Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan now?

Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan now?

  • I disfavor Moz. I trend against him. But I can be objective sometimes, but not all times.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I f***ing HATE Morrissey. It doesn't matter what he does. I loathe him.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    39
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

My time as a fan came along in a whirl of obsession, lasted 10 years or so, dwindled and then died. I'm not even sure why. I fell out of love with the music, gradually, and with "the man", more rapidly. Around the time he started parading the band in bras and sequinned dresses, I felt increasing distaste, and then it just faded to boredom and apathy. Everything became predictable - the music, the controversies, the TTY missives - and I just became so tired of it. I have tried to re-stoke the fire - prior to this comment I watched Who Put the M..?, which I love, and went a on video-fest of all the great 90s stuff. Can't feel anything. They're still good songs, sure, but the emotional connection I had to it is gone. If you can watch this and not feel anything, you know it's over.

[youtube]EK_YXVTULLE#t=105[/youtube]


So has Morrissey changed or have I? No idea. I became a fan just before Quarry when I was a young teenager, so it was the perfect time. Seeing him live was a semi-religious experience - I felt a surge of love and allegiance that was almost visceral. Now I'm mid-20s and feel like I've outgrown something that dominated my life for years, it's a strange sense of loss.

I can identify with the sycophants, because I once was one too, and I can identify with the disillusioned and bitter ex-fans who hang around criticising, because I've felt that way as well. My guess is that Barleycorn and Brummy were the most frothing, fizzing obsessives of all at one point in their lives, and the emotional space they allocated to Morrissey was so deep that they can't quite bring themselves to leave the Mozziverse.

In case I haven't fitted into enough 'hater' stereotypes yet.. this numbness hasn't affected my feelings about The Smiths. Every song hits me in the gut like it always did; better to burn out than fade away.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

On a slightly different note - I feel that the atmosphere of Solo itself, as a fan hub, has pretty much disintegrated over the last 5 years and that had a knock-on effect on the "mood" and level of activity on here, as a microcosm of Morrissey's fanbase.

Some people talk about a surplus of haters, "SoLow" etc as though the core Moz fans have always been jaded, but I don't think that was always the case. I miss discussions with posters like Worm, Dave, PregnantfortheLastTime, Corrissey, Nugz, Karin - I could go on forever. There were the heavy thinkers and debaters, the pessimists, the "frink girls", the casual fans - it was a real online fan community. Now, with few exceptions, it's pretty much 3 nutters and a dog. When you reach a point where even the moderators can't stand Morrissey anymore, how can we hope to attract new fans or new debate? Where is there left to go?
 
Last edited:
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

On a slightly different note - I feel that the atmosphere of Solo itself, as a fan hub, has pretty much disintegrated over the last 5 years and that had a knock-on effect on the "mood" and level of activity on here, as a microcosm of Morrissey's fanbase.

Some people talk about a surplus of haters, "SoLow" etc as though the core Moz fans have always been jaded, but I don't think that was always the case. I miss discussions with posters like Worm, Dave, PregnantfortheLastTime, Corrissey, Nugz, Karin - I could go on forever. There were the heavy thinkers and debaters, the pessimists, the "frink girls", the casual fans - it was a real online fan community. Now, with few exceptions, it's pretty much 3 nutters and a dog. When you reach a point where even the moderators can't stand Morrissey anymore, how can we hope to attract new fans or new debate? Where is there left to go?

It is rather sad to read your post because you think some people stopped contributing here make you think that this site is not a real online fan community anymore.

This site reflects the reality. Like yourself, some people grew out of it.

Where do you find the moderators cannot stand Morrissey?
Yes, Uncleskinny recently repeatedly expressed his opinion about double-standard of the man.
However, he is still interested in his music and helping fellow users.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

On a slightly different note - I feel that the atmosphere of Solo itself, as a fan hub, has pretty much disintegrated over the last 5 years and that had a knock-on effect on the "mood" and level of activity on here, as a microcosm of Morrissey's fanbase.

Some people talk about a surplus of haters, "SoLow" etc as though the core Moz fans have always been jaded, but I don't think that was always the case. I miss discussions with posters like Worm, Dave, PregnantfortheLastTime, Corrissey, Nugz, Karin - I could go on forever. There were the heavy thinkers and debaters, the pessimists, the "frink girls", the casual fans - it was a real online fan community. Now, with few exceptions, it's pretty much 3 nutters and a dog. When you reach a point where even the moderators can't stand Morrissey anymore, how can we hope to attract new fans or new debate? Where is there left to go?

Indeed. Back in the day, there were always 'haters', but there were also, simply more people.
Morrissey has become less and less relevant in the mainstream - which is very sad - he remains important to me, regardless.

