Amy
from the Ice Age to the dole age
So this is just to invite a bit of debate about the connection between Morrissey's state of mind and his musical output, his lyrics and the things he chooses to write about. I've always seen the vast majority of his post-Smiths output as autobiographical, and of course we can connect the album chronologically to specific events and phases in his life - but is that always a wise interpretation? When do you think Morrissey was at his happiest, or at his most miserable, and is that reflected by his output at the time?
I'm thinking particularly of albums like Maladjusted, which always sounded to me like a very dark, restless collection of songs written at one of the lowest points in his life - and then Years of Refusal, where he just sounds consumed by bitterness and misanthropy. He sounds very depressed on those albums. Quarry is very melancholy and jaded in places too.
Do you think his albums always reflect his state of mind at the time, or does he write 'in character'? Have there ever been times when the mood or tone of an album has been unexpected - for example the relative contentment of ROTT after the world-weariness of Quarry?
I'm thinking particularly of albums like Maladjusted, which always sounded to me like a very dark, restless collection of songs written at one of the lowest points in his life - and then Years of Refusal, where he just sounds consumed by bitterness and misanthropy. He sounds very depressed on those albums. Quarry is very melancholy and jaded in places too.
Do you think his albums always reflect his state of mind at the time, or does he write 'in character'? Have there ever been times when the mood or tone of an album has been unexpected - for example the relative contentment of ROTT after the world-weariness of Quarry?