Morrisey of the Smiths: Wimp or great artist?

[brentspeak]

[tjdee]

1. Nobody better speak ill of the Moz....

He is so dreamy.

And awesome. I don't know any other lyricist that uses humor so effectively...and exposes himself in quite the way he does. And his voice is so elegant. Just dreamy.

Many a song of his meant the world to me when I was a youngun, explained my feelings exactly.

"So you go and you stand on your own, and you leave on your own, and you go home, and you cry and you want to die."

I mean, who didn't feel that way as a teenager?

Lots of his songs still speak to me now, actually, just wanted to edit and say that.

[brentspeak]

2. I was really into the Smiths when I was a teenager

mostly, though, because of Johnny Marr's guitar playing. Morrisey's lyrics on the first album creeped me out - child murderers, pedophiles, etc. I can't listen to the first album anymore.

But his lyrics and phrasing for the singles are great, if sometimes still weird - "How Soon Is Now?", "Shoplifters of the World Unite".

[tjdee]

3. Without Johnny Marr, his music is kind of bleh.

Indeed, his phrasing is a delight... some of his lyrics are very dark and strange... Did you know that Suffer Little Children was the first song he and Marr wrote together on the first day they met? Yup. I'm full of these kind of important facts. it's about the Moors Murders.

I don't think, though, that the Hand that Rocks the Cradle is about pedophilia. He's denied it, certainly. But I guess we'll never know.

But I think it further proves the point that he's not really feckless or la-di-da. He handles some really cruel issues. Death of a Disco Dancer, This Night has Opened My Eyes, Suffer Little Children...

[brentspeak]

4. And Andy Rouke and Mike Joyce

The Smiths were a good band as whole, as the BBC performances on "Hatful of Hollow" proves. Much better versions live than the studio ones. A lot of people say that Paul Weller's solo work beginning made him the father of "Brit-Pop", but I think the Smiths had a much bigger influence on groups like Blur and Pulp, etc.

[Coventina]

13. I used to think that until I heard "You Are The Quarry" Yowza!

Songs like "Irish Blood, English Heart" "America Is Not The World" and "I Have Forgiven Jesus" make me forgive all of his previous mis-steps.

[eyepaddle]

5. Dana Gould's take on Morrisey (profanity warning)

YOu really need to hear comedian Dana Gould sing this to get the full effect--he does a more than passing imitation of Morrisey. I nearly drove off the road when I heard this.


(sing in distant Morrisey-like voice)
She awoke in the night and to no surprise
The man of last night had fled
Stains of white grease paint on her body that ran
From her toes to the top of her head

The alarm stung her ear, she rolled over to spy
Much to her chagrin and her dread
A crumpled red nose and two oversized shoes
Strewn by the side of the bed

chorus
"Clown fucker! Clown fucker!" That's what they said
"Clown fucker! Clown fucker!" That's what they said
"No, never fuck a clown, dear," that's what mommy said
"No, never fuck a clown, dear," that's what mommy said

She went to the bar and she started to drink
She drank and she drank and got drunk
She walked up to him and said, "How could you leave?"
But all he could do was honk

She knew it was over, it sunk in just then
It was time to say "it's the end"
He walked out the door and stepped in a car
With forty-eight of his friends...

repeat chorus

[brentspeak]

6. I read that there's some kind of funny reference to

"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" in the movie "The Committments". I want to watch the film just to find out what it is.

[eyepaddle]

7. I've not seen the movie, but if there is a reference

please share!

See if you can track down audio to Clown Fucker--I'm laughing just thinking about line
"with forty-eight of his friends" :rofl:

[asthmaticeog]

8. Both.

[brentspeak]

9. Now that's the quintessential Morrisey

[Floogeldy]

10. A very talented artist.

:)

[mitchum]

11. A very funny man with a good schtick

I would still rather read his inteviews than listen to his music, though

[LSK]

12. other - never really paid attention to him

So I cant say either way.