Odd Questions, perhaps, re Morrissey's Development

Catholic

English Blood, Irish Heart
What I value most about this forum—where I read the archives a lot—are thoughts from people who obviously love Morrissey and watch him over the years with careful, sympathetic attentiveness.

I have a question for such folk: how do you think Morrissey has changed in recent years?

I'm aware of the most obvious things, such as sounding more "far-right" than he did in his youth and seemingly expressing some interest in religion. And of course his recent suffering after his mother's death, the hate from the media etc.

But are some here aware of deeper things than that?

Does he seem to make progress battling the demons (that we all have). Does he seem to grow or develop personally or spiritually? And what deeper factors might explain the apparent shift to the Right, religion etc.?

Would be most grateful for any caring thoughts/observations here.

Thank you if you can help me with this.
 
He hasn't shifted to the right at all. He thought the left had shifted to the right:

.. the left has become right-wing and the right- wing has become left - a complete switch, and this is a very unhappy modern Britain' (Morrissey, Tremr, June 2018)

And he wasn't entirely wrong:


He's more desperate to get abattoirs banned:

Animal welfare groups cannot persist simply in order to continue to persist. There must be a governmental voice
against the hellish and archaic social injustice allotted to animals in the United Kingdom... we cannot just sit around waiting for establishment enlightenment. The sanctimonious
disaster of animal agriculture cannot be allowed to go on forever, because its widespread impact is hellish. Animals in dairy farms and abattoirs are very eager not to die, yet their
bodies are torn apart while still alive as they are strapped beneath a blade. No outcome can justify this, and we cannot be happy with a society that allows it to happen, because such
a society without compassion goes nowhere... The meat industry, after all, shows no compassion towards
the planet, towards climate change, towards animals, towards human health. It is diabolically contrived and is the world’s No 1 problem. It is also the No 1 issue stifled from any political debate, which, if anything, highlights its importance. (
Morrissey, True-to-You, 2016)

And he's more upset by media:

It’s very difficult for me, I think, to live now, in this electronic age of atrocity. We are fed nothing but carnage and ruin, and we must digest these images and thoughts every single day … so is it any wonder we all look slightly terrorised … this stupid civilization of advertising, advertising, advertising … things that nobody wants. It’s hard to maintain indifference and to not respond... (Morrissey, True To You, 18th March 2016)

He hasn't been in good health since 2009:

How do you stay balanced and recharge your battery, given the stress of modern life, and all the things you have going on in your career? Do you ever have to get away from the music or your responsibilities for a moment in order to re-center? If so, what kinds of things do this for you? And most importantly, how is your health in general?
I don’t manage to remain very balanced! I’ve suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for several years, and I feel intensely melancholic every day. But have you ever actually heard of anyone who found lasting happiness? I think human existence is painful... fear, loneliness, physical decay, ill-health, loss ... and we must face these things every single day whilst also exercising the most austere self-discipline about work, money, appearance, and so on. It’s confusing also because although money in itself is not the source of life, everything arounds us tells us that it is. (Morrissey, Vegan Logic, September 2014)

SAM:
Your mother … my grandmother, died in 2020, and I know you suffered an emotional breakdown.
M:
Yes. Yes. It killed me. It was the first feeling of being alone… in the true sense of the word. It brings something that you cannot cope with … the final stage of growing up, perhaps. And apart from your own nervous breakdown you realize that there remains only one more important event in your life and that is your own death. When you give that unimaginable final hug, you also die. How can you not? I haven’t recovered, I’ve simply adjusted to the pain. It doesn’t get better. (
Morrissey, Central, July 2021)

And seems to have become more religious because of his mother's illness & death:

SAM:
Does this mean your faith has gone?
M:
It can’t because Catholicism takes an unshakable root. It’s not like collecting stamps. You might very well become atheist but the final words you utter will still be ‘dear God, please help me’… unless you’re Christopher Hitchens. (
Morrissey, Central, June, 2021)
 
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He hasn't shifted to the right at all. He thought the left had shifted to the right.

And he wasn't entirely wrong.

He's more desperate to get abattoirs banned.

And he's more upset by media.

He hasn't been in good health since 2009.

And seems to have become more religious because of his mother's illness & death.
I don’t want to sound condescending and mean to you, but you seem to believe you possess access to the inner workings of Morrissey’s mind, that you couldn’t possibly possess, unless you knew him very well personally. I’ve seen the stuff you post here, and people often come down on you pretty hard for acting as though you know Morrissey in real life.

And then to claim to know when he started embracing Catholicism again. How exactly would you know that? He’s been wearing rosaries and crucifixes on/off for many years. He wears an incense fragrant cologne. He’s appears quite ritualistic. This doesn’t mean he’s attending mass.
For the record, I’m Catholic myself, so it wouldn’t bother me in the least, to be proven wrong about that.

