the view of morrissey in the eyes of a layman

[Valjean]

Being from Stoke-on-Trent, not many people agree with my obsessions, Morrissey, Oscar Wilde etc. It's a good job I support Stoke City else they'd disown me.

 

[sistasheila]

general opinions from nearly every non-fan I have ever met are one of the following. Sad but true:

1. That big homo from the 80s?
2. That big whiner from the 80s?
3. Who? Jim Morrison?
4. The Smiths had their moments but I completely lost interest when he went solo.

rarely:

5. Morrissey. Yeah. I've heard of him. He is that really cool English singer.

I used to waste my breath to try and explain that the misconceptions are quite far from the truth - but it doesn't work so I gave up. I also gave up giving a shit what anyone thinks about Morrissey, except for me.

an italian hostel roommate in london when i visited the city for a concert did misheard the name too and was quite surprised when i told her bout the shirt strip."alanis does that-really?"
he isnt very popular and not really present in german media anyway(beside the music mag like RS and once in a while a live review in the cultural acclaimed newspapers)..but a certain very famous punk pop singer called farin urlaub from"die ärzte" did refer to the smiths in "sumisu" and a german indie rock front man from the band tomte also refers to him quite some time.
but the smiths are certainly let more people ring soem bells than the name morrissey
he also seems to be more known among students here and also rather not hasing casual fans but more fans in the sense of the word.
once though i get a comment from a very working class looking man in his 40ties getting complimented on my smiths shirt here in hamburg "great that young peopel still like them" im not THAT young anymore..late 20ties..looking younger though

 

[sad veiled bride]

an italian hostel roommate in london when i visited the city for a concert did misheard the name too and was quite surprised when i told her bout the shirt strip."alanis does that-really?"

I apologize as an italian...he's not even much known in Italy, yes, one of the many bad things about my country, and he's also lived in Rome for a while! The few who know who he is call him "that unbearable queer"...terrible, they're not even worth trying to explain!!

 

[Kewpie]

I apologize as an italian...he's not even much known in Italy, yes, one of the many bad things about my country, and he's also lived in Rome for a while! The few who know who he is call him "that unbearable queer"...terrible, they're not even worth trying to explain!!

Even in his own country some people totally misunderstand Morrissey.

What he liked living in Rome was, he could have anonymity, I suppose.

 

[sistasheila]

an italian hostel roommate in london when i visited the city for a concert did misheard the name too and was quite surprised when i told her bout the shirt strip."alanis does that-really?"

I apologize as an italian...he's not even much known in Italy, yes, one of the many bad things about my country, and he's also lived in Rome for a while! The few who know who he is call him "that unbearable queer"...terrible, they're not even worth trying to explain!!

ahh you dont have to apologize she was very young, 18, 19 and looking like she was more intro charts and house music...


i adore italy-its a lifelong love..never went there..but what i see in pictures and on film...sigh...and i wouldnt mind the beautiful weather esp now...

 

[murder and desire]

Actually, what really bothers me about the "whiney" claim is that, more often than not, the people who say it are fans of Radiohead and/or Coldplay. One person I know, who otherwise has excellent taste in music, had the nerve to say that Morrissey and The Smiths are "depressing", and yet is a fan of Joy Division.

Yes, yes, yes.

The Smiths were Kafka to Joy Divisions Sartra. They both deal with dark subject matter but where as Ian had zero humour and droned on and on, Morrissey had lined his songs with irony and frolics
I have never seen Morrissey as depressing

 

[Gregor Samsa]

Ian will always remain one of the few true genius lyricists of all time.
Maybe not a humourist, but a poet, a thinker and a wordsmith of absolute class. Perhaps he is only outdone by Moz.

 

[murder and desire]

Ian will always remain one of the few true genius lyricists of all time.
Maybe not a humourist, but a poet, a thinker and a wordsmith of absolute class. Perhaps he is only outdone by Moz.

I agree with most of what you say apart from "thinker". He isn't any better than Nico or Patti in terms of poetry but of course he is a man so.....

I tend to think one grows out of JD in the end, I like the power they had when they were Warsaw and I love Dead Souls,Transmission,she lost control, Love will tear us apart, Novelty and a couple of others.
In the end though, alot of their stuff was drugged up depression.
Ian seemed like a prat to me, in the way that Jim Morrison(s) was.
I tend to think a lot of the reason The Smiths, well Morrissey had such a bad time of it in Moanchester is because he went against everything JD and their many followers believed in.


This, as always,is my take on things

 

[Media Whore]

Would you able to tell him that Morrissey DID NOT attend Russell's wedding, please?
Russell invited him, but he didn't go.
Thank you very much.

sorry to sound rude but i think this thread may be more applicable to people from northern england (as morrissey is) and its attitudes and the social mouldings that made morrissey what he is rather than americans and what not who may not really know much about it, no offence meant sorry.

Yeah speedfreaks ball, we wouldn't want people being on the receiving end of misinformation now would we?

 

[not_me_not_I]

How about the view of Johnny Marr in the eyes of a layman? I've been going on about Morrissey to such a degree that a new friend of mine went out and bought The Sound of the Smiths. She had already liked How Soon Is Now before she bought the album, likes The Boy With The Thorn In His Side from listening to the album, but says this about This Charming Man: "The guitar playing seems kind of overpowering and shrill to me."

 

[Amy]

How about the view of Johnny Marr in the eyes of a layman? I've been going on about Morrissey to such a degree that a new friend of mine went out and bought The Sound of the Smiths. She had already liked How Soon Is Now before she bought the album, likes The Boy With The Thorn In His Side from listening to the album, but says this about This Charming Man: "The guitar playing seems kind of overpowering and shrill to me."

Unfortunately, I think a fair few people would say "Who?". Of all the people who do recognise him though - I haven't encountered one who didn't think he was a great guitarist, even to the detriment of Morrissey. "I like the Smiths music, but the singer is a prick..." etc.

 

[Dave]

normal people don't care

 

[MILVA]

always interesting to hear the perception of morrissey from the point of non fans so here are a couple i have picked up from a workmate in the construction industry.
firstly the guy is a 25 yr old rugby league playing labourer from castleford who could be no more a typical stereotype of a modern 25 year old today in britain if you tried to create one, he has no views or prefrences on morrissey or his music and only knows the stuff i have told him about and the couple of songs you hear on the radio but always speaks with blunt honesty, here are 2 recent quotes
"your mate (morrissey) were at russel brands and katie perrys wedding werent he? dont that make him a f*$king hypocrite from how you go on bout him?"
and "he was in concert other night on skyarts channel so put it on to show our lass who you always go on bout, didnt realise he was such a fat old c*nt, turned it off after 2 songs.

why is it interesting? At best it informs us about the degree of intellectual/cultural development of that particular layperson.