Independent.ie: Lloyd Cole Interview - with Morrissey anecdotes (July 2, 2023)

Lloyd Cole interview Sunday Independent (Ireland) 2nd July - Morrissey references

Morrissey became a fan. He said Cole was the sort of person who gets "erotic about blotting paper". To which Cole replied: "I do. I am a real stationery fetishist."
When Lloyd Cole and the Commotions played their first gig in London at the Dominion Theatre, they came offstage and went to their dressing room to find Morrissey "drinking a cup of tea. We were friends for a few years." Does he despair for his old friend's right-wing politics now? "Oh, I couldn't possibly be friends with Morrissey now. But that's the lovely thing about art, those Smiths records and those Morrissey records are yours now. You can remove the author. In fact, the author is necessarily removed when the record is released."
In 1985, he and Morrissey met up a few times. "We had tea at Fortnum & Mason. That was his idea. We would play each other songs that we were working on. I got to hear 'Meat is Murder' before it came out."
Was that a bit like Alan Bennett and Dennis Potter having lunch together?"It absolutely wasn't," he says with a laugh, "because we were both still young and immature and still finding our way, in terms of finding our voices.
"I think Morrissey probably found his voice on The Queen is Dead and I found mine on my first solo record. I think I was trying to be less worthy from Rattlesnakes onwards. I love Rattlesnakes to death but it is hard for me to listen to the singing now. I don't en- joy the sound of my voice on that record. It's overly mannered.

https://archive.is/pVhnY

 

[Crisstti]

Sorry but this is rubbish - everyone accepts that there must be some limits to immigration. When has anyone said 'the problem with Morrissey is that he doesn't agree with uncontrolled immigration'? Never. The main problem is that he went out of his way to publicly endorse/support/defend/sympathise with a succession of right wing arseholes including Farage, Robinson, Anne Waters, For Britain, and Le Pen.
It's not illegal to have these views and it's not even particularly extreme. A few other pop stars have similar political sympathies. The problem for Morrissey is that he attracted a big fanbase partly by being completely opposed to these people's world views.
His hatred of right wing politics was frequently articulated, culminating in the song Margaret on the Guillotine. It was endorsing right-wing parties and politicians that resulted in thousands upon thousands of his fans, radio stations and record companies deserting him.
There is no problem at all with being opposed to uncontrolled immigration.

No, never, because it's more clickbait worthy to say he's "anti-immigration", never mind that that's a gross and inaccurate over simplification of anything he's ever said on the subject.

On the rest I refer to Young and Alive's excellent comment

Right, so let’s get this straight.

In the 80s, Morrissey can say things like “it’s a tragedy the IRA failed to kill Margaret Thatcher” and his (then) fans didn’t bat an eyelid, because Maggie bad, Tories bad yadda yadda.

But fast forward to the 2010s when Morrissey expresses support for Brexit (hardly a niche view to have, given more people voted Leave than Remain) and expressed some admiration for Nigel Farage, and these same fans lose their shit and disown him, simply because he has the audacity to have opinions they don’t share.

Bottom line is these former fans can dish it out but they can’t take it. Call for the death of a politician they hate and all’s well. Say that you quite like a politician they don’t and all hell breaks loose.

That says more about them, their hypocrisy and their perverse moral compass than it does about anything regarding Morrissey.

Very well said.
And while expressing these opinions has hurt his career due to the immaturity and lack of capacity to think for themselves of these former fans (and the overall leftist media and music business), he's not a slave to his fans, he's entitled to say what he wants.

People are oblivious to their hypocrisy. Just yesterday I think one of these former fans was posting here how Morrissey used to write songs that saved people's lives and now he writes hateful songs, or something along those lines. Hello? What about Margaret on the Guillotine? Even something like Panic.

 

[alainsane]

Lloyd Cole? I couldn’t name one of his songs to save my life.

The only thing I especially like about Lloyd Cole is that Camera Obscura wrote a song about him.

 

[Geoffrey Ingram]

I’ve never really given Cole the time to listen to. What would be an accessible album to start with?

The Commotions did 3 albums but I guess for a good start listen to the singles album / greatest hits whatever it is called.
Forest Fire and Jennifer She Said are my 2 faves

 

[Lujan369]

Uh BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA LA.IZQUIERDA LA DERECHA LA DERECHA Y LA IZQUIERDA...ME TIENEN HARTA!! LAS 2!!!!!QUE ABURRIDOOOOO

 

[John Oldcastle]

Bizarre that a guy that seems to regard himself as a higher form of life simply because he went to college is a Morrissey fan.

 

[Gaylord Deepstar]

His political views have changed 100% from hating the right wing to publicly endorsing them.
That's the whole point.
And as for it being about the music, it sadly cannot be released whilst he airs views that are totally toxic to most of the very people who bought his albums and came to his live shows in the first place. That's exactly what's happened.

 

[Crisstti]

REALLY well said. It's common sense surely? Why don't these who disagree with Moz give their views (rather than just say they no longer like him) and say they welcome unlimited numbers, for ever, from everywhere, and never mind the subsequent consequences?

As I read someone here say in some old-ish post: these people never bother to give their own views and arguments. They just use their card that says "refer to the herd".

