Morrissey (2018)
Interview Background
The Smiths' How Soon Is Now? video brought me into their world late one evening as a teenager; to quote The Smiths themselves, you could say this night had opened my eyes. It might have been Johnny Marr’s keening guitar and the video’s mysterious-blonde-versus-industrial-stock-footage which first captivated me, but it was Steven Morrissey’s lyrics which kept repeating in my mind. Even as someone who was privileged to never experience being a social outcast or suffer hopeless feelings of depression, Morrissey’s mix of dark humour and endlessly quotable turns of phrase amidst the desperate isolation still struck a chord with me. After all, if you haven’t experience some level of perversely melodramatic teen woe, were you ever a teenager at all? Fast forward 25 years and I’m offered an email interview with the man himself. An email inquisition will never match a face-to-face or phone interview for its level of engagement and opportunity for true discourse, but Morrissey’s notorious gun-shy attitude to the press meant this was still an opportunity not to be missed. The questions were selected carefully: no inquiries guaranteed to be avoided completely (why doggedly pursue an agenda, only to end up with a blank page where the responses should be?); care to show deference to - and an understanding of - his catalogue; and a possible showcase for Morrissey’s wry, self-impaling humour (media gold 30 years ago, yet pushed to the side in recent times thanks to concerns over his political choices). It wasn’t about fawning so much as triggering enough interest from the reticent artist to eke out an interesting response. Morrissey’s contentious political comments of the past five years strike me as similar to a child throwing stones at a wasp’s nest; the naïveté of their folly is only exposed when the swarm attacks in response to their misguided actions. Is Morrissey a racist? He’s certainly offered up a number of inflammatory quotes over the years, yet his racially-diverse fans from Mumbai to Mexico City would doubtlessly condemn those internet evangelists who call him racist. Either way, this interview was never going to be the platform for getting to the bottom of Morrissey’s real or imagined xenophobia. Instead, he offered some wonderful Morrissey quotes that made me smile while reading them back in his voice. Steven, it was really something…
The following is an edited version of an interview published on the I Like Your Old Stuff website, July 2018. Read the full interview online here.
Morrissey - "I’m Still Taboo”
by Scott McLennan
Combining wit, woe and a Wildean turn of phrase across both his solo career and albums with The Smiths, Morrissey’s musical legacy is substantial.
Curated by Morrissey “to commemorate my 30 solo years”, new compilation This Is Morrissey moves from 1988’s blinding debut single “Suedehead” (here remixed by Sparks, one of Morrissey’s favourite artists of his teenage years) through potent album cuts such as “Speedway” and live surprises including the Lou Reed cover “Satellite Of Love”.
Despite pulling back on media appearances over the past decade, Morrissey’s sporadic soundbites persistently incense his critics. Recent critiques of UK politics have created a commotion in his homeland akin to Molotov cocktails lobbed at hornet’s nests, yet his global fanbase remain steadfastly true to their idol. In this Australian exclusive, Morrissey addresses our questions with the same bleak gallows humour which has infected his music since The Smiths debuted with “Hand In Glove” in 1983, even drolly renaming our site “I Like Your Old Stuff (But Can’t Stand Your Recent Stuff)” in the process…
Like a cheeky school student doodling in a library book, there seems to be some pleasure taken in messing with your history: amending album cover art for reissues, revisionist adjustments of tracklistings on re-releases, selecting unexpected (or unloved) songs for compilations. Some fans seem flummoxed by your song choices on This Is Morrissey. How much delight do you take in causing mischief - even among your most ardent fans?
“I don't see it that way. It's important to make things interesting for people, otherwise... what's the point?”
Three of the songs on This Is Morrissey date from the 1988 debut album Viva Hate. Thirty years on, what do you know now you didn’t know then? And what did you know then you don’t know now?
“I didn't know anything then. I was appallingly gauche, ridiculously fragile and completely unknowable as a human being. Now, I can at least find an excuse to leave the room... which is progress.”
