Please Close The Door Behind Me - Morrissey statement at TTY

It's a long one!

PLEASE CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND ME - true-to-you.net
20 August 2014

Morrissey statement

In response to 77 million questions I can only say this much on the subject of the Harvest drama. It is quite true that Harvest initially appeared like a saintly beacon of light, and they instantly packed us off to France where we recorded World peace is none of your business. The universe was back in balance, and we all considered this to be the very best Morrissey recording ever, and even the boo-hoo-suck-it-off elements of the press appeared to want to agree. At last I am born.

It all seemed too good to be true. It was. I believed that the rich soil of the album had several strong hit singles. Frayed tempers began when Harvest arranged the 'spoken word' films, none of which gave any clue as to what World peace is none of your business intended to be, or is. The films were OK, but they went nowhere and stayed there.

With every nerve alert, we pushed the label for a proper video for Istanbul to precede the album, not least of all because a single ahead of the album release might inch the album to a higher chart position. The label backed off, even though Istanbul received 55 radio plays in just seven days on a major US station. Instead, the label requested a fifth spoken-word film, which naturally had me fumbling around for an axe: no independent thought required. The UK label, meanwhile, created a quite fantastic television advertisement to transmit during the week ahead of the album release. I could taste excitement once again. The TV ad never appeared and my hackles bristled as my bristles heckled. The label responded with frosty aloofness, and I suddenly realized that we were not, after all, of the same species. I ploughed into them insisting upon "proper band videos, where the band play and I sing" - an evidently confusing concept that required seven weeks of explanation, detailed graphs and several drawn up maps.

The label suggested I come to Los Angeles and read passages from Autobiography in front of selected audiences. As frightening as that idea was, I hung on, desperate to believe that Harvest were not as cheap as they now looked. I hope to finish this statement whilst I'm still clean-shaven, so I will jump to the final curtain: during the weeks of the album release, the label were minus one single structural idea, and it appeared evident that each member of the team was acting in separate rooms without doors or windows. Mutual mistrust exploded between Harvest and I, and with fashionable pessimism, the label boss yawned and ordered the surface smartness of dropping World peace is none of your business three weeks after its release. There, now! This would not have happened to the Teletubbies.

Sorrily botched the project may now be, but it's worth it to get Morrissey out of our Inbox. Yes, I can be intensely persistent, and I certainly have an over-active fantasy-life, but the Harvest experience tells us that despite the blinding flash of teeth and smiles, it doesn't take much for the coin to flip and suddenly we're all compromised and shattered. All you need to do is disagree with the vanity of the label boss and your beheading will be slotted in between bottles of the most average champagne on the market. Just one weak-chinned drone can assert the fist of injustice and all of our efforts are flushed away. And thus ... they were.

I might be wrong, but I think World peace is none of your business will instantly disappear from iTunes and record stores and every download-upload-offload outlet on the planet, because Harvest technically have no right to sell it.

Most of the Harvest team are very nice, and I sincerely thank them for trying and caring so much - even if their promotional duties were fully undertaken by the Morrissey audience themselves, whose You Tube videos for World peace is none of your business fully provide the art that the label could not muster. The listeners instantly understood how entertainment could also be art. Staggeringly, I still believe that there's a label out there with my name on it, and one that will issue World peace is none of your business, and afford it the respect it deserves.

Thanks for reading this (rashly assuming that you have), and thanks once again to the Harvesters who tried.

We are boot-camp ready for Lisbon in October, so with the will of many gods, hopefully at least 38 of you will turn up.

MORRISSEY
20 August 2014



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Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

What a fantastic note. I laughed out loud several times. It was thoughtful, well-meaning, and polite --> it seems like he's in a good place right now.

Let me just say this: from being a teenager who discovers his music, only to grow older and have my own family - I can now start to understand the man, because of letters like this (and his bio). I'm glad he's so open to us in his old age, for I'm not certain that other time-tested, legendary artists would treat their fans the same way.

Even though he's 'professed' to greatly disapprove of this site - I'm pretty sure he would still, if only from time-to-time, read these posts. Wouldn't you?

I agree that it's one of his best albums. Vauxhall is his best solo record. I think World Peace comes in second. Followed by Southpaw.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I feel bad for him. I think the tour fell apart because he was already fighting with Harvest and with KY.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

This is such an extremely lucid and well-reasoned letter that I suspect that maybe someone from his legal team or elsewhere suggested a change of approach.

