I can’t quite picture the average Morrissey fan based on the comments on this site—who are you people, really?

[Mike Rourke]

Totally agree with this and I'm sure many Smiths fans can relate but recently, I have started to wonder WTF is wrong with me too.
It's not about the popcorn for me. When I read those comments in the Dodwell interview for example, and see how he can't bear to even use Johnny's first name or whatever... something in me was really hurt by that animosity, it really bothered me. It affected my mood. And I remember feeling so upset when Andy Rourke died that I couldn't think about anything else for days.

Then I catch myself and say to myself, "These people don't know you exist, they're grown men aged 60+, their general dramas with each other started before you were born and don't matter to anyone else so just check out and focus on your own life."
It can be hard when you've invested so much time and energy in the music, the interviews and the whole 'story' that goes with it and I think routinely visiting a place like Solo and getting so wrapped up in this 'world' makes it worse. I think I am genuinely happier when I don't come here - and Lord, I've been here a long time. It's not just Solo but you see the same patterns and habits on Reddit, X, practically any gossip site - you can lose yourself in this stuff. Look at the whole mess with Malarkey, fandom can actually f**** with your head.

Sometimes I hear a song on the radio - "Somewhere in my Heart" by Aztec Camera for example, and I think - great song, still like it. But beyond their timeframe and the obvious Smiths connections, I don't know shit about Aztec Camera. Never bought their albums, don't know the band member names, couldn't describe any 'dramas' or elements of their lives at gunpoint. They could all be dead for all I know. And I realise that a fair amount of people feel that way when they hear "Shoplifters" or "This Charming Man" and I think... yeah, that's wise. That is a healthier way to be.

There was a two year period when I listened to nothing but Morrissey songs (Smiths or post Smiths), and if there were any problems with him, I'd take it pretty personally.
But I listen to tons more stuff now and it just massively lessens the impact of any of his nonsense. I can enjoy the good stuff when it comes along, and not get dragged down much by the bad. Admittedly it's hard listening to new music by unfamiliar artists. You have to wade through a ton of crap but mainly thanks to 6 Music, there's loads of stuff I've picked up on in recent times. It's a real buzz getting into a band when they're only on their 2nd or 3rd album.
I also look at some of Morrissey's contemporaries and they're not often fairing well. Paul Weller sounds horrible these days singing in a stupid fake accent. Paul Heaton's recent couple of albums have been flimsy patchy affairs.
The Cure have only brought out one album in 15 years whereas Morrissey's brought out 4 or 5.
He still sounds great and looks pretty good compared with Weller/R Smith etc. And even though the lyrics were pretty rubbish, it was a joy hearing him sing beautifully over a lovely jangly guitar line in a brand new song in 2024 (I Ex Love You).
He's writing lots of new songs, and seems to have no shortage of song-writing partners. And when things go wrong with the band, he seems able to tour again within months with new musicians. All things considered, I'd say these are actually pretty good times.

 

[Mohnny Jarr]

Totally agree with this and I'm sure many Smiths fans can relate but recently, I have started to wonder WTF is wrong with me too.
It's not about the popcorn for me. When I read those comments in the Dodwell interview for example, and see how he can't bear to even use Johnny's first name ... something in me was really hurt by that animosity, it really bothered me. It affected my mood. And I remember feeling so upset when Andy Rourke died that I couldn't think about anything else for days.

Then I catch myself and say to myself, "These people don't know you exist, they're grown men aged 60+, their general dramas with each other started before you were born and don't matter to anyone else so just check out and focus on your own life."
It can be hard when you've invested so much time and energy in the music, the interviews and the whole 'story' that goes with it and I think routinely visiting a place like Solo and getting so wrapped up in this 'world' makes it worse. I think I am genuinely happier when I don't come here - and Lord, I've been here a long time. It's not just Solo but you see the same patterns and habits on Reddit, X, practically any gossip site - you can lose yourself in this stuff. Look at the whole mess with Malarkey, fandom can actually f**** with your head.

Sometimes I hear a song on the radio - "Somewhere in my Heart" by Aztec Camera for example, and I think - great song, still like it. But beyond their timeframe and the obvious Smiths connections, I don't know shit about Aztec Camera. Never bought their albums, don't know the band members, couldn't describe any 'dramas' or elements of their lives at gunpoint. They could all be dead for all I know. And I realise that a fair amount of people feel that way when they hear "Shoplifters" or "This Charming Man" and I think... yeah, that's wise. That is a healthier way to be.

Amy, I get you so much. And you get me. Because the way this interview made me feel physically ill, and I actually had to take a step back and be like this doesn’t concern me, at all.

I don’t know why I’m this way but this stuff does genuinely affect my mood. To the point where the music isn’t making me melancholy because of the subject matter but rather remembering that we are in dire straits in this community. An average sitting consists of “this man said it’s gruesome- oh, they hate each other oh my god… that someone so handsome should care…”

 

[Amy]

Amy, I get you so much. And you get me. Because the way this interview made me feel physically ill, and I actually had to take a step back and be like this doesn’t concern me, at all.

