Bono rocks, unlike that whingeing Morrissey

As it happens Manzoor did stick up for Morrissey around the time of the NME furore (reprise), siding with him against Jonze and that skidmark of an editor whose name escapes me momentarily.

Fair enough, thanks for the correction. I still think his piece reflects the standard "accepted narrative" for journalists who write about Morrissey. His alleged racism, debunked or not, shouldn't be part of the conversation in the first place.
 
but Bono is routinely ridiculed for supporting his causes in a way that Morrissey never is.

Which may be a bit of a pointer.

I have long loved U2 and never quite got the appeal of the Smiths

No? You don't say?

Maybe that's why he's assuming that Morrissey is "whingeing" because he still finds the world a difficult place.

I still think his piece reflects the standard "accepted narrative" for journalists who write about Morrissey. His alleged racism, debunked or not, shouldn't be part of the conversation in the first place.

I agree, and it extends well beyond that issue. It seems that a lot of writing (not just about Morrissey) is based around some sort of meta-narrative that is usually stated as simple fact or merely alluded to, for which no arguments are given and which in effect ends up constituting the whole message because everything else is interpreted into it. Which is how Morrissey has again become an annoying figure of questionable judgment and absent maturity whose career is going nowhere. At least, that's the general impression you're left with from a lot of english press coverage of him these days. Just like he was God's gift to England and Most Influential Person Ever around the time of Quarry, just like Ringleader was hailed as a masterpiece here and there because that was the direction in which the arrow was pointing at the time and just like YOR was greeted largely with a sullen shrug. His next album, if there is one, will be ridiculed. And then in another ten years he'll be God again. I conclude that journalists think too much about the wrong things, as if they shared an unspoken collective need to always move everything in some direction or other.

cheers
 
Maybe because the pain of living does not leave you at 15 and does follow you through life till you are 50 and beyond.
 
Maybe because the pain of living does not leave you at 15 and does follow you through life till you are 50 and beyond.

You mean, if you are Morrissey, or never?

Because if the latter, it's just simply not true.
 
You mean, if you are Morrissey, or never?

Because if the latter, it's just simply not true.

All I know is I suffered the pain of living at 15 and am still doing so at 48. So I know exactly where Morrissey is coming from.
 
I agree, and it extends well beyond that issue. It seems that a lot of writing (not just about Morrissey) is based around some sort of meta-narrative that is usually stated as simple fact or merely alluded to, for which no arguments are given and which in effect ends up constituting the whole message because everything else is interpreted into it. Which is how Morrissey has again become an annoying figure of questionable judgment and absent maturity whose career is going nowhere. At least, that's the general impression you're left with from a lot of english press coverage of him these days. Just like he was God's gift to England and Most Influential Person Ever around the time of Quarry, just like Ringleader was hailed as a masterpiece here and there because that was the direction in which the arrow was pointing at the time and just like YOR was greeted largely with a sullen shrug. His next album, if there is one, will be ridiculed. And then in another ten years he'll be God again. I conclude that journalists think too much about the wrong things, as if they shared an unspoken collective need to always move everything in some direction or other.

cheers


I think it comes down to two things. First, journalists spinning the same meta-narrative is a way of seeming "plugged into" the heart of the culture. It's the Sarah Palin rule: you don't have to agree with what's being said about this or that subject, but if other people want to talk about it, far be it for you to deny the discussion its due dignity. Someone, somewhere, at one time, thought Morrissey was a right-wing racist, so therefore the accusation must have merit. Second, most journalists today are strikingly incurious and painfully averse to research. Nobody who had done his homework-- who had even listened to any of Morrissey's last three albums one damn time-- would still be knocking him for being "trapped in adolescence".

It's a depressing state of affairs, but we may not have to worry much, as it seems journalism is making a heroic bid to beat Morrissey to the grave. :rolleyes:
 
All I know is I suffered the pain of living at 15 and am still doing so at 48. So I know exactly where Morrissey is coming from.

I hear ya Musley.

I find that I really am happier and more at peace with myself with each passing year, but that relentless, painful undertow is still a powerful force.

This is what I hear in Morrissey's voice, and it's a big part of what I value in him at this point in his career. I don't understand why people have such a problem with an adult sense of melancholy; it's not uncommon, it's not self-indulgent, and it's not to be dismissed lightly. It can be a positive thing, if you make something beautiful out of it.

I still relate to the way Morrissey expresses his emotions; that strange mix of exuberance and despair really speaks to me.
 
All I know is I suffered the pain of living at 15 and am still doing so at 48. So I know exactly where Morrissey is coming from.

I guess then I'm the only one on here who from being a seriously depressed, sad, disturbed teenager has grown to be a happy adult. :) I thought that was quite common.
 
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