I tend to agree, Morrissey has never had a problem playing live to an eager audience... and yet this is the 3rd time post-Maladjusted he's without a record contract. So it appears there are other factors involved.
Well, the thing is he knows he doesn't need a label to get an audience. He has one (just way smaller than it once was)
He didn't sell many tickets around Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted time, things improved once he went away and came back with Quarry, the "we missed you" buzz lasted to ringleaders, then it was nose drive time again.
He managed to bounce back mainly due to his autobiography, mainly due to the first third being fantastically written
That carried him even though his LP world peace, wasn't that well received (I like it) . Then of course he said some daft stuff and got booted off the label and the lp was pulled.
Now, this is when he started to really lose his footing. His book List Of the Lost , got panned , nearly everywhere ( I think people got the wrong idea. They didn't see it was M doing an American Pulp novel )
He was artistically, for the first time ever, a laughingstock, people used that as an excuse to have a dig.
The mix of not being liked and considered racist and the fact his last two lps didn't do well and now his first novel being panned meant he wasn't just unfashionable but now, not respected by many, like he was in the 90s
But, M pulled it together, and things looked promising for LIHS, even though the lp cover, was crap, Utter crap.
The first single Spent The Day in Bed. Was classic M. English in that Alan Bennett, Philip Larking way, lots of us relate to. It was a real return to form.
Then came the brilliant I wish You Lonely and Jackie . He had the BBC gig lined up and The German TV thing. What could go wrong?
Well, he opened his gob and continued to spout nonsense and wind people up. Including his fans.
This was lethal , as lots of hardcore left, never to return. He tried to limit the damage and interview himself, yet somehow managed to stitch himself up further. Amazing really.
Still, as we said he does have a loyal audience, yes way smaller but still there .
The trouble is I think he refuses to let the record company have any of the money from live gigs, its strictly for music product and he just doesn't sell that much.
Its not his age, when Quarry came out, it looked lie he could be the kind of artist who would be popular to many until he died. Like Sparks , Neil Young and so on.
It seems he has messed too many people about, he has gone too far with the wind ups and where as once his live gigs were special, they no longer were as he gigs way way too often- not only were they now commonplace, but lots of times he just wasn't into it. The gigs were just phoned in
Even the ones over the last few weeks, have seemed reserved and stand-offish
Hardly anyone sells that much these days and he doesn't have the standing to be a legacy artist, as he is too toxic. Add to that he has left virtually every label he has been on, in the red and he has messed about lots of record labels. This leaves us where we now are.
I hope to god, he has sorted something out. If he hasn't yet, Im not sure he will for a while
Unless he wants to go the indie label , self release route.
I love the guy, so I want him to win
www.morrisseycentral.com
