Morrissey Central "Column." - Fiona Dodwell: ""The Smiths Do Not End" - And Never Will, Thanks To Morrissey" (August 18, 2024)

"The Smiths Do Not End"— And Never Will, Thanks To Morrissey.

Excerpt:

The Smiths were great for the same reason Morrissey as a solo artist is — yet, as he quite rightly points out — he has been demonised for the same qualities his seminal pop group were praised for. Nothing has changed for Morrissey, from the 80’s when he fronted the acclaimed group, up until the present, where he continues to challenge the narratives that overshadow society and the mainstream media.

These thoughts bring to mind the divisive flock who often rear their ugly heads on social media to proclaim their love of The Smiths, all the while saying they refuse to support the Morrissey of today. Such beliefs, founded on very shaky ground, are easily dismantled when one realises that The Smiths are the essence of Morrissey and one cannot divide him from their releases and cultural importance.



More ramblings from Diddy Dodders.

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Link shared as a Central post the same day via:

Column. - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - Column.

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

 

[Redacted]

Your comment is the coffin wherein the credibility of M's career is now laid.

But 'Bonfire Of Teenagers' will be the final nail if he releases it.

This ethical imbecile who mocked the murders of innocent Norwegian teenagers slaughtered by Brievik in Oslo at a political summer camp now expects to be taken seriously as he sheds crocodile tears about the Manchester Arena Atrocity Exhibition? After his attempt yo monetise the Bataclan slaughter?

He is clearly a delusional fantasist who sees himself as a rebellious social commentator but the truth is he's just an annoying face-time attention whore troll with a melodious gift for vocal performances. That'll he's ever been. He stalks any and all controversies purely to pivot public attention on to his latest insipid recordings. He got lucky when his pseudo-personas morphed from mullet-haired disco moppet to doomed poet to launch The Smiths and he's been a Karaoke tribute act to that iteration of his flawed reinvention ever since.

I thought it would be a posthumous reapprausal but the clown went too far and the Liberal elites who'd initially foisted him onto the public as a castrated make feminist suddenly 'woke' up and screamed in horrified unison as they realised he will spout any nonsense that passes his dimwit brain if he thinks he'll gain a dopamine rush from the ensuing forte. Now, they just ignore him whilst mourning their mistake in giving him a platform to begin with...For Britain?...Seriously? He is as thick as pigshit. He is a troll. Enjoy his consumers products and experiences if it gives you pleasure but don't drink his Kool Aid.

BrummieBoy
...by the banks of the sacred Sabrina river...

Mercia Rising
Engerland

Very well said. I agree with every word.

Every single thing you and I are talking about here is most of the reason he has lost so many fans, but he still has empty headed lemmings to fight his battles, and he knows it, but he also knows it is not enough which is why he started to desperately cling to the Smiths legacy. It won't bring him good will, that ship has sailed, we all know who he is now and I think a lot of us are content to remember the Smiths as they were without being fawning sycophants for Morrissey, and he knows that as well, which is really the essences of FiDo's piece.
A poster has recently brought to our attention here that the Smiths spotify has 15 mil listeners.

Morrissey has 1.6 mil.

He knows his Smiths legacy is where it's at now, but Johnny has been taking care of that legacy and I don't think anyone with any sense wants to see Morrissey take over. He can't even have his band play the songs correctly, ffs, when he even bothers to play them.

 

[Redacted]

just accept the not guilty verdict and let spacey build his career back up because no matter what you think he was a very good actor.ps-no i wont shut it.

You also can join Morrissey and be a fan and defender of a sex offender but you can do that on ignore. Disgusting.

 

[gashonthenail]

As well as suggesting that the allegations made against Kevin Spacey didn't sound very 'believable' - Moz did then go on in the interview to suggest that there have been cases of 14-year olds voluntarily getting themselves into sexual situations, giving the example of 'groupies' and 'rock stars'. I agree this is 'controversial' territory. And social attitudes to such situations have undoubtedly changed over the decades - they are very different now than they were when Moz was growing up in the 1970s. For example, the age of consent used to be 12 in Spain - now it's 16. But Moz is factually accurate that such cases did happen. Whether or not all such cases should automatically be classified as 'statutory rape' is much less open to debate than it used to be, but most countries do still have some sort of 'Romeo and Juliet' guidance for prosecutors that would take into account age difference, for example, in such situations - so in 2024 in some countries an imaginary 15 or 16 year-old Justin Bieber might get off with some sort of caution (or equivalent) were he to have sex with a 14-year old, but an imaginary 50-year old Bill Wyman almost certainly wouldn't. Ultimately I just think Morrissey was suggesting that there are still some shades of grey when it comes to this topic, and it's not all black and white. But I recognise that in 2024 even suggesting that there are shades of grey when it comes to this topic, is in itself seen as 'controversial'. Not sure if that is 'progress'.