As for falling out of love with him etc - 'Rubber Ring' - he pretty much predicts as much, of course. I often find myself listening to this and just thinking 'what a clever clever bastard'
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

whenever i see the words rubber ring i always think of a condom. dont know why. must be the use of the word rubber. is that slang in england as well? why does everyone seem to think that world peace was a failure (not me you and everyone, i know). it was not at all on any terms. had he and the label got along for whatever reasons i think it only would have sold more and been more popular. ill also say again that whoever thought that releasing a third of the album as four singles at the same time is an idiot of marketing. it nerver works and only causes fan bases to split and argue and bicker publicly instead of something for the majority of fans to rally around and agree on for whatever the reason. should have released four spoken word videos to tease and then one singles giving some satisfaction while still keeping the tease on the other tracks for when they eventually hear the music.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

It is rather sad to read your post because you think some people stopped contributing here make you think that this site is not a real online fan community anymore.

This site reflects the reality. Like yourself, some people grew out of it.

Where do you find the moderators cannot stand Morrissey?
Yes, Uncleskinny recently repeatedly expressed his opinion about double-standard of the man.
However, he is still interested in his music and helping fellow users.

If it does reflect the wider reality, that is quite sad. Ten years ago, Morrissey's career was still an active, formidable thing. Even in the first "wilderness period", we had the Oye Esteban tour, the excitement of The Importance...documentary, the fantastic success of Quarry which reeled in thousands of new fans, etc. People had "missed" Morrissey and that momentum carried him (and Solo) for years. Since then, his career has been a story of diminishing returns; every album selling less than the one before, and a second "wilderness period" at a time when his ridiculous controversies had already alienated too many fans to withstand it. Nobody gets a second comeback, not even Moz - and when he's given a lifeline by Harvest, he f***s it up by refusing to do any promotion and we're back to square one. The most diehard and dedicated of fans just left, exactly as he predicted in Rubber Ring and latterly in You Know I Couldn't Last.

Solo does not have a "community" anymore in any thriving or cohesive sense. It's desolate; a small, disparate collection of "haters" and people who can't bring themselves to let go, eternal optimists determined to go down with the ship and maybe 1 or two "sycophants" who haven't been around very long and have no camaraderie with the other posters, which is why every thread devolves into an argument.

The moderation on this site...well, frankly, there is none. I get the impression that Uncleskinny knows he's not really a fan anymore and stays around now more out of loyalty to David Tseng and the old Solo than anything to do with Morrissey. These days he just tells various users to f*** themselves, laments what has become of his hero and waits for that ever-distant Smiths reunion. That's not moderation or 'fandom', it's just treading water.
 
Last edited:
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

Indeed. Back in the day, there were always 'haters', but there were also, simply more people.
Morrissey has become less and less relevant in the mainstream - which is very sad - he remains important to me, regardless.

As for falling out of love with him etc - 'Rubber Ring' - he pretty much predicts as much, of course. I often find myself listening to this and just thinking 'what a clever clever bastard'

Quite. Nobody is 15 forever. I thought You Know I Couldn't Last said roughly the same thing too - The teenagers, who love you, they will wake up, yawn and kill you. So don't let the good days, of the gold discs, creep up and mug you. Which they have done, of course, and it eats away at him and us.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

not every fan was 15 though, i came to him and his music as a man. both times i saw him here in the us it was sold out and everyone was cheering and stayed till the very very end and pleaded for more. he just played sold out shows or very nearly even at the o2 which accommodated his food preferences which no one thought he had the clout to pull. when suede played the o2 which was also very successful they closed off sections and there album got to ten not two and they for sure did a bunch of promotion. i love those guys but thats the truth of it. no one blames suede that sales not reaching number one because they have lost it since coming up or just cant hack it. silly. as for diminishing returns, um thats like everyone and many "stars" make number one by selling way way fewer records. rihanna's album sold less than ten thousand copies and im sure i saw her everywhere and she sold a bunch of mags with sexy pics. to bad that big public profile didnt translate into sales. maybe she sold long but id doubt it. he still has lots of fans who buy and go to shows but his public press profile has diminished but at the same time a lot of his fans are older now and dont read crappy music rags so theres little revenue return on stuff like that for them on covering morrissey so why would they bother. that does mean those same people who wouldnt bother reading the mag or watching the music press video wont buy a ticket or an album. the presses job is to sell there product not to show whos popular with concert goers. if someones popular and they still wont make money for the mag, for example, then they dont cover them. i dont know much about solo as ive only been here a min but id say there are people whod come here they just dont find it enough of a priority in return for having to deal with all of the nastiness. i mean why would they, what would they get out of anything. i also find it weird that you equate sales to a records or artists quality and use it as an example of such. would you do the same in other places if people told you that your fav artists records were crap. say well i guess it didnt sell so it must suck. no one buys albums anymore, again i would ask why would they, but they do go to shows.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

