New Morrissey interview mentions Bowie, start of new album entirely of covers (12 songs) - Infobae

Morrissey, entrevistado por Infobae: “David Bowie abandonó el talento y la vocación en 1980” - Infobae (Argentina)



Morrissey, interviewed by Infobae: "David Bowie abandoned talent and vocation in 1980"
Before the start of his tour of the region, the charismatic and talented English musician spoke with Infobae Cultura about his way of composing, his upcoming tour, his rejection of the post-80 Bowie and announced that he will release a new album composed entirely of covers

By Nicolás Pichersky
August 4, 2018
Infobae Cultura interviewed this great artist via email. A Morrissey, as always, to dry. Morrissey, like Wilde, Sinatra, Brando: one of the most evocative pop artists of the last four decades.

- You usually write along with other musicians (as in The Smiths did with Johnny Marr) Could you tell us about your creative process?
- There is no such thing as a process in itself. The songs are based on my experience and in general conform to some musical structure. I have a strong sense of melody and usually this is the root and center of each of my songs.

- In the maturity and peak of his career, unlike other artists (like Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney), you have never used the classic songbooks for your records.
- Well, just yesterday I started recording what will be my new album: it will be entirely covers and with 12 songs. So you see: I'm already doing what many say I would never do!

- In his autobiography he tells how David Bowie insistently looked for him for a joint project. Now that Bowie is gone: what is the strangest thing about him?
- I will never forget the respect I had for him when I was very, very young because England was still going through a violent and skinhead era and he emerged with his great melodies and a confrontational image together with a feminine appearance. And with all that he had to fight against those who criticized him: and it was a miracle because he triumphed. The press in general called it "a national disgrace." Now they love him, of course ... But his talent and vocation left him in 1980: his music became a professional career and, since that time, singing or composing did not bring him new challenges and pleasures. And in this sense, the effort he had to make with thereafter is obvious.

The tug-of-war that Moz maintains with the press (not of his country, but of the whole world) is known. And the almost infantile hatred of Morrissey towards the media is transparent, something that he initiates in his autobiography, dedicating to him the subject numerous pages and placing himself in a place of victim and of J'accuse ...! of pop music. Of course, your opinions do not help much.

Morrissey seems to be a contradictory man: the newspapers have accused him of xenophobic or intolerant attitudes (with certain objectivity: just read his statements) or close to the extreme right. But at the same time, he maintains a critical attitude toward the English empire or the era of Margaret Thatcher. Just read the Jacobin subtitle of his latest album: on the cover, a boy holds a banner that says, without subtleties, "Guillotine to the monarchy."

- Does Morrissey feel comfortable with some traditional political stance?

- In the United Kingdom a couple of "hate" diaries have led a disparaging campaign against me: everything I say or think is constructed and treated as "diabolical". This is because they are extreme left, which is why my criticisms of the ritual slaughter of animals, clitoris ablation or immigration without control, do not fit in with their philosophy. And unfortunately the left extremists control the most important media in England, so there is no possible multicultural debate: if you mess with those issues, your opinions are repressed by this fragile left that does not even submit them to consideration. My band, which has been with me for years, is multi-ethnic, my most recent album has a dedication to Dick Gregory, one of the most important American civil rights activists there was. And my lyrics try to observe the diversity of what happens in Turkey, Israel, Ukraine, Egypt, France, Italy, Spain or Barein. And, all in all, these two "hate" newspapers label me as racist. I never met any racist person and I think the idea of xenophobia is absurd. But the English media are in the "Age of idiocy" and accuse anyone who asks for an open discussion as a racist.Help!

Morrissey, 'the big mouth' as he has so often sung, 'attacks back'. He seems to see red flags as if he were in the middle of the Cold War (and as if he had been born in Kansas, more than in Manchester). Will he believe in his perception of the ideological shift to the left of the media that a reactionary and popular tabloid like The Sun is now progressive?

On the end, and despite discarding the post-80 Bowie (love, modern and danceable: from Modern love to New killer star ), a joke or an ironic praise is left to him in his last response.

- Could you tell us something about your show in Buenos Aires?
- Yes: I will be on stage with a giant glass chandelier. That would be a good idea, right? ( N of R: The Glass Spider Tour was a famous world tour of David Bowie during the 80s ).

* Morrissey will visit this part of the world from November 22nd and 23rd, in Mexico; Peru (27/11); Brazil (30/11 and 2/12), Argentina (7/12) and will close in Chile (14 and 15/12)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
No band sounds like VU either. Morrissey doesn't sound like Jobriath. What's your point?

