The Telegraph / James Hall: "Morrissey: ‘My whole life has relied on free speech – naturally, I’m gagged’" (September 9, 2024)

Morrissey: ‘My whole life has relied on free speech – naturally, I’m gagged’

The forthright singer’s ‘masterpiece’ Bonfire of Teenagers was finished in 2021. He reveals the ‘idiot culture’ blocking its release

https://archive.is/J2hBl - no paywall.

Morrissey: ‘My whole life has relied on free speech – naturally, I’m gagged’

The forthright singer’s ‘masterpiece’ Bonfire of Teenagers was finished in 2021. He reveals the ‘idiot culture’ blocking its release

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Related items:

• Morrissey-solo.com: "What has happened to Bonfire of Teenagers? - media request" - September 2, 2024
• The Times / Will Hodgkinson: "Morrissey says he is being censored. He isn’t" (September 10, 2024)

 

[No 27]

well the the atmossphere in the hall when it was played in the north of england was overwhelmingly positive,people have had enough of woke bollocks and government interfering in their lives,in the uk you dont get sent to prison unless you disagree with the government.

These days, you get arrested and thrown in jail, just for saying you're English.

 

[Ryan]

So the whole “good news around the corner” statement about BOT was moot? And it doesn’t matter that he’s bought it back? I don’t get these timelines.

 

[CrazyFaceGenes]

Why the hell is he still banging on about the Guardian in 2024, the paper doesn't like his politics, so what?, the readers on the whole probably don't want anything to do with Moz either, just move on to the audience who will buy the album.

Katie Hopkins is doing alright, Russell Brand as well, nobody is cancelled, you just can't make the people who were your audience, stay as the audience if they don't like you anymore.

Self release the album, shit or get off the pot.

 

[gashonthenail]

He lost me when he used the woke term which was invented by the far right journalists and politics.

No, mate. Do your research. It use as a political term was invented by black activists in the USA. It was then adopted by other activist groups on the left. It is only more recently that it has come to be used as a derogatory term to describe a set of ideological beliefs of the modern left that are non-rational and 'religious' in nature, i.e. that how you feel inside can miraculously change your sex, or that all white people posses the 'original sin' of racism, even though slavery has existed in every culture and every society in the history of the world. If you agree with these ideological beliefs, of course, then you're an idiot.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Thanks to James Hall for a balanced well-researched and well-written report and going beyond consulting fans to succeed in getting hold of Morrissey himself for a few words.

He probably threatened M to give him an interview or else he’ll turn to solo for his article.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...ire-of-the-teenagers-album-gagged-1235098572/
&
https://www.nme.com/news/music/morr...re-still-in-the-grip-of-idiot-culture-3792060
&
https://www.stereogum.com/2279547/m...um-because-of-controversial-title-track/news/

 

[trevS]

Guessing his lack of album sales for 15+ years plays a role...

Famously he's always at war with labels and management, so no surprise.

During the particularly conflict-riddled years (e.g. Your Arsenal onwards) he at least had the draw of a dedicated fanbase and some industry kudos. Shame he's not showing signs of rebuilding that...though he did know he couldn't last.

 

[gashonthenail]

Why the hell is he still banging on about the Guardian in 2024, the paper doesn't like his politics, so what?, the readers on the whole probably don't want anything to do with Moz either, just move on to the audience who will buy the album.

Katie Hopkins is doing alright, Russell Brand as well, nobody is cancelled, you just can't make the people who were your audience, stay as the audience if they don't like you anymore.

Self release the album, shit or get off the pot.

I think he was using The Guardian as an umbrella term for the wokerati - that coalition of the mainstream media and social media who represent very minority and niche views, but who pose as 'accepted opinion' and basically bully everyone else into complying with their views. No label is going to touch Bonfire, that is clear. I agree with you - in that case time to release the album himself. I think it would sell well. People are hungry these days for the truth.

 

[DaveJCarr]

Sure. Not debating that. Silly.

Sure. I guess Capitol forgot about his falling out with Harvest and still wanted to work with him, Morrissey must have had something they wanted, what was that?

I am not debating that at some point Capitol was interested in releasing the album and seemed to think, whatever the "controversy" that may have resulted from the title track or some of the other lyrics, that it was worth the investment release. I simply am asserting that owing to the leaked emails, Moz's contestable claims that the record was being held hostage etc. calling out the head of the label, they may have decided that it wasn't worth it to begin with.

But they seemingly allowed him to buy back the album is, I think, a courtesy that was certainly not extended to all, though it should be. Capitol could have had buyers remorse and political trepidation, but I think the Miley explanation is the simplest and cleanest.

