Was/Is Morrissey Racist?

And still flourishing even today!

The Return of the Irish Question - this week's excellent cover essay
is by @JohnBew pic.twitter.com/WEcKg3pNpZ

— Jason Cowley (@JasonCowleyNS) May 15, 2019

ahh always good to have a nice old-fashioned "(ethnic group) question" rumination

meet the new statesman, same as the old statesman

fucking imperialist arrogance of that...cunts!

It's ok you can't buy the NS in Ireland

Just read mark s's piece and it is very good!

I gave a listen to his new covers album, and lord does it suck. His trying to compete with Marilyn McCoo is offensive in and of itself. I guess his current fanbase likes pointless nostalgia.

Does anyone want to start a project re-writing The Smiths Lyrics and melodies to remove Morrissey?

The Smiths Without Morrissey - THE LP

I'm serious!

SongMeanings comment on "Asian Rut" (which btw reminded me of stuff from the old alt.music.smiths group - I'm actually surprised by the comments upthread that it was inconceivable that Morrissey could have inspired a Paki-bashing yob):

Slightly controversial point here (which will no doubt attract a lot of negative comments) but this is yet another Morrissey song which prompted certain people (including Paul Heaton from the once good The Beautiful South and The Housemartins) to believe he was racist. The point some people fail to see is that patriotism isn't racism AT ALL. Sure that racists are very patriotic, but some people are patriotic without being racist. This applies to this song and another of his songs, Bengali In Platforms in particular. Without talking too much about the meanings of both songs (which are quite obvious really), it seems to me that Morrissey has similar views to myself on issues of race/equality. The fact is that there's almost TOO MUCH political correctness these days, where British or white people in general can be the butt of racist jokes, etc. and the culprits seem to get away with it. But there is plenty of what could be interpreted as racism towards white people from, for example, black gangster rappers. Why should they get away with these racist (and often sexist amongst other things) comments, when white people get condemned? It's silly. It should be deemed unacceptable for people of all races to be racist. Then there are people who disagree with Asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, who come over and gain housing and work from those who are more in need of them. And yet some (for example) British Muslims seem to think these comments are an attack on Muslims in general, which is very paranoid. Wherever you're from, whatever country you're from, if you move to another country you should always respect the laws and the culture of that country. Anyway this song has a pretty good tune, and has thought-provoking, interesting lyrics (although from possibly his weakest album though, even though it is OK).
All Is Dreamon January 04, 2007

So many thoughts being provoked inside that controversial mind, how does he hold them all together?

Guar Gum

That comment succeeds at being worse than the song itself

The Siths - Who Put The M In Misanthropy?

snowflake triggered

Might be tricky to review the new Morrissey album. Been refused a copy because we wrote this piece about him. "Afraid management are not keen to provide advance music to the Guardian for this release". 🎻https://t.co/Dd9IGepUbU

— Guardian music (@guardianmusic) May 17, 2019

Hitler and Morrissey - the vegetarian white nationalists

lol @ morrissey of course but I'd also prefer it if the Guardian didn't review his album anyway, save the space for something more relevant

I know I said I was curious how "It's Over" would sound (which I think was this thread but maybe not) so I eventually remembered to listen to it.

It's fairly competent, I suppose, until he spectacularly bottles the last note.

morrissey is a sorry ass animal rights activist. he whined that he couldn't find eggs in the grocery store anymore. even though he doesn't eat them. he just sees it as another sign of the decline of britain or whatever. what is his fucking trip?

White power trip

Incredible that this has been largely forgotten

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/20/bigmouth-strikes-again-row-morrissey-james-baldwin-t-shirt-the-smiths

I just saw how it is exactly 15 years ago that he went straight into the top three with Irish Blood English Heart. It's crazy to think how much has changed in those 15 years. The amount of goodwill he had for that whole era was ridiculous. It really was a perfectly executed comeback and people were so happy to have him back. It's almost impressive to see how much he's managed to piss that all away.

At this point, the Mexican-American community has put up with his outlandish comments the way one might a drunk uncle who won’t shut up at the dinner table. You love him, but he just won’t stop saying terrible things.

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/does-the-mexican-american-community-still-love-morrissey-despite-everything

Yeah I’ve seen it and this is pretty much OTM. His music has a heavy fanbase in mexico and they brush off his insane views as one would with a drunk uncle.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/morrissey-smiths-record-shop-banned-16313914

"Spillers Records bans Morrissey music over his support for the far right"

The amount of goodwill he had for that whole era was ridiculous. It really was a perfectly executed comeback and people were so happy to have him back. It's almost impressive to see how much he's managed to piss that all away.

This is true and he could've had a nice retirement off the back of it - a 6Music Sunday show (syndicated across America maybe), the occasional festival...instead he'll be doing Butlins weekend packages and flogging his CDs from a table in the foyer.