I am certain if we talked to Harvest they would have a different story, but I think there is probably a good deal of truth in this letter.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

You and your buddies (chickpea and geezer and the other lemmings) need to head on over to All You Need Is Morrissey or TRB's site. That is where the "yes men" congregate and kiss his ass for everything that he does.
Oh come on Mr " FAN " sticks & stones, why do you think us " yes men " do cast our views on this site, well it's simply because sites just as this one was intended to worship his lordship mudslide, until persons such as yourself seemed to take great pleasure .& satisfaction in dissing everything the great man does.Moreover to the fact that as time has gone by more & more of you trolls have made this site as some kind of hate fest for every idiot worldwide with no musical taste to feel the overwhelming urge to spread absolute venom about him & his brilliant band, surely one as bitter as you should be on some other fan site that has no musical stature like perhaps your own sad,pathetic, self loving,my opinion only counts,FAN site.F****** Looser.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

What a fantastic note. I laughed out loud several times. It was thoughtful, well-meaning, and polite --> it seems like he's in a good place right now.

Let me just say this: from being a teenager who discovers his music, only to grow older and have my own family - I can now start to understand the man, because of letters like this (and his bio). I'm glad he's so open to us in his old age, for I'm not certain that other time-tested, legendary artists would treat their fans the same way.

Even though he's 'professed' to greatly disapprove of this site - I'm pretty sure he would still, if only from time-to-time, read these posts. Wouldn't you?

I agree that it's one of his best albums. Vauxhall is his best solo record. I think World Peace comes in second. Followed by Southpaw.

His old age? He's 55 not 85.
 
As ever, he's at his best after his 26th kick to the stomach. Despite everything else I find his candor refreshing here, and his attitude admirable, and I wasn't expecting to feel that way when I saw that title.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I am glad Morrissey took the time to explain how things went down with Harvest, as he experienced it. It seems like an honest take of how he perceived things. He was pretty even (for Moz) admitting that Harvest started out good and that many people on the Harvest team really tried. I personally loved the spoken word videos, but they probably apealed more to the existing hardcore fans and hardly did anything to promote the record. I did read this statement as heart felt and genuine. I'm glad it was free of hyperbole,weilding insults and over the top statements. I feel it shows Morrissey's close relationship to the fans and he connected wonderfully. He is hopeful that a new record label will pick up WPINOYB, sell it and re-promote it. I hope this is a viable option. The album deserves it!
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

So if they pull the physical copies off the shelves the limited HT copies and regular copies will be sought after when it is re-released. I'm sure it'll have to be more than a new cover to get the fans who already own it to purchase it again. Perhaps more new songs?
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I do pretty much agree with what he's saying and I believe him. That one came across pretty honestly. But. I still think he himself could have done more to promote the album too. I don't believe him when he says that no one wanted to interview him in the press or on TV or have him on shows. I think he must have expected Letterman to contact him or Harvest to contact Lettermen. Maybe both could and should have happened, but what's word with Morrissey getting his manager to get in touch with places and say "hey we got this new album, we'd like to come promote it :)"?

It's such a shame really. The funny part is that Morrissey acknowledges that fans "get it" and do a good job of promoting themselves. So then why oh why not ask the fans to help with kick starters and do the whole thing without a label and work with the loyal fans to promote it. All he would need then is a distribution deal which isn't half as troubling as more complicated record deals.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I remember in an interview a couple of years ago the interviewer called him " the king of indie" and asked him about it. He knows, and he said the mainstream isn't the place to be. Then why won't be sign with an indie label? He's not an artist as famous as Bono or Lady Gaga. He knows that.
 
Thank you Moz for finally accepting at least a small bit of responsibility and speaking like an adult for a change. Remember, we are on your side.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

Anyone else think "Please Close the Door Behind Me" might make a nice song title?
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I do pretty much agree with what he's saying and I believe him. That one came across pretty honestly. But. I still think he himself could have done more to promote the album too. I don't believe him when he says that no one wanted to interview him in the press or on TV or have him on shows. I think he must have expected Letterman to contact him or Harvest to contact Lettermen. Maybe both could and should have happened, but what's word with Morrissey getting his manager to get in touch with places and say "hey we got this new album, we'd like to come promote it :)"?

It's such a shame really. The funny part is that Morrissey acknowledges that fans "get it" and do a good job of promoting themselves. So then why oh why not ask the fans to help with kick starters and do the whole thing without a label and work with the loyal fans to promote it. All he would need then is a distribution deal which isn't half as troubling as more complicated record deals.

I agree. This part is frustrating. He says he received no invitations worldwide for TV interviews/appearances not that he was turned down. There is now way his team was pounding the pavement to get him on TV and he was denied worldwide. Impossible. I wish he would address that.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

He lost me at the bit where he says the album is his best. The rest is noise.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I think it's great that he thanked some of the Harvest team. And I would've LOVED to see a video for Istanbul. Best song on the album besides Smiler </3
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

I am so tired of his whining and bitching. Yawn. Especially after seeing Johnny Marr solo. :guitar:

Maybe if we all just start ignoring these nasty for the sake of being nasty comments, they'll get discouraged and leave.
 
Re: TTY Statement : Please Close The Door Behind Me

Didn't you read the full statement? To answer your question: Yes, he's looking for another label to release it properly.

Yes 'Anonymous' ... I read the full statement. I'm wondering about the likelihood of that happening and anytime soon.
 
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