Only Moz seems to believe the remorse is primarily motivated by political considerations, and if he has any evidence that that score, stuff that can be corroborated, he hasn't really shared it. I don't have any reason to believe his narrative is true, however accurately it does reflect his own feelings about the situation. I'm open to revision score, if more emails were witnesses, or whatever come out to evidence claims

There are many recording artists and authors who have falling out with publishers, film studios etc. who decide to sit on their purchased films and albums and not even give the artists the option of a buyback.

But there again as a consequence and danger of involvement in the corporatized label environment – that's a risk you take When you seek to enter into business with them and enjoy the benefit of their "prestige"

Really? point to how many others are singing about that terrorist attack?

There is no one else singing about the Manchester terrorist attack, there are plenty of nationalist neo-folk bands National Socialist black metal bands, who writing songs hostile to immigration, the rise of Islam, and the decline of the West, all themes that seem very corollary to the things that Moz is exploring in bonfire and in other places. Now, the extent to which he wanted to be associated with any of those acts is unknown – my only point is that they *are* bands releasing producing music (even getting elected to office in some cases) precisely by singing about and writing about the broader themes that seem most prevalent in Bonfire etc.

.

Yes, my brain had a moment of confusion between Wilde, Groucho, and Woody.. Well spotted

 

[Grim Reaper]

No, mate. Do your research. It use as a political term was invented by black activists in the USA. It was then adopted by other activist groups on the left. It is only more recently that it has come to be used as a derogatory term to describe a set of ideological beliefs of the modern left that are non-rational and 'religious' in nature, i.e. that how you feel inside can miraculously change your sex, or that all white people posses the 'original sin' of racism, even though slavery has existed in every culture and every society in the history of the world. If you agree with these ideological beliefs, of course, then you're an idiot.

It's certainly a term created by black activists, but calling everything woke is definitely a party trick or the right, just like a few years ago when everything on the left was political correctness gone mad.

 

[brody]

What a deluded drama queen. But what the hell, it’s been almost 4 years already. Too jaded to question stagnation indeed

 

[BrummieBoy]

Morrissey is a totally delusional troll who thinks he can fire up the engines of media outrage to publicise his 'obvious troll is obvious' insipid witterings on topics he is woefully ill-informed about.

Nobody cares about his bizarre paranoid victim script except a few crazies here who are on The List.

Ignoring a tiresome troll isn't censorship. So many media influencers are now furious about the fact they let this clown dupe them for decades.

Every nondescript album is prefaced by the same tiresome blathering: that it's his life's apogee, his masterpiece.

It's just more product.

Addicted to the dopamine rush of the stage, this hideous troll sulks and squeaks and shrieks to get attention like a demented Smurf.

Ignore him.
Do not feed the troll.

BrummieBoy
Southport Esplanade
Merseyside
England

 

[Lucifer Sam]

It's certainly a term created by black activists, but calling everything woke is definitely a party trick or the right, just like a few years ago when everything on the left was political correctness gone mad.

Yes, the original version of "woke" was way more interesting than what it's become. If you were woke it meant that you were attuned to conspiracy theories about the white man, such as that the Egyptians were black but this fact was suppressed (unfortunately this is refuted by DNA evidence), or the NOI theory that the white race was developed by a black mad scientist named Yakub in a eugenics project gone wrong (unlikely, but highly amusing), or that the crack epidemic was deliberately caused by the CIA (and this one has credibility, if the late Michael Ruppert is to be believed). It was a lurid gnosis of black radicalism, and nothing much to do with the tedious, academic, corporate rainbow stuff being force-fed to people these days.

 

[Lucifer Sam]

Maybe the simplicity was her point, have you heard her other songs? I’m not familiar with her. Anyway she seems far more interesting than those dudes, that don’t have the cojones to take a public stand as she seems to be doing.

The simplicity isn't bad. It's catchy enough, and I found her on Spotify and added the song to my "current rotation" playlist. It looks like her whole discography is on Spotify; how "cancelled" can she possibly claim to be?

 

[goinghome]

This story is now spinning up all kinds of press, like this piece in The Times by Will Hodgkinson:
"Is that really the case when we’re all desperate to speak to him?"

One positive in the midst of it all!!

Marr, who is one of the most liked and respected musicians out there, and who has shown integrity at refusing to reform the Smiths when to do so could afford him a handful of houses he doesn’t need..

I believe Morrissey was the one refusing a reunion for the longer time. Funny how so many of these music journos repeatedly validate Morrissey's complaints.

I was thinking along similar lines. Matt Johnson isn't fond of being described as 'political' in his lyrics but he certainly writes/sings what he thinks and holds up a mirror to life as it is led. Nobody (as far as I know) is hellbent on silencing him or his releases. Matt hasn't spent the last x years going on about how his new album is a masterpiece. He just released it. To public and critical acclaim. And is touring it with no distracting drama.

