Morrissey Q&A: Moz Discusses New Music, the Beatles and the Danger of Hospital Food (Billboard)

http://www.billboard.com/articles/n...-music-the-beatles-and-the-danger-of-hospital

Some highlights:

On your next tour, you've asked Tom Jones and Sir Cliff Richard to open for you in L.A. and New York respectively. What impresses you most about these veteran frontmen?

Veteran is a gentle way of saying “old,” isn't it? Well, it's only my view of course, but everything is a question of style, and Tom and Cliff qualify greatly in the style department, and age has nothing to do with it. There are millions of obese 19-year olds who only buy clothes that blend in with the couch.


Recently on the True to You website, you likened eating animals to pedophilia, a comparison some may find … extreme. Care to defend your point of view?

I don't need to defend my own point of view. When you eat an animal you subject it to spiritual and physical rape, you eats its breasts ... its rump ... you cut off its genitals ... whichever way you care to look at it, eating animals is violence at its most extreme.

You’re no stranger to controversial viewpoints. Is there anything you’ve said in the press that you’ve regretted?

I'm not controversial at all, and whatever I've said I meant. Amongst all of the people around me, my views are not special. They are only controversial if your brain is stuck in 1957.

So he meant what he said about UKIP? Oh dear.

P.

 

[Anonymous]

I can't help but wonder - which four songs? Or if he's including "Love of the Loved" as one of them.

I am fairly certain it was not a literal four but rather him making the point that he doesn't worship them and their entire catalogue as most are expected to and thinks, instead, they made a few gereat songs and the rest (to him) are meh.

 

[Stanley the 2nd]

Did he mention which orifice he fires the ping pong ball out of?

 

[Anonymous]

Morrissey is at his best when he's moody and direct.

Yeah. Pregnancy will do that to you.

Should we suggest names for the baby-book? I quite like Trevor.

 

[mozmal]

"Well, I'm expected to see Easter." Brilliant

 

[Anonymous]

"Well, I'm expected to see Easter." Brilliant

Maybe. But "What to Expect When You're Expected (to see Easter)" was bollocks. I wouldn't recommend it to a pregnant woman.

 

[Orson Swells]

I am fairly certain it was not a literal four but rather him making the point that he doesn't worship them and their entire catalogue as most are expected to and thinks, instead, they made a few gereat songs and the rest (to him) are meh.

No doubt. But the interviewer should have quizzed him on it. You've got to ask those tough questions.

For what it's worth, I do remember him saying he "really liked" Lovely Rita and A Day In The Life. I've always felt he would surely have a penchant for Eleanor Rigby and She's Leaving Home too.

 

[Anonymous]

Morrissey is a man of great taste and distinction. I believe the four Beatles songs he treasures are: 'Octopus's Garden', 'Why Don't We Do It In the Road', 'Revolution 9' and 'Get Back' (the early 'No Pakistani' version, obviously).

 

[BrummieBoy]

"There are millions of obese 19-year olds who only buy clothes that blend in with the couch."

Such a sensible body-shaming comment for "the patron saint of displaced teenagers" to make because: Boz Boorer. Clearly, this man has body dysmorphic internalised self-loathing which he projects outwards along with all the other self-loathing stuff. Viva Hate-castigate the over-weight: radical stuff. *rollseyes*

Tom Jones is carrying a few pounds by the look of him on "The Voice".

He regrets nothing, which just confirms he's a total plank.

 

[Adeptly_Inept]

The questions were quite bland.
The answers weren't as controversial as expected!

"Heaven knows Morrissey was miserable for much of 2013". Ha! Ha! Ha! I laughed myself wet when I read that! Did others get it?? It was a reference to the Morrissey song "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" - you now, like a pun on the song: his song was "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" and she kicked the article off with a headline "Heaven Knows Morrissey was miserable for much of 2013" which was a play on words, making an oblique reference to the Morrissey song of the time title, from one of his early albums. And she also slipped in a reference to "Still Ill"! And Morrissey's been ill! Who is this journalistic Young Turk? She's sharp as a needle!!!!