I don’t know why I’m this way but this stuff does genuinely affect my mood. To the point where the music isn’t making me melancholy because of the subject matter but rather remembering that we are in dire straits in this community. An average sitting consists of “this man said it’s gruesome- oh, they hate each other oh my god… that someone so handsome should care…”

Mad, isn't it. There are some songs I can't actually bring myself to listen to anymore, like I Won't Share You. And some songs I refuse to listen to more than a few times because I can't stomach those sentiments (hello, 'I Ex-Love You'). Sometimes I try and justify it by saying "Well if we're a bit fixated on a happy ending, it's only because things are a bit grim now and Morrissey himself is fixated....". Well, yeah. But Morrissey knew Johnny Marr 'in real life' for years and years and has the right to be fixated, angry, upset, etc if he wants to be (and Johnny with him of course). We don't know know these people. We don't know what went on behind closed doors and we can't fix them.

 

[Johnnie Ray]

I can’t quite picture the average Morrissey fan based on the comments on this site—who are you people, really?

Some of these messages are dripping with a level of hostility that’s almost intimate, as though you’re lashing out at a lover who wronged you. What’s the motivation here? Is this about giving the man you despise a verbal beating? Or is it a deeper wound—anger toward someone you once idolized, who now feels unrecognizable? Do you feel betrayed, abandoned even? Are you chasing a catharsis for a kind of personal hurt that Morrissey’s evolution (or devolution) has triggered in you?


I don’t want to get Freudian, but there’s an air of “abandoning father syndrome” here, a strange blend of resentment and longing. If the demographics lean toward UK-based, middle-aged, middle-class men, maybe that explains some of it—a demographic that once saw itself reflected in him but now feels cast aside.


Still, there’s something oddly captivating about the sheer venom in some of these comments. Could there even be an erotic charge to this hate? A kind of masochistic pleasure in tearing him down because, deep down, you can’t quit him? Or is this all just the bitter aftertaste of unrequited fandom?

I will just say that if you didn't know about Morrissey when he was on top of the world, you can never truly understand what is going on with him or his fans today. It is just impossible. There are no shortcuts, you would have had to put in the time.

 

[Maxence]

I will just say that if you didn't know about Morrissey when he was on top of the world, you can never truly understand what is going on with him or his fans today. It is just impossible. There are no shortcuts, you would have had to put in the time.

That’s an interesting take. I’m 29, so I didn’t experience those moments firsthand. I only discovered him in December 2022 when I stumbled across the November Spawned a Monster video and found him visually, musically, and almost sexually impossible to ignore. From there, I sporadically explored The Smiths and his solo work.

Are you suggesting that the intensity of experiencing him during his prime—the cultural, emotional, and even personal weight of it—created a bond so singular that it can’t be replicated by someone discovering him later? That no amount of listening or understanding can match the immediacy of being there when it all unfolded?

 

[Johnnie Ray]

That’s an interesting take. I’m 29, so I didn’t experience those moments firsthand. I only discovered him in December 2022 when I stumbled across the November Spawned a Monster video and found him visually, musically, and almost sexually impossible to ignore. From there, I sporadically explored The Smiths and his solo work.

Are you suggesting that the intensity of experiencing him during his prime—the cultural, emotional, and even personal weight of it—created a bond so singular that it can’t be replicated by someone discovering him later? That no amount of listening or understanding can match the immediacy of being there when it all unfolded?

When he was in his prime, he really could do no wrong, it really was an amazing cult-like phenomenon. It would be like in 30 years, discovering Taylor Swift for the first time, after all that history passed...and she had become something totally different. What she means to her fans today is how much Morrissey meant to his fans then--on a much, much smaller scale. Does that make sense?

 

[April Snow]

This whole thread to me is a bit weird - Maxence is a "guest" - and this is sounding like some sort of weird study project
Some sort of case study

Any fan forum is the same - a mix of people - I used be on Prince Org. for years until his passing - the same sort of stuff went on there.

 

[Ashley_TakeABow]

To clarify, my earlier comment was really about the hostile energy I’ve noticed in some corners of this forum. It’s intriguing—why stay in a space centered on someone you seem to despise? That’s what led me to construct that hypothetical demographic, trying to make sense of the psychology behind it. Maybe it’s less about hatred and more about unresolved obsession—after all, love and hate are often just different shades of fixation.

That said, it’s genuinely exciting to see a young woman like myself here. In a space often dominated by cynicism, your enthusiasm feels almost rebellious.

Thank you

I guess just wanted to offer up my personal experience here as a sense of duality!
The other side?


It is indeed intriguing how much "hate"/criticism he gets on a fan site, I can never fully understand because I've only been a fan a very short time. A lot of fans here have been fans for so much of Morrissey's long running musical career, I can see how following him through it all can be frustrating at times. He's kind of a mess of a man!
Aren't we all..

 

[SuedeMoz]

This whole thread to me is a bit weird - Maxence is a "guest" - and this is sounding like some sort of weird study project
Some sort of case study

Any fan forum is the same - a mix of people - I used be on Prince Org. for years until his passing - the same sort of stuff went on there.

I used to be on there around the time of Musicology. It looks like it's still going but I'm sure it's pretty dead by comparison.