New Marvel film Ant-Man And The Wasp features your songs “Everyday Is Like Sunday” and “First Of The Gang To Die”. In its first week of the film’s release, these songs have been heard by a larger audience than ever saw a Morrissey Top Of The Pops performance. With films offering an opportunity for old songs to be heard by new audiences, how do you feel about how the world’s changed? And have you changed?
“I don't know what it's like in Australia but if you hear a Morrissey track on the radio in England... you are probably dreaming, so it's only been through film and TV usage that the music has been found, and I thank all the gods for that. Have I changed? No. I'm still taboo.”
When you encounter Morrissey followers in your day to day life, which of This Is Morrissey’s lyrics are most often quoted back to you? What’s the most far-flung location you’ve been confronted by fans excited to cross your path?
“I arrived at a hotel in Jakarta and the doorman swung the doors open and bowed, "Let me kiss you" (from You Are The Quarry, 2004). That's not something you hear every day. The lyrics are constantly quoted to me wherever I go. That's success, isn't it?”
On your live cover of Lou Reed’s “Satellite Of Love” on This Is Morrissey you change a lyric to “I cannot stand the TV”. What was the last programme to capture your eye/heart/mind?
“I don't ever watch... I find it to be a ridiculous waste of time - all of those deafening commercials trying to sell you pigs’ innards. I think television has become more and more stupid in recent years, yet no one will admit there's anything wrong. There are so many fascinating interviews on YouTube... Huey Newton, James Baldwin, WH Auden... Modern television wouldn't allow this form of quiet debate because every comment must now be offered for audience laughter. Help.”
You’ve sustained more than 30 years of desperate fans lunging onto stages to touch, manhandle and hold you. Has it become a clichéd rite of passage as mindless as partaking in a Gloucester cheese rolling festival, or do you still enjoy this primal, physical connection with your followers?
“Yes, it's exactly like a Gloucester cheese rolling festival. Well, I'm not bored... that's all I can say. I see so many concerts where the audiences don't budge, so I still feel complimented if someone goes to the trouble of climbing on the stage because... it's not easy.”
This Is Morrissey (Regal Parlophone)
The Smiths' How Soon Is Now? video brought me into their world late one evening as a teenager; to quote The Smiths themselves, you could say this night had opened my eyes. It might have been Johnny Marr’s keening guitar and the video’s mysterious-blonde-versus-industrial-stock-footage which first captivated me, but it was Steven Morrissey’s lyrics which kept repeating in my mind. Even as someone who was privileged to never experience being a social outcast or suffer hopeless feelings of depression, Morrissey’s mix of dark humour and endlessly quotable turns of phrase amidst the desperate isolation still struck a chord with me. After all, if you haven’t experience some level of perversely melodramatic teen woe, were you ever a teenager at all? Fast forward 25 years and I’m offered an email interview with the man himself. An email inquisition will never match a face-to-face or phone interview for its level of engagement and opportunity for true discourse, but Morrissey’s notorious gun-shy attitude to the press meant this was still an opportunity not to be missed. The questions were selected carefully: no inquiries guaranteed to be avoided completely (why doggedly pursue an agenda, only to end up with a blank page where the responses should be?); care to show deference to - and an understanding of - his catalogue; and a possible showcase for Morrissey’s wry, self-impaling humour (media gold 30 years ago, yet pushed to the side in recent times thanks to concerns over his political choices). It wasn’t about fawning so much as triggering enough interest from the reticent artist to eke out an interesting response. Morrissey’s contentious political comments of the past five years strike me as similar to a child throwing stones at a wasp’s nest; the naïveté of their folly is only exposed when the swarm attacks in response to their misguided actions. Is Morrissey a racist? He’s certainly offered up a number of inflammatory quotes over the years, yet his racially-diverse fans from Mumbai to Mexico City would doubtlessly condemn those internet evangelists who call him racist. Either way, this interview was never going to be the platform for getting to the bottom of Morrissey’s real or imagined xenophobia. Instead, he offered some wonderful Morrissey quotes that made me smile while reading them back in his voice. Steven, it was really something…
The following is an edited version of an interview published on the I Like Your Old Stuff website, July 2018. Read the full interview online here.
