October 20, 2002

6:07 AM

The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores and Morrissey is the most enchanting of them all. After years of dithering, mitigating, litigating and downright procrastination, it seems another comeback is in the works. Of the five new songs recently performed in Arizona, at least two of them (The Last Of The Gang To Die and I Like You) are as good as anything he's ever done. I'd say he's all keyed up for a cracking, newly miserable, yet peppy and poetic middle age. Perhaps every day is not like Sunday, after all... [Quicktime for the main link; MP3 for the songs. For the lastest information on The Moz, check out the Mrs Shankly website; Morrissey Solo; Morrissey Tour and Ambitious Outsiders.]
posted by MiguelCardoso (35 comments total)

My friends went to see Morrissey at the Livid festival in Brisbane last weekend. I declined to go on the basis that I wasn't interested in seeing the Morrissey version of 'Vegas years' Elvis.

I recieved a drunken sms message during the show that read 'WATCHING MOZ - THIS IS FKN BIZZARE' - the general consensus after the show was that Morrissey may be an aging, chubby, ultra-campy parody of his former self, but he seemed in high spirits (tres ironic!), and was much better entertainment than he'd been in years.

Anyone else caught him live lately? Your verdict?
posted by backOfYourMind at 6:41 AM on October 20, 2002

When Mr. Morrissey rolls back into England in a fortnight, i fully expect to be crying and smiling like an idiot come the end of the evening, and who can really ask for more than that? Hopefully this career gear shift will bring forth the final canonisation of Saint Morrissey, too.
posted by robself at 6:52 AM on October 20, 2002

All Morrisey needs is a cheeseburger and a blowjob, and then perhaps he will lighten up.

Along with Duran Duran, Britney Spears, and Fred Durst, he is the enemy of all that is good in rock and roll. Johnny Marr has done some good stuff with The The so he is excused.

as some wise men said :

Models, critics, wimpy art school punks..they're killing all the fun in rock and roll......I gota gun, know how to use it...
posted by jonmc at 7:18 AM on October 20, 2002

His solo stuff has ranged from the terribly pretentious to the terrible. Johnny Marr has probably been getting annoying hang-up calls for about 15 years now.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:20 AM on October 20, 2002

I love The Smiths. But, Morrissey's solo stuff is good too. My current favorites are 'we hate it when our friends become successful' and 'the last of the famous international playboys'.
posted by letterneversent at 7:26 AM on October 20, 2002

Have people forgiven Morrissey for toying with Racism ? - I haven't.

I still like The Smiths' music and I'll listen to those MP3s ( - thanks! ), but then I also listen to Wagner...
posted by godidog at 7:34 AM on October 20, 2002

It's always the cheeseburger with that guy going on about the Hair Club for MTV!
posted by y2karl at 7:57 AM on October 20, 2002

I caught Morrissey a couple of years ago here in Vancouver when he was touring for Maladjusted. It was an entertaining show, lots of energy and people were really enjoying themselves; great fun, until...

Some people kept jumping up on stage trying to meet/touch Morrissey. Security would rush out, grab these people and haul them off the stage. As these people were being dragged off, Morrissey would grab the person's hand, half-trying to keep the person on stage -- though really it just delayed their unceremonious exit for about 20 seconds or so. Needless to say, this encouraged more people to jump up on stage as Morrissey kept giving everyone the same treatment. It was cute the first couple of times, but soon people were jumping up 2-3 times per song and it became increasingly distracting. Eventually, five people jumped up on stage at once: security stormed the stage, whisked Morrissey away, house lights go up -- sorry folks, show's over. This, 40 minutes after it had begun.

