Morrissey Central "‘BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS’ IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS" (June 14, 2023)

'BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS’ IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS'

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Artist-friendly Capitol Records (Los Angeles) have no plans to release ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ two and a half years after the album was recorded.

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Morrissey’s new comment on the situation:

“It’s a clear display of how censorian the music industry has become. It is a new part of the music industry that does not work and that nobody likes. Music should be the primary democracy, as all art should be, and any effort to keep people away from it simply invites deeper discussion. There is no point banning ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ because somebody somewhere might be offended if they heard it. Why waste time on other people’s mental incapacities? And where is Capitol’s support for the kids who were murdered in that Manchester bonfire on 22 May 2017? Although Capitol claims to be a label of ‘diversity’ it is very difficult to see their humanity. If you are only prepared to release music that draws people’s minds away from thinking then you are unfit for any contact with creative people. Songs are literary compositions, and writing music should be an unrestricted open form. It seems to me that Capitol Records cannot observe the possibility that their artists or their potential customers have ever thought. But silencing certain artists achieves nothing, and simply makes the bonfire burn taller and louder. The moral perspective at Capitol Records who is sitting like a hen on an egg on ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ is Michelle Jubelirer, who played no small part in removing ‘World Peace is None Of Your Business’ from the shelves in 2014 - determined that it could not sell or be heard. The same creeping culture of censorship at Capitol Records has taken place with ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers’, and the civic structure of Capitol now appears fascist. I still have hope in the music industry, but there are evidently several powerful faces within it that have no honest interest in music … and you follow them into the shadows at your peril.”
MORRISSEY.

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(Middle image = Michelle Jubelirer).
FWD.



Media items:
 
The conspiracy of silence around the attacker in the Nottingham slaughter - it may as well have been carried out by a ghost according to the mainstream media - and today's concerted attempt to paint everyone in Nottingham as 'united in love', just goes to show how 'off message' Morrissey is. BOT has been well and truly killed off and buried. There is one message we are supposed to hear - anything that doesn't fit that message, that questions the narrative, has to be suppressed.
Well, there's this (as possibly the most recent)...
Nottingham attacks suspect is former Nottingham University student
 
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Using the OP Central post as the basis of commentary.
FWD.
 
The ghost-writers thing you mentioned is shocking. I would expect the band at least had the chance of saying no to that being released, but probably didn't cause they didn't want to be dropped.

Still, this still begs the question, why did Moz sign a contract that gave Capitol the power to keep the album and refuse to release it. I don't see an explanation for that other than poor representation/legal advice.
They obviously had a chance to tell the ghost writers they didn't like something and could try to change it but if the GW's had the final say.

The band refuses to play any of those songs live and has mentioned to the audience that they aren't any good. I don't think they have publicly stated this has happened so I'm sure most fans don't really know why they hate them so much.

They were given a little leeway on some b-sides since I know the guitar player picked a song to cover and they let them record it and release it.

As far as why Moz did this my best guess is it was the only non-360 offer on the table.

Even Rough Trade had a lot of control over The Smiths. The Queen is Dead was recorded in 1985 and the band wanted to release it but RT (I think it was Geoff Travis) said they had already released an album that year and it would have to wait until 1986 to be released.

The Smiths did a small tour and played a lot of TQID songs before the album was released.

Obviously it's not the same as burying songs but labels often times have the final say.

Another example of this is Sire records choosing to release Tomorrow (and the radio only single, Glamorous Glue) over You're The One For Me Fatty and Certain People I know.

I used to talk with Howie Klein's assistant Ilene Sutter and one time she wasn't in and Howie answered the phone himself. Knowing that Fatty was the UK single I asked him when the US release of it was. He said, "What makes you think we are releasing that as a single?" to which I replied, "Well, it's the UK single, I figured it would be the same."

He said something along the lines of, "I don't think that's the best choice." He didn't suggest what might be released instead but soon after that Tomorrow was released.

I don't have any proof Moz wanted to release Fatty in the US but Howie Klein certainly didn't. They also chose not to release CPIK in the US but instead had a radio only single in Glamorous Glue which the label had radio stations play but customers had to buy Your Arsenal to get it.
 
They obviously had a chance to tell the ghost writers they didn't like something and could try to change it but if the GW's had the final say.

The band refuses to play any of those songs live and has mentioned to the audience that they aren't any good. I don't think they have publicly stated this has happened so I'm sure most fans don't really know why they hate them so much.

They were given a little leeway on some b-sides since I know the guitar player picked a song to cover and they let them record it and release it.

As far as why Moz did this my best guess is it was the only non-360 offer on the table.

Even Rough Trade had a lot of control over The Smiths. The Queen is Dead was recorded in 1985 and the band wanted to release it but RT (I think it was Geoff Travis) said they had already released an album that year and it would have to wait until 1986 to be released.

The Smiths did a small tour and played a lot of TQID songs before the album was released.