not every fan was 15 though, i came to him and his music as a man. both times i saw him here in the us it was sold out and everyone was cheering and stayed till the very very end and pleaded for more. he just played sold out shows or very nearly even at the o2 which accommodated his food preferences which no one thought he had the clout to pull. when suede played the o2 which was also very successful they closed off sections and there album got to ten not two and they for sure did a bunch of promotion. i love those guys but thats the truth of it. no one blames suede that sales not reaching number one because they have lost it since coming up or just cant hack it. silly. as for diminishing returns, um thats like everyone and many "stars" make number one by selling way way fewer records. rihanna's album sold less than ten thousand copies and im sure i saw her everywhere and she sold a bunch of mags with sexy pics. to bad that big public profile didnt translate into sales. maybe she sold long but id doubt it. he still has lots of fans who buy and go to shows but his public press profile has diminished but at the same time a lot of his fans are older now and dont read crappy music rags so theres little revenue return on stuff like that for them on covering morrissey so why would they bother. that does mean those same people who wouldnt bother reading the mag or watching the music press video wont buy a ticket or an album. the presses job is to sell there product not to show whos popular with concert goers. if someones popular and they still wont make money for the mag, for example, then they dont cover them. i dont know much about solo as ive only been here a min but id say there are people whod come here they just dont find it enough of a priority in return for having to deal with all of the nastiness. i mean why would they, what would they get out of anything. i also find it weird that you equate sales to a records or artists quality and use it as an example of such. would you do the same in other places if people told you that your fav artists records were crap. say well i guess it didnt sell so it must suck. no one buys albums anymore, again i would ask why would they, but they do go to shows.

I didn't do that - but the fact remains that the music industry is a business, and if albums don't sell well enough then music artists are dropped by their labels and forced to either self-release (which Morrissey would never do) or slide into nothingness. Maladjusted tanked and he was without a record deal for 6 years; he had another 5 year drought between Refusal and World Peace and then boom, we get 1 album and he's without a deal for a third time. Sales matter to Morrissey, as does airplay and chart positions. Which makes the current situation even more bleak.

Thanks for your reply. I think you are right about the nastiness putting new people off, too.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

Thanks for your thoughtful posts, Amy. I, too, have been at a crossroads with my interest in the music and, seemingly, ever to a lesser degree the man. But I can't discount the prominence of other facets of my life drawing me away - and different artists appealing more to the Me of Now. I sincerely wish the newer tenants here had been around to experience 1999 - 2003. Somehow it never was glum, even if it did seem like he would never record a new album - and people formed allegiances in their common interest rather than building walls. I made a friend here in 2001 that I am close with to this day. I do think the turbulence of the last few years is due in part to the devolution of Internet etiquette and the general abysmal state of discourse throughout mediated existence. And everyone takes it so damned PERSONALLY. Comparatively, some of the goons of yore (Greasetea, Mr. Improper) were regarded almost like wacky uncles. A cluck of the tongue, the occasional sharp retort, and things would move on.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

he was barely there on maladjusted. he didnt even pick out his own cover and its pretty easy to see why maladjusted tanked. despite his being barely there the tracklisting was terrible and i could only listen after the rerelease. even the rerelease didnt save southpaw which i only own out of completest obligation. but of course there he did do promotion at least some and he had more press then and its like considered his worst album. kill uncle is trite, fine and pleasant even but its not worse than southpaw as i like kill uncle. anyway no they dont drop the artist from the label they look at the market and adjust overhead which they should have done forever ago. if you dont think that the costs of recording and releases or even the cost of the cd itself arent super inflated then i dont know what to say to you. record companies just dont wanna admit that what they do isnt as costly as they make it out to be and charged for it. this is even more true today and they dont wanna pay themselves less or admit that they charged more than they had to or was reasonable. its the old old fashioned idea that you can spend money to create fame. it only creates infamy not fame and only for a short period of time
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