I will never forget just what an egomaniacal prick Morrissey was that night -- encouraging people to jump up on stage, then shutting things down because they were jumping up on stage. That was the last penny he will ever get from me.
posted by filmgoerjuan at 8:28 AM on October 20, 2002

Morrissey is coming to Stockholm next week. I'll be there. I'm looking forward to this occasion a lot, not so much for the music (I love The Smiths, but Morrissey solo doesn't do much for me) but for the fans.
posted by soundofsuburbia at 9:05 AM on October 20, 2002

filmgoer: people were doing that at the Garden here in NY back in the 80s too--really annoying! (sidenote: a totally unknown Melissa Etheridge opened for him and we all booed and booed...)

It's funny--he's very charismatic, but i think his music is better heard at home alone....
posted by amberglow at 9:26 AM on October 20, 2002

wow. "WTF is morrissey, and where did he come from, and why should i care?" sez i to myself. i keep seeing his name pop up in various places, and after double checking that we weren't talking about van morrison, i read the links (nothing to answer my question there) and turn to google. it would seem his main claim to fame is appearing in blue jeans during the 'poison' era. and something about a band called Smiths with a jangly guitar. i must have been distracted by Human League hatred during that pan flash.
posted by quonsar at 11:05 AM on October 20, 2002

Whyioughta........this is the man who murdered pop, doncha know
posted by robself at 12:40 PM on October 20, 2002

filmgoerjuan, there's a lengthy tradition of people jumping up on stage and touching morrissey. It sounds like that venue (and not Morrissey himself) made the stupid decision to end the show. Watch some video of early Smiths shows in which dozen of people jump on stage and are dancing away, with M. hardly able to hold onto the mic. It's great.
posted by gluechunk at 1:10 PM on October 20, 2002

oh. it's a britpop thing.
posted by quonsar at 1:22 PM on October 20, 2002

Quonsar: Nothing to do with britpop, and It was a bit more than a pan flash -- I'd say The Smiths were sitting in every depressed teenagers tape deck (occasionally swapped with The Cure or Joy Division) from say, 1984-1992.

However, if you weren't a depressed teenager (or, possibly an disaffected college student) during that period, It's a lot less likely you'll like them.

Me, I strongly dislike his solo stuff, but I'm still fond of Louder Than Bombs and The Queen is Dead. However, I was one of the aforementioned angst-stricken teens, so take that with salt.
posted by malphigian at 1:38 PM on October 20, 2002

Jonmc, quonsar and U.S. citizens in general who don't appreciate the genius of Morrissey: I know it's over. So let's call the whole thing off. ;)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 2:22 PM on October 20, 2002

All Morrisey needs is a cheeseburger and a blowjob

Yeah, I read that line in the Spin letters column twelve years ago, too.
posted by MegoSteve at 3:19 PM on October 20, 2002

1984-1992 - if you weren't a depressed teenager (or, possibly an disaffected college student) during that period, It's a lot less likely you'll like them.

sigh. i was already a depressed, disaffected adult by then. however, a cheeseburger and a blowjob would cheer me up, even today...
posted by quonsar at 3:31 PM on October 20, 2002

It was all down hill after How Soon Is Now, perhaps one of the 25 best rock songs ever.
posted by ParisParamus at 4:19 PM on October 20, 2002

Morrissey? Meh. Cockhorse-riding motherfucker.
posted by furiousthought at 5:06 PM on October 20, 2002

Morrisey = Alvin Stardust, wrapped in a flag.
posted by ceiriog at 5:14 PM on October 20, 2002

i've seen him perform twice this week and must say i was impressed. however, this may have been due to the anticipation of waiting so long for him to tour here in australia. i don't care if i don't see him again though. i'd have to agree with filmgoerjuan's appraisal of him as egomaniacal. no doubt about that.
on a side note, he's also hooked up with peta for a bit down here to raise the awareness of elephant cruelty in thailand and asking for all the usual boycotts, in keeping with his background on such issues.
posted by paul at 5:19 PM on October 20, 2002

I own all Moz's solo stuff and nothing by the Smiths-though I've heard it all.
Since I don't pay much attention to anything but the music itself, I think his solo stuff is pretty damn good. Maybe not as good as the Smith's (but I can't go back to being 16 again-and it was ALL about time and place) but still there are some great songs. "Sister, I'm a Poet", "Nobody Loves Us", "Now My Heart is Full"-sigh...
Morriessey played Seattle a few weeks ago. I heard the man actually joked that someone smiled and ruined the mood!
Glad to hear he's still kicking...Elvis years or no.
posted by black8 at 5:38 PM on October 20, 2002

Yeah, I read that line in the Spin letters column twelve years ago, too.

