Morrissey Central THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF ‘DIVERSITY' (November 25, 2020)

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THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF ‘DIVERSITY’
November 25, 2020




" When the new BMG Executive says he now wants a label of 'diversity', what he
actually means is he wants all of his artists to be exactly the same. Make no mistake, the
word 'diversity' is already trailing in the dust as an overused catchword that in fact means tighter restrictions and a fierce
exclusion of individuality. I have been dumped by BMG because I am TOO diverse for them. They cannot cope with an
artist such as Morrissey … who is, in fact, the very essence of diversity … whose lyrical concerns are multiple, different,
and who has been writing about all of our human differences since 1982. So, please don't be fooled into thinking the
word 'diversity' means varied and open; it has been warped to mean exactly the opposite. With these absolutely
incomprehensibly senseless new guidelines, I'll be surprised if BMG still exists in 18 months time. Or, if they do,
they'll be a label that no true artist would want to sign to. Perhaps this is what BMG prefers - a roster of artists
who are so diverse that you'll never be able to distinguish one from the other?"
Morrissey, November 2020.


"There are artists who feel abandoned by the record business yet are still producing new music which connects with an audience." Hartwig Masuch, BMG.



Morrissey World scrapped due to its 'narrow' appeal :

THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY' - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY'

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

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Related items:

• Fiona Dodwell: "Morrissey reflects on 'the horror of 2020' after departure from BMG" - November 17, 2020
• Morrissey Central: "BMG DUMP MORRISSEY" - November 16, 2020

---

Related articles (first link contains the quote cited by Central):

• Business Worldwide: "BMG HIRES ALISTAIR NORBURY TO HELP TEMPT ARTISTS TO RECORDINGS BUSINESS" - March 2, 2016
• Billboard: "A Major Indie: CEO Hartwig Masuch Looks at BMG's First 10 Years -- and Shares His Vision for Its Future" - July 26, 2019
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's 2019 figures" - March 25, 2020
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's coronavirus response" - March 26, 2020

 

[Murray Mint]

Imagine, this rich privileged white man raging about how he is "too diverse". Sit back and think about what a raving lunatic this steven patrick morrisesy has become. what a shame. I'll cry myself to sleep this thanksgiving thinking all the misfortune and slander Mr. racist Morrissey has had to endure! dumped by BMG, while all around him rages a pandemic ---- oh,woe is the too diverse white dude. woe.

Morrissey is a working-class man from a working-class background. Why does it matter what colour his skin is? The point is Morrissey speaks for working-class people of all races and religions. He comes from a broken home and his beloved mother and cat died this year. How is that privileged? Morrissey is a working-class Mancunian with Irish Catholic roots. Morrissey has never married or had children. Morrissey might be bisexual and is maybe sexually ambiguous. Morrissey suffers with depression, anxiety and other health issues. Morrissey might be on the autistic spectrum. Morrissey is a vegan and into animal rights. All of those things mean he is pretty diverse. It doesn't matter how rich or poor he is. He is still working-class and he has stayed true to his roots. Morrissey has a punk rock spirit about him. I'm tired of the media getting at middle-aged men in general. They have a lot to offer this world! Why should music just be a young man's game?

 

[Silent Reader]

I don't live by what he says, but his singing did turn me vegetarian, which led to becoming vegan. It was gentleness and kindness in his voice that convinced me, to even stop eating "sea life".

That’s different, being influenced by him is different to blindly following what he says. I’d apply this to anyone, musicians, sportsmen, anyone.

 

[Phranc & Open]

Well, with the state of reliable information provided on Central, most things are to a certain degree.

If you look at other previously posted "artwork" on that site (e.g. "single covers" from the last couple of years) you will notice certain similarities in font and style though and that suggests the assumption that these are not fan made but (if not the actual covers) drafts made by camp Morrissey.
I'm also relatively sure that I haven't seen this particular version of the Pat Pope shot used for the YoR cover before.

And I haven't seen any of these on social media.

I also object to hugs in general, bulbous or otherwise.

I still believe, that these cover designs (also already for WPINOYB a few years ago) of the planned reissues have nothing to do with the final product (that was never produced at all), but originate from the idea of CENTRAL.
I know that bulbous hugs by strangers during the pandemic are not really appropriate, but it would have been most enjoybale, theoretically. If I may dare to say so.

