Johnny Marr interview roundup - Smiths and Morrissey mentions

Recent Johnny Marr media with Smiths / Morrissey mentions:
 
I think what's happened here, and no offence, is that you've turned into your own dad i.e. you've become 'old' and jaded. It happens, and in way, it is perfectly natural.

I honestly believe you need to be truthful to yourself about this.

Moz has always issued controversial statements e.g. Why, at the time, were you perfectly happy with the lyrics of 'Bengali in Platforms' and the many other statements he has issued on race from virtually year dot?

Nothing has changed - only you have.

Age can make people less tolerant, more grumpy about things in the world around them. It's a fact.

To deny this illustrates my point even more.


The thing with songs like Bengali, is that he came across as sympathetic, and like he might be placing himself in the shoes of another to sing a universal truth- that sometimes, a person just doesn't fit in, even in, especially in the place they were born. He had poetic license to attempt such things. I always thought November was a much more mean spirited song. But, as time went on, there was less poetry, and more assholism, and instances of him putting his foot in his mouth at the expense of others (dead kids/kfc, china, etc...) came closer and closer together, and a feeling of "oh crap, he is serious" came over most of his audience. He was always very good at knowing where the line was, and going right up to the edge, but rarely crossing it.

He lost balance, and tact, and here we are. For the record, I still don't think Bengali is even in his top 10 most hare-brained moments.
 
I don't think so, I go to loads of gigs every year, this year alone i've seen Morrissey Buzzcocks, Sleeper, Echo and the Bunnymen and have tickets for Morrissey, Sleeper and Cast later in the year. The big difference is, those bands let their music do the talking rather than their gobs.
I've always liked the way Morrissey is gobby. It's worth considering that a lot of the time he's probably half tongue-in-cheek, vying for a reaction, and people take it all too seriously. I used to like the way McCulloch and Louise Wener used to be gobby too. It's entertaining and adds to the whole package I think, but each to their own I suppose. Look at the Clash - they were forever going on about radical left wing stuff - even showing support for the terrorist Red Brigades of Italy - all that kind of talk suited them and was edgy and cool too.
 
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The thing with songs like Bengali, is that he came across as sympathetic, and like he might be placing himself in the shoes of another to sing a universal truth- that sometimes, a person just doesn't fit in, even in, especially in the place they were born. He had poetic license to attempt such things. I always thought November was a much more mean spirited song. But, as time went on, there was less poetry, and more assholism, and instances of him putting his foot in his mouth at the expense of others (dead kids/kfc, china, etc...) came closer and closer together, and a feeling of "oh crap, he is serious" came over most of his audience. He was always very good at knowing where the line was, and going right up to the edge, but rarely crossing it.

He lost balance, and tact, and here we are. For the record, I still don't think Bengali is even in his top 10 most hare-brained moments.
The things he said in the 80s were much more shocking - and Smiths fans loved it.
Nowadays so many things are culturally accepted that it's actually quite hard to be outrageous and shocking in the pop world. Yet mention anything to do with race and you will be crucified (Moz, Kanye etc).
 
The things he said in the 80s were much more shocking - and Smiths fans loved it.
Nowadays so many things are culturally accepted that it's actually quite hard to be outrageous and shocking in the pop world. Yet mention anything to do with race and you will be crucified (Moz, Kanye etc).
I keep saying we're in a post-shock world, and I think it may be true, modern upset included. I think people feel so passionless in the modern world that they force themselves to be passionate about anything they can.

That being said, I still think Morrissey is a butthole and that racism exists. ;)
 
I keep saying we're in a post-shock world, and I think it may be true, modern upset included. I think people feel so passionless in the modern world that they force themselves to be passionate about anything they can.

That being said, I still think Morrissey is a butthole and that racism exists. ;)
I think they force themselves to be shocked at anything to do with race because it's what they're supposed to be shocked about these days. The command filters down from on high.

I actually think Moz has retained his sanity in a world where the net has driven everybody a little crazy.

Everyone's speeding on gadget radiation, seemingly only half sane, whereas I think Moz actually sits in the silence and reflects which is a very healthy thing to do. In the Der Spiegel interview you can hear a real soothing calmness quietly emanating from him.

I read an old quote today from Jorge Luis Borges: 'Don't talk if you can't improve the silence.' It's a quote I think Moz would definitely relate to.
 
I think they force themselves to be shocked at anything to do with race because it's what they're supposed to be shocked about these days. The command filters down from on high.

I actually think Moz has retained his sanity in a world where the net has driven everybody a little crazy.

Everyone's speeding on gadget radiation, seemingly only half sane, whereas I think Moz actually sits in the silence and reflects which is a very healthy thing to do. In the Der Spiegel interview you can hear a real soothing calmness quietly emanating from him.

I read an old quote today from Jorge Luis Borges: 'Don't talk if you can't improve the silence.' It's a quote I think Moz would definitely relate to.
We can have a difference of opinion on race. There's obviously for profit racism on a massive scale in America, and as we keep hiring former soldiers, trained to eliminate any perceived threat in as few steps as possible to be policemen, we will continue to see more violence and abuse perpetuated against everyone, but especially if they're brown.