Damn, you're good. But I've been waiting years to use it dude....


However, if you weren't a depressed teenager (or, possibly an disaffected college student) during that period, It's a lot less likely you'll like them.

I was a disaffected/depressed teenager during that period but I was listening to the Replacements and Metallica during that time. What that means I don't know.
posted by jonmc at 6:17 PM on October 20, 2002

Hmm, when I think of Morrhersay I think of "sad hair music".
posted by jca at 6:22 PM on October 20, 2002

I saw him in Perth and he was WONDERFUL. Yes, I am a massive fan, always have been and I was also the aforementioned depressed teenager but he has an amazing stage presence for someone who is quite frankly middle aged. It was a big deal for me to be there because the last time he came to Australia (10 years ago) he cancelled most of his gigs due to flu and we never got to see him. Also, I was in high school and due to sit one of my university entrance exams the day after he was supposed to play. My parents refused to let me go (did I hate them for that!) as it was it never happened anyway.

Actually , for Morrissey, he was quite chatty and he played all his big hits (and the Smiths) and some of his new stuff. Funniest moment? He was singing Meat is Murder and the 15 year old in front of me turns to her friend and asks 'Do you think he's a vegetarian?'
posted by Jubey at 7:00 PM on October 20, 2002

Give the guy a break. Sure, he's a whiner, but his girlfriend's been a coma for a long time now ...
posted by yhbc at 7:04 PM on October 20, 2002

Morrisey has apparently recently become really popular among Latinos, at least in Southern California. I kind of find this hard to believe--all the Morrissey fans I know were disaffected white suburban teenagers in the late 80s (me included)--but hey, any fans are good fans.
posted by xil at 7:55 PM on October 20, 2002

Did I mention that I cried?
posted by octobersurprise at 6:50 AM on October 21, 2002

Morrissey may be aging, but he's still easy on the eyes. Certainly I wouldn't throw him out of bed for eating saltines.

However, I swore the last time I saw him perform -- New York City, early '90s -- that I'd never pay to see him again. His set lasted only a little more than half an hour.

If I want 30 minutes of Morrissey, I can pop in Viva Hate and set a timer ... and it won't cost me $45.
posted by shmeggy at 8:13 AM on October 21, 2002

xil: he's been popular with latinos around so cal at least since queen is dead. I think the james dean thing provided a link.
posted by shoos at 12:00 AM on October 22, 2002

Y'know, Xil-back in '88 or so, I wanted to be Mexican too...
posted by black8 at 1:00 AM on October 22, 2002

Hmm, when I think of Morrhersay I think of "sad hair music".

That's Morehairspray.
posted by ParisParamus at 4:03 AM on October 22, 2002

If I want 30 minutes of Morrissey, I can pop in Viva Hate and set a timer ... and it won't cost me $45.

shmeggy: That's exactly my experience (Portland, OR -- mid 90s sometime). I won't be sending Mr. Morrissey any of my hard earned cash anytime soon. I'm a fan, to be sure, but shelling out half a bill to indulge his ego isn't part of my worldview.
posted by maniactown at 9:07 AM on October 22, 2002

I saw him at the Albert Hall in London last month. He's a little... um, chunkier now - where he used to throw his shirt into the crowd (to be grabbed and ripped to shreds) before singing the last few songs topless, this time, he took his shirt off, threw it to the crowd and scuttled backstage...
Great show by the way. And he played for 80 minutes, 20 more than earlier shows of his I've seen.
posted by etc at 9:35 AM on October 22, 2002