smart thing to do, me thinks

I have never heard of Moz being sorry for anything he says. This is a big improvment in character!

"Wow" is all I can say too.

. . . media whore

Moz should not have not taken his words back. Hes right. Arctic Chimps are not all that. And will soon be the next Cooper Temple Clause. I mean really I hear a VH1 "where are they now" is in the works for CTC.
2yrs time Arctic Chimps will be in the same shoes The Thrills are.

i'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic...

This was blown out of all proportion.

And for what?
THE ARCTIC MONKEYS????

Please.

I don't want to get all mushy and everything, but I get just that "underneath this gruff exterior" sense from him these days. I hear it in the music too...

Sarcasm.

Not much of an apology! Good.

They're stupid, tuneless and pretty mediocre.

broken

What next?? Box'o'chocolate for Johnny Rogan?? Bunch'o'flowers for Mike Joyce??

Where's the world going to when Morrissey starts apologising to people.....judgement day is near.

Mozzarella

since i was there when he originally said what he said about the Arctic Monkeys, i didn't really take it as a slam on them personally. we've all heard morrissey say that it's easy for a band to pop on the scene without proving themselves, but he did express genuine concern that the Monkeys were suddenly huge and were in a position of not knowing how to handle all this pressure.

then, of course, NME twists it around and makes it sound like Morrissey is personally attacking the Monkeys, which doesn't really make a whole lot of sense because it's not really their fault they became big.

No band in their right mind is going to turn down a shot like that, and there isn't any reason for them to because chances are better than not that they'll be tending tables in 10 years time. not from lack of talent, but most bands break up after a few years and most of those musicians end up being out of work. Sad but true, Andrew Paresi was a pretty good drummer and he's now doing something at the BBC because there just wasn't any work for him. i know someone who works at a really big local church where they have actual grammy-winning musicians in their pit killing time and providing music for the church until whoever they recorded with goes back into the studio or goes on tour. most people would think that if you recorded a Morrissey album or you won a grammy that you should be working pretty steadily, but it's all about who you know and if anybody needs you.

    Look at the end result of the Smiths breakup if you want to see it in living color. Talented musicians and only one of them is still doing something that is relevant. The rest of them are the living museum.

Anyhow, so everyone quotes the NME and runs to Noel Gallagher and asks for his opinion, and it snowballs into something it wasn't.

Are crap blown up by the British Press which also sucks. The world will have another Nirvana soon
which will wipe out this Limey crap.

Of Course I exclude Moz from "Limey Crap" he is
Manc Irish Brilliance.

Suzanne had it exactly right: Morrissey didn't bash Arctic Monkeys. NME, as usual, blew this completely out of proportion.

Three thoughts about this:

* Why the hell is Morrissey apologizing to anyone about this? Every single intelligent music fan is wondering the exact same thing about Arctic Monkeys--a fifth-rate ugly Libertines knockoff who have very little to offer anyone except their own acne. "I'm not sorry for the things I've said, there's a Wilde man in my head"--where is thy sting?

* Doesn't Morrissey obsessively read NME? Shouldn't he be aware that Arctic Monkeys can do no wrong in NME's eyes?

* Is it obvious to everyone that Domino Records is paying NME loads of $$$ for constant positive coverage about AM? Who accosted Morrissey after reading his comments on the NME site? Ruffians sent by Domino to Sanctuary, perhaps?

But Morrissey was right - they're at the top far too soon - and frankly a lot of people are bored to the back teeth of them.

I am suprised that Morrissey compared the rise of the Monkeys to The Smiths. Back in the 80's there was no internet, less TV and less media, No Downloads, etc. OK, The Hype around The Smiths was quite sudden but they were not played much on the radio - unlike The Monkeys which are now played on most radio stations every five minutes. The Smiths "earned" their auduience mainly by gigging up and down the country.
The Monkeys are OK but they are simply OVER-EXPOSED at the moment which is not their fault of course - but I can see why many people are just getting BORED of them.
Over the last 10 years there has been so many bands that have become huge virtually overnight (Thanks NME!)but for some reason or another did not manage to maintain the "momentum". The pop/indie/music business is very disposable these days and it's very hard to achieve that originality and longevity - let alone maintain a steady & strong & loyal fanbase.
The Smiths & Morrissey CHANGED many people's lives when they started and they were COMPLETELY different to everyone else back then. I personally cannot say the same about the Monkeys but then again I am now in my 30's.
I can kind of understand why Morrissey said what he did.

the Smiths!
The Smiths' first single went to number 45, the second went to 20-something. The first Smiths album sold about 60,000 copies in a whole year. They were a moderately big indie band.

The Arctic Monkeys first two singles went to number 1 in the British pop charts! The album has sold hundreds of thousands in just a few weeks. They are currently the biggest pop group in Britain by a mile. The scale of the two bands' success couldn't be more different!

Moz's original comments were innocuous and quite funny (driving up and down the M1 for 15 years!). But they were reported as attacks ('Morrissey slags off the Arctic Monkeys' said some half-wit Virgin Radio DJ) by Noel Gallagher (Moz mate) and others. So he decided to apologies which is understandable but also seems a bit odd...
Maurice

this is a filler for the NME, as they create their own stories. anyone should know by now. hardly worth the space on this site. move on please. Thanks!

