“We would all do the same as you if ever we had the nerve to” sang Morrissey in 1991 on one of his lesser regarded hit singles, “Pregnant for the Last Time”. The subject of this No 25 semi-smash is a woman who gleefully gets herself with child every time she alights on a new man. But these words are, I think, very appropriate for the peculiar position occupied by Morrissey and his detractors in politics and culture.
Recent events have coughed up a particularly prime example of Morrissey hitting a nerve years before anybody else in the pop sphere, getting castigated for it, and being justified in saying he told us so when it became horribly relevant.
Ten years ago he described footage of the treatment of animals in Chinese markets as “absolutely horrific” and that anybody who had seen it “could not possibly argue in favour of China as a caring nation. There are no animal protection laws in China and this results in the worst animal abuse and cruelty on the planet. It is indefensible.”
This statement was Morrissey’s reaction to the hullabaloo after an interview in The Guardian with the poet Simon Armitage in which he said, hotly, after watching animals being skinned alive: “You can’t help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies.” In Morrissey’s view cruel treatment of animals makes you less than human, but this wording, robbed of its context and intent, was a gift to his many enemies.
That’s because Morrissey annoys people, and unlike most purportedly outspoken pop stars he often annoys the people pop stars aren’t supposed to annoy. What I’ve found fascinating is how many of the opinions he has expressed in his long career have become hot topics on the table of late. Immigration, animal rights, free speech, the denigration and demoralisation of the working class, the unhealthy news media. And with universal basic income sliding its legs ever further over the sill of the Overton Window, his famous declaration in song from 1983 “England is mine, it owes me a living” feels more apposite by the day.
In his own strange way, for how could it be other than strange, Morrissey was a post-liberal before anybody else really cottoned on, and this from someone regarded commonly as stuck in 1954.
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SubscribeThis is somewhat equivocal about England’s greatest current contrarian.
The man has always set out to annoy, and to muse aloud way above what a ” jumped up pantry boy, who never knew his place” , is supposed to say.
Witness his righteous contempt for Band Aid etc, despite the suckups in that band of his wanting to be part of it all, I’m sure.
Morrissey would not be with you re comprehensives either, he despises any trained conformity. So compulsory schooling would be included in that.
His support for Anne Marie Waters in fact cemented him into English hearts, just as his Irish blood allows him to go as and where, into our British culture as an immigrant, an autodidactic genius a(lyrics and chunks of his autobiography confirm )
He’s the real thing, honest, sharp and a righteous prophet in the culture wars we’re fighting. He annoys exactly the right people who need a bat up the nightie. Like Tommy, Nigel, Trump and AMW…he’ll be proud of being necessarily offensive to the Muzac Blobbies like , well you Gareth to some extent….but especially the likes of Coldplay, Stormzy and arch hypocrites like Weller, Simenon, Geldof and Bonio.
Morrissey is a true hero, his lyrics should be on any curriculum. But unlike Zephaniah, Armitage and Malala Thunberg, he never will be
Far too dangerous. So he’ ll be honoured to be so feared by all the right types like Sheeran and Arianna etc.
Best album I’ve heard on contemporary English society is ‘ Working Mans Cafe ‘ by Ray Davies .
Good article. Morrissey is the Trump/Farage of indie rock. Ahead of his time an right about almost everything.
I read his autobiography only recently and the passages covering his schooling are truly horrific. ‘Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools’ indeed. I attended a bog standard comp in the north-west only shortly afterwards but it nothing like as bad as that.
Indeed. I occasionally worked with pupils at the school when M. would have been there aged around 11. There were issues!
An excellent rejoinder to the numerous numbskull commentaries that conveniently overlook his propensity for ambiguity and mischief.
All too often the same arguments are trotted out. This is a salve.
Appreciate your sentiments, but there is of course also this opinion from the late A A Gill “…Morrissey is plainly the most ornery, cantankerous, entitled, whingeing, self-martyred human being who ever drew breath. And those are just his good qualities.”
Very few people who were sentenced to a second/third class education at a Secondary Modern, when they yearned to be taught maths, English and science and take ‘O’ Levels, would advocate bringing back the 11+, streaming yes, 11+ never.
It is only parents who assume their child would pass the exam who are keen on it.
Sounds like Morrissey is yet another clever young boy wrongly denied a proper education.
Morrissey is smarter then the know nothing know it all with a exaggerated sense of self intellect Gareth Roberts . Morrissey has enough common sense to want to preserve his boarders, language and cultural embraces that have made his country the advanced place it was, and prevent it from toppling over completely. Morrissey, keep fighting against these sellouts.
Offhand I can hum only a few songs from the days of The Smiths and Morrissey, so am no expert on him. I think he has had a few nutty ideas in among the good ones, and as the article suggests sometimes he’s probably been his own worst enemy, but I’ve always found him interesting to read and been appalled at the prejudice some people show towards him. Quite a few people need to air out their old ideas and let the breeze get at them. Learn to listen to people more.
Not a fan of his music but admire his integrity and moral courage. Hardly any public figures these days have the courage to say what they think – they just trot out what’s ‘acceptable’ or keep quiet which is pathetic but especially pathetic when it comes to the arts. Since when was the arts about conformity? Anyone who thinks Morrissey is ‘racist’ or Boy George is ‘transphobic’ should get off Twitter for 5 minutes and talk to some real people. I don’t care if I agree with their views, I’m just glad they’re expressing them!
“He left school at 16 almost completely unqualified,” So did my brother, the millionaire. Really. I won a scholarship to an elite grammar school, was designated as “University material” but left at 16, having decided education is overrated.
Both of us know that while Morrisey’s celebrity gives him a platform from which to broadcast his opinions, the things he says, and power to him for being brave enough to speak them aloud knowing the media are listening.
And the things he says resonate in the minds of working class people who resent constantly being told by the university brainwashed wankerati what they should and shoulld not think.
Nail on the head, Gareth. Fair play to you.
“Any pop journalist who wishes to do a savage critique of anything I’ve done is wasting their time because I get there before they do.” – Morrissey, 1992
Thank you for your thoughtful article – it’s striking among the mostly reactionary “cancel culture” posts that litter my feed.
This opinion page is heavily censored and oppressive to free speech. You will never know the patriotism of your people because the monitors will not allow anything except pandering, sniveling and bootlicking to the fake oppressed and grievance oriented.
In this case, you’ve fallen into the trap of reading more context than there was in order to fit your narrative.
His view is that cruel treatment by a section of the Chinese population makes the entire Chinese population seem less than human. This is the classic generalisation fallacy.
It’s fine if and when he speaks with nuance, but in this case, he’s not doing so. He’s doing what many people have done before – something like watching a few youtube videos and then making huge generalised comment without nuance.
Does this make him a racist? Well, it all depends on your definition of the word. But racism, of the undisputable sort, usually starts from simplifying the ‘other’. In this, we can all equally fall into. And in this case, Morrissey, and making incredibly generalised and simplistic comments on an entire population (regardless of which subsection is doing the objectionable thing he opposes) is almost certainly not doing himself or anyone any favours.
And I would also presume you are not responsible for the sub-heading – wet markets are another issue entirely.