Re: The Record Deal
You sound like a ditched girlfriend
The truth is he has always been as you put it "cocky and smug" about the music he has produced - since The Smiths - haven't you watched the interviews? He has always felt "everything he does is worthy of the top spot" - have you only just noticed? Quite often over the years he's chosen to take "his weakest material and push it as a single", nothing new here.
"no major record label in their right mind are going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on him......" - really? You really think given his recent tours and world wide front page headlines that interest has waned?
"......and on promoting him just to have 'People Are The Same Everywhere" as the album's lead single."
Very similar things were said about The First of the Gang to Die when he was playing that live without a deal, don't you remember? The song was a big success, you are just that kind of negative fan now and have therefore become a bad judge. Listen again.
I do think a major record label is "going to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on him" shortly because he remains, iconic, controversial and uncompromising just like always and major record companies still want to be associated with that, and he has been written off many times and has had many glourious defeats. He is also consistently a writer of very strong pop songs, that hasn't left him. You just stopped getting it.
The industry hasn't changed as much as you think, charts still matter, not every week in "artistic terms" but sometimes - there is still room for him.
By the way not all of the songs he played live during the other "wilderness years" made the YATQ album did they? I think given his recent "recording break" and stock piling and given what we have heard so far as well as the interest in the autobiography, and the tours, I think his next album will be a big hit with some strong singles. I suppose when it happens you will probably claim it all was your idea.
Lets see.
I'd question your ears if you think his latest 'offerings' are good by his or any half decent artist's standards.
People flog Tobias on this site but if you really want to isolate the problem you need look no further than Morrissey's face after the end of the 'The Kid's a Looker' track on those Canada sessions. His face is beaming, my God he really does think this latest stuff is great.
Lyrically and musically it's bereft of originality. It's only when Morrissey decides to take his ears out of his arse that you are going to see the situation improve. If I was a record company exec and even if I
loved Morrissey I would be hard pressed to offer him a deal if I thought that that was the benchmark of what to expect.
To use Morrissey's current touring success as some kind of yardstick as to potential future sales or relevance is misleading to say the least. You must accept now that Morrissey is somewhat of a nostalgia act. The strength of his back cataloge and iconic status as 'The Godfather of Indie' will mean he can successfully tour for probably as long as he wants.
However even at his commercial peak in the States when he was selling out the Hollywood Bowl quicker than the Beatles did not mean he acheived Beatles-like sales in the US of A.
Do we 'not get it' if we happen to believe that Morrissey is not the significant artist he once was? Or could it possibly be (shock, horror) that he is simply past his peak as a writer? You know it does happen and I can't actually think of a single artist (irrespective of discipline) who has managed to stay relevant or challenging for 25+ years. In fact I would say that Morrissey has done fantastically well to remain so for the length of time that he has.
I mean how many more or new ways can you think of to say 'nobody loves me?'
But for me yeah, the gig is up. Like watching a favourite boxer who knows what punch to throw but his body no longer responds Morrissey just got
old. It happens to everyone and I don't hold it against him. And whilst it may seem unfair to hold his back catalog against him, I can't help but listen to most of the new material and just wish he'd stop. There actually comes a point where if he releases too much more shite it will actually start to tarnish his legacy.
Morrissey is a legend because of what he has
done, not for what he is currently
doing.
Yes I will definitely buy the autobiography when it comes out, and I would go and see him live if he was in the neighborhood and I would even buy a new album if he released one, but I no longer expect greatness, those days have long passed.