to c ili
> I think it's important to keep an open mind and not jump to
> conclusions too quickly. Morrissey has said many times both
> implicitly and explicitly that he was opposed to the
> well-defined borders separating male and female behaviour.
**************this is a very, very , very typical gay man's defense of his privacy (i.e. sexuality). see: michael stipe, anthony rapp, alan cummings, kevin spacey, et al. straight celebrities don't need to 'avoid labels', they have nothing to hide or be uncomfortable about.
Sure,
> if looking at Morrissey, you only have homo or heterosexuality
> as choices, it would make sense to choose homosexuality. But the
> world is larger than that; so too should your mind be. There are
> many more colours than just black and white.
**********yes, but we're not talking about colors, we're talking about sex. there are really only 2 types of sex (excluding, i suppose beastiality: 1. sex with women 2. sex with men. some people will argue for a third: 3. sex with men and women. it's pretty black and white, no? 2 out of 3 include sleeping with men.
> You saw a man in eye shadow and lipstick and you call him gay. I
> see a man (whose sexuality I'm just not sure of) who's trying to
> make a public statement. I saw him wearing a hearing-aid, but I
> never thought he was deaf. He's definitely effeminate, but does
> that mean he likes having sex with men?
**********by that alone, who's to say? but what statement is gender bending supposed to be making? he's always been a gay role model, even in his earliest days. it's a role he chose and relished.
> Again, those lyrics can mean anything depending upon how large
> your palette is.
> As far as those above quotes go, I feel that even a person who
> sees only in black and white would be hard pressed to determine
> that there are homosexual undertones present.
> From a lyrical standpoint, I think it's a lot vague and very
> unclear. If it were very clear, he'd be Brett Anderson (and even
> he's not gay). As far as the "straight people do not have
> to hide their love" bit, I think you definitely need to
> widen your horizons a bit darling.
*********i don't know you, but i have no doubt that my horizons extend farther than yours. i have had sex with women and men (women didn't seem to work out so well). i have lived solely in the straight world (as do all gay children growing up with their parents), as part of both straight and gay worlds, and solely in the gay world. by world, i refer to culture and lifestyle, i suppose. i'm not referring that gays live in a separate world than straights. morrissey is in the closet, where he has chosen to remain. he is not going to overtly announce his attraction to men in his songs. he is a great lyricist, and is able to express his feelings through his poetry. auden (and WILDE) were able to do the same. there's a reason why it is called the 'love that dare not speak its name'.
> That is one of the most presumptuous presumptions I've ever
> read! But I do that too so...
*************would you care to explain in which situations it would become vital for a man to hide his heterosexuality? is it considered repugnant or disgraceful in some areas i've never heard of? is being heterosexual illegal in some places? do men get executed for bravely announcing their attraction to women in some cultures, or are they exiled and ridiculed or enslaved? i'm not talking about hiding an affair with a woman(which many men boast about anyway), but hiding the fact that he sleeps with (*gasp*) women??!!?? i'm hard pressed to figure a time or place where that would be necessary.
> Aha! That explains everything. Every public relations person
> I've ever known has had this terrible way of sectioning and
> labeling human beings, never allowing people to cross lines. And
> if they do, they're immediately segregated and labeled!
>Not all public behaviour is
> public relations. Kula Shaker may have an image consultant, but
> I sincerely doubt that Morrissey or the boys did.
*********you sincerely doubt??? let me tell you something: record companies do not let their artists just go out and prove their merit on word of mouth. every single that was on the radio, every public appearance, every top of the pops, was the result of a publicist of some sort. tv shows don't just call up a superstar at home and say "why don't you come on my show?" you must be a bit young. or at least naive. i bet you believe that 'entertainment tonight' actually goes out and reports news! just to let you know, EVERYTHING on any of those types of shows (which morrissey has been on in the past) is set up by a publicist. publicists have to BEG to get et or access hollywood or even the local news to come and cover an event.
in other words, yes, morrissey had a publicist. either provided by the record company or chosen by him. but he had one.
> Mmm, I'll bet you do.
**********i'm a nobody. i don't need one. but if you are in the public eye, you have to have one. journalists are vicious.
> It doesn't sound like you have any belief in art, artistic
> merit, or personalities at all!
> You should quit your job immediately. It's totally killing your
> spirit.
**********quite the contrary. my spirit is alive and well, thanks. i have a small group of very good friends and a larger group of social friends. i enjoy theatre of all types, recently i saw a preview of broadway's 'aida' and will soon be seeing 'jesus christ, superstar' on broadway, which i am anxiously awaiting. i was one of the first rentheads. i am seeing 'de la guarda', an off broaday performance/dance piece for the second time next friday. in addition to morrissey at the beacon, i recently saw eurythmics, bette midler and (gulp) ricky martin (free tickets) at madison square garden. i visit the galleries in chelsea every other week or so, and amiee mann and michael penn at joe's pub. i also love len, who i saw at the bowery ballroom last fall.
maybe i'm just older and (slightly) wiser - or at least i've seen a little bit more than you. naivety and youth do tend to make the world seem a little brighter, i'll certainly give you that.
benny