Old but interesting article...

[GirlAfraid23]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3547347.stm

I found this on a random google search of Mozzer interviews and the such...I know most people will probably say they have already seen it etc but I tthought I'd ask what people's opinions are of depression and the smiths in general...

I suffer from bouts of depression and when I put the smiths on it does help me through...alot of people I know, would think that listening to the smiths/Moz would make me MORE depressed but because of the lyrical genius and knowing that he has gone through a similar thing himself, therefore allows me to feel at ease with the music. It is very much a case of "the songs that saved your life" I feel.

However, just wanted to hear other people's opinions.

 

[Worm]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3547347.stm

I found this on a random google search of Mozzer interviews and the such...I know most people will probably say they have already seen it etc but I tthought I'd ask what people's opinions are of depression and the smiths in general...

I suffer from bouts of depression and when I put the smiths on it does help me through...alot of people I know, would think that listening to the smiths/Moz would make me MORE depressed but because of the lyrical genius and knowing that he has gone through a similar thing himself, therefore allows me to feel at ease with the music. It is very much a case of "the songs that saved your life" I feel.

However, just wanted to hear other people's opinions.

My opinion is that the modern pop understanding of "depression" is a foolish and fallacious concept that has done far more harm than good; The Smiths and Morrissey merely restore health and sanity to our otherwise meager and spiritually impoverished lives.

 

[Vauxhall95]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3547347.stm

I found this on a random google search of Mozzer interviews and the such...I know most people will probably say they have already seen it etc but I tthought I'd ask what people's opinions are of depression and the smiths in general...

I suffer from bouts of depression and when I put the smiths on it does help me through...alot of people I know, would think that listening to the smiths/Moz would make me MORE depressed but because of the lyrical genius and knowing that he has gone through a similar thing himself, therefore allows me to feel at ease with the music. It is very much a case of "the songs that saved your life" I feel.

However, just wanted to hear other people's opinions.

I've always felt the one's who found Morrissey depressing were never really "in" on the joke. Yes, his lyrics are helpful and easily related to by someone depressed; however, there has always been such an over-arching theme of being dramatically so over the top in his lyrics which has made them humorous at the same time. This is something I think most people are oblivious to.

I remember one review of "Maladjusted" in which the reviewer savaged Morrissey's album and cited the following lyric as evidence of his continuous obsession with depression:

"and the gulf between the things I need
and the things I receive
is an ancient ocean wide"

Yes, on surface it may seem depressing, but it's so over the top it's also hilarious. Morrissey possess an amazing gift to balance humor and sadness in a way, I've just never heard before.

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

 

[SparkleBoy]

Cool.

 

[Danny_]

i don't understand fans who constantly talk about Morrissey being depressing. It makes me think I listen to a completely different artist. Morrissey is always about black humour for me. Similar to someone like Peter Cook.

 

[SparkleBoy]

i don't understand fans who constantly talk about Morrissey being depressing. It makes me think I listen to a completely different artist. Morrissey is always about black humour for me. Similar to someone like Peter Cook.

Don't forget about GG Allin.

 

[MuteWitness616]

Return to Sender.

 

[Primitive_Painter]

We’ve become very individualized and any unhappiness you feel is meant to be as a result of your own doing. There’s this notion that if you’re unhappy, if you're not thrilled with your job, if you find anything wrong with life, it must be YOU who has this issue. I got into The Smiths when I was about 15 and for me, Morrissey was the first person who spoke about the social aspects of unhappiness, how it wasn’t the individual who was necessarily “wrong” for feeling out of place – rather, it was the mirage of opportunities presented to us as happiness which were flawed. I think so many people can relate to the Smiths/Morrissey lyrics because they feel out of place and find the "normal" routes to contentment as drilled in by various outlets very unappealing. Morrissey sang about this as if it were the rule versus the exception. Rather than making depression or feeling out of place a stigmatized deal, he presented it as a normal reaction and I’ve always appreciated that. It seems like everywhere else, it’s the opposite. Those who wish to discount the fact that people can be unhappy with their situation (which they have little or no control over) simply call his fans “depressed”. Obviously, everyone is sad sometimes, however I think the “depression” label is often confused and denies the important aspect of the message. Its very similar to feminism in that feminists are often labeled as “outside” and “other” and it often detracts from the real argument.