Recent content by This Charming Ben

  1. This Charming Ben

    Louder Than War: "How soon is now? Billy Duffy finally joins Johnny Marr on stage" (August 17, 2023)

    "A hairstyle isn't that important. It's what's in a man's heart that really matters, surely....god, I am so joking." -- Johnny Marr
  2. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey is the rock rebel we need right now" by Brendan O'Neill (Spiked)

    I think this is mostly what I was getting at. Again, we all will draw our own lines as to what, if anything, is "too far." Re: Moz specifically, For Britain, and racism in general... I don't necessarily share all of your same views there, but I am 100% in agreement that there is complexity, so...
  3. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey is the rock rebel we need right now" by Brendan O'Neill (Spiked)

    Fair point, not every song is high art. And if you can get by with keeping thoughts about the artist out of your head, then sure, but even that's slightly different than what I was asserting. In a way, that seems like disengaging with the information you know about the artist rather than...
  4. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey is the rock rebel we need right now" by Brendan O'Neill (Spiked)

    Certainly it can be a gradient, right? Doing something awful is worse than thinking/saying something awful. And even in the realm of things said, some sentiments are worse than others. It's not all or nothing, and I wouldn't dispute that. But as a gradient, there are few absolutes. Sure...
  5. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey is the rock rebel we need right now" by Brendan O'Neill (Spiked)

    Not specific to Morrissey or any current controversies, but on the broader point the author is making... I don't think it's that simple. Obviously, it's unreasonable to expect to fully know the political opinions of everyone whose products and services you consume. And it's impractical for...
  6. This Charming Ben

    Johnny Marr slams "Classically Smiths" in Mojo interview

    Wrong and ridiculous. You may have played dumbed down versions on an organ (which even then don't amount to the same chord progressions), but as a guitar player who has learned all 72 of their songs note-for-note on an actual guitar*, I assure you what he was doing on that instrument was...
  7. This Charming Ben

    Johnny Marr slams "Classically Smiths" in Mojo interview

    Andy is amazing, no doubt. Each of The Smiths were and absolutely deserve due credit. But suggesting that Marr was a hack is preposterous, and just insisting it doesn't make it true. History (and most of the free world) disagree. Re: being experimental and The Beatles, even if we accept your...
  8. This Charming Ben

    Ryan Adams answer when asked "best run of great albums by a band/artist?"

    Just (another) one person's opinion here, but as someone who has intensely studied and learned every one of these songs on guitar, end-to-end, I decree there are no "shitty" Smiths songs. At least not from the Marr side of the house. I can't tell you how many times I was lukewarm on a song...
  9. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey Fans Faint After Seeing This at His Concert" - PETA blog

    I thought Gary Francione split with Peta because they weren't extreme enough?
  10. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey Fans Faint After Seeing This at His Concert" - PETA blog

    Nathan Winograd is, by many accounts, a fraud. I guess it depends on which sources you choose to believe. I look at who's aligned with him (e.g. fast food conglomerates and tobacco companies) and consider how ridiculous the idea that Peta is secretly working against animals rather than for...
  11. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey Fans Faint After Seeing This at His Concert" - PETA blog

    Yes, how dare someone force me to think about the consequences of my choices! The very idea! The videos are tough to watch, to be sure. But one of their videos is what ultimately turned me vegetarian (over 10 years now), and I personally know a handful of people who have similar stories. One...
  12. This Charming Ben

    "Morrissey Fans Faint After Seeing This at His Concert" - PETA blog

    If you bothered to Google this yourself and dig just a little deeper -- and perhaps even dare to use your brain -- you'd see how all of that is taken out of context and is perpetuated by groups with a clear interest in hampering animal rights movements in any way possible. I know it's oh so...
  13. This Charming Ben

    Dallas, TX - Majestic Theater (May 22, 2014) post-show

    I believe this tangent started from someone talking about how MIM is a good time to go get a drink, use the restroom, etc. You may not be one of those people, and that's fine. No more saintly than choosing not to kill/eat/wear my neighbor or my coworker. "Not killing things that don't need...
  14. This Charming Ben

    Dallas, TX - Majestic Theater (May 22, 2014) post-show

    Ah, fair point. Yeah, I guess there are other reasons one might choose to look away.
  15. This Charming Ben

    Dallas, TX - Majestic Theater (May 22, 2014) post-show

    I haven't bought anything leather in over a decade, but the whole pissing contest of who's the perfect vegan isn't helpful. It's just a sort of red herring to distract from real discourse on the issue. Surely if you looked closely enough at me, you'd find plenty of places where I fall short of...
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