Fiona Dodwell: "Sing Your Life: How Morrissey Became Music’s Greatest Lyricist" (December 21, 2022)

Sing Your Life: How Morrissey Became Music’s Greatest Lyricist

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Was hoping for a Bonfire review...
Ah well.
FWD.

Update:
Added as a post on Morrissey Central:
THE SINGING VOICE IS LOVE - December 22, 2022

 

[Luxo]

Better to be a pariah with Morrissey’s solo discography than enjoy “legendary status and unadulterated adoration” with Marr’s post-Smiths output.

The irony being that Morrissey absolutely craves "legendary status and unadulterated adoration" with every fibre of his being, and he really thinks he deserves it, despite his actions and despite his laziness. Rightly or wrongly, Morrissey has tainted his reputation, despite much of his post Smiths from 88-2006 being really good.

Johnny Marr has managed to maintain "legendary status" just because he wants to get on in life. No petty squabbles, childish outbursts of blame or any of that other nonense. He just works and keeps his head down.

 

[Roman Holiday]

Have you looked at Johnny's post-Smiths discography? It is astounding and wide-ranging, hence his legendary status. I don't understand people who put him down and think it's making Morrissey look good. It's not. It doesn't have to be one or the other, Morrissey could be just as respected if he'd put the work in.

I'm not trying to make Morrissey look good. This'll come down to taste, but I really don't see anything too brilliant in Johnny Marr's discography. The pair of songs he collaborated with Billy Bragg on, and a catchy Modest Mouse tune are the cream of the crop. Electronic does nothing for me. I've listened to Johnny Marr & the Healers and found it derivative of all those forgettable late-90s British guitar acts, and of the more recent solo stuff I've heard, it sounds even more generic. Make a top ten of Johnny Marr's best post-Smiths songs, and put it next to a list of Morrissey's. It won't be competitive.

 

[Roman Holiday]

Johnny Marr has managed to maintain "legendary status" just because he wants to get on in life. No petty squabbles, childish outbursts of blame or any of that other nonense. He just works and keeps his head down.

That's why he's blah and an utter yawn. Steady, mediocre worksmanship isn't legendary to me. Morrissey lashes out, indulges his eccentricities, is obsessive about his art to a fault, and kicks at all the shins most people are afraid to. He'll always be the better show and the greater talent.

 

[Amy]

Better to be a pariah with Morrissey’s solo discography than enjoy “legendary status and unadulterated adoration” with Marr’s post-Smiths output.

Is it? What victory is there in being a "great artist" if people remember the real man as a petty, friendless narcissist, with only his gold records for company?

Johnny Marr has nothing to prove to anyone, and M least of all. He kept his friends and family, he doesn't have to pay people to be around him, he doesn't hinge all the happiness of his life on chart positions. Maybe that is why M envies him and has to take these shots through puppets like Dodwell. I'd give you everything I've got / for a little peace of mind.

 

[Roman Holiday]

Is it? What victory is there in being a "great artist" if people remember the real man as a petty, friendless narcissist, with only his gold records for company?

The victory is having produced great art. And the biography of a petty, friendless narcissist is always going to be more interesting for posterity than that of a boring family man. I'm reminded of Morrissey in Autobiography recounting his ghoulish little pilgrimage to the house of the late Charles Hawtrey. (Perhaps he should've seen it as a cautionary tale).

Artists can transcend a lot of unpleasantness with their art. And things could be a lot worse than just being an irascible bachelor. Roman Polanski will go down in history as having drugged and raped an adolescent girl, but he will still have directed Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, several great cult films, and been hugely influential.

 

[Luxo]

The victory is having produced great art. And the biography of a petty, friendless narcissist is always going to be more interesting for posterity than that of a boring family man. I'm reminded of Morrissey in Autobiography recounting his ghoulish little pilgrimage to the house of the late Charles Hawtrey. (Perhaps he should've seen it as a cautionary tale).

Artists can transcend a lot of unpleasantness with their art. And things could be a lot worse than just being an irascible bachelor. Roman Polanski will go down in history as having drugged and raped an adolescent girl, but he will still have directed Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, several great cult films, and been hugely influential.

