Morrissey Central "MANAGEMENT" (September 19, 2024)

Morrissey has severed all connections with Red Light Management/Pete Galli Management.

MANAGEMENT - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - MANAGEMENT

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

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Related item:

• Morrissey-solo: Morrissey is now being managed by Pete Galli of Red Light Management (February 12, 2024)

 

[Vesper Nocturne]

He or a lot of fans would probably always find a way to say he is down because of 'something that's happened to him', or 'something that's been done to him'.

Which begs the question - by his own definition, when is he not down?

I.e. when is there ever a good time to offer up any form of criticism whatsoever, without being accused of kicking someone when they are down (when the person being scrutinised would always find a way to define themselves as already down, or under attack)

On that basis, as 'get out' clauses go, it's a pretty good one.

Wow.

 

[goinghome]

https://britpopnews.com/morrissey-announces-firing-after-smiths-reunion-rejection/

 

[The Alchemist]

No chance: Morrissey himself beats everyone to it.

This is a very good point, and serves as another reminder of his extremely rigid modus operandi which can be seen at work in practically everything he does.

This inherent rigidity is the polar opposite of Negative Capability, and I am now in the process of realising just how much it has accounted for throughout his life and work.

Again, the phrase that comes to me is 'cemented minds'; something that was once put forward very forcefully by Morrissey himself, as a criticism of others.

Where I find myself now, is asking how cemented his own mind actually is - and how long it has been that way (it very possibly pre-dates the writing of that lyric)

 

[Multi]

I've said before that his last decent album was Years of Refusal.

2010 onwards has been a huge disappointment. All of the albums he's put out since then have been sub-Kill Uncle, which I now appreciate a lot more in comparison.

I have come to view Morrissey's solo recording career in the following ways:

1988-1997: The Poet Years

2004-2009: The Post-Wilderness Years

2014-2020/2021: The Post-Whyte Years

we all know and understand the Poet years ad nauseam, but it's his transition from the poet who questions and yearns into the post-wilderness man who knows best, that I believe is the main culprit of the decline in quality of Morrissey's material -- play the songs Maladjusted and America back to back if you need to to get what i'm saying.

in regards to the actual post-wilderness recordings:

Quarry's production is unlistenable and the songs are only decent, at best.

Ringleader is a slop of an album with uneven production and only one true quality song (Pigsty).

Refusal is decent, like you said, but I only really like Mama and OK by Myself.

in regards to the post-Whyte albums:

World Peace is forgettable.

High School at least has Lonely, but that's about it.

California Son is ridiculous.

Dog however, in my opinion, is decent, but is also uneven like always -- Love, Bobby and Ruth should never have been released.

BOT sounds like more of the same and the production on Rebels was amateurish -- he should've rerecorded the entire thing with the Alain lineup when they went in for Without Music.

in regards to whatever his final phase will end up being:

Without Music has my interest in that the songs played live sounded a bit different than usual, but I can't say I really liked them -- Notre Dame is idiotic and I dread one day hearing Suspicious Minds.

all in all, he had an amazing run during the Poet years and we should all be thankful for it. there's no going back and the genie will never be put back in the bottle, so as I've said previously:

enjoy what you can of his live shows while you've still got the chance.

 

[The Alchemist]

I have come to view Morrissey's solo recording career in the following ways:

1988-1997: The Poet Years

2004-2009: The Post-Wilderness Years

2014-2020/2021: The Post-Whyte Years

we all know and understand the Poet years ad nauseam, but it's his transition from the poet who questions and yearns into the post-wilderness man who knows best, that I believe is the main culprit of the decline in quality of Morrissey's material -- play the songs Maladjusted and America back to back if you need to to get what i'm saying.

in regards to the actual post-wilderness recordings:

Quarry's production is unlistenable and the songs are only decent, at best.

Ringleader is a slop of an album with uneven production and only one true quality song (Pigsty).

Refusal is decent, like you said, but I only really like Mama and OK by Myself.

in regards to the post-Whyte albums:

World Peace is forgettable.

High School at least has Lonely, but that's about it.

California Son is ridiculous.

Dog however, in my opinion, is decent, but is also uneven like always -- Love, Bobby and Ruth should never have been released.

BOT sounds like more of the same and the production on Rebels was amateurish -- he should've rerecorded the entire thing with the Alain lineup when they went in for Without Music.

in regards to whatever his final phase will end up being:

Without Music has my interest in that the songs played live sounded a bit different than usual, but I can't say I really liked them -- Notre Dame is idiotic and I dread one day hearing Suspicious Minds.

all in all, he had an amazing run during the Poet years and we should all be thankful for it. there's no going back and the genie will never be put back in the bottle, so as I've said previously:

I enjoyed your post, but as I mentioned above, for me there were actually significant issues even during the 'poet years' and before then.