That it's hard to see the influence. I wouldn't really say that jobriath was an influence in Morrisseys music though he is obviously a fan. Inspired him maybe but influenced I don't know
 
He is being incredibly catty about Bowie. Don't know what crime Bowie committed against Morrissey's soul, but M's bitchiness and bitterness is not a good look.

Find it a bit strong to say "But his talent and vocation left him in 1980: his music became a professional career and, since that time, singing or composing did not bring him new challenges and pleasures" in the very same interview in which he announces a bleeding covers album.

Also, Blackstar pisses on LIHS from a great height.
 
Last edited:
So he gave Bowie around 10-11 years at his "peak"? I wonder how Moz feels about fans who think he was finished after Vauxhall...

Finished? No. But Vauxhall was probably the apex, at least commercially. Nothing he has written since has had nearly the appeal for those outside of his loyal fanbase. Vauxhall was his last truly great album.
 
This is brilliant news. Really looking forward to the covers album. My dream track list would be:

1) Back on the Chain Gang(Pretenders)
2) Redondo Beach(Patti Smith)
3) Joan of Arc (Leonard Cohen)
4) I’m A Man (Jobriath)
5) Satellite of Love (LouReed)
6) My Death (Brel)
7) I Am A Rock (Simon & Garfunkel)
8) Caroline Says II (Lou Reed)
9 ) Gloomy Sunday ( Billie Holiday)
10) Always Crashing in the Same Car(Bowie)
11) Angel Eyes (Frank Sinatra)
12) Rehearsals for Retirement (Phil Ochs)


Bonus tracks for the deluxe edition & b sides:

13) Fire & Rain (James Taylor)
14) Flag Day (Housemartins)
15) Smalltown Boy (Bronski Beat)
16) Knockin on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan)
17) No More Songs (Phil Ochs)
18) Solo (Sandy Denny)
 
Last edited:
Finished? No. But Vauxhall was probably the apex, at least commercially. Nothing he has written since has had nearly the appeal for those outside of his loyal fanbase. Vauxhall was his last truly great album.
Quarry remains his most popular album, at least commercially.
 
My experience of covers records isn’t the best: the ones that spring to mind are Siouxsie’s Through the Looking Glass, Martin (L) Gore’s Counterfeit 2, Bowie’s Pinups and Nick Cave’s Kicking Against the Pricks. All of those were stop gap albums, or released at a quick pace to capitalise on a degree of success. On the other hand you’ve got that Johnny Cash album wot he covered NIN on, which’ll always be seen as prolific and legendary.

Bring on the Moz one. It’d be wrong to dismiss it without hearing it. But nothing really that great to aspire to, based on my experience with the medium
 
He is being incredibly catty about Bowie. Don't know what crime Bowie committed against Morrissey's soul, but M's bitchiness and bitterness is not a good look.

Find it a bit strong to say "But his talent and vocation left him in 1980: his music became a professional career and, since that time, singing or composing did not bring him new challenges and pleasures" in the very same interview in which he announces a bleeding covers album.

Also, Blackstar pisses on LIHS from a great height.


:crazy:

You need a:rightmagnify: to find a melody on Blackstar FFS. LIHS is about a 1ooo times better. GET REAL.
Moz is right Bowie records after 1980 are sucky. Very sucky.:kissingsmiling:
 
Not sure if it's already been mooted (I'm too lazy to scan the whole thread), but could the reason he's doing covers be because one or more of his songwriting team are unavailable - either temporarily or otherwise?
Or retiring even - that's also doing the rounds as Lyn was selling off some of Boz's old shirts for her animal charities. One band member lives in LA, Boz finished playing the 40th anniversary Polecats gigs yesterday and isn't booked for a while yet elsewhere (although his holiday home/land being in the huge wildfires might impact his plans).
The others are low key other than Jesse's political tweets. Joe C. hasn't made any reference to it and he's pretty bad at keeping secrets. The other Walker brother isn't in LA right now either. It would help to know when 'just yesterday' was before trying to see who is where exactly and what it implies.
Yes, this isn't quite what was being suggested with the 2 albums worth of new music etc. That said, I've just dug through all the 2017 record deal info. and can't see a 2 album contract being mentioned (nor any reference that stipulates a covers album) - anyone have a direct link or is this a comment someone made in 2017 now being recalled as a definitive? Similarly, if this is a Parlaphone affair - there's no clear info. regarding contractual details either.
BMG haven't exactly been busting a gut to market anything - not even 1 tweet for the last single.
It's all very interesting and will fuel the speculation brigade. I would suspect the usual band to appear for live dates unless a huge announcement breaks before then.
Nothing surprises me anymore - it will be interesting to see how 'outraged' people will be when he chooses something contentious for the track listing.
Regards,
FWD.
 
