liliana_young
New Member
Tragedy tends to help build a posthumous reputation (so does being marginalized or wildly misunderstood). Let's hope Morrissey avoids the first. He's got a bit of a claim to the second and as to the third - it's a lock.
I realize that I'm late to the conversation, but thought this was such a great thread that I had to *bump* it.
I voted for the first option also. Morrissey's had 30 years of incredible music...and I'd feel selfish asking for anymore. He's an once-in-a-generation artist who has given more of himself-and shown more vulnerability- than anyone I can think of, and I'll always be grateful for that.
The label 'icon' gets thrown around, but Morrissey absolutely deserves that title.
However, I think that Morrissey of 2013 is a very tragic figure. Watching his downward spiral this year has been painful and difficult, an emotional roller coaster of sorts. Not only because I had a show rescheduled three times, but because it really has been like watching a car crash these past two years. I could see things turning south in 2011 with the BBC Session songs that went nowhere...and things have just gone from bad to worse.
How many times can Moz say that his talents "do not lie in dyi"? That question has been the highlight of the vast majority of the interviews he's given lately. The tragedy in the major label/indie label debate is that we're very likely never going to hear another new studio album from one of the most incredible voices ever due to his unrelenting, delusional narcissism.
It's such a banal discussion to have...but, as has been said on here and elsewhere for years, Morrissey clearly values the ego-stroking and the money in the record deal over the art that actually goes on that record. Definitely one of those contradictions that you get with Moz.
We really are scraping the bottom of the barrel these days with Morrissey, as far as artistry goes. If he wanted to connect with his fans by writing some beautiful TTY essays like the one he did on Kirk Douglas, he could. For free and quite easily. But he doesn't care enough to do even that.
So what are we left with? Getting excited to see him shopping and posing with fans? I hope he's doing well, but as someone on here said...that isn't artistic development. It's just tabloid fodder, really, and boring.
I used to love when Morrissey used to talk about books and films in his interviews and TTY postings (even up until the mid 2000's)...but these days? It's like pulling teeth for him to say he likes System of a Down. I know he's obviously gotten enamored with this enigmatic persona-some say self-parody- he's created...and he prefers it over saying anything of substance. It's all been uninspiring to watch as of late. It's probably for the best that he's retiring now, since it's clear his heart hasn't been in very much he's done lately; the Kill Uncle and Viva Hate reissues come to mind.
Although his problems are a mixture of self-inflicted/personality ones and ones that are just bad luck/timing...all of it, together, makes for a very tragic end to his career...assuming this is the end.
P.S. I know you've heard this before, Anaesthesine, but you are truly one of the greats of the current roster of Solo-ers here. I always know it will be a good discussion if you're part of it. I'm just a lurker 99% of the time here, but I thought I'd let you know.
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