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What do you make of Morrissey?
laurence1870
Posts: 213 Forum Member
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I've recently gotten into the Smiths and Morrissey, as a solo artist.
I've been fascinated by watching loads of interviews of him and by his general personality. It seems more than just shyness of awkwardness, it seems as if he has no idea how to communicate with people. (I would go so far as to say I detect a bit of autism) He is clearly an intelligent man, but he is so unlike the rest of us. And some of the statements he comes out with are just..well, outrageous!
So my summing up of him is this:
A musical genius, but otherwise a total tosspot!
What do you make of him? Do you think he is, do a degree, acting just to spark some controversy? Is he just saying what we're all too scared to say outright in this day and age?
I've been fascinated by watching loads of interviews of him and by his general personality. It seems more than just shyness of awkwardness, it seems as if he has no idea how to communicate with people. (I would go so far as to say I detect a bit of autism) He is clearly an intelligent man, but he is so unlike the rest of us. And some of the statements he comes out with are just..well, outrageous!
So my summing up of him is this:
A musical genius, but otherwise a total tosspot!
What do you make of him? Do you think he is, do a degree, acting just to spark some controversy? Is he just saying what we're all too scared to say outright in this day and age?
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This is how I would describe him too.
I'm a big Smiths fan and I've recently started listening to his solo stuff too. I bought the "HMV/Parlaphone triple disc" album.
This, although he was a fantastic songwriter back in the day,
I think the smiths owed a lot to johnny marr at least, and then the other members, due to the way the moz solo stuff sounds compared to the smiths. the marr solo album wasn't bad and he's done some great collabs too like the the and electronic and pet shop boys
I think his solo work is generally underrated. In my mind he's similar to Frank Black in that way. Both had influential 80s bands but their solo careers never quite got the same attention when I think both of their work stands up against their earlier band stuff.
Oh wait, DS doesn't allow such short posts. Better make it utter git.
I don't think working with his current, completely crap and uninspired band helmed by Boz Boorer (check out some of his rap stuff on YouTube, it's unintentionally hilarious) helps.
1) He's still the greatest lyricist of modern times - funny, clever, pointed, interesting, unusual, political, he does it all.
2) He's committed - Paul McCartney & Chrissie Hynde are mega-vegetarians, but only Morrissey would call an album "Meat Is Murder" or ban meat from being sold at festivals he's appearing at (see also "The Queen Is Dead")
3) He has a very specific notion of what sort of artist "Morrissey" is (controversial, mysterious, outspoken, engmatic etc.), and he sticks to it, because he knows as a former music mega-fan what he wants/wanted from his idols...
4) His solo stuff is surprisingly good, and often great - OK, The Smiths were legendary, but the 20 best Morrissey songs would happily pass muster against the 20 best Smiths songs, notwithstanding he's been solo far longer than he ever was a Smith...
5) "Autobiography" is fantastic, aside from it needing an editor probably more than any book ever published...
6) He's a pain in the @rse of the first order, leaving behind bandmates, writing partners, managers and record labels (maybe even fans) in his wake, but that's why he's Morrissey... because nobody else is.
However he said all he needed to in The Smiths and said it better, his solo career has really been revisiting old themes and grudges expressed with less and less humour and poetry - there are great songs but they aren't really neccessary
As a person he never came into the fold as artists tend to as they age, never compromised his strange world outlook or took to selling insurance, and never stopped hating the monarchy, and i like him for that. I don't agree with many of his opinions but i don't care about that, i'm not looking for a friend:)
Popular music needs more Morrissey's and less Gary Barlows in my opinion
I really enjoyed his autobiography
his views about meat etc are a bit much
but anybody that slags the royal family off, no ****s given is alright in my book
Love the music, I don't think I could bear to be five minutes in his company though.
Have to love some of his uber fans as well. I once overheard a convo between two, who were so earnest I think they may have forgotten how to smile, talking about how Moz had so influenced their lives that they went vegan and joined PETA, and how they glare at family members for eating meat in front of them. I don't understand that level of hero worship.
I would love to spend five mins or more in his company, not to do the I'm not worthy thing, but just for the hell of it, even my dad who can't stand him would be interested about hearing about my time with Mozz
I admire their discographies and skills even if they are a bit kooky and probably the kind of people that'd either be the life or death of a party depending on their mood.