Obviously it's not the same as burying songs but labels often times have the final say.

Another example of this is Sire records choosing to release Tomorrow (and the radio only single, Glamorous Glue) over You're The One For Me Fatty and Certain People I know.

I used to talk with Howie Klein's assistant Ilene Sutter and one time she wasn't in and Howie answered the phone himself. Knowing that Fatty was the UK single I asked him when the US release of it was. He said, "What makes you think we are releasing that as a single?" to which I replied, "Well, it's the UK single, I figured it would be the same."

He said something along the lines of, "I don't think that's the best choice." He didn't suggest what might be released instead but soon after that Tomorrow was released.

I don't have any proof Moz wanted to release Fatty in the US but Howie Klein certainly didn't. They also chose not to release CPIK in the US but instead had a radio only single in Glamorous Glue which the label had radio stations play but customers had to buy Your Arsenal to get it.
I can't imagine he would have signed this deal if he at all foresaw something like this happening (the company burying the album). Surely a 360 deal would have been preferable... or just none at all.

It's not a possible development that would be immediately evident to the artist I think, from reviewing a contract.

A level of control from the labels is naturally to be expected - and if Moz doesn't want that then he needs to self-release - but what Capitol are doing here is in outright bad faith. I wonder if a legal case could be made against them.
 
I can't imagine he would have signed this deal if he at all foresaw something like this happening (the company burying the album). Surely a 360 deal would have been preferable... or just none at all.

It's not a possible development that would be immediately evident to the artist I think, from reviewing a contract.

A level of control from the labels is naturally to be expected - and if Moz doesn't want that then he needs to self-release - but what Capitol are doing here is in outright bad faith. I wonder if a legal case could be made against them.
Pretty sure he would have looked at the legal angle. Capitol have been silent on this whole thing so we only have Morrissey's version of events, anything could have happened.
 
Pretty sure he would have looked at the legal angle. Capitol have been silent on this whole thing so we only have Morrissey's version of events, anything could have happened.
I hope he has. I believe this kind of thing has happened before, but no legal precedent exists.

We do only have Moz's version of events, but obviously something has happened, since the single came out and then the album has not.

What the reason for this has been, we only know Morrissey's then manager was saying the problem was with the Miley situation, and then Moz has said it's because of the album's title and title song. We can speculate but I don't think Morrissey would be outright saying this if he hadn't been told something along these lines by someone from the label?

Anyway, for all we know, Capitol might still intend to release the album but is not giving any release date.
 
What the reason for this has been, we only know Morrissey's then manager was saying the problem was with the Miley situation, and then Moz has said it's because of the album's title and title song. We can speculate but I don't think Morrissey would be outright saying this if he hadn't been told something along these lines by someone from the label?
Morrissey is an inveterate bullshitter. It suits his narrative to paint himself as a noble artist silenced by evil censorious forces, but I seriously doubt that's the case. He tried to make the same point with 'World Peace ', and that was down to him being an awkward bugger who slagged off his label in public when it failed to sell as many copies as he wanted.
 
She is an attorney. Not an artist and certainly not an advocate for artists. It's clear she acquired Bonfire not for its 'art' but as a simple legal maneuver to block its release and thus any chance of bringing the Manchester Arena Bombings back into the cultural conversations (probably as a good will gesture for Ariana Grande, one of Universal Music's Group biggest cash cows).

An interview with Michelle Jubelirer, from just a few weeks' ago - https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=336072&title=A-CONVERSATION-WITH-MICHELLE-JUBELIRER

Capitol Music Group Chair/CEO Michelle Jubelirer has been with the company since it was launched a decade ago in the wake of UMG's EMI acquisition. She was tapped for the top post in late 2021 and has since been focused on reshaping the label for a rapidly evolving ecosystem.

Having had one of the true monsters of 2022 with Sam Smith’s record-breaking, Grammy-winning “Unholy” f/Kim Petras (680m U.S. streams to date), she's currently celebrating breakthroughs by Ice Spice (1.75b global streams, 825m U.S.) and Toosii (nearly 300m global streams and growing), not to mention a very promising start by the multifaceted Doechii—and she has plenty of other irons in the fire.

Jubelirer keeps up a brisk pace, whether she's jumping from meeting to meeting or hiking up a mountain with one of her artists. We did our best not to fall behind...
Isn't it unusual for someone to be both CEO & Chair of a company?

Also, this lovely interview with Muriel Gray 1985 seems to segue with Morrissey's comments about art -
 
An interview with Michelle Jubelirer, from just a few weeks' ago - https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=336072&title=A-CONVERSATION-WITH-MICHELLE-JUBELIRER


Isn't it unusual for someone to be both CEO & Chair of a company?

Also, this lovely interview with Muriel Gray 1985 seems to segue with Morrissey's comments about art -

Are Sam Smith really tall (lol) - or is Michelle Jubelirer really small?