To make this relevant, I remember there being a bit of cross-appreciation between Prince and Morrissey.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

When he was in his prime, he really could do no wrong, it really was an amazing cult-like phenomenon. It would be like in 30 years, discovering Taylor Swift for the first time, after all that history passed...and she had become something totally different. What she means to her fans today is how much Morrissey meant to his fans then--on a much, much smaller scale. Does that make sense?

So a 17 year old getting into The Stones, Beatles, etc for the first time in ‘24 can’t still be inspired or be a fanatic, in the same way a 17 year old did in 1968?

Sorry, but great art will go on making new generations feel the same way we did long after both we and the artist are long dead.
The recordings, audio or visual are powerful enough.

The November video was @Maxence portal.
There’s no need to see him live to feel the way any of us did or still do. No personal experience is the same of course, but we shouldn’t assume simply because they weren’t their at the frontlines against the barricade in ‘91, that they can’t also feel extreme emotions just by listening to the music at home right now for the very first time.

 

[Maudlin Street]

I have had conflicted feelings about Morrissey over the years, but despite everything, he is still my favorite singer and lyricist. I was obsessed with his music (and him as a person) during high school, which was a very difficult time for me. I feel that my obsession became unhealthy and that I was too emotionally invested in him. This coincided with when he was reported to have cancer, he was feuding with Harvest, he alleged that he was groped by a TSA agent, etc. This stuff really affected me, as I did not yet realize that he tends to be a very dramatic person, to the point where he may embellish things.

Once I was out of high school, I started to distance myself from his music, partially because of his antics and partially because I associated it with a low point in my life. He came to my city during the period I was off of him, and while I considered attending, I ended up not going. I didn't listen to his music or follow news about him for several years, but I've found myself coming back to it again lately. Now I regret not having gone to see him, as I don't know if he'll come to my city again (I hope he does). At the same time, I'm not sure I would travel given his cancellation record.

Now, I mainly listen to other music, but Morrissey/The Smiths is still very important to me. I try not to get too wrapped up in his drama (easier said than done...) and just observe from a distance, enjoying the music and hoping that he can find some sort of peace in his life. Because of the emotional nature of his lyrics, I would assume that emotional, sensitive people tend to be drawn to it. However, as a fan, I believe it's important to not get too invested in his day-to-day drama because it can drag you down.

 

[Johnnie Ray]

This whole thread to me is a bit weird - Maxence is a "guest" - and this is sounding like some sort of weird study project
Some sort of case study

Any fan forum is the same - a mix of people - I used be on Prince Org. for years until his passing - the same sort of stuff went on there.

To outsiders, this shit is confusing. No one gets emotionally invested in an artist like this anymore, for better or worse.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I guess just wanted to offer up my personal experience here as a sense of duality!
The other side?

It is indeed intriguing how much "hate"/criticism he gets on a fan site, I can never fully understand because I've only been a fan a very short time. A lot of fans here have been fans for so much of Morrissey's long running musical career, I can see how following him through it all can be frustrating at times. He's kind of a mess of a man!
Aren't we all..

Trust me. I’ve been a fan a long time, and I have no idea. I still wonder what benefit their relentless, and most of the time abusive, criticism directed at Morrissey brings to them.

 

[Ashley_TakeABow]

Trust me. I’ve been a fan a long time, and I have no idea. I still wonder what benefit their relentless, and most of the time abusive, criticism directed at Morrissey brings to them.

It's personal, I guess!

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It's personal, I guess!

hmmm. There’s one poster on here that originally said the worst shit about Marr, but has since switched sides.
I think simply because they found they got more upvotes for hating on Morrissey, lol. The things some do just to be ‘liked’.

 

[Ashley_TakeABow]

hmmm. There’s one poster on here that originally said the worst shit about Marr, but has since switched sides.
I think simply because they found they got more upvotes for hating on Morrissey, lol. The things some do just to be ‘liked’.

Poop-like behavior. Flush 'em.

 

[Maudlin Street]

It's personal, I guess!

I think some people are frustrated fans, while others are trolls. It’s one thing to be disappointed in Moz’s career choices or public statements/interviews, but some comments I’ve seen are way out of hand. If people actually hated him or actually didn’t care about him, I don’t think they’d even be on this website.

 

[hand in glove]

Trust me. I’ve been a fan a long time, and I have no idea. I still wonder what benefit their relentless, and most of the time abusive, criticism directed at Morrissey brings to them.

These people are just bullies. They are know-it-alls, and they look down on people like us because we love Morrissey and we support him when they feel, for whatever reason, that he doesn't deserve that kind of loyalty and love from a fan. They're also miserable people, judgmental - and they say they're not, which is the funniest thing. They just get a kick out it and out of you and me, sadly.

 

[BrokenFrame]

Some ex-fans comes here, so it could give the wrong impression of what an average fan is.
Don't be fooled, they just hate Morrissey.

 

[Cornflakes]

So a 17 year old getting into The Stones, Beatles, etc for the first time in ‘24 can’t still be inspired or be a fanatic, in the same way a 17 year old did in 1968?

The difference is that, in 2024, there won't be millions of them.