I adore your sarcasm, sir/madam.

 

[Anonymous]

Did he mention which orifice he fires the ping pong ball out of?

Looks like every word the poor soul says has another definition in Urban Dictionary, but although he's probably seen a lot of ice-cream it's still hard to imagine him constantly thinking about these things (like s.e.x)

That said, picturing him scantily clad on a stage in Thailand firing things at crowds of European tourists made me laugh quite a bit.
"They'd pay good money to see that."

 

[Anonymous]

I adore your sarcasm, sir/madam.

Dear Adept,
anonymous's adorable sarcasm would have been funnier if it hadn't been tainted by a slight misogyny, don't you think? Indeed, a mere click on M. Tye Comer reveals the journalist anonymous so cleverly mocks is not a "she" at all.
Funny how one jumps to conclusions, isn't it?
The devil's in the details...

Yours sincerely,
Anon (the other one)

 

[Anonymous]

"There are millions of obese 19-year olds who only buy clothes that blend in with the couch."

(...)Clearly, this man has body dysmorphic internalised self-loathing which he projects outwards along with all the other self-loathing stuff.

Could be that.
Could be because Boz ate all the Cocopops.
Could be he's grumpy because he can't find comfy stylish trousers that fit anymore.
Could be because without the offensive word "obese" the sentence looked ordinary and depressing and lacked, you know, style.

Wonder where Damon is.

 

[CrystalGeezer]

"I'm amused by modern pop artists who can only sing about s.e.x ... as if nothing else mattered on the planet."

It never ceases to amaze me that Morrissey, literally the Grandfather of the modern indie folk rock movement which birthed such bands as The Decemberists and Grandaddy and Built to Spill and countless others seems eternally spurned to not be aligned with "modern pop." Pop is DEAD. Pop is the father who we are trying to kill. Pop is the sugary shit that is making the 19-year olds obese. I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but stop being fixated on pop. You are WINNING that Mariah Carey hasn't invited you to duet with her on the VMAs or that Diet Pepsi doesn't want to endorse you during a halftime show. Pop is the enemy. Embrace your indie folk rock fatherly roll and don't acknowledge the nothings.

*She says while being mildly fixated on KY. *

Hey, to quote an inspirational facebook post I saw the other day, we all have baggage, the key is finding someone to help you unpack it. I'm just saying, pop is dead and not deserving of attention. It's zombie music, nothing more.

 

[King Leer]

Agreed. It's presented as if it's a phone conversation but I suspect it's an emailed interview as usual, as there are no follow-up questions and the wit is too well thought out ("buy clothes that blend with the couch"??).

Songwriting process, song contributors, overall feel of sessions -- a lot of things I would've liked to have seen asked.

If any other media outlets are reading this and preparing your "Smiths at 30" articles, ask some of these!

For a periodical devoted to music and the business of music, would it have killed them to ask him more questions about his music? I think most of us here could have predicted the party line on a good number of the topics.

I guess he can't see the head yet.

 

[MozAngeles818]

"There are millions of obese 19-year olds who only buy clothes that blend in with the couch."

Such a sensible body-shaming comment for "the patron saint of displaced teenagers" to make because: Boz Boorer. Clearly, this man has body dysmorphic internalised self-loathing which he projects outwards along with all the other self-loathing stuff. Viva Hate-castigate the over-weight: radical stuff. *rollseyes*

Tom Jones is carrying a few pounds by the look of him on "The Voice".

He regrets nothing, which just confirms he's a total plank.

I agree with this, I try not to ready too much into Morrissey's opinions, because I'm here for his music, but
as you've stated....Boz Boorer.

Besides, why would he make such a comment with his own state of health? He could shed some himself!

 

[Mozza220559]

I agree with this, I try not to ready too much into Morrissey's opinions, because I'm here for his music, but
as you've stated....Boz Boorer.

