Morrissey/NME mention on Observer site

M-in-Oz

Active Member
This was from a blog on the Observer written by Maggoty Lamb (it was a roundup of 07 music)

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observermusic/2007/12/inky_fingers_maggoty_lamb_pick_2.html

Its a bit of a long article....but the paragraph about Moz is as follows:

"If the New Yorker does not have the solution to the 2007 year-end whitewash mystery, where is an explanation to be found? Perhaps Morrissey's recent spat with the NME would be a good place to start. As this is the subject of endless (and endlessly diverting) speculation round these parts, I am not going to reflect on it for long. Except to say two things.

First, that the assessment of the NME's decline in Morrissey's extended rebuttal statement is one of the most astute pieces of criticism in the history of pop literature (anyone who doubted this had only to see the way the paper's editor vindicated his disgruntled cover-star's accusations about his 'cheers mate, got pissed last night, ha ha' approach by prefacing the next week's unusually grown-up letters page with the horribly condescending proviso 'when a mate suddenly says something that makes you uncomfortable, you have to respond'). Secondly - and warming to a literary theme - it is intriguing to note the extensive parallels between the Morrissey/NME face-off and the other recent 'racism' furore: the one involving Martin Amis.

Both cases revolve around a crumbling but still grandiose pillar of the 1980's counter-culture (it wasn't just the sixties that had one of those, whatever those baby-boomers might try to tell us) with a new album or book to promote. Both began when wilfully provocative statements about matters of great contemporary import were deliberately taken out of context by self-appointed guardians of liberal opinion.
Under attack from a motley selection of adversaries - in Morrissey's case, assorted out-of-their-depth NME hacks; in Amis', a bizarre alliance of crusty Old School Marxist Terry Eagleton, writer of TV terrorist dramas Ronan Bennett, and a seemingly deranged Chris Morris (whose uncharacteristically clumsy interventions in this debate are only explicable in terms of unrequited love affairs with either Islamic fundamentalism, or Martin Amis, or both) - both singer and novelist have sharpened up their acts considerably. The spectacle of Amis and Morrissey resolving the careless ambiguities in their original positions (it was great, for instance, to see the latter telling us about some black musicians whose work he admired, rather than chuntering on about reggae being 'vile' like some golf-club bigot), rediscovering their respective polemical mojo's, and swatting their would-be tormentors aside with a magisterial flick of the quill, has been an intensely gratifying one."
 
This was from a blog on the Observer written by Maggoty Lamb (it was a roundup of 07 music)

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observermusic/2007/12/inky_fingers_maggoty_lamb_pick_2.html

Its a bit of a long article....but the paragraph about Moz is as follows:

"If the New Yorker does not have the solution to the 2007 year-end whitewash mystery, where is an explanation to be found? Perhaps Morrissey's recent spat with the NME would be a good place to start. As this is the subject of endless (and endlessly diverting) speculation round these parts, I am not going to reflect on it for long. Except to say two things.

First, that the assessment of the NME's decline in Morrissey's extended rebuttal statement is one of the most astute pieces of criticism in the history of pop literature (anyone who doubted this had only to see the way the paper's editor vindicated his disgruntled cover-star's accusations about his 'cheers mate, got pissed last night, ha ha' approach by prefacing the next week's unusually grown-up letters page with the horribly condescending proviso 'when a mate suddenly says something that makes you uncomfortable, you have to respond'). Secondly - and warming to a literary theme - it is intriguing to note the extensive parallels between the Morrissey/NME face-off and the other recent 'racism' furore: the one involving Martin Amis.

Both cases revolve around a crumbling but still grandiose pillar of the 1980's counter-culture (it wasn't just the sixties that had one of those, whatever those baby-boomers might try to tell us) with a new album or book to promote. Both began when wilfully provocative statements about matters of great contemporary import were deliberately taken out of context by self-appointed guardians of liberal opinion.
Under attack from a motley selection of adversaries - in Morrissey's case, assorted out-of-their-depth NME hacks; in Amis', a bizarre alliance of crusty Old School Marxist Terry Eagleton, writer of TV terrorist dramas Ronan Bennett, and a seemingly deranged Chris Morris (whose uncharacteristically clumsy interventions in this debate are only explicable in terms of unrequited love affairs with either Islamic fundamentalism, or Martin Amis, or both) - both singer and novelist have sharpened up their acts considerably. The spectacle of Amis and Morrissey resolving the careless ambiguities in their original positions (it was great, for instance, to see the latter telling us about some black musicians whose work he admired, rather than chuntering on about reggae being 'vile' like some golf-club bigot), rediscovering their respective polemical mojo's, and swatting their would-be tormentors aside with a magisterial flick of the quill, has been an intensely gratifying one."

Thanks for posting this link and summary of the Moz bits.

Martin Amis writes great books. Start with 'Money'. One of the best books I've ever read.
 
Thanks for posting this link and summary of the Moz bits.

Martin Amis writes great books. Start with 'Money'. One of the best books I've ever read.

No probs re posting - thought it was a good summary of the NME 'issue'.

I just finished reading Amis' 'Dead Babies' & have read a few others but not 'Money' - will def check it out.
 
Cheers - very interesting!

On the Martin Amis issue, I actually thought what Chris Morris wrote on the matter was very funny. Everyone's condemning his 'clumsiness', but he's a satirist, not a philosopher. And Amis really has disappeared up his own backside. I reckon the new teeth have had a bad effect on him (particularly given that 'Night Train' was his last decent book, and that was years ago). That said, 'London Fields' is unequivocally a work of absolute genius.

PS Happy New Year to all xxx
 
I agree with myheadonthebar.

I loved 'London Fields" more so than 'Money' (which is alos great).

Keith Talent and Nicola Six are 2 of the greatest literary creations of the last 30 years-and in the same book!!

"So if you ever felt something behind you, when you weren't even one, like welcome heat, like a bulb, trying to shine right across the universe-it was me. Always me. It was me. It was me."
 
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