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

Can Morrissey’s Musical Legacy Survive His Bad Press? - Dallas Observer
By Diamond Rodrigue

I don‘t think so, which makes me quite sad, cause I still love him!

 

[Anonymous]

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.

ONE record shop, ONE space owner (in Liverpool) because of ONE customer's complaint, ONE Smiths tribute night...

California Son still charted and his last year gigs in the UK went really well.

 

[Surface]

ONE record shop, ONE space owner (in Liverpool) because of ONE customer's complaint, ONE Smiths tribute night...

California Son still charted and his last year gigs in the UK went really well.

He had to postpone his last UK tour due to poor sales, guess what, they were never rescheduled and Californian Son was his poorest selling album of his career.

 

[Anonymous]

20% of fan base if that.

You underestimate the damage he has done, especially in the UK. He’d be lucky to muster 20% of his previous fan base here to see him in concert again. I’m absolutely serious.

I know that this will attract the usual response on here, but you can believe me or not on this , I don’t care - I’ve been at this game for well over 30 odd years. I’ve known a hell of a lot of Morrissey fans personally. I only know of 2 who are happy to remain fans, and one of those is the singer in a Moz tribute outfit.

You get my drift? T
Yes?
No?,

I don’t really care.

 

[Anonymous]

He had to postpone his last UK tour due to poor sales, guess what, they were never rescheduled and Californian Son was his poorest selling album of his career.

Why did you have to spoil it with facts that are real?

If our half truths, lies, and made up stuff isn’t good enough for you, then clear off. You’re not welcome round here with your clever talk that can be substantiated with evidence.

Morrissey has brilliant politics, and I for one am happy to agree with him. Only yesterday I wrote to a local newspaper to complian about a school near me teaching kids as young as 13 about sex things involving men with men, & women with women. When my letter was published loads of people agreed with me that it was a secret plan to turn our kids into Muslims. It’s absolutely true. I’ve seen YouTube videos all about it.

Everyone knows that the last UK tour would have been rescheduled if it wasn’t for issues with Insurance. I know for a fact as I overheard a fella who looked just like one of those music types saying that he couldn’t ensure selling enough tickets. Are you saying that I have a problem with my hearing now? Is that what you are saying?

So. Think on! (*)




* This post may contain traces of nuts.

 

[Anonymous]

He had to postpone his last UK tour due to poor sales, guess what, they were never rescheduled and Californian Son was his poorest selling album of his career.

Poor sales? Proof, please. Just a few months before summer they sold pretty well. It couldn't have changed in three months. He recently said it was due to insurance problems and it might be true.

California Son still sold better than #1/2/3. It's a fact that, as times goes by, every singer/band sells less and less than before.

 

[Ryan]

Yes, it can survive. Enough with these farticles.

 

[gordyboy9]

He had to postpone his last UK tour due to poor sales, guess what, they were never rescheduled and Californian Son was his poorest selling album of his career.

did you not read the interview where he stated the tour was cancelled because they couldn't get insurance.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

did you not read the interview where he stated the tour was cancelled because they couldn't get insurance.

Why bother with talking sense to Skinny and the others. Surface is obsessed with charts and sales, as if that really has anything to do with
Morrissey’s true success.

The fact that detractors and folks who say they dislike Morrissey still obsessively follow his every move by visiting this site, just points to the fact
again and again that ....


MORRISSEY HAS WON.







case closed.

 

[reelfountain]

Everyone will soon come around to Moz's thinking and he will be praised on an altar of high art and treated as a homecoming king.

The world has always been slightly behind him anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

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.

An insightful, well written piece that coveys my own views better than I could.

 

[Anonymous]

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.

A simple choice but an impossible one for the man in question. He's incapable of apology / retraction. I've never found that a healthy trait in anyone.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Everyone will soon come around to Moz's thinking and he will praised on an altar of high art and treated as a homecoming king.The world has always been slightly behind him anyway.

Of course the world has been slightly behind him, how else would they be checking out his cute ass?

 

[ACTON]

Morrissey will be just fine. The truth tellers have never been darlings of the press. I'm more concerned for the gentle and fragile. The media is a joke. We've heard their punchline over and over again. It's time to get off the stage.

I see Waldorf and Statler either disliking or trolling everything that isn't negative against Moz.

 

[Anonymous]

He has started a debate on mass immigration vs national identity which has been ignored up to now in the MSM.

Except those debates were taking place way before his comments in mainstream media, Morrisey just brought some of his new 'fan' base to it. His previous, largely loyal fan base were too astute and way too savvy to follow Morrissey down that particular rabbit hole.

I have no idea of percentages of those that would no longer attend gigs or buy releases in the UK but I do know it to be a lot. From the pool of folks I've known over the years they are done. The vast majority of my friends, and people I knew from music circles etc., were mostly all Morrissey fans - it's how I go to know most of them. Now, there is one man standing, cutting a lonely figure; even he is considering - a no more gigs, releases only policy - concerned as he his about the new 'fan' base.

 

[ACTON]

People forget that Morrissey has battled depression for decades. Bad press is a piece of cake compared to that.

Exactly. A friend of mine had debilitating depression that either caused or was a result of inability to sleep. Reading bullshit non stories on newspaper and online rags and negative comments on this site is tasty cake compared to that.

 

[The Wild Turkey]

As long as there's Turkey Steppin' goin' on, Moz's musical legacy is gonna survive.
Trust me folks, they can't stop the Turkey Step.

 

[Surface]

Poor sales? Proof, please. Just a few months before summer they sold pretty well. It couldn't have changed in three months. He recently said it was due to insurance problems and it might be true.

California Son still sold better than #1/2/3. It's a fact that, as times goes by, every singer/band sells less and less than before.

Well he would say that wouldn’t he, don’t forget the shows earlier in the year were before he started spouting his nonsense. For the later dates not a single venue had sold out. Both Manchester shows had loads of tickets available and that would never of happened in years gone by.

He’s f***ed up massively in the UK and I doubt he will ever tour here again.

 

[Whizz Kid]

did you not read the interview where he stated the tour was cancelled because they couldn't get insurance.

It's all of a piece. Moz couldn't get insurance because of his high cancellation rate - low tickets sales & protests lead to likely cancellations. I'm surprised he can still get insured in the US.

This article on tour insurance from 2015 specifically mentions Morrissey:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...usic-insurance-blur-morrissey-robbie-williams

 

[Anonymous]

Everyone will soon come around to Moz's thinking and he will praised on an altar of high art and treated as a homecoming king.

The world has always been slightly behind him anyway.

That is the truest comment I’ve read. And I don’t think for a minute Morrissey has depression, it’s actually called enlightenment, same symptoms, in this brainwashed world of looney leftists and their idealistic brainwashed views it causes severe head shaking and disbelief. I’m suffering the symptoms big time. Diamond (the author lol) sounds like an 18 carat (cockneys will get my meaning)

 

[ThePoliticalRevolution]

Jesus f***ING Christ.