Thanks for your thoughtful posts, Amy. I, too, have been at a crossroads with my interest in the music and, seemingly, ever to a lesser degree the man. But I can't discount the prominence of other facets of my life drawing me away - and different artists appealing more to the Me of Now. I sincerely wish the newer tenants here had been around to experience 1999 - 2003. Somehow it never was glum, even if it did seem like he would never record a new album - and people formed allegiances in their common interest rather than building walls. I made a friend here in 2001 that I am close with to this day. I do think the turbulence of the last few years is due in part to the devolution of Internet etiquette and the general abysmal state of discourse throughout mediated existence. And everyone takes it so damned PERSONALLY. Comparatively, some of the goons of yore (Greasetea, Mr. Improper) were regarded almost like wacky uncles. A cluck of the tongue, the occasional sharp retort, and things would move on.

this seems sensible but i doubt a bit about people being wacky uncles. maybe at first but that kind of behavior eventually misfires and the misfires hang around a lot longer than some realize. way more than the chuckle ever does and people drop away. for every chuckle there was probably someone who just left and didnt say anything about it. this keeps happening over time and it just dwindles and dwindles until theres no body left but troll and a few and the trolls just seem louder as theres less and less blocking them out. now you do need something to attract peope to a website. a lack of trolls wont do that but itll at least provide the necessary space for that attraction to exist in. moderation is a good thing when done correctly but it takes someone with patience and maturity and the ability to resist childish baiting. also why would people not take what others are saying about them seriously. at least seriously unpleasant to have to tolerate. why would they? people cant just say anything to you in the street without getting a hit so why should they here. harassment should just be considered harassment anywhere. in person on the phone or online. i could always say you could just not answer the phone if you dont wanna hear it. you dont have to come here if you dont wanna be harassed isnt a great tag line or very appealing to many.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

I didn't do that - but the fact remains that the music industry is a business, and if albums don't sell well enough then music artists are dropped by their labels and forced to either self-release (which Morrissey would never do) or slide into nothingness. Maladjusted tanked and he was without a record deal for 6 years; he had another 5 year drought between Refusal and World Peace and then boom, we get 1 album and he's without a deal for a third time. Sales matter to Morrissey, as does airplay and chart positions. Which makes the current situation even more bleak.

Thanks for your reply. I think you are right about the nastiness putting new people off, too.

Just out of curiousity, may I ask what kind of education you got in the meantime and what kind of job you currently have? With being 25 now, from what I remember from my friends who went to university in the UK, you should be in your third year of employment now? I saw that the Doll & The Kicks chick, whom you adored at the time, had studied philosophy and religion, even though it was all like she had studied music at the time, and is working for an advertising company now. I find fascinating what's possible in the UK, as if the kind of education you get doesn't really matter. You adored her girlieness at the time, which doesn't particularly indicate that you had much of a grasp what gender stereotypes are about, which she certainly perpetuated. I found there was totally nothing strong or independent of her. You also critizise Morrissey for having put the band on stage with bras, when at the time you claimed that of course Morrissey was all about homosexuality and transvesty and transsexuality. When people like you get their education from people like Morrissey and his associates, it is like politicians who are elected with f*** knowing anything and then get their "knowledge" about things from lobbyists. There is little to no difference.

Your perception of the "community" is wrong. You may have felt that there was a community of certain people with half knowledge who were very confident and eager to fight their place, people like you who claim to have "the truth", but the exact people, while oviously having a great conversation with themselves, drove anybody else away. You'll have to live with your half knowledge. I doubt you'll ever get anywhere else, which is quite dangerous for society as a whole, especially if one looks at where all those half educated Morrissey fans are sitting nowadays.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

Solo does not have a "community" anymore in any thriving or cohesive sense. It's desolate; a small, disparate collection of "haters" and people who can't bring themselves to let go, eternal optimists determined to go down with the ship and maybe 1 or two "sycophants" who haven't been around very long and have no camaraderie with the other posters, which is why every thread devolves into an argument.

The moderation on this site...well, frankly, there is none. I get the impression that Uncleskinny knows he's not really a fan anymore and stays around now more out of loyalty to David Tseng and the old Solo than anything to do with Morrissey. These days he just tells various users to f*** themselves, laments what has become of his hero and waits for that ever-distant Smiths reunion. That's not moderation or 'fandom', it's just treading water.

Most fans have moved to Morrissey and Smiths groups on Facebook, that's all. Internet forums are dying as a whole. Morrissey-solo is now a place mostly for bitter ex-fans in their 40s - 50s.
 
Last edited:
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

seems likely as facebook has professional moderators. from the very few forums ive frequented and its not a whole lot it mostly seems they have a moderation problem or want to just simply leave it as a place of complete free speech or what not but like no one wants that. not in person or online. its why everywhere you are in person there are lawws about harassment. no one want complete free speech but trolls.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

On a slightly different note - I feel that the atmosphere of Solo itself, as a fan hub, has pretty much disintegrated over the last 5 years and that had a knock-on effect on the "mood" and level of activity on here, as a microcosm of Morrissey's fanbase.

