(photo: Peter Hill, peterhill.net)
Age shouldn’t affect you. It’s just like the size of your shoes – they don’t determine how you live your life! You’re either marvelous or you’re boring, regardless of your age.
- Morrissey
Marvelous? He’s had his fair share of moments, that’s for certain. Boring? He’s practically incapable of inducing ennui. Shoe size? That I can’t say for sure, and apparently neither can a Google search, but I’ll say that it’s anywhere between 10 and 11 (U.S./UK). Age? As irrelevant as he suggests it is, today Steven Patrick Morrissey is 50. How he’s lived his life? As apologetically honest and true to his very nature. Whether being put upon a pedestal as part of Britain’s greatest songwriting pair since Lennon & McCartney, or being publicly flogged as a racist and washed up has-been, Morrissey has always been Morrissey.
Being a long-time fan, I will admit that I never expected that Morrissey would still be in the public eye at the tail-end of his 50th year, let alone releasing one of his best albums. I recently finished reading the excellent Meetings With Morrissey, by Len Brown, a former journalist with NME, Vox, and Spin to name a few, and in it, he (Brown) takes a very analytical look at the motivations behind Morrissey’s carefully chosen words, lyrics, and song titles. In light Brown’s insights, I wouldn’t doubt that choosing to name his last album Years Of Refusal somehow relates to Morrissey’s unwillingness to compromise his vision and artistry over the last 20-plus years. Whether choosing cover stars for The Smiths albums and singles, or hand-picking his opening bands, or simply putting pen to postcard to whip off a quick quip to an unsuspecting journalist, there’s always a method to Morrissey’s madness. I think that, above all else, is the real appeal for fans, for as much as we claim Morrissey for our own, there’s so much more to him than he allows us to see and understand.
CONTEST DETAILS: To help celebrate Moz’s Half-Century Milestone, I have a copy of Years Of Refusal to give away to one lucky QBiM reader who follows these quick, easy steps: 1) Email me at CONTESTS [at] QUICKBEFOREITMELTS [dot] COM with “Morrissey Morrissey Morrissey” in the subject line and their full mailing details in the body before Wednesday, May 27 at 11:59 p.m. Get to it.
MP3: Morrissey “It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore”
Facebook: Morrissey
Myspace: Morrissey
Buy: Morrissey Years Of Refusal
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I received this email from Len Brown, the author of Meetings with Morrissey today and I wanted to share it with you:
“Many many thanks for the positive response to my book Meetings with Misery. Very chuffed to be mentioned in despatches on such a fine site. As Simon Bloody Cowell would say, “you are my new favourite”. Thanks and gawd bless.
Yours truly, Len Brown”
Comment by Jim 06.06.09 @ 10:11 pmLeave a comment
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