 

[gashonthenail]

You also can join Morrissey and be a fan and defender of a sex offender but you can do that on ignore. Disgusting.

The chap in your avatar eulogised David Bowie - who allegedly had sex with a 15-year old when he was in his twenties, after they both got high on champagne and weed. Some might argue that Brett Anderson 'defended a sex offender'? Is it time to change your avatar?

 

[gashonthenail]

Der Speigel gutted Morrissey.

All very entertaining to read, BrummieBoy, and you are undoubtedly correct that the media reporting around Der Spiegel was incredibly damaging to Morrissey - probably way more damaging than any of the FB stuff. But people can listen to the interview for themselves on Youtube and decide whether Morrissey said anything particularly 'bad' in the interview. His biggest mistake was not doing his homework before the interview - Der Spiegel is fairly left of centre and 'woke', so talking 'freely' about subjects like #MeToo was probably unwise. One of their journalists was caught out literally making up stories. Even from the audio recording you can almost hear the reaction of the interviewer when Moz suggests that Berlin is the rape capital of Europe. You can almost hear the white guilt middle class shock and horror.
You are also correct that Moz has said things way more 'controversial' than anything he said in this interview. For example, what he said about the Norway massacre. As I have suggested a few times in other posts, Moz has always said 'controversial' things. He did in The Smiths, and he has done so as a solo artist. Yes, what he has said over the years ranges from the 'silly', and perhaps 'dangerous', to the insightful and perspicacious, and everything in between. But give me Morrissey and his 'silly', even 'dangerous' views, over just about any other pop star. At least he has views. Most pop stars have nothing to say. We won't see his like again.

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” Oscar Wilde

 

[Gregor Samsa]

All very entertaining to read, BrummieBoy, and you are undoubtedly correct that the media reporting around Der Spiegel was incredibly damaging to Morrissey - probably way more damaging than any of the FB stuff. But people can listen to the interview for themselves on Youtube and decide whether Morrissey said anything particularly 'bad' in the interview. His biggest mistake was not doing his homework before the interview - Der Spiegel is fairly left of centre and 'woke', so talking 'freely' about subjects like #MeToo was probably unwise. One of their journalists was caught out literally making up stories. Even from the audio recording you can almost hear the reaction of the interviewer when Moz suggests that Berlin is the rape capital of Europe. You can almost hear the white guilt middle class shock and horror.
You are also correct that Moz has said things way more 'controversial' than anything he said in this interview. For example, what he said about the Norway massacre. As I have suggested a few times in other posts, Moz has always said 'controversial' things. He did in The Smiths, and he has done so as a solo artist. Yes, what he has said over the years ranges from the 'silly', and perhaps 'dangerous', to the insightful and perspicacious, and everything in between. But give me Morrissey and his 'silly', even 'dangerous' views, over just about any other pop star. At least he has views. Most pop stars have nothing to say. We won't see his like again.

“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” Oscar Wilde

Why compare him with “any other pop star” in the first place? Why not compare him with (other?) intelligent artists with interesting things to say? I know that’s an idea that Moz himself likes to harp on about, that he is the only one in the music world with anything to say and the rest are just “lock-jawed pop stars”, but it’s ridiculous and reveals a very shallow concept of the music world. Let’s not compare him with Sabrina Carpenter or Justin Bieber, but rather Nick Cave or David Tibet (for example).

 

[gashonthenail]

Why compare him with “any other pop star” in the first place? Why not compare him with (other?) intelligent artists with interesting things to say? I know that’s an idea that Moz himself likes to harp on about, that he is the only one in the music world with anything to say and the rest are just “lock-jawed pop stars”, but it’s ridiculous and reveals a very shallow concept of the music world. Let’s not compare him with Sabrina Carpenter or Justin Bieber, but rather Nick Cave or David Tibet (for example).

Or Ian Brown or Van Morrison?