Some people talk about a surplus of haters, "SoLow" etc as though the core Moz fans have always been jaded, but I don't think that was always the case. I miss discussions with posters like Worm, Dave, PregnantfortheLastTime, Corrissey, Nugz, Karin - I could go on forever. There were the heavy thinkers and debaters, the pessimists, the "frink girls", the casual fans - it was a real online fan community. Now, with few exceptions, it's pretty much 3 nutters and a dog. When you reach a point where even the moderators can't stand Morrissey anymore, how can we hope to attract new fans or new debate? Where is there left to go?

This is really on point and can I say that forums even before those 5 years ago were even lovelier again. It has been a sad slow disintegration. I have never posted alot but I did enjoy reading the posts of those you have mentioned. Does anyone remember the likes of Cecil de Morrissey and Oye Terrance and heaps and heaps of other around that time?

All I can say to Moz-Solo, 'you were good in your time.'
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

Just out of curiousity, may I ask what kind of education you got in the meantime and what kind of job you currently have? With being 25 now, from what I remember from my friends who went to university in the UK, you should be in your third year of employment now? I saw that the Doll & The Kicks chick, whom you adored at the time, had studied philosophy and religion, even though it was all like she had studied music at the time, and is working for an advertising company now. I find fascinating what's possible in the UK, as if the kind of education you get doesn't really matter. You adored her girlieness at the time, which doesn't particularly indicate that you had much of a grasp what gender stereotypes are about, which she certainly perpetuated. I found there was totally nothing strong or independent of her. You also critizise Morrissey for having put the band on stage with bras, when at the time you claimed that of course Morrissey was all about homosexuality and transvesty and transsexuality. When people like you get their education from people like Morrissey and his associates, it is like politicians who are elected with f*** knowing anything and then get their "knowledge" about things from lobbyists. There is little to no difference.

Your perception of the "community" is wrong. You may have felt that there was a community of certain people with half knowledge who were very confident and eager to fight their place, people like you who claim to have "the truth", but the exact people, while oviously having a great conversation with themselves, drove anybody else away. You'll have to live with your half knowledge. I doubt you'll ever get anywhere else, which is quite dangerous for society as a whole, especially if one looks at where all those half educated Morrissey fans are sitting nowadays.

Bit of a personal attack here, not sure what triggered that one? I don't know what you're getting when you said I "adored her girliness" - I can't remember saying that, or indeed anything like it, nor did I mention gender stereotypes. I don't really think my education or employment should be called into question either, or how it relates to what I've said?

Similarly, I've never been of the opinion that "of course Morrissey was all about homosexuality and transvesty and transsexuality." You are either mistaking me for someone else or deliberately putting words and thoughts into my mouth which are false, which baffles me somewhat. I thought the bras were a sad circus, yes, but it had nothing to do with gender and everything to do with a lack of respect and what I saw as Morrissey's desire to emphasise that he was The Main Attraction and the rest were hired oompa-loompas.

I don't get my education from Morrissey, nor do I think I have "the truth"; it's my opinion and users are free to agree and disagree as they please. I don't really know how you managed to come up with half the assumptions in that post, really. My achievements (or lack thereof) are dangerous to society? :squiffy: It sounds like you think you were "driven away" from the old Solo and people like me were to blame. I find that pretty hard to believe, even if you hate me and the things I post. People feud on here daily and it doesn't stop them contributing.
 
Last edited:
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

just to be clear its not the same anon who youve been talking about the music biz with who said they needed to think about overhead. im guessing that you can see the difference in grammar and that hash tag thing but im not sure. anyway dont think im trying to personally attack anyone as i dont see any gain in it for anyone least of all me or you. i like you amy as we disagreed without being nasty and that was inspiring a bit for me. i just wanted to make sure we were clear and were cool
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

just to be clear its not the same anon who youve been talking about the music biz with who said they needed to think about overhead. im guessing that you can see the difference in grammar and that hash tag thing but im not sure. anyway dont think im trying to personally attack anyone as i dont see any gain in it for anyone least of all me or you. i like you amy as we disagreed without being nasty and that was inspiring a bit for me. i just wanted to make sure we were clear and were cool

Yep, I can see the different IP hash, no worries.
 
Re: Sycophants vs. Haters. Is it really that simple? How do you self-identify as a MORRISSEY fan no

ok thanks for clarifying so that i can stop clarifying to others. i didnt know if that went through for sure or if i could see it or just registered users as i dont know what to look for. thanks again as its a bit of relief for me the clarification
 
Back
Top Bottom