I agree. He is not someone who can switch styles like New Order or Roxy Music, he is a bit limited in that way and he does not play instruments like Bernard or Bryan do. I think maybe his themes had a shelf life, that sort of teenage/young adult angst played well when he was younger but is not something you can sing about for your entire career. I thought he got a bit more grown up when he went solo, but refusing to tour on Viva Hate was just stupidity. He should have known then, as all people in their 30s or approaching their 30s realize that someday you will be past your peak, either professionally or personally or both and you have to make the most of it when you can. I think the Smiths ended when they should have, went out on a very high note and ended up being a good launching pad for M's solo career, but he does not have that kind of creative output now and hasn't for a while, at least in my opinion and maybe it's just time for him to stop being the diva and accept reality or retire. Or he can be the legacy act he seems to loathe, and play what people actually want to hear, it works for his contemporaries.