Excellent interview ruined by downer final question. If Johnny Marr wanted to express a view on Morrissey's new material he'd volunteer it. It's a shame the interviewer posed the question but, doubtless would have got a smacked arse from the Editor if he hadn't trolled Johnny at the end. Now the Editor will feel my wrath and roar.....
Q: "What do you think of Morrissey's new album, if you've heard any of it?"
A: "[pause] Did you hear that? That question was the sound of the bar lowering"
[sigh] Imagine you've had a traumatic divorce and yet, decades later, everyone wants to define every step of your life journey, you curriculum vitae, by that collapsed relationship? It must be like people who were abused as children constantly being expected to jump through hoops and self-identify as Victim when in fact they moved from Victim to Survivor to Recovered decades ago. I hope all the members of The Smiths Collective have moved on from victimhood to recovery as this tale is old and is brain-crushingly boring to have to deal with yet again.
Morrissey, quite correctly, inveighs against the endless "We Want The Smiths" bullshit so, in fact, Johnny Marr is being incredibly supportive with this oblique strategy. Anyone who reads a diss of Morrissey into this is delusional. Oh, wait! Nearly his entire fan-base are delusional and that's why he needs to keep calm and carry on with the slow-build, slow-burn word of mouth stuff for his incredible new music. And the same applies to Johnny Marr whose patient exposition of his upcycling and re-imagining of "Johnny Marr" is a joy to behold, despite the frustration and setbacks of his hand injury.
If Morrissey and Marr ever reconvene I hope it's for artistic re-ignition, not to pay the taxman or fund bling lifestyle crap. Yesterday I booked to see Robert Plant at Wolves Civic. He's not about to meet his 'fans' expectations either, having jumped from the burning Zeppelin and found a new life. His 'do it once for charidee but never again' return to Zepp in 2007 was hilarious and provided a dignified and exciting bookmark to those turbulent adventures. But now he's moved on to other ones, as has Johnny Marr and, finally, Morrissey.
I'd love to see the last few albums re-mixed, upcyled, re-imagined by Joe Chiccarelli to rescue the songs from Dad Rock American Radio Hell. To hear the rump, redundant 'fans' complain about 'too much accordian' shows how drastic the challenge Morrissey faces in finding artistic freedom. No wonder the tour collapsed. Imagine coming out each night and facing you lot! I'd rather eat my own testicles. Actually, I can do that as I'm double-jointed but I'll stay on topic for once.
Last night I saw The Del Ray Rockets play in a tiny pub in a tiny village in Herefordshire. No curfew, blasting away till after midnight with their fantastic music. I first saw them supporting The Polecats at the Irish Centre in Brum and nearly feinted with joy at the quality. I don't think they've notice "BrummieBoy" lurking at their gigs yet as he's the master of disguise so nobody realises he's there. Bit like Morrissey when he's spotted in various places in his flat cap. LOL! The Del Ray Rockest would make a really great opening act now and then for Morrissey but perhaps he's never been alerted to them by Boz Boozer? That's a shame, but there we go.
Johnny Marr is right to protest Pay To Play but there's ways around it with House Gigs and other venues. Robert Plant jumped on stage on New Year's Eve with the Del Ray Rockets and sang a few toons. We have a slogan "Music Is Local & Social and/or Corporate and Global". I've no idea if the Del Ray Rockets want global stardom but they 'deserve' it, alongside loads of other wonderful musicians and entertainers. But not all of them will get it. Maybe not Morrissey. Does it matter? No, it doesn't.
If you want to write and play music and share it, that's fine. If you think by doing so it gives you an Entitlement Agenda to World Fame, then think again because "World Fame Is None Of Your Business". It doesn't work like that. You have to do the work then let go of the outcomes and leave it to Fate, Fortuna or G*d. And you have to stop paying attention to ridiculous journalists and publications like the NME. I revoked the fatwa and ordered 'appropriate' coverage of Morrissey's new project. I'm disappointed to read that the same old tricks are being employed to derail Morrissey in revenge for Finsbury Park. I'll have to root out the remaining dissidents.
Morrissey has been forgiven, we've all moved on and so has he with his new master opus. I'm hopeful that Johnny Marr's next record will also be a path-finder breakthrough work of beauty and inspiration and also that Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke finally emerge from stasis to fulfill their potential as musicians and writers. Watching Marr blast out his Punk-Mod versions of songs he conjured into existence whilst part of The Smiths Collective is utterly inspirational. His version of London isn't just cathartic, it's medicinal balm for the soul weary.
I wonder if Morrissey's seen Johnny play live yet? *thinking*. Marr was awesome at Digbeth Institute on St Paddy's Eve last year and we hope he returns to The Green Mile soon. Though he's on to Wolves Civic and the bigger venues now. I can see him becoming the heir to Paul Weller and playing those forest gigs in a few years if the new material is as good as I hope for. It's not the Olympics, this isn't a musical Mount Olympus. There is room for everyone to play and enjoy music but not for everyone to be 'stars'. Who'd want to be a 'star' anyway as it's the definition of mental illness.
Finally, I play 5 a side with some prison guards and there is a lot of anger about the ban on guitar strings. Folsom Prison Blues Redux. I love how Johnny makes uses a micro-issue to blast the cruelties and hypocrisy of The Coalition. Sometimes 'less is more'. No idea if Morrissey's studying Johnny Marr's sublte, effective PR campaign as he recuperates from recent dramas. It's clear that somebody smart is orchestrating it. Probably Johnny! Johnny always exhibited the potential to be the sharpest tool in the box, even when a youngster on safari to pubs on Cannock Chase and in Moseley. So much wonderful music has been ruined by 'fame games'. It's time to detoxify the whole cultural landscape and make it fit for purpose 'going forward'. "World Peace Is None Of Your Business" is part of that process, as Robert Plant's "The Ceaseless Roar" and "Strictly Not Fluffy" by The Del Ray Rockets. I'm hopeful that Johnny Marr's new album project builds on the great work of "The Messenger" to join that list.
So, Metallica top the bill at Glastonbury. That's great. And also, who cares? I had the choice of Glasto or local pub rockabilly with The Del Ray Rockets. No contest. Mass audiences are for the moronic. Niche clique is where it's at. Mostly. Unless your Percy Plant in which case both are possible and necessary. Will Morrissey or Marr get to top Glastonbury totem pole first? Who cares.....it's just music. The situation in Syria continues. "World Peace Is Small Heath's Business" Etc. Wish I had time to play some music but no such luck Maybe in retirment. I need to cheer myself up this morning as still hungover from The Pogues in Bristol and there's a mad day of work ahead, so let's finish with uplifting positivity from Johnny Marr and the awesome title track of "The Messenger". Wolves Civic Fri 17/10, Arsenal v Hull on Sat then flash train to Cardiff for Johnny again and The Big Night Out on St Mary's Street. That will be one especially mad weekend for TheBrummieGooner *wink*
best wishes
"BrummieBoy"
ps: The Secretary tried to post here the other night. We stopped her. If that data was auto-saved by your system and ever escapes breaking online protocol: your organisation is toast. Srsly.