 

[GirlAfraidWillNeverLearn]

I still believe, that these cover designs (also already for WPINOYB a few years ago) of the planned reissues have nothing to do with the final product (that was never produced at all), but originate from the idea of CENTRAL.
I know that bulbous hugs by strangers during the pandemic are not really appropriate, but it would have been most enjoybale, theoretically. If I may dare to say so.

Yes, that's probably correct. I was simply making the point that they don't seem to be fan made.

Hugs from strangers are never really appropriate but I appreciate the virtual gesture.

 

[Mandingo]

Feel hugged bulbously for this information, but that's pure speculation.

Yeah I agree, they're work in progress cover artwork and probably put up to give an idea of what was going to be in the pipeline.

 

[That's Enough For Me]

At this point, I'm also willing to wager that Sam Esty Rayner and Fiona Dodwell have done more to damage Morrissey's once-flawless aesthetic than Morrissey himself.

Unless they are not two separate people or if they are, FD is merely Julia Riley 2.0

 

[Anonymous Bread]

I know others have already said it but if those were to be the artwork on BMG's abandoned re-issues then THANK GOD. They are truly, truly awful. I do hope, however, to believe they are just fan-made and shared by Morrissey Central to showcase support.

Although it would be nice to have regular news from Morrissey himself, I can't help but think most of Morrissey Central is not relevant or even necessary. I can only believe this is Sam's doing and it's real a shame. Things were more tidy, let's say, when things were drip fed via True-to-you.

Saying that, I do hope Morrissey is keeping well.

 

[Pokey]

Guys theres this other band I really hate, like, really don't like them. Would you recommend that I sign up at their fan forums and post constantly about how much I don't like them while following every little thing they do all day every day? Asking because there seems like some real experts on the subject here

 

[Silent Reader]

Guys theres this other band I really hate, like, really don't like them. Would you recommend that I sign up at their fan forums and post constantly about how much I don't like them while following every little thing they do all day every day? Asking because there seems like some real experts on the subject here

I wouldn’t Pokey, because I can almost 100% guarantee you’ll just run into the same old faces on here on those websites.

But you’re right, it’s just the same old faces spouting the same old bollocks isn’t it. f***ing hell, imagine if Morrissey was exposed as a paedo - after they’d cleaned themselves up, they’d be in heaven on here.

 

[Silent Reader]

But, @Pokey , what you have to remember is, all of the haters on here, certainly the UK ones, will be left-wingers, clenching their fists in anger because the world isn’t going the way they want it to. Enraged that people ‘beneath’ them get the vote & dare to use it.

They need to vent somewhere, & Morrissey is an easy target.

But as I’ve said elsewhere today, let’s remember that and BE KINDER TO THE COWARDS

 

[Pokey]

The thing is, I consider myself left wing. But I focus on shit that matters - Morrissey's personal views just don't matter to me. What most of these people are aren't even left wing people. They're virtue signalers and no matter what Morrissey said they'd be against it because to them it isn't even about political ideology, its about Morrissey. There's a personal grudge here which goes back to the owner of this website and you have little attack dogs here who want to F5 all day for new news to get stuck in. Morrissey could literally post about the toast he made for breakfast or the new hat he bought and they'd find an issue with it.

I don't agree with all Morrissey's views. Hell, I never have, I've always eaten meat for example. But what these people here do is betray their own supposed cause. They want to rage at him for his views when his views really don't matter. Go direct that hate at people in positions that matter. Direct it at Rupert Murdoch, at conservative MPs, at big business, at fossil fuel industries etc... not some dude with a nice voice and ill-fitting trousers. If Greg the gardener comes over to do my garden and he does a shit job, I'm not gonna leave a review on Google about his political ideology. Its about the uneven hedge trim he did.

 

[Silent Reader]

There’s nothing wrong with some Tory MPs mate...Blair was hardly a man of the people was he. And Corbyn...well, you don’t need me to recap his catalogue of errors. And Milliband, f***ing hell. And they’re just the ‘leaders’. I haven’t even included Brown because he was just a non-entity, an unelected PM. I know Boris was for a while, but he soon put paid to that, emphatically.

But you’re right, especially about the toast comment. Imagine if it was WHITE toast for instance!!! RACIST!

