"Can Morrissey’s Musical Legacy Survive His Bad Press?" - Dallas Observer (July 16, 2019)

For at least the next few years his political opinions are going to be more well known than his music. This will feed on itself as the people that might have been drawn to his music will see all these articles and social media comments about his comments. This will alienate those that might have become fans of "it takes guts to be gentle and kind" and draw those who are attracted to far right propaganda. The audience will change, and it probably won't change back. He has gone too far to tell these people that he rejects them and by that time he will probably need their money.
He will lose a lot of influential friends both because they don't want to be associated with his message and because they were only hanging on waiting for a big payday when The Smiths eventually did a comeback tour. As it becomes more clear this will never happen they will lose interest.
There might be an incident at one of his shows where some of the new far right fans find an opportunity to make some political statement and he will have to either ignore it or repudiate it, or possibly endorse it.
I am surprised that no journalists have yet written about the wave of support he is receiving from these new fans at the some time many of the older fans are leaving him behind. How will the numbers work out for him? Too soon to tell. Maybe he will drop dressing as a priest and dress as an SS officer instead?
As long as former fans are journalists, or as long as he is well enough known and keeps coming up with these statements that they can easily turn into news articles and blog posts then he will be a public figure but not because of his music. How will he survive financially? Hard to say. He could be doing so much better in that area than he is.
Eventually though there just aren't going to be that many people that care one way or the other and the experience of listening to the music for the first time will be almost impossible to separate from the politics. Some lucky people will see a Smiths or Morrissey record and be intrigued by the cover or the song titles but most are going to get the politics first and the music second and it's all his fault.
 
For at least the next few years his political opinions are going to be more well known than his music. This will feed on itself as the people that might have been drawn to his music will see all these articles and social media comments about his comments. This will alienate those that might have become fans of "it takes guts to be gentle and kind" and draw those who are attracted to far right propaganda. The audience will change, and it probably won't change back. He has gone too far to tell these people that he rejects them and by that time he will probably need their money.
He will lose a lot of influential friends both because they don't want to be associated with his message and because they were only hanging on waiting for a big payday when The Smiths eventually did a comeback tour. As it becomes more clear this will never happen they will lose interest.
There might be an incident at one of his shows where some of the new far right fans find an opportunity to make some political statement and he will have to either ignore it or repudiate it, or possibly endorse it.
I am surprised that no journalists have yet written about the wave of support he is receiving from these new fans at the some time many of the older fans are leaving him behind. How will the numbers work out for him? Too soon to tell. Maybe he will drop dressing as a priest and dress as an SS officer instead?
As long as former fans are journalists, or as long as he is well enough known and keeps coming up with these statements that they can easily turn into news articles and blog posts then he will be a public figure but not because of his music. How will he survive financially? Hard to say. He could be doing so much better in that area than he is.
Eventually though there just aren't going to be that many people that care one way or the other and the experience of listening to the music for the first time will be almost impossible to separate from the politics. Some lucky people will see a Smiths or Morrissey record and be intrigued by the cover or the song titles but most are going to get the politics first and the music second and it's all his fault.

Very well put. At some point Morrissey will have to react to his new fanbase.
 
Very well put. At some point Morrissey will have to react to his new fanbase.

Unless asked in an interview about the ‘new fanbase’ :rolleyes: I don’t think he’ll ever need to react or comment on it or anything if he doesn’t feel like it.
 
Unless asked in an interview about the ‘new fanbase’ :rolleyes: I don’t think he’ll ever need to react or comment on it or anything if he doesn’t feel like it.

At some point these new converts might turn up at gigs and have altercations with the old fans. That is a real possibility, unfortunately.
 
At some point these new converts might turn up at gigs and have altercations with the old fans. That is a real possibility, unfortunately.

Then, it’ll be just like a Morrissey show then. It’s rare when there isn’t an altercation of some sort during a show, and I’ve been to many.
 
its hardly a word people use everyday,tell me the last time you used the word knoll,iv never heard it used apart from the kennedy assassination.
 
There might be an incident at one of his shows where some of the new far right fans find an opportunity to make some political statement and he will have to either ignore it or repudiate it, or possibly endorse it.
I am surprised that no journalists have yet written about the wave of support he is receiving from these new fans at the some time many of the older fans are leaving him behind. How will the numbers work out for him? Too soon to tell. .
You've massively overstated the number of 'new fans' his idiotic, ill-informed political ramblings are gaining him. He's lost about 15,000 UK fans in the last 18 months (in terms of people who would buy a new record) or 60% of the fan-base.
He's gained just 85-100 For Britain followers. Most of them will lose interest when they realise he isn't a genuine believer in far-right politics - just a totally muddled f***ing idiot when it comes to politics.
 
At some point these new converts might turn up at gigs and have altercations with the old fans. That is a real possibility, unfortunately.
a gust of wind would blow some of these converts over,some of their computers weigh more than them,iv had heavier fish suppers.
 
I think M sees the world descending into a madness and ignorance where he likely does not care what his legacy will be. It clearly has no place anymore.
 
People forget that Morrissey has battled depression for decades. Bad press is a piece of cake compared to that.

Bad press is one thing - clearly and repeatedly stating views that alienate 60% of your fan-base is something entirely different.
His world, his legacy, is crumbling. A massive decline in album sales just 18 months after the previous album's release, record shops refusing to stock his CDs, advertising space owners taking down his posters, long established Smiths tribute nights having to close, fan forums effectively shutting down (this one isn't but others are). If you really feel this situation is just a bit of bad press, you're as deluded as Steve himself.
Steve must unambiguously retract his support for right-wing politics, racism and the For Bigots party, or that's it. Simple choice for you there, Steve.
 
Bad press is one thing - clearly and repeatedly stating views that alienate 60% of your fan-base is something entirely different.
His world, his legacy, is crumbling. A massive decline in album sales just 18 months after the previous album's release, record shops refusing to stock his CDs, advertising space owners taking down his posters, long established Smiths tribute nights having to close, fan forums effectively shutting down (this one isn't but others are). If you really feel this situation is just a bit of bad press, you're as deluded as Steve himself.
Steve must unambiguously retract his support for right-wing politics, racism and the For Bigots party, or that's it. Simple choice for you there, Steve.
20% of fan base if that.
 
Bad press is one thing - clearly and repeatedly stating views that alienate 60% of your fan-base is something entirely different.
His world, his legacy, is crumbling. A massive decline in album sales just 18 months after the previous album's release, record shops refusing to stock his CDs, advertising space owners taking down his posters, long established Smiths tribute nights having to close, fan forums effectively shutting down (this one isn't but others are). If you really feel this situation is just a bit of bad press, you're as deluded as Steve himself.
Steve must unambiguously retract his support for right-wing politics, racism and the For Bigots party, or that's it. Simple choice for you there, Steve.
What other fan forums are shutting down as a matter of interest?
I'm not sure this one could be called a fan forum tbh. I certainly won't join it for that reason.
As for morrissey s politics, he has not joined the For Britain party, just worn their badge, to provoke in part I suspect. He has started a debate on mass immigration vs national identity which has been ignored up to now in the MSM.
This has been a lesser theme of his right through his early career
I think he should keep away from politics tbh, its another form of programming with never ending polarising opinions that are never resolved. It's a form of energy vampirism and should be ignored.
I preferred it when Morrissey advocated not voting.
 

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