I think that's where Morrissey is less than sane. He never has seemed to see any middle ground in the world. It's either/or. There must be middle ground. I think he would see more middle ground if he were able to live a more normal life. But I don't think he wants a normal life, he wants to be special. The fact is, none of us really are in the end. We're bones that used to hold a spirit. It would be nice to see him embrace positivity and hope again though. I never really believed he was actually miserable until about 10-12 years ago. It's his life and legacy though.
 
We can have a difference of opinion on race. There's obviously for profit racism on a massive scale in America, and as we keep hiring former soldiers, trained to eliminate any perceived threat in as few steps as possible to be policemen, we will continue to see more violence and abuse perpetuated against everyone, but especially if they're brown.

I think that's where Morrissey is less than sane. He never has seemed to see any middle ground in the world. It's either/or. There must be middle ground. I think he would see more middle ground if he were able to live a more normal life. But I don't think he wants a normal life, he wants to be special. The fact is, none of us really are in the end. We're bones that used to hold a spirit. It would be nice to see him embrace positivity and hope again though. I never really believed he was actually miserable until about 10-12 years ago. It's his life and legacy though.
Morrissey has always been melancholic. It's part of his appeal and why he has so many fans. Is Robert Smith a positive person? Was Kurt Cobain? None of these people live(d) 'normal' lives. Pop stars are eternal teenagers.

As for your other topic, 'brown' people will always be shot more by the police because they commit far more crime. (Is that your topic there?) Here in London we could actually do with a few former soldiers as police - it's the opposite extreme. The amount of stabbings by black people on people of all colours has become ridiculous (while London's unarmed police are actually scared to stop and search them for fear of racist accusations).
 
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I haven't listened to much of Johnny's solo stuff, and I thought "Easy Money" was god awful, but "Hi Hello" is a fantastic song, and the concept single he did with Maxine Peake was great.

The thing I admire about Johnny is that even though he has travelled here, there and everywhere, and obviously spends a lot of time in Portland, Oregon, he is still firmly rooted in Manchester, loves the city and it still has a great influence on him. He hasn't always been trying to get away from it or his past.
 
Oh, and his band sound amazing when they cover Smiths songs, and Johnny's voice is surprisingly good.

I always appreciated it when Morrissey played Smiths songs, but his band always fudged it, and the music just sounded like a dirge. They need to learn a thing or two from Johnny and his band, and play with energy yet subtlety, rather than turning Smiths songs into horrible dad rock.
 
Shame Marr didn't reveal any interesting revelations in his book. He definitely played safe there. It was a nice feelgood read, but ultimately I felt I hadn't learned anything new.
 
Shame Marr didn't reveal any interesting revelations in his book. He definitely played safe there. It was a nice feelgood read, but ultimately I felt I hadn't learned anything new.

I haven't read it yet - it's just sat on my shelf. I did get it signed by him though, and he was pleasant enough, and wanted my coat.
 
Don't agree, I think he's lost touch with his once very loyal audience. Up until late 2016 I was a staunch supporter of Morrissey (look at my history on this site), I was lucky enough to have seen The Smiths 3 times and Morrissey probably 30 times. I don't like what he spouts nowadays and in February this year I saw him at the NEC and while his vocal delivery of his songs was excellent, the atmosphere at the gig was nothing like have seen in the past. I thought to myself, well thats it, however my 14 year old has been nattering me about the Smiths and she loves some of his older stuff, so I'm taking her to Castlefield. I really hope it goes ahead and its a triumphant homecoming but whereas in the past (for example Lancashire Cricket Ground) I'm really not sure. My 14 year old won't give a crap, she will just be happy to see a couple of Smiths songs and some of the solo stuff she likes.

I saw him at Leeds in February, and the atmosphere was awful, totally unlike the other times I'd seen Morrissey. Quite a few fights broke out. While we were queueing, I commented to my girlfriend that some lads who were clearly leathered, and had the look of football hooligans/casuals, were probably going to start a fight. Lo and behold, 10 minutes into the gig, one of the lads came up to the front and started swinging fists at everyone, and was chucked out of the gig.

A few other fellas were being particularly rough with women who were much smaller than them, with fists swinging again, and were thrown out.

Morrissey concerts can always be a bit rough, especially at the front, but this was just horrid, malicious violence, not the rowdiness of an excited crowd. The whole atmosphere of the gig was just unpleasant.
 
I saw him at Leeds in February, and the atmosphere was awful, totally unlike the other times I'd seen Morrissey. Quite a few fights broke out. While we were queueing, I commented to my girlfriend that some lads who were clearly leathered, and had the look of football hooligans/casuals, were probably going to start a fight. Lo and behold, 10 minutes into the gig, one of the lads came up to the front and started swinging fists at everyone, and was chucked out of the gig.

A few other fellas were being particularly rough with women who were much smaller than them, with fists swinging again, and were thrown out.

