"How to treat Morrissey? Stop listening to him" by Stewart Lee - The Guardian

Stewart Lee weighs in on Moz

How to treat Morrissey? Stop listening to him - The Guardian
By Stewart Lee
It’s hard when our idols disappoint us. But as it happened, my break from the former Smiths frontman came easily…

Illustration by David Foldvari.

 

[Born to Harangue]

Anyone?

"Anyone?" Yes, me again.

The point stands that you dislike *open* prejudice and prefer instead to cloak your prejudices behind layers of evasive language, which is gutless. You only allow the mask to slip from time to time, like that occasion a couple of years ago when you referred to the black protesters/rioters in some city in the USA as "animals" (which would have been enough, if you had written any books or composed any albums, to cause Mr. Morality Stewart Lee to pack them up and hand them in to the local charity shop).

You probably agree with Tommy Robinson on at least 90% of issues but you just don't like the way he expresses himself. You've made numerous remarks similar to his in the past without going "all in", to keep open the option of plausible deniability in case the scrutiny gets too overbearing and you need to be able to back away to save face.

At least Morrissey, after 30 years of "is he or isn't he", has finally put his opinions out there once and for all, and opened himself up for public criticism. No more hiding, no more stilted public conversation because one side refuses to be completely open about their beliefs. It took him long enough but he got there in the end. It allows the overton window to shift and the conversation to push forward; for topics to be discussed which had been off-limits for too long. No more Moz ambiguity.

I can only respect him putting himself on the line like that, since he has a lot more to lose than you with your ten year comment history and concealed identity; which hasn't stopped you from being very cautious about not revealing too much anyway. Maybe some day, as with Morrissey, you'll man up, and stop trying to toe the line so as not to completely alienate Guardian readers. Like Morrissey I'm past the point of caring, as the time for speaking up and having a bit of courage is now. See you there if you ever manage to remove the mental shackles that people you despise locked you into.

(Or perhaps your beliefs really are this dry and there's not much more to them that what you state publicly, in which case, ermm... good luck with that!)

 

[hand in glove]

It was a joke, I'm not coming for your records, and you shouldn't get rid. I understand people getting fractious about the situation right now, but put them away and leave it, for a while, a long while maybe. Listen he talks shit in interviews he always as has, he's no idea what his own opinions are on most things, he changes his mind so often, because he doesn't live in the real world, he's surrounded by yes men, and shouts his mouth off with perceived impunity, Reporters say black he goes white, you've been here long enough to know this, he says stuff to be that guy, and get a rise always has, and it should be taken with a pinch of salt. Spending a lot of time on these boards can make this shit ten times worse, with all the fire stokers. You can't get rid of Your Arsenal, or Vauxhall and I, I won't allow it, If you feel you must do something you can take Tormentors to Oxfam, or maybe one of the popular colours of low in high school, the clear one, but thats it. Leave it you will regret.

The best and most accurate thing I've read on this site in a long, long time.

 

[ACTON]

Come on ACTON. I dare you not to watch. Clickbait! Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, and...yes...I am a sinner as far as this goes:

I admit that I've watched them during reruns of TOTP on BBC4 but thats cos I like the brunette Keren Woodward.

 

[Anonymous]

I really dont know what all the fuss is about. Moz has expressed some views/opinions/ideas that are at variance from the neo-liberal mainstream (and that are undoubtedly shared by millions of working class people across Europe) - and I say this as something of a middle class liberal myself who doesnt agree with everything the man says. Debate is dying in the world of social media - instead we have only outrage and condemnation (with accusations ending in - ist or -phobic used to silence freedom of thought and speech). There are loads of artists who have had views I dont agree with - WB Yeats would be a good example - but that doesnt stop me loving his poetry.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Most of those things happened decades ago. Morrissey's faux pas are current and ongoing.

Yes ‘decades ago’ so I guess that makes it alright for you.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, apart from him being a raging racist and sending anti-semitic faxes to Spencer......no, you got me.

That rumour was out and discussed fully here in 2010 .

Of course,you didn't make a squeak at the time. And you being so ANTI RACIST AND SUCH...

You've gone from an unquestioning Morrissey completist bore (don't you just hate them?! ) to a Moz HATER.
The middle path is always best!

 

[Cornflakes]

There are loads of artists who have had views I dont agree with - WB Yeats would be a good example - but that doesnt stop me loving his poetry.

I can't speak for everyone, but disagreeing with Morrissey's views doesn't stop me from enjoying his music. I haven’t really enjoyed his music over the last decade, but that's because it's been rubbish. Morrissey's views stop me from not thinking he's a dickhead, though.

 

[g23]

Which is funny since the british have always been the most racist of all people since about the beginning of time not to mention the times of the empire.

I did once repeatedly have to yell at a British coworker that he couldn't refer to customers as "wogs, nig-nogs, or Pakis."

Edit: Oh look. Born to suck wang is awake and riding my ass again. Spank it while you're back there honey. I like it rough.