 

[Deleted member 29227]

The thing is, I consider myself left wing. But I focus on shit that matters - Morrissey's personal views just don't matter to me. What most of these people are aren't even left wing people. They're virtue signalers and no matter what Morrissey said they'd be against it because to them it isn't even about political ideology, its about Morrissey. There's a personal grudge here which goes back to the owner of this website and you have little attack dogs here who want to F5 all day for new news to get stuck in. Morrissey could literally post about the toast he made for breakfast or the new hat he bought and they'd find an issue with it.

I don't agree with all Morrissey's views. Hell, I never have, I've always eaten meat for example. But what these people here do is betray their own supposed cause. They want to rage at him for his views when his views really don't matter. Go direct that hate at people in positions that matter. Direct it at Rupert Murdoch, at conservative MPs, at big business, at fossil fuel industries etc... not some dude with a nice voice and ill-fitting trousers. If Greg the gardener comes over to do my garden and he does a shit job, I'm not gonna leave a review on Google about his political ideology. Its about the uneven hedge trim he did.

Post of the week right there ^^^

in fact, no...best post on here for quite some time.

 

[Easymeat]

​

THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF ‘DIVERSITY’
November 25, 2020




" When the new BMG Executive says he now wants a label of 'diversity', what he
actually means is he wants all of his artists to be exactly the same. Make no mistake, the
word 'diversity' is already trailing in the dust as an overused catchword that in fact means tighter restrictions and a fierce
exclusion of individuality. I have been dumped by BMG because I am TOO diverse for them. They cannot cope with an
artist such as Morrissey … who is, in fact, the very essence of diversity … whose lyrical concerns are multiple, different,
and who has been writing about all of our human differences since 1982. So, please don't be fooled into thinking the
word 'diversity' means varied and open; it has been warped to mean exactly the opposite. With these absolutely
incomprehensibly senseless new guidelines, I'll be surprised if BMG still exists in 18 months time. Or, if they do,
they'll be a label that no true artist would want to sign to. Perhaps this is what BMG prefers - a roster of artists
who are so diverse that you'll never be able to distinguish one from the other?"
Morrissey, November 2020.


"There are artists who feel abandoned by the record business yet are still producing new music which connects with an audience." Hartwig Masuch, BMG.



Morrissey World scrapped due to its 'narrow' appeal :

THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY' - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY'

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

---

Related items:

• Fiona Dodwell: "Morrissey reflects on 'the horror of 2020' after departure from BMG" - November 17, 2020
• Morrissey Central: "BMG DUMP MORRISSEY" - November 16, 2020

---

Related articles (first link contains the quote cited by Central):

• Business Worldwide: "BMG HIRES ALISTAIR NORBURY TO HELP TEMPT ARTISTS TO RECORDINGS BUSINESS" - March 2, 2016
• Billboard: "A Major Indie: CEO Hartwig Masuch Looks at BMG's First 10 Years -- and Shares His Vision for Its Future" - July 26, 2019
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's 2019 figures" - March 25, 2020
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's coronavirus response" - March 26, 2020

​

THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF ‘DIVERSITY’
November 25, 2020




" When the new BMG Executive says he now wants a label of 'diversity', what he
actually means is he wants all of his artists to be exactly the same. Make no mistake, the
word 'diversity' is already trailing in the dust as an overused catchword that in fact means tighter restrictions and a fierce
exclusion of individuality. I have been dumped by BMG because I am TOO diverse for them. They cannot cope with an
artist such as Morrissey … who is, in fact, the very essence of diversity … whose lyrical concerns are multiple, different,
and who has been writing about all of our human differences since 1982. So, please don't be fooled into thinking the
word 'diversity' means varied and open; it has been warped to mean exactly the opposite. With these absolutely
incomprehensibly senseless new guidelines, I'll be surprised if BMG still exists in 18 months time. Or, if they do,
they'll be a label that no true artist would want to sign to. Perhaps this is what BMG prefers - a roster of artists
who are so diverse that you'll never be able to distinguish one from the other?"
Morrissey, November 2020.


"There are artists who feel abandoned by the record business yet are still producing new music which connects with an audience." Hartwig Masuch, BMG.