Morrissey concerts can always be a bit rough, especially at the front, but this was just horrid, malicious violence, not the rowdiness of an excited crowd. The whole atmosphere of the gig was just unpleasant.
But wasn't that the one where there was a big Manc football match in Leeds earlier that day and many of them went to the gig? If so, not really surprising. Saw a few scuffles at his recent London gigs (I was involved in one) and thought it added to the atmosphere!
 
Don't agree, I think he's lost touch with his once very loyal audience. Up until late 2016 I was a staunch supporter of Morrissey (look at my history on this site), I was lucky enough to have seen The Smiths 3 times and Morrissey probably 30 times. I don't like what he spouts nowadays and in February this year I saw him at the NEC and while his vocal delivery of his songs was excellent, the atmosphere at the gig was nothing like have seen in the past. I thought to myself, well thats it, however my 14 year old has been nattering me about the Smiths and she loves some of his older stuff, so I'm taking her to Castlefield. I really hope it goes ahead and its a triumphant homecoming but whereas in the past (for example Lancashire Cricket Ground) I'm really not sure. My 14 year old won't give a crap, she will just be happy to see a couple of Smiths songs and some of the solo stuff she likes.

He's lost touch with the wimpy lefty's that still believe in Labour or lick the bottom of JC. In reality, he's so contemporary and of the moment it's unreal. What you're witnessing is full blown 1976 Johnny Rotton anarchy. If you can't see that, then ......
 
If I was trapped on a desert island with Krishnan Guru-Murty and a tin of sardines I’d eat him for dinner and talk to the sardines.
 
to leave it short, Johnny is comparing with Morrissey in intervieuws so down to earth, always relaxed, easy in giving answers, but they were always different, only the music in common.
 
Is that because, given everything, him and Morrissey are still mates?

He spurts out a laugh. “I wouldn’t say that no. No, no, no. Haha, no we’re not mates.” He composes himself. “We’re just very different. But we always were very different people. But everyone knows that! Everyone knows everything there is to know.

This really says it all. Why do most seem to overlay their own personal thoughts and opinions over what it so obviously true? Johnny and Morrissey aligned in their youth to make some of the greatest music ever created and that ran its course.

They were very different people and that is what lead to the amazing collaboration between the two for many years. They weren't obliged to be connected to each other for eternity. People grow and sometimes in different directions and apart. Nothing wrong with that.

All we need to know, and we all do, is that they made music that draws us all together here to still discuss its impact on us and that is an accomplishment in and of itself. To belabor it beyond this fact is pointless.
 
Morrissey and Marr are so different from one another. Marr basically gets a free ride from the media because he has virtually nothing to say. Note the word say, as in commentary on life and all of it's tos and fros. Now if guitars could talk and I guess they do in a way then Marr's strings have scaled the heights of melody, rhythm and everything in between. Marr never offers up his views politically so he doesn't upset anyone. Therefore he's always A OK in everyone's book. Nothing wrong with that. I love Johnny Marr to death but his words and lyrics don't do shit for me.

Morrissey on the other hand is a poet and loves to offer up his opinion whether it upsets people or not. If you want to engage in meaningful discourse you must be willing to upset people and be upset yourself. It must be nice and comfortable sitting on the sidelines keeping the boat steady. I don't agree with everything Morrissey says and does but the fact Morrissey is willing to be on the frontline is admirable.

People will continue to make rabid excuses for a religion that is soaked with intolerance, bigotry, sexism and homophobia but thankfully there will always be others brave enough to challenge that toxic ideology. I'm not just referring to Morrissey. Ayan Hirsi Ali, Maajid Nawaz, Sam Harris, Douglas Murray, Christopher Hitchens(RIP), and the list hopefully goes on......

Religion poisons everything.
 
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Oh, and his band sound amazing when they cover Smiths songs, and Johnny's voice is surprisingly good.

I always appreciated it when Morrissey played Smiths songs, but his band always fudged it, and the music just sounded like a dirge. They need to learn a thing or two from Johnny and his band, and play with energy yet subtlety, rather than turning Smiths songs into horrible dad rock.
They can't. They're not technically capable of it. That's the problem.
 
I keep saying we're in a post-shock world, and I think it may be true, modern upset included. I think people feel so passionless in the modern world that they force themselves to be passionate about anything they can.

That being said, I still think Morrissey is a butthole and that racism exists. ;)

I guess my advice would be to work a recovery program. If you’ve acknowledged this is something that is seriously interfering with your life, then it’s worth putting in the effort to overcome it.

Recovery looks different to everyone. Books are always a good place to start. Therapy is helpful. Journaling is a great way to get in touch with your feelings. Often when we are feeling insecure or possessive in our relationships, it’s really just a glimpse at some unexpressed emotions.

Be patient with yourself. There are many reasons why you’re feeling this way. I encourage you to be curious enough about where these feelings come from inside yourself to take some steps toward some self-understanding.

You’re worth the effort! XOXO
 

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