Morrissey: His musical and on-stage physicality...

[dizzywhore_1804]

Ok, wild speculation time, but Morrissey has made a big deal this time around talking about the how Years Of Refusal is his most physical (I'm thinking specifically this years Zane Lowe interview) and it got me wondering...

Compare his live performances in recent times to older performances (not just 80's/90's but even 04ish) and although he is by no means standing still he does seem to have slowed down a lot. He's not making as much of the stage or even throwing his arms about as much as he used to: he mostly seems to walk from side to side and occassionally bend to shake hands with the audience.

Do you think this is the reason for him releasing what he describes as a 'physical' record, because he's aware (knowingly or not) that he can't make such an impact by himself on stage?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he's a doddery old fool, I can't wait to go to his 50th in May, as well as many other dates (mind you, if he doesn't mix up the setlist I might sell some of them on!) - but I was just wondering how conscious he was of this? Perhaps he just wanted to release another rock n roll record while he thought he could get away with it.

Just something that popped into my head today, might be nonsense but it certainly seemed possible to me.

 

[Tormented]

Ok, wild speculation time, but Morrissey has made a big deal this time around talking about the how Years Of Refusal is his most physical (I'm thinking specifically this years Zane Lowe interview) and it got me wondering...

Compare his live performances in recent times to older performances (not just 80's/90's but even 04ish) and although he is by no means standing still he does seem to have slowed down a lot. He's not making as much of the stage or even throwing his arms about as much as he used to: he mostly seems to walk from side to side and occassionally bend to shake hands with the audience.

Do you think this is the reason for him releasing what he describes as a 'physical' record, because he's aware (knowingly or not) that he can't make such an impact by himself on stage?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he's a doddery old fool, I can't wait to go to his 50th in May, as well as many other dates (mind you, if he doesn't mix up the setlist I might sell some of them on!) - but I was just wondering how conscious he was of this? Perhaps he just wanted to release another rock n roll record while he thought he could get away with it.

Just something that popped into my head today, might be nonsense but it certainly seemed possible to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbL2hc45IbE

 

[Worm]

Ok, wild speculation time, but Morrissey has made a big deal this time around talking about the how Years Of Refusal is his most physical (I'm thinking specifically this years Zane Lowe interview) and it got me wondering...

Compare his live performances in recent times to older performances (not just 80's/90's but even 04ish) and although he is by no means standing still he does seem to have slowed down a lot. He's not making as much of the stage or even throwing his arms about as much as he used to: he mostly seems to walk from side to side and occassionally bend to shake hands with the audience.

Do you think this is the reason for him releasing what he describes as a 'physical' record, because he's aware (knowingly or not) that he can't make such an impact by himself on stage?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that he's a doddery old fool, I can't wait to go to his 50th in May, as well as many other dates (mind you, if he doesn't mix up the setlist I might sell some of them on!) - but I was just wondering how conscious he was of this? Perhaps he just wanted to release another rock n roll record while he thought he could get away with it.

Just something that popped into my head today, might be nonsense but it certainly seemed possible to me.

I've always interpreted Morrissey's comments about "physicality" to mean that he experiences music more viscerally than many people do. Usually I think he's talking about how it makes him feel. Obviously he wants to recreate that visceral shock in his audience, too, but I think he makes music that makes him feel "like having a vacuum cleaner shoved up your blazer", as he once put it.

Also, on a more mundane level, I think he moves less onstage because he perspires quite a bit. I'm sure getting older has something to do with it too, but my suspicion is that it's got something to do with sweating relative to the height of his quiff.

 

[dizzywhore_1804]

I've always interpreted Morrissey's comments about "physicality" to mean that he experiences music more viscerally than many people do. Usually I think he's talking about how it makes him feel. Obviously he wants to recreate that visceral shock in his audience, too, but I think he makes music that makes him feel "like having a vacuum cleaner shoved up your blazer", as he once put it.

Also, on a more mundane level, I think he moves less onstage because he perspires quite a bit. I'm sure getting older has something to do with it too, but my suspicion is that it's got something to do with sweating relative to the height of his quiff.

Oh yes, I completely think that some of it is purely down to age - but I was just wondering whether that self-knowledge has forced into making his Big Glam Album (that isn't Your Arsenal) out of frustration.

 

[Worm]

Oh yes, I completely think that some of it is purely down to age - but I was just wondering whether that self-knowledge has forced into making his Big Glam Album (that isn't Your Arsenal) out of frustration.

No, I don't think so. In the best sense he's an eternal adolescent-- meaning I think he still gets the same thrill out of music he got at the age of 13. (I envy him that.) I really don't think he's worried about the curtain dropping. In his mind he's going to walk away from us, not vice versa. And he's probably right.

 

[dcn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbL2hc45IbE

That was the first thing I thought of, too.

 

[Young And Alive]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbL2hc45IbE

I just knew that's what it would be, even before I clicked on it

 

[dizzywhore_1804]

So, that's one song? And also the bit in Life Is A Pigsty where he lies on the floor, by the drum kit and holds himself up. But is that all he's doing?

I'm not saying there is no physicality - I'm saying, having seen him twice in 2008 and the Radio 2 gig this year, watching 'Who Put The M In Manchester' I was struck by how much he's slowed down overall. It's not so much a criticism as something that really hit me while watching the DVD.

 

[sharonanigans]

His current setlist doesn't exactly lend itself to a lot of dancing and moving about. And I would imagine that just like we choose songs that suit our mood, perhaps he's just not feeling it right now.

 

[sharonanigans]

I rather wonder about the physicality of the audience. Just watched "This Charming Man" from last night on youtube and people seem not to move very much. This is surely a song that could get you going. And it doesn't seem that the audience is too old to move or whatever. And crashing into other people and squeeze them is not going with the music. I observed that at concerts of other musicians as well and wondered about it. A lot of people do not really seem to get the music into their body, the rhythm, the melody, want so sing along and so on. Are people so emotionally dead that they go to concerts and... just stand there?

Bysshe and I appeared to be the only ones dancing at HOB (and before people start screaming at me, note I said "appeared" because my visage of the floor was limited, I admit). Kind of crowded to do too much dancing.

People were moving a lot during the Durham show, but, again, there wasn't much space in the seating areas to move around.

 

[Puppet on a string]

Well, I will see him in june and I can assure you I will dance my legs of. (No, not literally).

And perhaps not during the slower songs, such as life's a pigsty and so forth. I would look really silly.