I was a little concerned that today's Smackdown, about the singer known simply as Morrissey, might be one of those 'small circle of friends' kinda things. Interesting to fans of his band The Smiths and no one else -- because while he's a genuine superstar back home in the UK, he's much more of a cult icon here. But you know what? Morrissey is a singular figure in rock music, and he's worth debating both for his music and for what he does for - or to - our idea of a 'rock star.'
Rock's celebrities have tended to be the most alpha of alpha males. Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey - these guys created the mold of the rock god, a heady mixture of music, testosterone and danger. But some of rock's most interesting figures have been the ones who played against that stereotype, from the bookish nerdiness of David Byrne and Elvis Costello to the androgyny of David Bowie and Patti Smith. So what do we make of Morrissey, with his Lil Abner hair and his aggressive, in-your-face vegetarianism (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?), his claims of asexuality and celibacy, and his later claims of a love life without specifying his partner's gender? At every turn, Morrissey has seemed to enjoy winding up his fans and the music critics who've tried to make sense of him. He can easily come across as a supercilious, egocentric, arrogant jerk... but Morrissey has a weird, very dark sense of humor that isn't always obvious, but is definitely there.
One of the great debates of rock in the 80s was the question of which was the better band, The Cure, led by Robert Smith, or the Smiths, led by Morrissey. So today's Smackdown could easily devolve into a Robert Smith vs Morrissey thing. (Robert Smith: 'if Morrissey says don't eat meat, I'll eat meat. That's how much I hate Morrissey.') But Morrissey has been a solo artist for over 20 years now, and I've been continually struck by how much of the music press has been about him, as opposed to his music. Reviews of the new CD 'Years of Refusal' have been generally very good, but will they be good enough to allow the music to escape from the huge shadow cast by the man?
Tell us: What do you think of Morrissey?
Leave a comment.
John Schaefer has hosted Soundcheck since the show’s inception in 2002. He has also hosted and produced WNYC’s radio series New Sounds since 1982 (“The No. 1 radio show for the Global Village” – Billboard) and the New Sounds Live concert series since 1986.
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