If the victory is "having produced great art", then Marr rightly deserves his "legendary" status, considering he wrote all of the music that made Morrissey and Marr so successful.

 

[Roman Holiday]

If the victory is "having produced great art", then Marr rightly deserves his "legendary" status, considering he wrote all of the music that made Morrissey and Marr so successful.

In that case, they both have legendary status by virtue of the Smiths, and can never lose it. I was comparing their solo careers, though. Is anyone seriously going to speak of Johnny Marr's solo career as having produced a lot of "legendary" material?

 

[Surface]

If the victory is "having produced great art", then Marr rightly deserves his "legendary" status, considering he wrote all of the music that made Morrissey and Marr so successful.

Johnnys got a lot of stuff going on in 2023.

 

[Luxo]

Johnnys got a lot of stuff going on in 2023.

And he has a record deal with BMG, following on from the deal he had with Warner.

 

[Amy]

The victory is having produced great art. And the biography of a petty, friendless narcissist is always going to be more interesting for posterity than that of a boring family man. I'm reminded of Morrissey in Autobiography recounting his ghoulish little pilgrimage to the house of the late Charles Hawtrey. (Perhaps he should've seen it as a cautionary tale).

Artists can transcend a lot of unpleasantness with their art. And things could be a lot worse than just being an irascible bachelor. Roman Polanski will go down in history as having drugged and raped an adolescent girl, but he will still have directed Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, several great cult films, and been hugely influential.

Maybe the misery and drama of it all would make a great film one day and maybe we wouldn't have the songs without it, sure, but it's no victory. Watching a man ruin his chances over and over, as though it's some great artistic 'choice' he's making, that's nonsense. Charles Hawtrey's life was tragic, people didn't know whether to hate him or just laugh at him, he died with barely a person to say a good word. Maybe it's because we want artists to be "eccentric" that we call it this kind of thing, whereas in a layperson it would be a personality disorder.

 

[Roman Holiday]

Johnnys got a lot of stuff going on in 2023.

I'm sure he does. As has been said, he's industrious and knows how to play the game. I'm more concerned with quality here.

 

[Surface]

I'm sure he does. As has been said, he's industrious and knows how to play the game. I'm more concerned with quality here.

Each to their own but a lot of music mags have Fever dreams in their to 50 albums of the year and it was also his highest charting album so far, so some people seem to like it. Personally I thought 30% of the album was fab and the rest just ok.

You mention playing the game, others might see it as self promotion, something that Morrissey might want to try now and again.

 

[Amy]

In that case, they both have legendary status by virtue of the Smiths, and can never lose it.

Yup.

 

[Roman Holiday]

Maybe the misery and drama of it all would make a great film one day and maybe we wouldn't have the songs without it, sure, but it's no victory. Watching a man ruin his chances over and over, as though it's some great artistic 'choice' he's making, that's nonsense. Charles Hawtrey's life was tragic, people didn't know whether to hate him or just laugh at him, he died with barely a person to say a good word.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like it that Morrissey is flailing around ineptly and causing his own slide into infamy and irrelevance. It's particularly sad since he seems to have a great batch of songs with Bonfire (so far), and the promise of more to come with new collaborations with Alain Whyte.

All I'm saying is that even if he doesn't recover and the spiral continues, it won't erase the legendary status he's already attained as a solo artist. That is an unqualified victory, even if misery and drama were necessary for it. And this is in comparison to the far less problematic (but also less brilliant, post-Smiths) J. Marr.

 

[Amy]

Don't get me wrong, I don't like it that Morrissey is flailing around ineptly and causing his own slide into infamy and irrelevance. It's particularly sad since he seems to have a great batch of songs with Bonfire (so far), and the promise of more to come with new collaborations with Alain Whyte.

All I'm saying is that even if he doesn't recover and the spiral continues, it won't erase the legendary status he's already attained as a solo artist. That is an unqualified victory, even if misery and drama were necessary for it. And this is in comparison to the far less problematic (but also less brilliant, post-Smiths) J. Marr.

I understand. For me, they were both legends by 1987 and no-one will ever take that from them. Then Moz did it again, on his own and against the odds. All else has been icing on the cake.

