TTY: Michael Bracewell comments on Morrissey being without a record label

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Michael Bracewell comments on Morrissey being without a record label
- true-to-you.net
9 September 2015

"The situation is BEYOND BELIEF..... not wishing to be facile, but this is like Hockney being unable to get a gallery, only slightly worse and even more baffling... How very odd that the cost of being an icon is isolation..."
 
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Nice words from Michael Bracewell there, husband of none other than Linder Sterling (Moz's best friend) who has been asked to give us a quote on his opinion on Morrissey being without a record deal.

It seems like the Moz camp has hit desperate times now, resorting to getting friends and family to help with elevating Moz back into the charts. It seems like Sam Etsy R is handling publicity to try and get his uncle a record deal. Bracewell is a prolific writer but this little excersise in offering a quote about his wife's friend is a bit of a cynical shot in the dark.

I hope that with the arrival of the novel, there'll be a lot more interest in morrissey. It happened with Autobiography. If someone generates a few column inches for the right reason, they're seen as a more attractive proposition. Sadly the stories surrounding his illness and the groping incident are press for the wrong reasons.

It is kind of baffling that someone with the propensity of our Moz can be without a deal, but examine history and anecdotal evidence, consider for a minute that standards may be near-impossibly high and it becomes a bit easier to ascertain why this might be.
 
I've said this a hundred times over the years - at 56, Morrissey is never going to take the pop charts by storm. Never. Sorry. Just not going to happen, even if he wrote the Absolute Best Song Ever Written. The consumers of the pop charts (mainly 12-30 year olds) do not want to hear about an old man (which is what Morrissey is to them) singing about making out in a churchyard.

There is definitely a place for Morrissey's current music in the world (with the exception of "Kick the Bride Down the Aisle", of course), but it's not on the pop charts. As soon as he finally realizes this, he will be able to get a deal with a mid-size label overnight. Or even a major label, but he cannot expect it to be on the terms he got 25 years ago. For the reasons outlined above, and the fact that the music industry has been turned upside down since then.
 
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I think it would be pretty cool if Morrissey started his own label..it would also be interesting to see which type of artists he could then be able to sign and put out there

He tried this in a manner of speaking in 2004, with Attack Records - supported by Sanctuary Records. We got Morrissey, a James Maker 7", a Jobriath compilation, and a bit of Nancy Sinatra before the label folded.
 
I hear what your saying Michael but but if Steven really wants a recording contract then he's going to have to learn to be more flexible on his terms and conditions at the very least. Times have changed (not always for the better) The world is constantly changing at such a ferocious speed and we all have to try our best change with it, a good example of this is her Majesty the Queen the longest reining British monarch. (Congratulations Ma'am long may your contract run )
If only Steven could take a leaf out of the Queens book and learn to change with the times.
But he never will ! He never will !

Benny-the-British-Butcher
 
But what do I know? Nothing.

At least one truth in a lengthy post which actually makes the post completely unnecessary. At this point in the game I begin to wish that Moz' novel will do so well that he will be able to concentrate entirely on a writing career in the future. And that is not because I don't want him to make music any longer, quite the opposite. I love him how he is now and I loved the last record and I have no problem with his current band. It rather makes me happy to see that he has finally found a band he feels so united with. Who am I to spoil something like that for him? Who am I to question someone's personal feelings on things? I simply wish for a writers career and a more quiet life because the constant moaning by "fans" is truly exhausting (and if it's exhausting for me than imagine how exhausting it must be for Moz). I am again and again astonished and shocked about the fact that there are apparently so much "fans" out there who want to have a say in ... EVERYTHING about Moz' life and career, even though they have no idea about most of these things. It's annoying and greatly arrogant. They demand this, they demand that. He should do this but he should not do that. He should not behave like that. How can he like this awful song? Why does he admire this horrible person? Or even worse, he should not befriend this asshole of a person (even livelong friends and family members are obviously not good enough and are constantly victims of verbal abuse). And there are honestly people who pride themselves with the alleged knowledge that Moz reads everything what's said about him. How can this be a good thing? It's a horrible thought because, as Tim Booth (I think) once said "nobody emerges from that without his ego being distorted".
 
as brilliant as morrissey is, michael bracewell must have shit for brains if he's baffled as to why moz has no record deal.
 
In reply to the Mute suggestions, I thought Mute was primarily interested interested in electronic based music? New Order would definitely fall into that category being pioneers in those genres...
 
sam could borrown 400 000 grand from his uncle and then pay it back to him as an 'advance'. that way sam can start a label for moz and everybody can save face. otherwise its not happening. nobody is going to give moz that kind of money on the basis of 25000 units sold.
 
The last time Morrissey released a book it apparently did so well that Harvest were only too delighted initially to pick him up (Do I remember Morrissey saying that they wanted him to do public readings from Autobiography in order to promote WPINOYB?)... Maybe he's hoping the same thing happens again, although he is going to have to be more reasonable to the record companies. I imagine a lot of them look at Moz and just think it's not worth the hassle anymore. With Penguin, he's pretty much given free reign, and he's either happy with their promotional attempts or his book was so successful that he doesn't care.
 
