I recognise this need to want Morrissey to be different than he is, but actually the fact that he doesn't meet our requirements is exactly what makes him such an interesting artist. It's a total paradox that Morrissey is so difficult to like and yet has such a huge personality cult and following - he goes out of his way to be disagreeable, his songs never meet us half way so we have to put real effort in to like them, he uses cliches and lyrics that just say what they mean in language that is upsetting to someone who wants 'poetry'. Vitriolic adolecent energy is at the heart of his art and without it he would be something else, and much less interesting. You can't expect his output now to be anthing like that of the Smiths - but I personally think that YATQ is a wonderful thing in it's own terms and actually sums Morrissey up perfectly.
> Morrissey's YATQ is a very, very mediocre album at very best. His latest
> offering would have had the young Morrissey unleashing a verbal
> 'cat-o-ninetails' upon its creator. Unfortunately morrissey has become a
> parody of himself, and has chosen, lazily, in my opinion to carry on down
> the cul-de-sac of - I hate, I'm spiteful, will you pity me - and mined the
> lode until it was barren.
> I find this very sad in Morrissey's case as, as an artist he had so many
> possible routes to go down and although very different could have taken a
> leaf from Bowies earlier work and attempts at different moods/flavours. I
> was in Stretford when the Siths started and I believe 'This Charming
> Man'played an absolutely fundememtal role in their legendary status.
> Without that track there would be a gaping broadside in the Smiths legend.
> Why he never chose to explore that more 'poetic abandon' style I'll never
> know, he could have made wonderful records in that vein, I feel.
> I have also sadly come to the conclusion as I have got older that although
> Morrissey was a hero to the young me, I realise now that I would probably
> find him a self-important, untrustworthy, baby if I knew him as an adult.
> With regard to the Smiths demise only one person has shown themselves to
> have a shred of decency, and that is Johnny Marr. He always gets the blame
> for walking out on the band (Morrissey never denies this, always milking
> the sympathy points)and thus splitting them up. Yet why doesn't Morrissey
> be a man about it and admit that he, and he alone could never get on with
> anyone, always wanted people fired but never had the balls to do it,
> Johnny had to. Then not content with that Morrissey would run home to
> mummy in Altrincham while Johnny was left to run the dayato day. Just look
> at Johnny's face around 'The Queen & Strangeways' then look at
> Morrissey's, it's pretty clear who was carrying the burden of the band at
> that time.
> Morrissey has since managed to alienate even the people he viewed as idols
> whilst young, and then stabbed them in the back. Unfettered vitriole is a
> wonderful thing in a 24 year old, at 43 you sound like a dried up old maid
> (albeit a male version). No, unfortunately Morrissey was a hero to the
> young 'Me', however now I feel he is very much carved from the same block
> as those miserable spiteful swines who ran Roman Catholic schools in
> Manchester, I should know I went to one.