Last edited:
My experience of covers records isn’t the best: the ones that spring to mind are Siouxsie’s Through the Looking Glass, Martin (L) Gore’s Counterfeit 2, Bowie’s Pinups and Nick Cave’s Kicking Against the Pricks. All of those were stop gap albums, or released at a quick pace to capitalise on a degree of success. On the other hand you’ve got that Johnny Cash album wot he covered NIN on, which’ll always be seen as prolific and legendary.

Bring on the Moz one. It’d be wrong to dismiss it without hearing it. But nothing really that great to aspire to, based on my experience with the medium
Through the Looking Glass is my fave covers album too, and Scott Walkers Brel-album, but that’s a comp.
 
That said, I've just dug through all the 2017 record deal info. and can't see a 2 album contract being mentioned (nor any reference that stipulates a covers album) - anyone have a direct link or is this a comment someone made in 2017 now being recalled as a definitive?

All I can remember that seemed positive at the time was a quote from Korda Marshall indicating that BMG's interest in backing Morrissey was "long term" (something to that effect). Of course, this was before the union jack-painted cruelty-free shoe dropped.
 
The new Johnny Marr album, "Call the Comet" is really great!
Yeah...I muddled through it once and I got quite uninterested in having a second go. It all sounds so much like Oasis...the voice is so meh...

BUT thanks for your kind suggestion...Anyways, I meant something really contemporary. New. Recent. Can you think of something?
 
I didn’t deny that The Smiths are an influential band, just that The Velvet Undergroind were more influential.

I love The Strokes, & yes, they increased the popularity of straight up guitar bands at the turn of the millennium, but to suggest that they changed the course of popular music is rather silly.

I guess I should have said modern guitar music, but to me that is "popular music".
In the mid to late eighties grunge had come along as the antithesis to the posturing hair metal of L.A. and the like. Then Kurt decided he wanted out, and that dream sadly fell apart.
It was the early 90's and in the UK, especially, but also all over Europe and a lot of the U.S. the Rave scene was taking over. After decades of guitar music electronic music was starting to take over. Bands like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Underworld etc were garnering the lions share of column inches in all of the music magazines and they were starting to do big venue tours. Hell, even the brit-pop type bands like Blur, Happy Mondays, Primal Scream were drafting in DJs and dance producers to produce their albums.
Rap was having a massive second wave, especially in the states, but also worldwide and there was a real, genuine lack of guitar music. And I like a lot of electronic music myself, but after nearly a decade of this, where even some of the better guitar bands were using sampled break-beats instead of proper drums, and every song had to have a kind of guest rapper or MC, it started to get tedious.
Then the NME mentioned a band called The Strokes, and things seemed to change overnight. It wasn't original, far from it, it was your standard skuzzy, garage rock, but after so many years of ultra-clean, clinical sounding, digital music, it was like a breath of fresh air.
For the first time in nearly teenty years, kids stopped buying DJ decks and started buying guitars again, kids started bands with their friends, it was a revolution.
Then came The Libertines (who were massive Morrissey fans and opened for him a few times) and this kicked open the doors for literally hundreds of indie guitar bands, some obviously better than others, but even bands like Suede, Blur and Pulp had a resurgence after years on the sidelines.
So whilst it may sound like a very grand statement, I think that The Strokes, in a lot of ways, really did change the course of popular music as we know it.
 


He isn't unhappy or bitter.

It is possible not to like something in this day and age without getting a label slapped on you? It just makes me believe that people or getting too weak to deal with an opposing opinion. I have never caught a positive vibe from anyone, they make it sound like it's a special power. Art, Nature, Love, and Pain are the only source of inspiration.
 
I don't want him to do covers. Although the Beatles did it from day one. Nothing wrong with that. I fear he's getting too old to do anything original. Morrissey, stop touring, stay home, do something intense.
 
Morrissey has actually said he does not like doing covers. He said he feels like he's performing on the karaoke. Billy Bragg did a good version of 'Never Had Anyone Ever' I will try to find ir.
 
Wasn't there a rumor at some point of a duet between Morrissey and Damien Dampsey to be featured on the new Damien Dempsey album?
Yes, started by Dempsey mentioning a duet in an interview.
(Discussed here: www.morrissey-solo.com/threads/damien-dempsey-interview-mentions-morrissey-duet.141799/).
Then Mando posted the following less than a week later:

20180805_170410.jpg


Regards,
FWD.
 
Finished? No. But Vauxhall was probably the apex, at least commercially. Nothing he has written since has had nearly the appeal for those outside of his loyal fanbase. Vauxhall was his last truly great album.

What are your feelings on Quarry?
 
Tags
california son info
Back
Top Bottom