Also, how do you know he’s been in Ill health since 2009? He admitted to having Barrett’s Esophagus in what around 2013? 2014?
 
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He hasn't shifted to the right at all. He thought the left had shifted to the right.

And he wasn't entirely wrong.

He's more desperate to get abattoirs banned.

And he's more upset by media.

He hasn't been in good health since 2009.

And seems to have become more religious because of his mother's illness & death.
And how can you truly know what his politics are? He probably doesn’t even know himself. Have you had one-on-one conversations with him about it? These are your opinions. This is your confirmation bias.
 
And how can you truly know what his politics are? He probably doesn’t even know himself. Have you had one-on-one conversations with him about it? These are your opinions. This is your confirmation bias.

Yes, so true. That poster is delusional. Morrissey's words to someone who once knew him quite well, apply here "The fact is: you don’t know me. You know nothing of my life, my intentions, my thoughts, my feelings. Yet you talk as if you were my personal psychiatrist with consistent and uninterrupted access to my instincts."
 
I do think M had said he started attending church again and did list his health issues
 
I don’t want to sound condescending and mean to you, but you seem to believe you possess access to the inner workings of Morrissey’s mind, that you couldn’t possibly possess, unless you knew him very well personally. I’ve seen the stuff you post here, and people often come down on you pretty hard for acting as though you know Morrissey in real life.

And then to claim to know when he started embracing Catholicism again. How exactly would you know that? He’s been wearing rosaries and crucifixes on/off for many years. He wears an incense fragrant cologne. He’s appears quite ritualistic. This doesn’t mean he’s attending mass.
For the record, I’m Catholic myself, so it wouldn’t bother me in the least, to be proven wrong about that.

Also, how do you know he’s been in Ill health since 2009? He admitted to having Barrett’s Esophagus in what around 2013? 2014?

It's not the inner workings of his mind - it's what he's said in interviews & statements.

He literally said he thought the left & right had swapped places.

He has talked about his Catholicism & the way Catholics always return to it in a crisis.

He collapsed in 2009, he was in & out of hospital in 2014, he has talked about ageing & his deteriorating health & in his latest interview he talked about his depression & that he felt he didn't have much time left.
 
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Yes, so true. That poster is delusional. Morrissey's words to someone who once knew him quite well, apply here "The fact is: you don’t know me. You know nothing of my life, my intentions, my thoughts, my feelings. Yet you talk as if you were my personal psychiatrist with consistent and uninterrupted access to my instincts."

He literally says these things.

Do none of you read his interviews?
 

'the left has become right-wing and the right-wing has become left - a complete switch, and this is a very unhappy modern Britain' - Morrissey, Tremr, June 2018​

 
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It's not the inner workings of his mind - it's what he's said in interviews & statements.

He literally said he thought the left & right had swapped places.

He has talked about his Catholicism & the way Catholics always return to it in a crisis.

He collapsed in 2009, he was in & out of hospital in 2014, he has talked about ageing & his deteriorating health & in his latest interview the talked about his depression & that he felt he didn't have much time left.
He collapsed here in Boston in 2014 and was hospitalized
 
SAM:
Does this mean your faith has gone?
M:
It can’t because Catholicism takes an unshakable root. It’s not like collecting stamps. You might very well become atheist but the final words you utter will still be ‘dear God, please help me’… unless you’re Christopher Hitchens.

-
Morrissey, June, 2021
 
Animal welfare groups cannot persist simply in order to
continue to persist. There must be a governmental voice
against the hellish and archaic social injustice allotted to
animals in the United Kingdom... we cannot just sit around
waiting for establishment enlightenment. The sanctimonious
disaster of animal agriculture cannot be allowed to go on
forever, because its widespread impact is hellish. Animals in
dairy farms and abattoirs are very eager not to die, yet their
bodies are torn apart while still alive as they are strapped
beneath a blade. No outcome can justify this, and we cannot
be happy with a society that allows it to happen, because such
a society without compassion goes nowhere...
The meat industry, after all, shows no compassion towards
the planet, towards climate change, towards animals, towards
human health. It is diabolically contrived and is the world’s
No 1 problem. It is also the No 1 issue stifled from any political
debate, which, if anything, highlights its importance.

- Morrissey, True-to-You, 2016
 
It's not the inner workings of his mind - it's what he's said in interviews & statements.

He literally said he thought the left & right had swapped places.

He has talked about his Catholicism & the way Catholics always return to it in a crisis.

He collapsed in 2009, he was in & out of hospital in 2014, he has talked about ageing & his deteriorating health & in his latest interview the talked about his depression & that he felt he didn't have much time left.
Yes, and it’s also your interpretation of the things that he says. How you individually decide to interpret, what he says.