Morrissey has had a string of bad luck since the album was made. That's also played into the current impasse in a major way. Lack of a good manager at that crucial time especially made all the difference. To be distracted with trying to fill that role as well likely contributed to the exhaustion. Imagine if Miley hadn't backed out? Things wouldn't have gotten nearly as complicated. Bad luck, mate. May fortune shine from now on

You'd think someone who was indirectly reporting all the hurdles and problems befalling the release would have mentioned the small matter of bigwigs wanting him to remove the title track and wanting him 'censored' at the time...
FWD.

The writer seems to have left that part for Morrissey himself to mention i.e. the 'contested track'.

Well, the owners tried to shut down the work of the artist Hédi Tillette de Clermont-Tonnerre for a start. Furthermore, they were found (in court) to be using the paper as a tool to support their commercial interests—suppressing information when it suited.

That same (Telegraph-funded) commercial power was also used to help destroy the livelihoods of disagreeing voices on the island of Sark.

As an online subscriber for years, I witnessed dissenting commentaries on articles disappear from comments boards right in front of my eyes: sent to await an editorial review, forever.

Most recently it supported Jenrick’s Allahu Akbar arrest call. Whatever one’s feeling about that policy: support of free speech it isn’t.

Very interesting.
Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted following US govt. advice to censor a range of vital information in recent years. The UK govt. created a new special information control unit shortly after the pandemic was announced. YouTube deleted all of Pulitzer winning journalist Chris Hedges videos after some infraction or other. Free speech ain't what it used to be.

Do who or what is behind #BeKind?

I think it's like#MeToo or all the other campaigns implying unquestioning solidarity, eliminating greys. When Alain Delon was nominated for a Palme D'Or Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, thousands of anonymous people signed a petition demanding it not be awarded to him due to views he expressed in the past, and other rumours. The artist's side was chosen, despite sustained criticisms, although he also gained elegant defenses like this one -

https://www.rogerebert.com/festival...in-cannes-was-the-right-thing-to-do-heres-why

People couldn't get enough of him until, as he said, he was fifty. The public is profoundly shallow. Few mentioned what an insecure childhood he came from, which should have meant he too qualified as a #MeToo casualty - https://amy-movie.com/blog/unveilin...rents-in-the-spotlight-following-his-passing/

This demand for character perfection from entertainers is ludicrous once one thinks of what ruling figures operating through institutions can have done to harm millions of people without batting an eye.

But I agree with the sentiment behind the "#BeKind crew” – a social media movement promoting empathy – “who will smash your face in if you disagree with them.”

A minefield.

From watching/reading previous interviews and getting an understanding of his train of thought, I think by saying "Controversial means intelligent, doesn't it?" he means that in today's social climate, anyone who goes against stupidity (which he goes on to refer to as “Idiot Culture”) is deemed controversial when what they are saying is common sense. I think he means that people have become so stupid that anyone with an ounce of intelligence is seen as controversial because they are seemingly now the minority. That's what I think he means in the context of what he's saying. I don't think he means that applies to everything anyone says.

He has mentioned previously why he doesn't intend to self-release (I think it may have been in one of those interviews released on his website with questions asked by his nephew). Basically, he's old-fashioned; he prefers having a big company behind the release. Having to self-release and/or release songs online is too modern and not in keeping with the romance of the old ways of doing things.

As in most areas of life now, whole new layers of charges and fees are skimming off the earnings musicians and their hosts used to make.

It's time the tale were told

well the the atmossphere in the hall when it was played in the north of england was overwhelmingly positive,people have had enough of woke bollocks and government interfering in their lives,in the uk you dont get sent to prison unless you disagree with the government.

I saw people in the audience moved to tears during performance. Have any other musicians written songs commemorating the tragedy?

'Inconspicuous recluse' gets out his megaphone again.

Surely even M can see this kind of thing looks silly.

But what's wrong with silly?

These are sad times indeed.

Until today, I never heard of this artist, and only scrolled through several posts, but even Bandcamp, a place where artists can self release and be heard, are having their platforms and livelihoods taken away from them ….

Now you see 'em; now you don't

 

[athosique]

No, mate. Do your research. It use as a political term was invented by black activists in the USA. It was then adopted by other activist groups on the left. It is only more recently that it has come to be used as a derogatory term to describe a set of ideological beliefs of the modern left that are non-rational and 'religious' in nature, i.e. that how you feel inside can miraculously change your sex, or that all white people posses the 'original sin' of racism, even though slavery has existed in every culture and every society in the history of the world. If you agree with these ideological beliefs, of course, then you're an idiot.