That is to say, he used 'cemented minds' as an accusatory attack, whilst at the same time his own mind was very precisely and securely fixed on a particular path of creative subject matter and output (as well as an incredibly fixed worldly outlook) - seemingly without the ability or inclination to actively remove himself from the position he had adopted, in order to view and present things from a different perspective as the situation (or his art) might require.

 

[Multi]

I enjoyed your post, but as I mentioned above, there were actually significant issues even during the 'poet years' and before then.

That is to say, he used 'cemented minds' as an accusatory attack, whilst his own mind was very precisely and securely fixed on a particular path of creative subject matter and output (as well as an incredibly fixed worldly outlook) - seemingly without the ability to remove himself from the position he had adopted, in order to view and present things from a different perspective as the situation might require.

I wasn't responding to your post where you mention that, but yes, Moz has always been a stubborn mule.

the difference between the stubborn mule of the Poet years and the man that emerged Post-Wilderness is that he no longer felt like he needed to prove himself -- as I said in my original post, he now KNOWS best and the world exists to be enlightened to the facts that he already believes that he knows.

it's all in the lyrics and he isn't shy about it.

 

[The Alchemist]

I wasn't responding to your post where you mention that, but yes, Moz has always been a stubborn mule.

the difference between the stubborn mule of the Poet years and the man that emerged Post-Wilderness is that he no longer felt like he needed to prove himself -- as I said in my original post, he now KNOWS best and the world exists to be enlightened to the facts that he already believes that he knows.

it's all in the lyrics and he isn't shy about it.

Again, interesting.

Although I'm in the process of testing my suspicion that he always knew best... but he was just very, very clever about how it was all packaged and presented to the audience.

Another example of many to be reviewed within and outside of respective contexts:

I've read well and I've heard them said
A hundred times, maybe less, maybe more...


Then:


...words which could only be your own
And then produce the text from whence was ripped...

After all, I think he is alluding to himself as the big nose who knows, isn't he?

Ironically, with a Wildean arrogance which Wilde himself might have something to say about.

 

[Nick1234]

all in all, he had an amazing run during the Poet years and we should all be thankful for it. there's no going back and the genie will never be put back in the bottle, so as I've said previously:

Each to their own, but I think there's more than a hint of nostalgia there...

Between 1988 and 1997 Morrissey released 3 very well received albums (Viva Hate, Your Arsenal and Vauxhall and I), and 3 that were much less well received. There was also the issue of the aborted Bona Drag studio album.

The change in Morrissey's lyrical style actually game with Southpaw Grammar and he openly told the press that he wasn't going to look to the past any more and was writing lyrics in a different way. He also openly told the press that it wasn't as good as Vauxhall and I.

Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted, with a few exceptions, could hardly be described as poetic and they contributed to his career being in the doldrums in 1997. I watched one of his concerts that year and the headline in the local press was, "Heaven Knows Why Anyone Would Want to See Him." Morrissey was considered to be irrelevant to many people and the idea that he would ever again be having top ten hit singles and playing arenas seemed a remote possibility.

You could argue many of the same things about Morrissey now, but there is a difference. It is quite common for a singer to be considered irrelevant at the age of 65. Back in 1997, he was considered irrelevant and he was still only 38 years old.

 

[Multi]

The change in Morrissey's lyrical style actually game with Southpaw Grammar and he openly told the press that he wasn't going to look to the past any more and was writing lyrics in a different way. He also openly told the press that it wasn't as good as Vauxhall and I.

Southpaw Grammar and Maladjusted, with a few exceptions, could hardly be described as poetic and they contributed to his career being in the doldrums in 1997. I watched one of his concerts that year and the headline in the local press was, "Heaven Knows Why Anyone Would Want to See Him." Morrissey was considered to be irrelevant to many people and the idea that he would ever again be having top ten hit singles and playing arenas seemed a remote possibility.

A couple of things:

1: Southpaw Grammar is very much still poet Moz with Teachers and Southpaw being the best examples.

2: Maladjusted even more so.

3: it is well known that Morrissey felt like he hit his peak with Vauxhall, considered quitting afterwards, then an acoustic album, until finally ending up with Southpaw. it makes sense that he would change up his lyrical process in response, but the introverted poet still remained.

You could argue many of the same things about Morrissey now, but there is a difference. It is quite common for a singer to be considered irrelevant at the age of 65. Back in 1997, he was considered irrelevant and he was still only 38 years old.

yes, there is a difference. I believe the shift occurred during the Wilderness years and is actually a response to exactly what you're saying: he was written off, knew the quality of his past work and used those years of rejection to empower his evolution into the person that believes that he knows best.