Morrissey - "I’m Still Taboo”
by Scott McLennan
Combining wit, woe and a Wildean turn of phrase across both his solo career and albums with The Smiths, Morrissey’s musical legacy is substantial.
Curated by Morrissey “to commemorate my 30 solo years”, new compilation This Is Morrissey moves from 1988’s blinding debut single “Suedehead” (here remixed by Sparks, one of Morrissey’s favourite artists of his teenage years) through potent album cuts such as “Speedway” and live surprises including the Lou Reed cover “Satellite Of Love”.
Despite pulling back on media appearances over the past decade, Morrissey’s sporadic soundbites persistently incense his critics. Recent critiques of UK politics have created a commotion in his homeland akin to Molotov cocktails lobbed at hornet’s nests, yet his global fanbase remain steadfastly true to their idol. In this Australian exclusive, Morrissey addresses our questions with the same bleak gallows humour which has infected his music since The Smiths debuted with “Hand In Glove” in 1983, even drolly renaming our site “I Like Your Old Stuff (But Can’t Stand Your Recent Stuff)” in the process…
Like a cheeky school student doodling in a library book, there seems to be some pleasure taken in messing with your history: amending album cover art for reissues, revisionist adjustments of tracklistings on re-releases, selecting unexpected (or unloved) songs for compilations. Some fans seem flummoxed by your song choices on This Is Morrissey. How much delight do you take in causing mischief - even among your most ardent fans?
“I don't see it that way. It's important to make things interesting for people, otherwise... what's the point?”
Three of the songs on This Is Morrissey date from the 1988 debut album Viva Hate. Thirty years on, what do you know now you didn’t know then? And what did you know then you don’t know now?
“I didn't know anything then. I was appallingly gauche, ridiculously fragile and completely unknowable as a human being. Now, I can at least find an excuse to leave the room... which is progress.”
New Marvel film Ant-Man And The Wasp features your songs “Everyday Is Like Sunday” and “First Of The Gang To Die”. In its first week of the film’s release, these songs have been heard by a larger audience than ever saw a Morrissey Top Of The Pops performance. With films offering an opportunity for old songs to be heard by new audiences, how do you feel about how the world’s changed? And have you changed?
“I don't know what it's like in Australia but if you hear a Morrissey track on the radio in England... you are probably dreaming, so it's only been through film and TV usage that the music has been found, and I thank all the gods for that. Have I changed? No. I'm still taboo.”
When you encounter Morrissey followers in your day to day life, which of This Is Morrissey’s lyrics are most often quoted back to you? What’s the most far-flung location you’ve been confronted by fans excited to cross your path?
“I arrived at a hotel in Jakarta and the doorman swung the doors open and bowed, "Let me kiss you" (from You Are The Quarry, 2004). That's not something you hear every day. The lyrics are constantly quoted to me wherever I go. That's success, isn't it?”
On your live cover of Lou Reed’s “Satellite Of Love” on This Is Morrissey you change a lyric to “I cannot stand the TV”. What was the last programme to capture your eye/heart/mind?
“I don't ever watch... I find it to be a ridiculous waste of time - all of those deafening commercials trying to sell you pigs’ innards. I think television has become more and more stupid in recent years, yet no one will admit there's anything wrong. There are so many fascinating interviews on YouTube... Huey Newton, James Baldwin, WH Auden... Modern television wouldn't allow this form of quiet debate because every comment must now be offered for audience laughter. Help.”
You’ve sustained more than 30 years of desperate fans lunging onto stages to touch, manhandle and hold you. Has it become a clichéd rite of passage as mindless as partaking in a Gloucester cheese rolling festival, or do you still enjoy this primal, physical connection with your followers?
“Yes, it's exactly like a Gloucester cheese rolling festival. Well, I'm not bored... that's all I can say. I see so many concerts where the audiences don't budge, so I still feel complimented if someone goes to the trouble of climbing on the stage because... it's not easy.”
This Is Morrissey (Regal Parlophone)
Read more of this interview and additional Smiths-related material at I Like Your Old Stuff here.