I don't see how this is all relevant considering that M used the most recent, pejorative connotation of the word that's used by alt-rights and likes

 

[gordyboy9]

One positive in the midst of it all!!



I believe Morrissey was the one refusing a reunion for the longer time. Funny how so many of these music journos repeatedly validate Morrissey's complaints.



Morrissey has had a string of bad luck since the album was made. That's also played into the current impasse in a major way. Lack of a good manager at that crucial time especially made all the difference. To be distracted with trying to fill that role as well likely contributed to the exhaustion. Imagine if Miley hadn't backed out? Things wouldn't have gotten nearly as complicated. Bad luck, mate. May fortune shine from now on


The writer seems to have left that part for Morrissey himself to mention i.e. the 'contested track'.

Very interesting.
Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted following US govt. advice to censor a range of vital information in recent years. The UK govt. created a new special information control unit shortly after the pandemic was announced. YouTube deleted all of Pulitzer winning journalist Chris Hedges videos after some infraction or other. Free speech ain't what it used to be.



I think it's like#MeToo or all the other campaigns implying unquestioning solidarity, eliminating greys. When Alain Delon was nominated for a Palme D'Or Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, thousands of anonymous people signed a petition demanding it not be awarded to him due to views he expressed in the past, and other rumours. The artist's side was chosen, despite sustained criticisms, although he also gained elegant defenses like this one -

https://www.rogerebert.com/festival...in-cannes-was-the-right-thing-to-do-heres-why

People couldn't get enough of him until, as he said, he was fifty. The public is profoundly shallow. Few mentioned what an insecure childhood he came from, which should have meant he too qualified as a #MeToo casualty - https://amy-movie.com/blog/unveilin...rents-in-the-spotlight-following-his-passing/

This demand for character perfection from entertainers is ludicrous once one thinks of what ruling figures operating through institutions can have done to harm millions of people without batting an eye.


A minefield.


As in most areas of life now, whole new layers of charges and fees are skimming off the earnings musicians and their hosts used to make.

It's time the tale were told





I saw people in the audience moved to tears during performance. Have any other musicians written songs commemorating the tragedy?



But what's wrong with silly?


Now you see 'em; now you don't

no because they are all too scared of the backlash.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

The simplicity isn't bad. It's catchy enough, and I found her on Spotify and added the song to my "current rotation" playlist. It looks like her whole discography is on Spotify; how "cancelled" can she possibly claim to be?

Don’t know if she claimed to be canceled at all.

 

[gordyboy9]

Why the hell is he still banging on about the Guardian in 2024, the paper doesn't like his politics, so what?, the readers on the whole probably don't want anything to do with Moz either, just move on to the audience who will buy the album.

Katie Hopkins is doing alright, Russell Brand as well, nobody is cancelled, you just can't make the people who were your audience, stay as the audience if they don't like you anymore.

Self release the album, shit or get off the pot.

surely you should be shitting in the pot,dont fancy coming to your house.

 

[Lucifer Sam]

Don’t know if she claimed to be canceled at all.

What else could she have meant by "they [the industry] would rather hear the sound of silence than let me sing those songs"? Or "you step one foot out of their line and boom, you're not just off-key, you're plunged into a black hole of censorship"?

To see if her claim about magazines shunning her was valid, I google'd her. She got a sympathetic interview with The Culture Vulture, so she hasn't been completely blacklisted, but reading it, it looks like she has definitely been paying a steep price for voicing her opinions. Kudos to her, but at the same time she shouldn't be surprised. She has J.K. Rowling's views but lacks Rowling's money and prestige, and she said those things anyway. What did she think would happen?

I'm not qualified to know whether Bandcamp had legal standing to kick her off, but I assume they cite clauses in their contracts whenever they take action against an artist. As Morrissey himself has admitted, the artist rarely reads the fine print.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

What else could she have meant by "they [the industry] would rather hear the sound of silence than let me sing those songs"? Or "you step one foot out of their line and boom, you're not just off-key, you're plunged into a black hole of censorship"?

To see if her claim about magazines shunning her was valid, I google'd her. She got a sympathetic interview with The Culture Vulture, so she hasn't been completely blacklisted, but reading it, it looks like she has definitely been paying a steep price for voicing her opinions. Kudos to her, but at the same time she shouldn't be surprised. She has J.K. Rowling's views but lacks Rowling's money and prestige, and she said those things anyway. What did she think would happen?

I'm not qualified to know whether Bandcamp had legal standing to kick her off, but I assume they cite clauses in their contracts whenever they take action against an artist. As Morrissey himself has admitted, the artist rarely reads the fine print.

Dude, I just scrolled through a few posts.