITH ONESELF.
Is it death?
NO. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT DEATH ISN’T MORE RAUCOUS THAN LIFE?
There’s a new song on your album in which you tick off the dreary days of the week. I think Wednesday is “suffocation.”
Are you still having bad weeks?
WELL, YES. I MEAN, IF YOU DO HAVE A WEEKLY JOB, YOU CAN SEE HOW THE WEEK JUST PARES YOU RIGHT DOWN. AND BY THE WEEKENED, IF YOU’RE STILL WALKING AND TALKING AND MAKING SENSE, IF YOU DO SO, THEN GOD BLESS YOU.
Do you still keep mostly to yourself in L.A.?
ABSOLUTELY.
Why?
THE OLDER I GET, THE MORE PRIVILEGED I FEEL TO LIVE ALONE, TO NOT HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR OTHER PEOPLE’S CRAP AND THEIR DIRT AND SO FORTH. TO LIVE ALONE IS AN ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE, AND I AM GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
No tea with your neighbor Nancy Sinatra?
WELL, YES, I’LL HAVE TEA WITH NANCY. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT I’D LIVE WITH HER. I MEAN, I DON’T HAVE TO MOVE IN WITH HER IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
You can always kick her out.
YES. THERE COMES A TIME WHEN THERE’S NOTHING LEFT IN THE POT.