 

[Musician]

The biggest problem with the Spiegel fiasco wasn't if Morrissey defended Weinstein and blamed the victim or not. In fact, none of the content matters - what doe sis Morrissey claimed he didn't say the things what was printed. Then the journo posted the audio and turned out he DID say all those things, whatever they were. He was caught lying openly. That was a MAJOR crack in the fanbase, for me definitely.

 

[Redacted]

The biggest problem with the Spiegel fiasco wasn't if Morrissey defended Weinstein and blamed the victim or not. In fact, none of the content matters - what doe sis Morrissey claimed he didn't say the things what was printed. Then the journo posted the audio and turned out he DID say all those things, whatever they were. He was caught lying openly. That was a MAJOR crack in the fanbase, for me definitely.

Yes, it's not something you do not recover from. He threw several hissies about it then was caught telling big lies. The cover up is always worse than the crime.
I could actually tolerate his disgusting opinions if he actually owned them, but even HE must have known they were bad if he was denying he said those things.
I think once he starts talking he loves the sound of his own voice so much that he can't shut up. Another hallmark of narcissism, they just keep talking to keep the attention on themselves.

 

[gashonthenail]

The biggest problem with the Spiegel fiasco wasn't if Morrissey defended Weinstein and blamed the victim or not. In fact, none of the content matters - what doe sis Morrissey claimed he didn't say the things what was printed. Then the journo posted the audio and turned out he DID say all those things, whatever they were. He was caught lying openly. That was a MAJOR crack in the fanbase, for me definitely.

I think, to be fair, he objected to the spin that Der Spiegel put on what he said. The headline of the article, written in German, translates as Morrissey praises the Brexit referendum, defends Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein and describes Berlin as a "rape capital" - because of its open borders. Seriously?
I think most sane people would describe that as 'spin'. And pretty biased spin at that. And let's call a spade a spade. Why did Der Spiegel feel obliged to portray Morrissey as some crazy loon? Because he said what he said about rape crime statistics. That's the real reason. To point out reality is a crime. Who cares about the rape victims of Berlin? Maybe they just should have covered up more, or not worn that short skirt. Do they really think no one sees the irony of Der Spiegel's faux indignation?

Morrissey über Brexit, Kevin Spacey und Merkels Flüchtlingspolitik

Morrissey lobpreist das Brexit-Referendum, verteidigt Kevin Spacey und Harvey Weinstein und bezeichnet Berlin als "Vergewaltigungshauptstadt" - wegen der offenen Grenzen. Im Ernst?

www.spiegel.de

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Or Ian Brown or Van Morrison?

Sure, why not. My point is, Morrissey is not the world. Mainstream pop music is also not the world.

 

[gashonthenail]

Some irony, perhaps, in Morrissey getting into trouble over an article that poses the question - Im Ernst?

After this interview, Morrissey may have realised for the first time in his life the vital importance of not being 'earnest'.

 

[Musician]

I think, to be fair, he objected to the spin that Der Spiegel put on what he said. The headline of the article, written in German, translates as Morrissey praises the Brexit referendum, defends Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein and describes Berlin as a "rape capital" - because of its open borders. Seriously?
I think most sane people would describe that as 'spin'. And pretty biased spin at that. And let's call a spade a spade. Why did Der Spiegel feel obliged to portray Morrissey as some crazy loon? Because he said what he said about rape crime statistics. That's the real reason. To point out reality is a crime. Who cares about the rape victims of Berlin? Maybe they just should have covered up more, or not worn that short skirt. Do they really think no one sees the irony of Der Spiegel's faux indignation?

Morrissey über Brexit, Kevin Spacey und Merkels Flüchtlingspolitik

Morrissey lobpreist das Brexit-Referendum, verteidigt Kevin Spacey und Harvey Weinstein und bezeichnet Berlin als "Vergewaltigungshauptstadt" - wegen der offenen Grenzen. Im Ernst?

www.spiegel.de

Sorry, but that's nonsense. I didn't and don't care what spin Der Spiegel tried to put on, how they chose the headline etc. For a casual reader the trick might have worked, but someone who read the interview properly (as I did) took the content, which Morrissey claimed wasn't said that way, then turned out it WAS said word by word

 

[gashonthenail]