 

[Surface]

Talking of self promotion, just had an e mail from the Bunnymen or someone in their management team. It's really not difficult to keep fans interested, no drama, none of the - it's everybody else's fault, just it's been a good year and here's what's coming up.

Ian, Will and the rest of The Bunnymen Team want to wish you all a wonderful and safe Christmas and Holidays.2022 has been amazing. Here are some of our favourite highlights

• USA Tour after the pandemic
• Back in the charts with Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, Porcupine, Ocean Rain & Evergreen vinyl releases.
• Ian’s amazing solo gig in Nantwich
• Will Sergeant's Bunnyman book release
• Launch of our Official YouTube Channel

2023 won't have any of The Bunnymen slowing down

• New Echo & The Bunnymen album
• Ocean Rain Tour
• Ian McCulloch 4th handwritten lyric print
• Will Sergeant Bunnyman VL2
• And lots of things we can't share at the moment

Again, your loyalty as fans has been incredible and what's so rewarding is seeing a whole new generation of younger fans exploring our music. Thank you.See you in 2023 and remember to “Lay down thy raincoat and groove”

Cheers Ian & Will

 

[Roman Holiday]

You mention playing the game, others might see it as self promotion, something that Morrissey might want to try now and again.

He might, but, at 63, he may be incorrigible at this point. Old dogs and new tricks and whatnot. And worse, Rayner and Dodwell appear to be mainstays. It will probably take a miracle to get him out of this rut—in the promotion department, that is. Even as he becomes more dotty and detached, though, I don't see much of a slip in the art itself. I think a lot of the showcased Bonfire material is brilliant, a genuine recovery after some very uneven years.

 

[Surface]

He might, but, at 63, he may be incorrigible at this point. Old dogs and new tricks and whatnot. And worse, Rayner and Dodwell appear to be mainstays. It will probably take a miracle to get him out of this rut—in the promotion department, that is. Even as he becomes more dotty and detached, though, I don't see much of a slip in the art itself. I think a lot of the showcased Bonfire material is brilliant, a genuine recovery after some very uneven years.

Yes I do like most of the bonfire stuff as well but how difficult is it to get yourself out there nowadays. James are masters at it, no record deal yet every album lands in the top 10 and they sell out arena's virtually every tour, same with New Order and Bernards older than Morrissey.

 

[Luxo]

Yes I do like most of the bonfire stuff as well but how difficult is it to get yourself out there nowadays. James are masters at it, no record deal yet every album lands in the top 10 and they sell out arena's virtually every tour, same with New Order and Bernards older than Morrissey.

Terry Hall was two months older than as, and the Specials had their first no 1 album in 2019, and all of it was new, interesting music that had something to say. Robert Smith is one month older than Morrissey, and the Cure sell out arena tours, have two new albums on the way (they have an actual record deal), and Robert is working on a solo album. f***, Robert Smith barely does any interviews (he dislikes them a lot), yet the Cure still go on with success.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is an excuse for people who aren't willing to put the graft in or have no desire to change, forgive or forget. It suits Morrissey perfectly well, which is a massive shame.

The reality is that it can be done, whatever the age of the artist. I just genuinely don't think that Morrissey has the will to do it, and expects others to put in the hard work for him.

 

[Surface]

Terry Hall was two months older than as, and the Specials had their first no 1 album in 2019, and all of it was new, interesting music that had something to say. Robert Smith is one month older than Morrissey, and the Cure sell out arena tours, have two new albums on the way (they have an actual record deal), and Robert is working on a solo album. f***, Robert Smith barely does any interviews (he dislikes them a lot), yet the Cure still go on with success.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is an excuse for people who aren't willing to put the graft in or have no desire to change, forgive or forget. It suits Morrissey perfectly well, which is a massive shame.

The reality is that it can be done, whatever the age of the artist. I just genuinely don't think that Morrissey has the will to do it, and expects others to put in the hard work for him.

Yep, there's all sorts of stuff you can do, Peter Hook did a gig from his garden and it's had half a million views, imagine what would happen if Morrissey did something similar!!