Yes, I have read plenty of his interviews, but I also don’t dissect and take everything that he says…. literally, like it appears that you do.

Regarding his politics, he made that comment about a shift by the left and right, but that also could mean that he doesn’t feel welcome anywhere. You have a strong need/ desire for him to be left-wing , but it’s of my opinion, there’s no way he could be, because he appears to dislike heavy taxation. Along with his comments about UK immigration would suggest (IMO) that he certainly doesn’t have a left-wing position on immigration or political correctness. Which, of course, is absolutely his right to hold whatever views he wants to hold.

As far as Catholicism goes, some people will say that they’re Catholic till the day that they die, but it doesn’t mean that they practice Catholicism.
 
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Animal welfare groups cannot persist simply in order to
continue to persist. There must be a governmental voice
against the hellish and archaic social injustice allotted to
animals in the United Kingdom... we cannot just sit around
waiting for establishment enlightenment. The sanctimonious
disaster of animal agriculture cannot be allowed to go on
forever, because its widespread impact is hellish. Animals in
dairy farms and abattoirs are very eager not to die, yet their
bodies are torn apart while still alive as they are strapped
beneath a blade. No outcome can justify this, and we cannot
be happy with a society that allows it to happen, because such
a society without compassion goes nowhere...
The meat industry, after all, shows no compassion towards
the planet, towards climate change, towards animals, towards
human health. It is diabolically contrived and is the world’s
No 1 problem. It is also the No 1 issue stifled from any political
debate, which, if anything, highlights its importance.

- Morrissey, True-to-You, 2016
Yes, of course, he’s a modern day St. Francis of Assisi!

I’m going to put you on ignore, because you appear to be unhinged and obsessive in a way, that is creepy to me. And quite off- putting.

You always demand the last word. You have a unhealthy desire to be the number one authority on Morrissey. You probably are only in your twenties as well.
 
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Yes, and it’s also your interpretation of the things that he says. How you individually decide to interpret, what he says.

Yes, I have read plenty of his interviews, but I also don’t dissect and take everything that he says…. literally, like it appears that you do.

Regarding his politics, he made that comment about a shift by the left and right, but that also could mean that he doesn’t feel welcome anywhere. You have a strong need/ desire for him to be left- wing , but it’s of my opinion, there’s no way he could b, because he appears to dislike heavy taxation. And his comments about immigration would suggest( IMO) that he certainly doesn’t have a left wing position on immigration or political correctness. Which, of course, is absolutely his right to hold whatever views he wants to hold.

As far Catholicism goes, their are people that will say that they’re Catholic till the day that they die, but it doesn’t mean that they practice Catholicism.

He hasn't made any comments on immigration that wouldn't fit with the left & he does support the welfare state but dislikes the way people are taxed & the way it's spent.

He also referred to himself as a socialist.

& thought that 'For Britain' the party he was going to vote for, but thankfully didn't, was left wing - that's why he was talking about swapping places.
 
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It’s very difficult for me, I think, to live now, in this electronic age of atrocity. We are fed nothing but carnage and ruin, and we must digest these images and thoughts every single day … so is it any wonder we all look slightly terrorised … this stupid civilization of advertising, advertising, advertising … things that nobody wants. It’s hard to maintain indifference and to not respond... (Morrissey, True To You, 18th March 2016)
 
Yes, of course, he’s a modern day St. Francis of Assisi!

I’m going to put you on ignore, because you appear to be unhinged and obsessive in a way that is VERY creepy to me. And quite off- putting.

You always demand the last word. You have a unhealthy desire to be the number one authority on Morrissey. You probably are only in your twenties as well.

My post is just a Morrissey quote.

It's the statement he made when he was considering standing for London Mayor with the left-wing Animal Welfare Party.
 
He became a right wing shill because he can't be bothered to inform himself and he started siding with the perpetrators of sexual abuse and seeing them as the victims, and the actual victims as the ones to blame.
But he did record some pretty cool songs, although not on the level of his earlier or peak work.
 
He became a right wing shill because he can't be bothered to inform himself and he started siding with the perpetrators of sexual abuse and seeing them as the victims, and the actual victims as the ones to blame.
But he did record some pretty cool songs, although not on the level of his earlier or peak work.

Oh, f*** off.

Politics went batshit in the 10s.

He not side with perpetrators, he wondered if the stories in the media were true.
 
I do think M had said he started attending church again and did list his health issues
Weren’t these health issues that he listed, around the time he said he was diagnosed with Barrett’s Esophagus? Anemia, A bleeding ulcer, he might’ve mentioned hallucinations as well.

If he is attending mass again… that’s nice to hear😊 Hopefully, it brings him a sense of peace and connection to God. His personal faith, is definitely between him and God.
 
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