Mark Morriss discusses his career and Morrissey/The Smiths...
Some sort of truth – Mark Morriss - mildmanneredarmy
Excerpt:
Before “Britpop” became “Britpop” and before the arrival of lad culture turned the whole thing into a beer and cocaine soaked frenzy bands like The Bluetones and people like Mark Morriss were considered outsiders…indie for want of a better phrase. All of those bands and boys/girls loved Morrissey. It seemed like a missed opportunity to pay tribute to the Pope of Mope.
“They were an important band for all of us, except for Eds because he’s a drummer and the drums aren’t that exciting in The Smiths…usually they are there to keep time, not always, but most of the time.
Everything about The Smiths resonated with us, it was melodic, it felt old but new and there was this emotional depth and intelligence to the lyrics. It’s a cliche but they really did sound like they were singing to all of us.
For us it was that sense of beauty and delicacy. We didn’t get into a band to be able to say; “Look at the size of our huge swinging dicks”, we got into a band to create sweet, pretty little things and we’ve always been aware of our delicate nature in relation to our peers. We were a bunch of “frilly shirts” surrounded by Fred Perry. The Smiths were our benchmark, something for us to aspire to.”
At exactly that moment the sound of “This Charming Man” can be heard playing in the venue where Mark will be playing in a short while. It’s what Carl Jung would have called a “meaningful coincidence” as it helps to move the conversation directly onto what song by The Smiths he would have chosen to cover if he had been forced to pick one.
“I think it would have been “Death of a Disco Dancer”. It’s one of the rare Smiths songs where the drums come right to the front. That apocalyptic ending with the drums beating. It’s a song you could really explore, there’s room for expression.”
...
Given that view of Brexit I wonder what Mark makes of modern day Morrissey whose view of things is exactly the opposite?
“He exists…but he doesn’t exist in my world. I feel very sad about it and I try not to think about it too much. I pretend it’s not happening. He was on 6 Music the other day and I listened and I thought “He sounds good, he sounds powerful” and then he started talking rubbish! He needs to change his aesthetic.”
Some sort of truth – Mark Morriss - mildmanneredarmy
Excerpt:
Before “Britpop” became “Britpop” and before the arrival of lad culture turned the whole thing into a beer and cocaine soaked frenzy bands like The Bluetones and people like Mark Morriss were considered outsiders…indie for want of a better phrase. All of those bands and boys/girls loved Morrissey. It seemed like a missed opportunity to pay tribute to the Pope of Mope.
“They were an important band for all of us, except for Eds because he’s a drummer and the drums aren’t that exciting in The Smiths…usually they are there to keep time, not always, but most of the time.
Everything about The Smiths resonated with us, it was melodic, it felt old but new and there was this emotional depth and intelligence to the lyrics. It’s a cliche but they really did sound like they were singing to all of us.
For us it was that sense of beauty and delicacy. We didn’t get into a band to be able to say; “Look at the size of our huge swinging dicks”, we got into a band to create sweet, pretty little things and we’ve always been aware of our delicate nature in relation to our peers. We were a bunch of “frilly shirts” surrounded by Fred Perry. The Smiths were our benchmark, something for us to aspire to.”
At exactly that moment the sound of “This Charming Man” can be heard playing in the venue where Mark will be playing in a short while. It’s what Carl Jung would have called a “meaningful coincidence” as it helps to move the conversation directly onto what song by The Smiths he would have chosen to cover if he had been forced to pick one.
“I think it would have been “Death of a Disco Dancer”. It’s one of the rare Smiths songs where the drums come right to the front. That apocalyptic ending with the drums beating. It’s a song you could really explore, there’s room for expression.”
...
Given that view of Brexit I wonder what Mark makes of modern day Morrissey whose view of things is exactly the opposite?
“He exists…but he doesn’t exist in my world. I feel very sad about it and I try not to think about it too much. I pretend it’s not happening. He was on 6 Music the other day and I listened and I thought “He sounds good, he sounds powerful” and then he started talking rubbish! He needs to change his aesthetic.”
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