England Is Mine: the making of Morrissey, or a portrait of the artist as a young wimp? -Tracey Thorn

England Is Mine: the making of Morrissey, or a portrait of the artist as a young wimp? - New Statesman
By Tracey Thorn.
(of Everything But The Girl fame).

Excerpt:

"It is with some trepidation that I write about the new Morrissey biopic, England Is Mine, knowing that it’s not hard to say the wrong thing about Morrissey and fall foul either of his lawyers or his legions of still-adoring fans. Journalists have come a cropper and even I, after a throwaway remark* made donkey’s years ago, found myself added to the list of scores that had to be settled in his recent Autobiography, a book that reminded me of nothing so much as Father Ted’s Golden Cleric acceptance speech: “And now we move on to liars…”

Regards,
FWD.

* = Tracey is referring to:
"I am criticized by singer Tracey Thorn for ‘singing about people in wheelchairs’, and John Peel opens his radio show by playing the song in full, and once it dies away he breaks the silence with: ‘Well, what do you think of that, then?’ as if a roasting on an open fire is all that will cure me." - from Autobiography.
 
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I don't find "kiss me a lot, kiss me all over my face" particularly brave. Even if he's a closet germaphobe with deep rooted intimacy issues. Maybe he'll brave up again on the next one.

depends on how you define 'brave'. As an example ... I don't think Rollins is brave enough to write and sing a song like 'KMAL' :cool:
 
For being " yet another review" , I find the article very well written and interesting enough coming from somebody who actually belong to that time.
I find her point of view more credible than any of the other mediocre articles.
I like you a little bit more now Tracey.
 
I don't find "kiss me a lot, kiss me all over my face" particularly brave. Even if he's a closet germaphobe with deep rooted intimacy issues. Maybe he'll brave up again on the next one.

I do find it very brave. True intimacy is bravery. If you don't understand the lyrics, don't blame the author.
 
Of course nobody can influence your expectations, gladly so, they are yours and I only meant it in the way you realize you could feel a bit disappointed as the expectations compared to the music didn't match. But that is always in hindsight.

I am a fan of WPINOYB and it creates some expectations for me.
Could be I feel slightly disappointed with a new album but my experience is that the average quality of his albums is quite high.

Even on his albums that I consider to be lesser than average (Moz standard wise) like Kill Uncle and Maladjusted there are still some gems on it.
:thumb:

I prefer Kill Uncle and Maladjusted to YATQ, ROT or YOR. I like WPINYB though, it was something of a return to form if you remove some of the songs and replace them with some of the extra tracks (not Scandinavia or Art Hounds).
 
Hard to argue with most of this. I thought the movie was poorly written and made Moz seem shallow and bland. Not epithets I would ever associate with him. It was a good attempt at creating something fairly bold - the life of an artist is never easy to recreate dramatically (especially when they're still living) - but this just didn't work.
 
I do find it very brave. True intimacy is bravery. If you don't understand the lyrics, don't blame the author.

May I ask, how did you come to the conclusion that Kiss Me a Lot is about true intimacy and not just, say, lust or a casual fling?
 
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Seems a fair review of the film. Both her books are worth a read. But full disclosure I must admit back in the day her dour expression, plain look and sexless shape got me willie harder than Chinese arithmetic.
 
The movie is not available in Brazil yet but I can say that Morrissey wasn't a wimp. The movie, of course, can portrait someone who Morrissey isn't and never wanted to be.

If England is mine did it, then the directed chose the wrong way of putting Moz on screen.
 
Morrissey wasn't a wimp.

"For what will be the second time, I floor Leslie, he all bluff and little-man threats, yet soft to the touch in the heel of the hammerlock. I do not know where my uppercuts come from, but there they are, an orbit of finishing blows rising from somewhere deep within, overtaking the final push that panics the body into do-or-die strength. It is a vigorous high, but it is not my sphere, and nor do I want it."

"I catch sight of Margaret, who is in my class at St Wilfrid’s and who has a red birth mark on her right cheek, and I wave a wave that she returns, but the brimstoned boy that she is with rockets towards me and lands me an upper-cut so fierce that I am unable to see for a full minute. When my senses return, I am voluntarily rescued by Billy O’Shea, who is also from my class and who whomps the boy with a swing that I am assumed unable to deliver. Smiling Billy returns this duty some weeks later at school when I find myself singled out for a ferocious whack in the yard. As a blow lands, I fall, and from nowhere Billy O’Shea shazzams and rips the head off the ass-backwards assailant. And the world turns."

"The knowing grin was a bolt of lightning in ancient walks through pulpy words, or amid the annoying white noise of Los Angeles, where one night we are confronted by an aggressor. Jake's fists move too quickly for the eye to follow, and the mugger drops."
 