 

[scatterkeir]

At least Morrissey, after 30 years of "is he or isn't he", has finally put his opinions out there once and for all, and opened himself up for public criticism. No more hiding, no more stilted public conversation because one side refuses to be completely open about their beliefs. It took him long enough but he got there in the end. It allows the overton window to shift and the conversation to push forward; for topics to be discussed which had been off-limits for too long. No more Moz ambiguity.

He still isn't really, though, he's still hiding behind "It's the quality of the legal process Tommy was subjected to I'm concerned about, I'm saying nothing about his views", "It's For Britain's famous animal rights policies I like", "I only disapprove of Anne-Marie Waters losing the UKIP leadership election because I have very good reason (which I'm not going to share) to believe that she would have won if not for electoral fraud", "I'm expressing no opinion about the views of the candidates in the French election but in the debates Marine Le Pen was clearly the best, I know somehow (which I'm not going to share), and I'm cross that all the coverage said otherwise because of bias". "I'm not saying anything about the views of Herr Hitler but he is always immaculately groomed and all his opponents look like they live in a skip."

Coward.

There's a lack of ambiguity because he's so transparent, but there's still deniability for the intellectually dishonest, deluded or just thick.

 

[Anonymous]

By the way, watch all the fingers-in-ears deniers rate this down.

Are you really bothered by ,perhaps,4-6 posters rating your posts?
You actually look?
Such a shame you aren't a mod and could track them.
Meanwhile,in the real world,the Tories are melting in the Summer heat.

 

[GregCannon]

I thought Stewart gave it to us straight, like a pear cider that's made from 100% pears.

 

[billybu69]

The best and most accurate thing I've read on this site in a long, long time.

What? even the tormentors bit?

 

[Born to Harangue]

"I'm not saying anything about the views of Herr Hitler but he is always immaculately groomed and all his opponents look like they live in a skip."

I know right, that Hitler, huh! Some piece of work. I especially hated when he flooded his own country with immigrants which undercut the wages of the working class, passed 'hate speech' laws so anyone speaking out against it would be jailed, and ensured through the rate of immigration and subsequent demographic change that native Germans would become a minority in their own homeland within a matter of decades. Pure evil.

Thankfully Britain and the USA, who never committed genocide against anyone, went to war with him to stop the madness.

But on account of the tremendous, wide-ranging curriculum in our schools, our youth get to hear about this uniquely evil figure, H I T L E R, from a very early age. No other regime has ever come close to committing such horrendous crimes. Luckily our children know this, to help to prevent a repeat of this happening with "President" D R U M P F!!

 

[URBANUS]

My father was an engineer, a great one or some I’m told and international capitalism allowed him to travel the world, though he saw much less of it then I have cuz he was just working another job site every time & even he before the end was well aware that he was just another wage slave, just well paid one. As for China and grave spinning, it’s Mao who’d be doing that if they let him in his Masoleum, for China has now the makings of the worst of everything I mentioned, klepto-capitalism supported by an all powerful state, environmental destruction on a scale you cannot believe unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes as I have, and the makings of real rebellion in a number of areas that poor Han Chinese are forcibly moved into for business interests while displacing non Han Chinese people, particularly Muslims and Tibetans. To be honest, it’s sort of thing I bet scum like Trump’s wet dream, he’s jealous of China’s current dictator, XJP...

Don't feed the troll pretending to be me and let us just move on. Your dad was a great man by all accounts and sorry about the BS posted in my name.
Those that know me here also know that since my return from the dead I have made a pledge that I will not talk about nazis.

 

[ninetimesfined]

Morrissey’s let himself go a bit.

 

[Deleted member 1074]

I’m confused about something: is the British media nothing but a bunch of twat indie bloggers? It certainly seems that way...

 

[Halloway]

Yes ‘decades ago’ so I guess that makes it alright for you.

Why would you think that? Projecting again?

 

[vegan.cro spirit# 456]

Why would you think that? Projecting again?

LOL Chezz!!!

 

[hand in glove]

What? even the tormentors bit?

I just liked everything you said and agree. If you were being facetious, I didn't catch it.

 

[reelfountain]

Unless you're a big old racist, then you think:

a) I hate it when white people rape children because that's boring, but Muslims doing that, yay! I'll go on and on about that!

b) I hate it when brown children get raped, because that's not outrageous, but WHITE GIRLS? Children getting raped is bad when they're white! Also, I'll say the rapes are themselves racist based on a quote from ONE of the rapists.

Muslim rape gangs in England specifically target young white girls.

In Islam, white girls are the lowest of the low. They are 'dirty slags' there to be 'punished'. Even some imams in mosques have preached this.

You seem very ill-informed about this subject.

It's actually because of punitive racial silencers like you, wielding accusations of racism like a sword, that these gangs were (and still are) able to operate for years with full impunity

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk...mote-grooming-rings-Muslim-leader-claims.html