"I don't think the word ‘racist’ has any meaning any more"

Is this cunt for fucking real?

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/24/morrissey-posters-banned-by-liverpools-merseyrail-transport-network

This is true and he could've had a nice retirement off the back of it - a 6Music Sunday show (syndicated across America maybe), the occasional festival...instead he'll be doing Butlins weekend packages and flogging his CDs from a table in the foyer.

― fetter, Thursday, 23 May 2019 12:54 (five days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Hmm, so you think Racists would be more welcome at Butlins? Hmm?

To be quite honest, he'd be more welcome with a residency in one of the smaller clubs in Las Vegas.

Bears repeating:

YES

― HI DERE, Wednesday, November 28, 2007 3:53 PM (eleven years ago)

https://assets.pando.com/_versions/2015/04/screen-shot-2015-04-07-at-11-28-26-pm_featured.png

Gives me pause.

This is true and he could've had a nice retirement off the back of it - a 6Music Sunday show (syndicated across America maybe), the occasional festival...instead he'll be doing Butlins weekend packages and flogging his CDs from a table in the foyer.

seriously this fuckin dude is the definition of a fuckup. plenty of good ways in which he could have leveraged his youthful success and instead, this fuckin shit

he values being a martyr above all else

California Son is currently number two in the mid-weeks behind Lewis Capaldi. Album sales really are ridiculously low at the moment huh?

on the bright side he'll be upset if he doesn't make number 1 because of lewis capaldi

My guess is it'll enter at #6 and drop to #77 the following week.

on the bright side he'll be upset if he doesn't make number 1 because of lewis capaldi

Yes, the guy's name is suspiciously un-British.

How so? Lewis capaldi, giein it laldy, checks out

California Son is currently number two in the mid-weeks behind Lewis Capaldi. Album sales really are ridiculously low at the moment huh?

― kitchen person, Tuesday, May 28, 2019 3:55 PM (fifty-nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Oh, fucking hell. The sound of Brexit Britain.

Reckon it'll sell 38,908 copies.

cf Guess: The chart position that the new Morrissey album "Low in High School" debuts at.

My guess is it'll enter at #6 and drop to #77 the following week.

― Dan Worsley

It's pretty funny to see all these fan-base acts have chart runs like this. My favourites are Shed Seven's comeback album, Instant Pleasures going in at eight (after an initial mid-week where they were number two behind Sam Smith!) and then falling to number 100 the next week. Even better was the last Embrace album which somehow managed a top five placing but was gone from the top 100 the week after. That must have been a pretty awkward call for the label to make to the band in that second week. "It's bad news guys, you're being outsold by three Adele albums and (What's The Story) Morning Glory".

It's pretty funny to see all these fan-base acts have chart runs like this.

This has been a noted feature of Morrissey records since the mid-'90s.

That's true. I think he only briefly avoided that kind of run with You Are The Quarry. I remember being annoyed when Keane beat him to number one (even though I thought the album was disappointing). This time round I'm actually rooting for Capaldi to ruin his week. After his last album under-performed he had a moan about it, predictably blaming the media who are obviously all out to get him.

shared unit of analysis (unperson) at 3:14 15 May 19
Some mod should go ahead and change this thread's title to "How Racist Is Morrissey?"

That's true. I think he only briefly avoided that kind of run with You Are The Quarry. I remember being annoyed when Keane beat him to number one (even though I thought the album was disappointing). This time round I'm actually rooting for Capaldi to ruin his week. After his last album under-performed he had a moan about it, predictably blaming the media who are obviously all out to get him.

― kitchen person, Tuesday, May 28, 2019 11:56 AM (three minutes ago) Bookmark

he devotes many pages of his autobiography to how his solo records went number 1 and the smiths records didn't, ergo the solo records are better, he is better and more successful by himself etc. although his ego makes him undercut the argument a bit by blaming the smiths' records not going to number 1 on rough trade not handling distro properly

xp requesting “is Morrissey dead yet?”

We already have that one

Morrissey really seriously ill?

Still ill iirc

It's pretty funny to see all these fan-base acts have chart runs like this. My favourites are Shed Seven's comeback album, Instant Pleasures going in at eight (after an initial mid-week where they were number two behind Sam Smith!) and then falling to number 100 the next week. Even better was the last Embrace album which somehow managed a top five placing but was gone from the top 100 the week after. That must have been a pretty awkward call for the label to make to the band in that second week. "It's bad news guys, you're being outsold by three Adele albums and (What's The Story) Morning Glory".

― kitchen person, Tuesday, May 28, 2019 6:10 PM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Not really. I don't think anyone has really given a shit about the charts for over a decade now.

It would appear Mozzer gives a shit. In the old days, iirc, it used to be Cliff Richard and Status Quo who were forever banging on about chart placings and not getting airplay.