"For what will be the second time, I floor Leslie, he all bluff and little-man threats, yet soft to the touch in the heel of the hammerlock. I do not know where my uppercuts come from, but there they are, an orbit of finishing blows rising from somewhere deep within, overtaking the final push that panics the body into do-or-die strength. It is a vigorous high, but it is not my sphere, and nor do I want it."

"I catch sight of Margaret, who is in my class at St Wilfrid’s and who has a red birth mark on her right cheek, and I wave a wave that she returns, but the brimstoned boy that she is with rockets towards me and lands me an upper-cut so fierce that I am unable to see for a full minute. When my senses return, I am voluntarily rescued by Billy O’Shea, who is also from my class and who whomps the boy with a swing that I am assumed unable to deliver. Smiling Billy returns this duty some weeks later at school when I find myself singled out for a ferocious whack in the yard. As a blow lands, I fall, and from nowhere Billy O’Shea shazzams and rips the head off the ass-backwards assailant. And the world turns."

"The knowing grin was a bolt of lightning in ancient walks through pulpy words, or amid the annoying white noise of Los Angeles, where one night we are confronted by an aggressor. Jake's fists move too quickly for the eye to follow, and the mugger drops."

I think it's both fun and intriguing that it seems no matter what the topic, there's some know it all "anonymous" post with a relevant Autobiography or other interview or whatnot, quote. It's become like clockwork actually. :)
 
"For what will be the second time, I floor Leslie, he all bluff and little-man threats, yet soft to the touch in the heel of the hammerlock. I do not know where my uppercuts come from, but there they are, an orbit of finishing blows rising from somewhere deep within, overtaking the final push that panics the body into do-or-die strength. It is a vigorous high, but it is not my sphere, and nor do I want it."

"I catch sight of Margaret, who is in my class at St Wilfrid’s and who has a red birth mark on her right cheek, and I wave a wave that she returns, but the brimstoned boy that she is with rockets towards me and lands me an upper-cut so fierce that I am unable to see for a full minute. When my senses return, I am voluntarily rescued by Billy O’Shea, who is also from my class and who whomps the boy with a swing that I am assumed unable to deliver. Smiling Billy returns this duty some weeks later at school when I find myself singled out for a ferocious whack in the yard. As a blow lands, I fall, and from nowhere Billy O’Shea shazzams and rips the head off the ass-backwards assailant. And the world turns."

"The knowing grin was a bolt of lightning in ancient walks through pulpy words, or amid the annoying white noise of Los Angeles, where one night we are confronted by an aggressor. Jake's fists move too quickly for the eye to follow, and the mugger drops."

Morrissey will always be complaining about something, it's so typical of him. But it does not make him a wimp, exactly.
 
I prefer Kill Uncle and Maladjusted to YATQ, ROT or YOR. I like WPINYB though, it was something of a return to form if you remove some of the songs and replace them with some of the extra tracks (not Scandinavia or Art Hounds).

"Julie in the Weeds" is right up there with some of his best songs, IMHO. It should have been an album track. I didn't have high expectations for WPINOYB - but was pleasantly surprised once I gave it a few listens.

BTW, just heard "Art Hounds" the other day - after not hearing it for awhile - it's really grown on me. He sings it with a lot of passion, and I love the high-pitched singing when he says, "my life is opera" - reminds me (slightly) of those high bits in "Miserable Lie."
 
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"Julie in the Weeds" is right up there with some of his best songs, IMHO. It should have been an album track. I didn't have high expectations for WPINOYB - but was pleasantly surprised once I gave it a few listens.

BTW, just heard "Art Hounds" the other day - after not hearing it for awhile - it's really grown on me. He sings it with a lot of passion, and I love the high-pitched singing when he says, "my life is opera" - reminds me (slightly) of those high bits in "Miserable Lie."

Agree 100% about Julie in the Weeds
 
Very nice review. Still looking forward to seeing the movie.
I cant understand why some people here get so upset whenever Morrissey is criticised for something. I adore him but he is far from perfect. Tracey Thorn is obviously a fan, they have covered the Smiths many times, brilliantly, by the way, and this review is very respectful and well written.
 
Very nice review. Still looking forward to seeing the movie.
I cant understand why some people here get so upset whenever Morrissey is criticised for something. I adore him but he is far from perfect. Tracey Thorn is obviously a fan, they have covered the Smiths many times, brilliantly, by the way, and this review is very respectful and well written.

Yeah, I don't get it either - the criticism was mainly about the movie - it was not an attack on Morrissey.
 
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