 

[AlainBlack]

You do have to laugh when Morrissey is called 'unpopular' for the 'controversial' things he has said - all those so called 'controversial' things are the views of the majority of the population. Most people in the UK would applaud the sentiment of Bonfire of Teenagers. The problem for Morrissey is 2 fold: he works in the 'music industry' - which, like all 'the arts', from the theatre, to publishing, to cinema, to television, is woke from top to bottom. And the arts rely on journalism to communicate with the general public - journalism, and music journalism in particular, is also woke from top to bottom. So Morrissey can never win. He will always be f***ed over twice.

The only thing holding Morrissey back is Morrissey. Blaming it on “woke” is pretty crazy.

 

[Phranc & Open]

A couple of things:

1: Southpaw Grammar is very much still poet Moz with Teachers and Southpaw being the best examples.

2: Maladjusted even more so.

3: it is well known that Morrissey felt like he hit his peak with Vauxhall, considered quitting afterwards, then an acoustic album, until finally ending up with Southpaw. it makes sense that he would change up his lyrical process in response, but the introverted poet still remained.



yes, there is a difference. I believe the shift occurred during the Wilderness years and is actually a response to exactly what you're saying: he was written off, knew the quality of his past work and used those years of rejection to empower his evolution into the person that believes that he knows best.

Good points.
What were the exact reasons for not further cementing the fame he achieved live in 91/92 with a accompanying tour to his best solo record in 1994? I never thought about the fact, that he only briefly toured the UK and Japan in 1993-1996. It seems to me, that this is where he lost touch to a larger audience. The 90s demanded hits, clips and live presence to stay on top. See Paul Weller!

 

[Nick1234]

A couple of things:

1: Southpaw Grammar is very much still poet Moz with Teachers and Southpaw being the best examples.

2: Maladjusted even more so.

Again, I think that's nostalgia talking to some extent.

If Morrissey were releasing the Southpaw Grammar album now with only 8 songs and such repetitive lyrics, there is no way that anybody would be describing it as "poet Moz".

 

[Redacted]

Morrissey ran out of other people's ideas for lyrics

 

[Thewlis]

Good points.
What were the exact reasons for not further cementing the fame he achieved live in 91/92 with a accompanying tour to his best solo record in 1994? I never thought about the fact, that he only briefly toured the UK and Japan in 1993-1996. It seems to me, that this is where he lost touch to a larger audience. The 90s demanded hits, clips and live presence to stay on top. See Paul Weller!

Jake!

Agreed, Weller was popular with the Britpop crowd, Morrissey was not. He deliberately stayed away from that movement as far as possible.
I think that cost him 7 years of his career, and I agree that the comeback of 2004, with all the hits and his best selling album of his career, was something of a miracle.

 

[Redacted]

Yes and no, you see it here every day, so why do folks insist on contributing?

strange kicks, indeed.

Why shouldn't people contribute? At least the posts are about Morrissey and not complaints about other posters with some insane video that you think is related to your comment attached to it.

 

[Phranc & Open]

Jake!

Agreed, Weller was popular with the Britpop crowd, Morrissey was not. He deliberately stayed away from that movement as far as possible.
I think that cost him 7 years of his career, and I agree that the comeback of 2004, with all the hits and his best selling album of his career, was something of a miracle.

You think he'd prefered to stay with him in 94 instead of touring the world? He even managed to make only 1 video for 3-4 singles in 1994. A handful of record-store signings and 1 appearance @TOTP hardly filled his calendar.

 

[Thewlis]

You think he'd prefered to stay with him in 94 instead of touring the world? He even managed to make only 1 video for 3-4 singles in 1994. A handful of record-store signings and 1 appearance @TOTP hardly filled his calendar.

Yes, I spoke to Howie Klein at the time, of Sire records, and he told me that for years and years Morrissey was angry with them for not promoting his work well enough. ‘I sell out the Hollywood Bowl faster than the Beatles, I sell out all my US shows, I’m at every big US tv show and yet you can’t get any of my songs on the radio or in the Billboard-charts. You’re useless.’

To which Sire replied that the KU and YA singles were not really suited for the US pop market. They said: Morrissey, if you give us a song we can work with, a solid pop/rock-song, we will get you a top 40-hit. So Morrissey returned with The More You Ignore Me and everyone at Sire went crazy. ‘You did it, this is it, congratulations, a great single, we will get you all over MTV and on the radio. This is your US top 40-hit, all you have to do is this and this promotion and a tour.’

To which Morrissey replied: I’m not doing anything. This time you do all the work.

So that was really the end of that story. Still he was quite positive about Morrissey as an artist, just concluded that he often let himself down and was his own worst enemy.

And here we are

 

[Phranc & Open]

Insightful, thanks.

 

[William Fisher]

Unlimited self sabotage.

 

[Eldritch]

I think Dog had some of his freshest material in years, but the songs we've heard from BoT and WMtWD haven't been promising at all. To me it seems that he just isn't willing to put in the necessary work. The artistic decline has kicked in but it's not terminal yet, if he just pulled up his socks and worked on his lyrics more.