Sorry, but that's nonsense. I didn't and don't care what spin Der Spiegel tried to put on, how they chose the headline etc. For a casual reader the trick might have worked, but someone who read the interview properly (as I did) took the content, which Morrissey claimed wasn't said that way, then turned out it WAS said word by word

This is all water under the Speigel, but...
Morrissey's statement was that they hadn't 'conveyed [his] views fairly'.
In the interview he doesn't defend Harvey Weinstein.
Read the interview again. Listen to the interview again.
He talks about wider issues around #MeToo and how there has been a negative effect of making people more anxious about making a pass at others. The interviewer doesn't appear shocked by anything he says, appears to agree with him, and talks about ignoring someone for 5 years because she fancies them.
The only point the interviewer does seem shocked is when Morrissey says that Berlin is the rape capital of Europe. That is when the interviewer appears to change. Tells you everything you need to know about why the interview was written up the way it was. Everything.
Ok, we need to make people think this guy is mad, bad, and dangerous. So what's our headline? Lunatic Morrissey defends Rapist Weinstein.
They know no one can defend open borders. No one wants open borders. Open borders are just crazy. So their only option is to play the man, not the ball.

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

View attachment 109085

Guessing SER has forgotten the husband/Jesse 'issue'.
FWD.

The only people who read her stuff, is the very small cult fanbase that believes everything M says anyway. So what is the fecking point ?
We all know M gives her the idea and the general flow and she just tags her name and some padding

I don't want to have a go at the woman, I think we shouldn't blame her for the fecking stupidness.
We all know the blame should go to M. Rather than blog or do interviews and say this shiz himself, he gets other people to do it. Like a lame ass Trump move. " Some people say I am the soul reason for the Smiths, They say I am the Smiths. I would never say that but I heard some people do say that. Its very kind of them to say that"

This is the same principle behind lots of things M does. Whether emails by Boz that are by him, whether its pretend letters and calls to NME that are by him. Whether posts on M Central that are him. Whether getting James Maker to write stuff in his autobiography or on his "Fan page". Poor James after 40 years in the music biz, being friends with a legend, James can barely get 150 fans and only about 10 download his music. I'm on Jame's FB page and you can tell he still toes the party line, to this day. Poor James. Actually I sometimes talk to him on FB. He said that he thought the guitarist in Raymonde was better than Johnny Marr. Can you Adam and Eve it?

Whether its getting chub rock Julia to write stuff on True to You (what is it with M and chubbers, he is a chubby chaser is M ), What happened to Julia? She once tried to move my daughter out the way, to get closer to the stage at one of M's gigs My daughter was only about 7 at the time. Imagine pushing past a 7 year old (I poured larger in her bag when the gig was on. LOL ).
Actually, Julia always seemed mentally unwell to me, spending 1000s on Oscar Wilde first editions for M. M had to tell her to stop. Good for fecking M. The geezer does have a moral center

Whether its getting Jesse to write stuff on IG , with words Jesse wouldn't even know if his fecking life depended on it
I get M likes being famous and wants to be thought of in a certain way, but the more he fecking plays these games the worse he looks to anyone with a brain
That is the trouble though, his circle lack brains, Jesse , Sam etc

I get it though man. I mean, M has been treated pretty badly by the press, he has been stitched up like a kipper a load of times. So I get why he feels hard done by .

This new argument by M. that he is the reason people still listen to The Smiths is fecking true, just not in the way M would like.
Its because of what M was like in The Smiths and Viva Hate time. The way he was, the way he looked, the way he fecking wrote and sang and moved. His mind was fire back then, he looked fire back then He was mega stylish. Gay or straight, man or woman we loved him but that had nothing to do with the post Viva Hate M. Now I still like Post Viva Hate M. I think he became much less fecking special as we got to 2000 but I still like the geezer and think he has got some great fecking songs. His song about Brexit is more on point than bands with members a third of his age. I just really think its a stretch to say M's solo career kept the Smiths going. As even in the 90s people would say,they loved the Smiths but didn't like M solo, Shit even at The Smiths gigs, back in the day. I can remember people saying they loved The Smiths and the songs but thought M was a twat.
Its been said by a lot of C**ts that if M would have died when The Smiths ended, he would have been a true icon and legend and the band would be one of the greats. The people who say it are fecking nasty and M is still a legend and The Smiths still are mega but the point is they to are not still loved due to M solo , they are loved due Smiths version M. The real truth is M solo was only what it was based on Smiths M, its Smiths M that Kept M solo alive, not the other way around

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

Exactly. This forum is filled with what I call "Moz Shaming". I try to keep a balanced view, making sometimes nice and not so nice comments. I don't know how some people can be so one sided.