Besides, why would he make such a comment with his own state of health? He could shed some himself!

Exactly, for a vegetarian he's a right fat bastard. He must eat a shitload of bread and pasta

 

[marisela]

Indeed! You should always "judge" a book by it' cover. To the point. But!!! Be flexible. It may help the Ulcer.

 

[Anonymous]

"I'm amused by modern pop artists who can only sing about s.e.x ... as if nothing else mattered on the planet."

It never ceases to amaze me that Morrissey, literally the Grandfather of the modern indie folk rock movement which birthed such bands as The Decemberists and Grandaddy and Built to Spill and countless others seems eternally spurned to not be aligned with "modern pop." Pop is DEAD. Pop is the father who we are trying to kill. Pop is the sugary shit that is making the 19-year olds obese. I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but stop being fixated on pop. You are WINNING that Mariah Carey hasn't invited you to duet with her on the VMAs or that Diet Pepsi doesn't want to endorse you during a halftime show. Pop is the enemy. Embrace your indie folk rock fatherly roll and don't acknowledge the nothings.

*She says while being mildly fixated on KY. *

Hey, to quote an inspirational facebook post I saw the other day, we all have baggage, the key is finding someone to help you unpack it. I'm just saying, pop is dead and not deserving of attention. It's zombie music, nothing more.

I am currently doing a course in songwriting and those who submitted contributions bored me shitless and those who had more interesting... well, one of them... lyrics claimed not to be able to sing. Another one sounded absorbed in indie shit and didn't submit music either and a third one didn't even try. I think that I produced a summer hit and can perfectly live with that. If somebody else sings it. Haha. Just look at NME, it is the same old shit over and over again. And then all those people deperate to be "cool". So cool that like Johnny Marr they are barely able to walk. With musicians there is just as much wrong as with politics. Authors as well, by the way. Go to a book fair in Los Angeles and tell a publisher that you have this great new book idea and see what'll happen. While you get a nonsensical piece of paper given to you that doesn't apply to your idea at all, the very same people don't shy away from getting bright eyes when you mention the name "Morrissey" and are so stupid that they even tell you that they publish his book as a classic because he is "BIG". Fast forward five months and you have Morrissey telling his usual lies again, pretending to have it oh so hard in life. The book was already scheduled in August. It reached the top position in the bestsellers list because it was sold with a price promotion that is still there, book still sold for half of its supposed price. Books that are launched with a sales promotion stay in the Amazon bestseller list longer than others. It is a fact. I wouldn't be surprised if the book wasn't even launched as a cheaper advertisement for "brand Morrissey". They must have barely reached break even, which makes it cheaper however than placing ads somewhere.

 

[DAVIE]

I bet Morrissey has quite a few stay at home 19 year old obese fans. The interview questions were as scripted as Kim Jong Un's speeches. No wonder he was in a bad mood

 

[Anonymous]

The more he mentions rape and pedophilia in reference to eating animals, the more I want to sell the tickets I just bought to his show...

Oh dear. When cute young fans start saying that, Morrissey knows he's in trouble.
I think we should help him clarify his position by a series of questions to which he can only answer: "Yes" or "No".

Let's go. (so we did)

-Morrissey; picture a kid you know and like (okay, then make one up) and picture an obese adult in supermarket clothes raping them. Is it wrong? Yes/No
-now picture the same kid having his rump eaten by Cliff Richards (figuratively). Is it wrong? Yes/ No
-Is it stylish? Yes/No
-Is Cliff Richards a vegetarian? Yes/No
-If you saw Cliff Richards eating meat, would you disapprove? Yes/ No
-If you saw a vegetarian Cliff Richards raping an orphan kid you don't know, would you approve? Yes/ No
-You're a really confused person, aren't you Morrissey? Yes/No

-Have you just completely and miserably failed this test? Yes/ No

-...Should Fenner sell her tickets?