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This quote is hilarious:
And despite the fact that I've been at Capitol Music Group for 10 years, I still see myself as a fierce artist advocate; that is the aperture through which I look at everything I do. I always ask myself and others, “Is this in the best interest of our artist and their long-term career?” I've promised myself that if my attitude towards that ever changed, it would be time for me to leave the major-label system. Because I refuse to change who I am and why I do what I do. I love artists and I love artistry.
 
An interview with Michelle Jubelirer, from just a few weeks' ago - https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=336072&title=A-CONVERSATION-WITH-MICHELLE-JUBELIRER


Isn't it unusual for someone to be both CEO & Chair of a company?

Also, this lovely interview with Muriel Gray 1985 seems to segue with Morrissey's comments about art -

So she’s the CEO of Capitol (I’ve no idea if it’s unusual that she’s also the chair) and Moz is publicly blaming her…. He doesn’t lack guts, but not sure this seems like a winning strategy!
 
I
Are Sam Smith really tall (lol) - or is Michelle Jubelirer really small?

View attachment 91998

This quote is hilarious:
And despite the fact that I've been at Capitol Music Group for 10 years, I still see myself as a fierce artist advocate; that is the aperture through which I look at everything I do. I always ask myself and others, “Is this in the best interest of our artist and their long-term career?” I've promised myself that if my attitude towards that ever changed, it would be time for me to leave the major-label system. Because I refuse to change who I am and why I do what I do. I love artists and I love artistry.
I assume she’s quitting any day then.
 
Unfortunately, these kind of undignified outbursts from Morrissey pretty much guarantee that no major label will ever go anywhere near him again. Who would want to deal with an artist who will publicly slag off any label he's involved with as soon as he doesn't get his way? He's damaged goods.
 
Are Sam Smith really tall (lol) - or is Michelle Jubelirer really small?

View attachment 91998

This quote is hilarious:
And despite the fact that I've been at Capitol Music Group for 10 years, I still see myself as a fierce artist advocate; that is the aperture through which I look at everything I do. I always ask myself and others, “Is this in the best interest of our artist and their long-term career?” I've promised myself that if my attitude towards that ever changed, it would be time for me to leave the major-label system. Because I refuse to change who I am and why I do what I do. I love artists and I love artistry.
I think Sam has his heels on
 
The conspiracy of silence around the attacker in the Nottingham slaughter - it may as well have been carried out by a ghost according to the mainstream media - and today's concerted attempt to paint everyone in Nottingham as 'united in love', just goes to show how 'off message' Morrissey is. BOT has been well and truly killed off and buried. There is one message we are supposed to hear - anything that doesn't fit that message, that questions the narrative, has to be suppressed.
I can assure you there is no conspiracy of silence around the Nottingham incident. The reason for the lack of information on the perpetrator is because it was clear from the outset that this is highly unlikely to have been a terrorist attack. What self-respecting terrorist launches a 'spectacular' at 4am? It's far more likely that this act has been perpetrated by someone experiencing a severe mental health episode. It would be far from the first time this has happened. Unfortunately, such is the world now that (as we see here) people immediately assume any such grisly incident is a terror attack. And THAT is why the media is being very careful what they say: A lot of people already presume it's a terror attack, the last thing you should do is encourage the narrow-minded idiots even more.

Google 'Eden Strang'. That offence was committed in 1999 but I guarantee you if it had happened now a whole bunch of people would assume it was a terror attack. These things (sadly) happen from time to time. It's not always the big scary Muslims.
 
The conspiracy of silence around the attacker in the Nottingham slaughter - it may as well have been carried out by a ghost according to the mainstream media - and today's concerted attempt to paint everyone in Nottingham as 'united in love', just goes to show how 'off message' Morrissey is. BOT has been well and truly killed off and buried. There is one message we are supposed to hear - anything that doesn't fit that message, that questions the narrative, has to be suppressed.
Or...the songs were not very good. Morrissey's effort to be dangerous and controversial is met with a collective yawn and he can't stand that.
 
I can assure you there is no conspiracy of silence around the Nottingham incident. The reason for the lack of information on the perpetrator is because it was clear from the outset that this is highly unlikely to have been a terrorist attack. What self-respecting terrorist launches a 'spectacular' at 4am? It's far more likely that this act has been perpetrated by someone experiencing a severe mental health episode. It would be far from the first time this has happened. Unfortunately, such is the world now that (as we see here) people immediately assume any such grisly incident is a terror attack. And THAT is why the media is being very careful what they say: A lot of people already presume it's a terror attack, the last thing you should do is encourage the narrow-minded idiots even more.

Google 'Eden Strang'. That offence was committed in 1999 but I guarantee you if it had happened now a whole bunch of people would assume it was a terror attack. These things (sadly) happen from time to time. It's not always the big scary Muslims.
Totally agree. Xenophobic dog whistle. Good one Morrissey, freakin' do better. Also, the song is a half assed clunker.
 

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