All very sweet and endearing really. Good for Moz that he refuses to let himself be painted as some bitter, bilious old queen who wishes no one well. Avuncular? Hilarious. That what he said about the Monkeys was true, however, must be obvious to anyone with a brain. What was so refreshing about 'Bet you look good...' was its innocence. Innocence is the first casualty of instant success. Apart from the smash no.1 single, the rest of the album was poor by comparison which doesn't bode well for their future. Whereas Moz is about to release his best album. I've been listening to Ringleader now for over 2 weeks and it is undoubtedly the best work he has done. He should be rightly proud of himself. And oh, love the line about upsetting their grannies. Very northern.

I know this has been said time and time again on this thread, but I think it has to keep being said because, apparently, there are people that are saying Moz shouldn't have apologized.

I give props to Moz for manning up and apologizing. Actually, he apologized for his words being "printed so harshly in The Times and the NME". Moz is a VET and he knows the game. These news outlets will look for any bit of smoke to enflame something they can make a story out of. If it is hot, people will buy it. These fishwraps are all the same. If Moz doesn't man up after what he said, then he'll be portrayed and thought of as a bitter old man who's time is past. He doesn't want that image being portrayed, and neither do his fans. That is why he stated:

"I was wrong about their success being too sudden and without any dues paid, because that's exactly how it happened for The Smiths. So, I really should shut it."

What? Morrissey apologize for something? I thought the sky was falling too when I read this. But instead of criticizing the man on his past downfalls, I think we should be congratulating him. Although you can argue that the industry wasn't what it was 20 some odd years ago, and that the Monkeys' success is different from the Smith's, I don't think any of that matters. The point is, the Smiths weren't around for very long before they got some run. Moz is making a well said point of that:

"I actually quite like the Arctic Monkeys and whatever I said was said with tender, avuncular concern."

Monkeys: Whether you plan on making real money doing this or plan on working at a gas station in a few years, take the MOZfather's words to heart. In fact, if these guys are smarter than they're band name suggests, i'd give Moz a call to find out how to handle some of this success. The fact he even gives a rat's ASS about you guys, is saying alot.

Let them CHARGE!

OUT

As has been stated earlier, Moz's first comments were NOT an attack on the band, and his comments in the linked article were NOT an apology by any strict sense of the word. NME is, as usual, creating music news instead of reporting it. Morrissey probably shouldn't have said anything in response, but it did come across much more tongue-in-cheek than an earnest apology would. What a worthless rag.

But besides that, all this over... the fucking Arctic Monkeys??? They're so boring! It's not the absolute worst music I've ever heard, but neither are the hundreds of other bands out there that sound the same. How did they get this kind of unreal hype? They're totally bland and uninspired. And yet they're the hottest selling band in the UK right now, and NME's darlings on top of it. How strange.

He apologizes to a crap band like the Arctic Monkeys now.

Still waiting for your apology for the stupid remarks about Joy Division, Moz.

I don't quite like the arctics, and Morrissey should have not repented his words...

and Smiths are a whole different succes in a different era... you can't compare them, don't you think?

his "apology" is really quite not an apology. It is a humorous reply, disguise as a sorry statement, with some bits of sarcasm...

A smart, vetaran move by MOz.

will he be kiss-and-make-up with moz-solo next!?

I think Morrissey has a lot of class for saying what he did.

On my way home tonight I heard the dj on Sirius play the Arctic Monkeys. He then told the story about how Morrissey "slammed" the band. He then went on to say that Noel Gallagher came out to defend the Monkeys, and, said the dj, "he basically called Morrissey an idiot." This is absolutely ridiculous. What a tempest in a teapot.

What is even sillier is that I called the radio station to put my two cents in, which is pretty sad. Still, I do my part.

it was deserved for suede and the smiths, but there is nothing special about the monkees.

and i haven't even heard them. they could be really nice people, but when that is your band name, that is also your declaration of intelligence. or lack thereof. and with no disrespect meant to evolution or climate, that is a very bad band name and minimizes my interest.

but i'll check 'em out and make sure i'm not wrong. but i'm probably not. feels very hipster to me. I HATE HIPSTERS. it's a pretention for the alternatives in the new century. you can be your own person and brain without being a jackass.

He fells like an ass and he should. A lot of people who listen to the Artic Monkeys would also listen to Morrissey. Now he looks stupid and probably lost several thousand record sales. Once again he shoots himself in the foot. Same old Morrissey, new album.
thetexasbloke
 

Listen to what Jools Holland says about Moz at the beginning of this clip
http://s58.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=07QENK2BQ0I6L2E MOEDWWN6LMR

something is happening in his life obviously. i just wish i knew what?!

morrissey never apologises becuause he's outrageous and he is our god, so it must have been sarcasm. i can't think of anything witty, so insert your morrissey quote here. if it was 'real' (sorry everyone) are our lives now over? i think possible they are. i'm misearble now, i thnk i'll have to consult the book of morrissey to see how i should think and act this one out. anyone already know how to act or how to think this one please let us know.

"Hear me now,
from difficult child
to spectral hand
to clawed brassiere,
blah blah blah..."

Surely not. Terribly funny if true though.