I think that is like most. I must admit I mainly come on, when I have some booze and the house to myself , so a lot of my mood is dependent on the booze ive had. I think most peoples opinions are based on their moods rather than actual opinions

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

And, lest we forget, Moz was right about mass immigration, rape, and sexual assault. Who would have thought that allowing boat load after boat load of young men into your country might, just might, have an impact on crime statistics? No shit, Sherlock. But, of course, the left only care about 'victims' as long as they are non-white and non-Jewish. The rest of the interview was Moz talking about #MeToo, not Harvey Weinstein, that is clear from the audio, and then suggesting that the allegations made against Kevin Spacey didn't sound very 'believable' - turns out the jury agreed with him.

Germany is acknowledging the unspeakable | Andrew Hammel | The Critic Magazine

In spring 2024, Herbert Reul, Interior Minister of Germany’s most populous state(22 million inhabitants), Northern Rhine-Westphalia, said something remarkable: “We have a problem with non-German…

thecritic.co.uk

I agree , people made a fuss about nothing , the thing about the mag making stuff up was BS . He should have kept his gob shut. The trouble is, its not the first time. M and lies and very good friends

 

[Dirk Blaggard]

Your comment is the coffin wherein the credibility of M's career is now laid.

But 'Bonfire Of Teenagers' will be the final nail if he releases it.

This ethical imbecile who mocked the murders of innocent Norwegian teenagers slaughtered by Brievik in Oslo at a political summer camp now expects to be taken seriously as he sheds crocodile tears about the Manchester Arena Atrocity Exhibition? After his attempt yo monetise the Bataclan slaughter?

He is clearly a delusional fantasist who sees himself as a rebellious social commentator but the truth is he's just an annoying face-time attention whore troll with a melodious gift for vocal performances. That'll he's ever been. He stalks any and all controversies purely to pivot public attention on to his latest insipid recordings. He got lucky when his pseudo-personas morphed from mullet-haired disco moppet to doomed poet to launch The Smiths and he's been a Karaoke tribute act to that iteration of his flawed reinvention ever since.

I thought it would be a posthumous reapprausal but the clown went too far and the Liberal elites who'd initially foisted him onto the public as a castrated make feminist suddenly 'woke' up and screamed in horrified unison as they realised he will spout any nonsense that passes his dimwit brain if he thinks he'll gain a dopamine rush from the ensuing forte. Now, they just ignore him whilst mourning their mistake in giving him a platform to begin with...For Britain?...Seriously? He is as thick as pigshit. He is a troll. Enjoy his consumers products and experiences if it gives you pleasure but don't drink his Kool Aid.

BrummieBoy
...by the banks of the sacred Sabrina river...

Mercia Rising
Engerland

I think the song 'Bonfire Of Teenagers' is a pile of shite mate but, he is on point with it. I think lots of Brits now share his opinion on this . I think lots have now come around to M's point of view and lots of the working class in the UK and Ireland are considered far right just like he was, for the same kind of reason. just wanting to keep the fecking customs of their country I think he should have released the song when the fecking riots where on. I have say, I think I got my fagg in Austin , just in time. The UK is a fecking shite pit now

 

[Light Housework]

Fiona Dodwell’s brilliant. I trust her by now.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

This is all water under the Speigel, but...
Morrissey's statement was that they hadn't 'conveyed [his] views fairly'.
In the interview he doesn't defend Harvey Weinstein.
Read the interview again. Listen to the interview again.
He talks about wider issues around #MeToo and how there has been a negative effect of making people more anxious about making a pass at others. The interviewer doesn't appear shocked by anything he says, appears to agree with him, and talks about ignoring someone for 5 years because she fancies them.
The only point the interviewer does seem shocked is when Morrissey says that Berlin is the rape capital of Europe. That is when the interviewer appears to change. Tells you everything you need to know about why the interview was written up the way it was. Everything.
Ok, we need to make people think this guy is mad, bad, and dangerous. So what's our headline? Lunatic Morrissey defends Rapist Weinstein.
They know no one can defend open borders. No one wants open borders. Open borders are just crazy. So their only option is to play the man, not the ball.

Sound like something an estate agent would say….