Morrissey World scrapped due to its 'narrow' appeal :

THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY' - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - THE RIGID RULES AND RESTRICTIONS OF 'DIVERSITY'

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

---

Related items:

• Fiona Dodwell: "Morrissey reflects on 'the horror of 2020' after departure from BMG" - November 17, 2020
• Morrissey Central: "BMG DUMP MORRISSEY" - November 16, 2020

---

Related articles (first link contains the quote cited by Central):

• Business Worldwide: "BMG HIRES ALISTAIR NORBURY TO HELP TEMPT ARTISTS TO RECORDINGS BUSINESS" - March 2, 2016
• Billboard: "A Major Indie: CEO Hartwig Masuch Looks at BMG's First 10 Years -- and Shares His Vision for Its Future" - July 26, 2019
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's 2019 figures" - March 25, 2020
• Music Week: "Hartwig Masuch on BMG's coronavirus response" - March 26, 2020

I’m the most diverse person in the room! Now what soon-to-be former American president does that sound like?
Maybe NewsMax will sign him?

 

[deprofundis]

This cover is so beautiful, too bad it won't be released.

 

[Deleted member 29235]

I don't agree with all Morrissey's views. Hell, I never have, I've always eaten meat for example. But what these people here do is betray their own supposed cause. They want to rage at him for his views when his views really don't matter.

As a public figure Morrissey has made his views clear on a wide range of subjects and issues. Are we to ignore them all? Do you think that's what he wants? I think it's rather invidious of you to try to instruct us to ignore his views when he patently makes those views known precisely so we take notice of them and react to them one way or another.
And I reject your notion that people are 'raging' at him. That sounds like a cheap way to try and suppress views that you don't like, presumably because they are critical of your idol. It reads to me like you just don't like people saying negative things about your idol, which isn't really a reason to stop doing so, is it?

 

[deprofundis]

It's the polish chart on Amazon Poland.

It's "Empik" - more like their version of HMV than Amazon, to be precise

 

[Pokey]

As a public figure Morrissey has made his views clear on a wide range of subjects and issues. Are we to ignore them all? Do you think that's what he wants? I think it's rather invidious of you to try to instruct us to ignore his views when he patently makes those views known precisely so we take notice of them and react to them one way or another.
And I reject your notion that people are 'raging' at him. That sounds like a cheap way to try and suppress views that you don't like, presumably because they are critical of your idol. It reads to me like you just don't like people saying negative things about your idol, which isn't really a reason to stop doing so, is it?

Its not about ignoring completely, its the people who are around ONLY to shit on him. Its not about "supressing views" or not being critical. Like I said, I'm critical of him too for things but there's a balance because I enjoy his work and his art. If I didn't I simply wouldn't be here or really pay attention to anything about him. Which is what I'd hope these people that that post is directed at would do. If they genuinely believed the shit they were sprouting they wouldn't be wasting their time obsessing over him, they'd be focused on targets that matter and since they have no balance to say "well on the other hand I enjoy his music..." then there's just no reason for them to be here.

 

[Deleted member 29235]

Its not about ignoring completely, its the people who are around ONLY to shit on him. Its not about "supressing views" or not being critical. Like I said, I'm critical of him too for things but there's a balance because I enjoy his work and his art. If I didn't I simply wouldn't be here or really pay attention to anything about him. Which is what I'd hope these people that that post is directed at would do. If they genuinely believed the shit they were sprouting they wouldn't be wasting their time obsessing over him, they'd be focused on targets that matter and since they have no balance to say "well on the other hand I enjoy his music..." then there's just no reason for them to be here.

Well clearly they do have their reasons to be here, whether you understand them or not.
I have in the past took part in forums and e-mailing lists for musicians where the musicians themselves participated and it almost totally wrecked any opportunity for argument or debate because everyone was worried about offending said artists. The point is, I'd much rather read a wide range of views on someone I like than just endless hagiography. A wider range of views makes for a more interesting forum.

 

[Silent Reader]

Its not about ignoring completely, its the people who are around ONLY to shit on him. Its not about "supressing views" or not being critical. Like I said, I'm critical of him too for things but there's a balance because I enjoy his work and his art. If I didn't I simply wouldn't be here or really pay attention to anything about him. Which is what I'd hope these people that that post is directed at would do. If they genuinely believed the shit they were sprouting they wouldn't be wasting their time obsessing over him, they'd be focused on targets that matter and since they have no balance to say "well on the other hand I enjoy his music..." then there's just no reason for them to be here.

They do have reasons to be here Pokey, I’ve laid them out elsewhere. None of them are good or genuine.

My advice is to ignore them. It’s taken me a while to realise, I admit, but if they end up just talking to themselves, or those that agree with them, they’ll just shrivel up & die.