 

[Meeee]

I’ve never really given Cole the time to listen to. What would be an accessible album to start with?

Mainstream

 

[Anonymous]

What kind of friendship is that? Lloyd Cole doesn't tell me anything, he's like all the others, fake, weak and hypocritical who hide their opinions so as not to lose favor with the press and music industry. I admire Morrissey more and more for his courage in continuing to voice his opinions. I don't think I've ever seen a witch hunt like the one going on against Morrissey.
"You said more in one day
 then most people say
in a life time,
it was our time
and we thank you"

 

[gordyboy9]

Letter from 1985, when they were friends:

View attachment 92742

he is slagging off muriel gray and yet it is one of his best interviews.

 

[DagenhamDan]

he is slagging off muriel gray and yet it is one of his best interviews.

I was thinking that Gordy, he looks relaxed, happy and very at ease with her i thought, an enjoyable interview to watch.
Now for some very uncomfortable moz squirming you only have to go to you tube to watch him on '8 days a week' from 84 squeezed between George Michael and Tony Blackburn reviewing Breakdance, the movie. Comedy gold mate

 

[gordyboy9]

I was thinking that Gordy, he looks relaxed, happy and very at ease with her i thought, an enjoyable interview to watch.
Now for some very uncomfortable moz squirming you only have to go to you tube to watch him on '8 days a week' from 84 squeezed between George Michael and Tony Blackburn reviewing Breakdance, the movie. Comedy gold mate

yeah iv seen that dan,breakdance the movie,boogaloo shrimp was my favourite breakdancer from that time.

 

[DagenhamDan]

yeah iv seen that dan,breakdance the movie,boogaloo shrimp was my favourite breakdancer from that time.

Its a clunky film but theres some great music on the soundtrack and amazing moves, which i could never replicate.
Was he the guy that was in Chakas i feel 4 you video?

 

[gordyboy9]

Its a clunky film but theres some great music on the soundtrack and amazing moves, which i could never replicate.
Was he the guy that was in Chakas i feel 4 you video?

yeah think so dan,there was boogaloo and another guy whos name escapes me,both were fantastic.
just checked imdb,second guy was shabba-doo.

 

[DagenhamDan]

yeah think so dan,there was boogaloo and another guy whos name escapes me,both were fantastic.
just checked imdb,second guy was shabba-doo.

One of em looked about 12 years old, i think it was him

 

[gashonthenail]

Some people on here seem to be obsessed with looking at the world solely through a 'left wing / right wing' lens. While those terms left over from the French Revolution might still have some relevance to issues such as private versus public ownership, for example, for many issues in the modern world they are just redundant and out-dated. What relevance did those terms have for attitudes towards the scamdemic and lockdown? Who says that being pro-open borders = left and being anti-open borders = right? Maybe Moz just thinks for himself on these matters and doesn't feel obliged to follow someone else's idea of what is good and what is bad according to out-dated political notions of left and right? Historically it has always been big business that has been in favour of the free movement of labour, just as big business has always been in favour of the free movement of capital.

The Left Case against Open Borders - American Affairs Journal

Before “Build the wall!” there was “Tear down this wall!” In his famous 1987 speech, Ronald Reagan demanded that the “scar” of the Berlin Wall be removed and insisted that the offending restriction of movement it represented amounted to nothing less than a “question of freedom for all mankind.”...

americanaffairsjournal.org

 

[Gaylord Deepstar]

Some people on here seem to be obsessed with looking at the world solely through a 'left wing / right wing' lens. While those terms left over from the French Revolution might still have some relevance to issues such as private versus public ownership, for example, for many issues in the modern world they are just redundant and out-dated. What relevance did those terms have for attitudes towards the scamdemic and lockdown? Who says that being pro-open borders = left and being anti-open borders = right? Maybe Moz just thinks for himself on these matters and doesn't feel obliged to follow someone else's idea of what is good and what is bad according to out-dated political notions of left and right? Historically it has always been big business that has been in favour of the free movement of labour, just as big business has always been in favour of the free movement of capital.

The Left Case against Open Borders - American Affairs Journal

Before “Build the wall!” there was “Tear down this wall!” In his famous 1987 speech, Ronald Reagan demanded that the “scar” of the Berlin Wall be removed and insisted that the offending restriction of movement it represented amounted to nothing less than a “question of freedom for all mankind.”...

americanaffairsjournal.org

“Scamdemic”?

Seriously?

My eyes are rolling so far back in my head I look like that girl from The Exorcist.

 

[Anonymous]

What makes a right wing person far right?

What is the tipping point?

Not sure but Mozzballs has tipped over it tsunami like!

 

[everydayslikesunday]

Why do these threads always end up going completely off topic?

Personally I love Lloyd Cole especially when he was with the Commotions and their album, Easy Pieces is truly excellent. I can imagine him and Morrissey being friends.

 

[gashonthenail]

“Scamdemic”?

Seriously?

My eyes are rolling so far back in my head I look like that girl from The Exorcist.

My point exactly, Gaylord.
Probably the more interesting dividing line of modern politics is that of gullibility versus scepticism.