'Morrissey, we're through' by Cameron Cook - article at Noisey

Morrissey, We're Through - Noisey
by Cameron Cook
Illustratration by Efi Chalikopoulou

"In the wake of Moz's James Baldwin T-shirt debacle, this long-term Smiths fan wonders if it's finally time to break up with his hero."

 

[marred]

Yet you're still here.

 

[Anonymous]

If someone has learned how to get backstage to meet Iggy Pop before they're old enough to drive a car, of course the right thing to do would be for Iggy to give an autograph and keep moving. But when the women who were groupies in the 70's talk about it now they don't see themselves as victims.

So iggy didn't do the right thing and had sex with a 13yo girl. Then wrote about it. It shouldn't matter to fans that the child's ok with it or that it was the seventies. He also had a bunch of support for Reagan and conservative government and some just terrible albums. My point being that there seems to be some compartmental reasoning in people's judgement who think they're done with morrissey for his Nigel comments and putting one of his known heros on a shirt next to a line containing the word black

 

[Famous when dead]

So iggy didn't do the right thing and had sex with a 13yo girl. Then wrote about it. It shouldn't matter to fans that the child's ok with it or that it was the seventies. He also had a bunch of support for Reagan and conservative government and some just terrible albums. My point being that there seems to be some compartmental reasoning in people's judgement who think they're done with morrissey for his Nigel comments and putting one of his known heros on a shirt next to a line containing the word black

This is a Pandora's box.
Many, many 50s, 60s & 70s artists were 'fed' groupies without ever a thought of checking birth certificates - de facto breaking the law. By many, I mean virtually hundreds of high profile people (and some were silly enough to even say as much in their autobiographies).
The process by which certain 'stars' are held to account for their behaviour and many others 'get away with it' is beyond fascinating (to be blunt: if Operation Yewtree was being thorough, Paul McCartload would be in jail now)...
There seems to be some direct correlation between 'popularity' and how much 'bad' behaviour the public will tollerate before wanting a lynching.
As you quite rightly pointed out, Moz hardly fits this category - yet the hatred from some is so disproportionate that you'd think he was their local dodgy priest.
I can't locate my pitchfork or lantern at the moment,
Regards,
FWD.

 

[Anonymous]

This is a Pandora's box.
Many, many 50s, 60s & 70s artists were 'fed' groupies without ever a thought of checking birth certificates - de facto breaking the law. By many, I mean virtually hundreds of high profile people (and some were silly enough to even say as much in their autobiographies).
The process by which certain 'stars' are held to account for their behaviour and many others 'get away with it' is beyond fascinating (to be blunt: if Operation Yewtree was being thorough, Paul McCartload would be in jail now)...
There seems to be some direct correlation between 'popularity' and how much 'bad' behaviour the public will tollerate before wanting a lynching.
As you quite rightly pointed out, Moz hardly fits this category - yet the hatred from some is so disproportionate that you'd think he was their local dodgy priest.
I can't locate my pitchfork or lantern at the moment,
Regards,
FWD.

I agree about the times and the context but you could say he same about racism. Also sure people aren't checking birth certificates aren't checked but 13 is an age most people would notice if they cared to and iggy wasn't exactly so high profile that he had some management team feeding him groupies to keep him happy. People don't even mention it here or in any articles on him. It's just normalized and a lot of people give it a pass and will praise him to death and ready to crucify morrissey for making a shirt that he profits on perhaps the tiniest bit that has a personal hero on it that happens to be black.
Disproportionate seems almost to mild a term. That said I still play stooges albums and a couple of his solo albums but I can't just chalk up his behavior to being a rock and roll wild man with a wink and a smile. Watching a lot of those same people talk about it being tough to be a morrissey fan these days just makes it worse. Same with chuck berry. I mean no one fed him cameras to place in a bathroom. Still a fan of his music but it's a lot tougher to be a berry fan than to listen to morrissey talk about Nigel farage

 

[Quando quando quando]

Wouldn't be "Morrissey, we're almost through", or "Morrissey, last warning before we're through" be a title that covers the content so much better?

And, how many "disciples" have warned him through the years to leave him?
I like it that he doesn't care.
Moz is Moz. He has not changed.

Even with friends and relationships,
"People come and people go".
A fact of life. Maybe tragic or very uplifting but there it is.

Remember "My Life Is A Succession Of People Saying Goodbye".
Great song. Brilliant title. Tragic but funny too.
He is very serious but mocks himself too.
He is the only one doing that.