This is effectively Morrissey posting begging letters on his own website. It's pretty desperate, if not outright pathetic.
 
This is effectively Morrissey posting begging letters on his own website. It's pretty desperate, if not outright pathetic.

What's next? "...And it's not just Michael Bracewell, my mum can't understand why I don't have a contract either..."
 
What's next? "...And it's not just Michael Bracewell, my mum can't understand why I don't have a contract either..."


Don't be surprised if in the next day or two, Russell Brand shackles himself to the gates of the British Parliament, threatening to go on hunger strike if Morrissey doesn't get a record deal before the end of the month.
 
What a load of nonsense. Moz is without a label because he refuses to accept the same deal that every other artist on earth has signed up to: a cut of touring. As a result, he is without a label.
 
I can't 4kin believe that 4kin Morrissey ant got a 4kin record deal yet ! You know what a mean ? It's like ! It's like ! It's like havin chips and peas wi no gravy innit ? 4kin mental as 4k ! Cause like when Moz comes to town ! You 4kin know it man, cause that's just how it is ! He ! Right ? Is the best 4kin songwriter ever in my 4kin life ! You know what am saying ?
4kin mental as 4k !

Noel Gallagher
 
What a load of nonsense. Moz is without a label because he refuses to accept the same deal that every other artist on earth has signed up to: a cut of touring. As a result, he is without a label.

The best case so far
 
"My best friend's hubby thinks I should have a record deal, so there!"

Tragic.

This update, "Crapitol Records" and the pointless denigration of young, signed artists like Sam Smith are childish and pathetic bids for attention, stunts one would assume to be below someone of Morrissey's caliber. Alas, bitterness is an ugly master. I want nothing more than to see Morrissey prosper as an artist advancing in years, and WPINOYB was a huge step in the right direction, but he is doing himself no favors.

It's true that Morrissey has historically been a rabble-rouser, a contrarian and someone not keen on toeing the line, all qualities essential to his identity as the artist we love. But these are also the qualities that cause problems for the business side his career, and what he (and some fans) can't seem to recognize is that he cannot have his cake and eat it, too. Actions have consequences, and if he wants to be defiant and uncompromising, then he must accept that this narrows his scope of options significantly and must adapt to work within these limitations. His incessant whining about record label woes entirely of his own making are growing more tiresome and embarrassing by the day. Until he accepts some personal accountability for his label issues and reassesses some of his expectations, the cycle will continue. If he's lucky enough to find another deal, that is.
 
I don't agree with everything you say here Uncleskinny but in this instance we are as one.

The music industry has changed...it had to or else it would have died. Morrissey must change too...or else his career as a musician will die.

I still, perhaps naively, believe that he has at least one genuinely great album left in him. "Autobiography" showed that he still has a command of the English language that is, largely, unrivalled in the world of popular music. It also showed that his past has plenty to offer and to inform his lyrics. It doesn't have to be songs of bitterness or tired rants about this, that and the other...there is still

As for new songwriters...that is essential. Jesse Tobias is a competent musician and a fair songwriter but he lacks any real "pop" nous. Marr and Whyte are the two men responsible for his most successful and memorable "hits". What they had in common was a lightness of touch and a magpie ear. I don't know who fits that bill...people talk about Butler but I'm not sure; he's a prickly character in his own right. Strangely, Richard Oakes who wrote many of the biggest hits that Suede enjoyed in their career is the sort of character who may work well with Morrissey...I'm not suggesting Oakes but perhaps an unknown entity is what is needed. That or pick up the 'phone to Johnny...no Smiths reunion but a Morrissey Marr reunion. Ah, we all know that ain't gonna happen.

Without any change then we are all destined for a never-ending tour of enormodomes and a set-list that seems to genuinely be suggesting that "World Peace is None of Your Business" is a work of genius. It's not. It's a good album. It's got one or two brilliant moments but he is capable of more. At least I think he is. But what do I know?

Nothing.

I don't know why anyone would want a Morrissey Marr reunion of any type. Marr hasn't written a good song since his stint with The The. Bernard Butler hasn't written anything decent since his stint with McAlmont (some of The Tears songs were ok). I'd prefer to see a Morrissey-Alain Whyte reunion. Or a brand new collaboration. Anna Calvi and her gang write some great songs. Same for Richard Hawley.
If Moz ever asks for money from crowd source I'm melting my CDs. He is filthy rich and doesn't need handouts. Why anyone would give £100 to a millionaire on the promise of a signed CD is beyond my feeble mind to comprehend.
 
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who would you guys like M. to write with? I would say Bernard Butler, but we know that's unlikely to happen....

Pete Doherty and Stephen Street.
Johnny Marr and Stephen Street.
 

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