What’s there to say about Steven Patrick Morrissey? Aside from the fact that he hates being called Steven. Mancunian madman, people’s poet, vivacious vegetarian. Well... I
say vivacious...
He's cited as one of the most singular artists in popular culture. Coming out of Manchester with nothing and ending up a household name.
When The Smiths signed to Rough Trade, they became the label's most commercially successful artist, using up most of the its resources, much to the annoyance of Mark E Smith, it annoyed him so much in fact that he upped & left.
When The Smiths called it a day and said goodnight to their fans due to tension within the band, Morrissey soldiered on - roping in
Strangeways, Here We Come producer Stephen Street to work on Viva Hate; his first solo album. The title of the record was
indeed a nod to the demise of The Smiths.
And so went Moz, with a very successful solo career, leaving his band members to try and continue without him. Easier said than done?
Johnny Marr, legendary guitarist and Morrissey' old best mate joined The Pretenders for a brief period, toured & recorded with The The and formed Electronic with New Order's Bernard Sumner. Then came Johnny Marr & The Healers, Modest Mouse & The Cribs.
What of Andy Rourke & Mike Joyce? The Smith's rhythm section.
Well...nothing, really. Aside from DJ'ing, or putting in appearances at various dos, the pair have nothing to show aside from The Smiths.
There was the infamous court case of '96, in which Mike Joyce claimed he was owed royalties which he never got. The judge on the case described Morrissey as "devious, truculent and unreliable"
Fair play.
Morrissey; a legend, a poet - an artist held so dearly in many people's hearts. But really, he's a bit of a cunt.
Don't get me wrong, I adore The Smiths & Morrissey's solo career just as much as anyone, I've even attempted to see Morrissey live on two occasions but he's not wanted to see me, cancelling both dates. He does that often, actually - pulling out of gigs at last minute, hardly ever apologising & putting it down to a bad throat. He picks, chooses but hardly ever rearranges.
Morrissey is a singer, a performer, he bases his career around his voice - surely he should seek the help of a vocal instructor to help him move past this fiendish and troublesome throat of his?
As far as I'm concerned, a musician should care about their fans, or at least act like it. Morrissey doesn't seem the least bit concerned. We still buy his records (if he lets us), we still go to his gigs (if he lets us) and we still wear his T-shirts (if he lets us).
Telling us to boycott everything from album re-releases to t-shirts he won't get money for. He's a devious one.
Then, of course - there's the ongoing accusations of racism and right-wing patriotism, originally stemming from songs such as National Front Disco and Asian Rut. This idea that Moz was racist wasn't helped by Johnny Rogan's sourceless quote from Morrissey, stating "I don't hate Pakistanis, but I dislike them immensely".
Morrissey didn't shy away from patriotism either, draping himself in a British flag and performing in front of an image of two Skinbyrds. Not to suggest that all skinheads are racist, or that pride for Britain makes you a racist - but there are strong connotations in place, connotations that Morrissey, or anyone for that matter, can't pretend to be unaware of.
In 2007, the NME's Tim Jonze interviewed Moz, an act he has since deemed regrettable. Within the interview, Morrissey called racism "beyond reason", not seeming to see the irony in also claiming that Britain's identity was dying due to the influx in immigration.
It's a shame that Morrissey can't seem to see that both his parents are immigrants, surely Britain's identity is hurt just as much by the immigration of the Irish as it is with the immigration of those from Poland?
As I've said - Morrissey is undeniably a legend - a brilliant lyricist with a fantastic eye for perception. One of Britain's finest musicians and an endlessly-cited influence for many past & upcoming artists. So what is it that Moz is lacking? Passion perhaps? Although, maybe that's unfair; Morrissey's stage presence is pretty much unbeatable, moving about the stage with youthful enthusiasm, putting all the effort he can into a live rendition of
Playboys, going about every song as if the microphone is an extension of his body - if its not passion that Moz is lacking, then perhaps it's just love and compassion?
