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Spotlight: Morrissey, 25 Years On by Len Brown

posted by davidt on Sunday March 01 2009, @11:00AM
Update: 03/03 15:22 GMT:
Len Brown sends a "Response to responses":
Warm thanks for bothering to read my MusicOMH article. Perhaps you're all right in different ways about me and my writings. Yes, they are merely "glorified opinions" and, if I really am being artfully "non-exhibitionist", it's simply because I don't have the body for it. Also, being painfully rational, I probably do go overboard like Jonah with my Wilde connections in Meetings With Semisorry. But please please please remember...the best people are not right in the head. Len
---
Kewpie sends the link originally posted in the forums by jesuisbryony (via Morrissey reddit):

Spotlight: Morrissey, 25 Years On by Len Brown - musicOMH

'I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris' celebrates the city that embraced the disgraced and dying Oscar Wilde, but where does 'Years Of Refusal' come from? Morrissey biographer Len Brown looks at the artist's past sources of inspiration and suggests unusual origins for the refusenik's latest album title.
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Spotlight: Morrissey, 25 Years On by Len Brown | Top | 13 comments | Search Discussion
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  • Top Marks (Score:2, Interesting)

    Len Brown is one of the odd-men-out amongst Morrissey commentators, in paying attention, being non-exhibitionist, coherent and rational.

    The full text of Maya Angelou's poem is here: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/refusal/ [poemhunter.com]

    goinghome -- Sunday March 01 2009, @11:25AM (#322909)
    (User #12673 Info)

  • Not interseted (Score:1, Insightful)

    Whatever this guy says about the album title is a glorified opinion. We all have our own ideas about what the title "Years of Refusal" means and that's what Morrissey's song and album titles are supposed to do. They are never just meant to mean one thing. Fans on this site are constantly starting threads about "What does this song mean?" and "Who is he talking about here?". If you are asking these questions you missed the point entirely. How about a little mystery in your life?

    Anyone?
    marred -- Sunday March 01 2009, @01:43PM (#322926)
    (User #16308 Info)
  • I thought that was the point, that we should make up our own minds what these titles and songs mean. How can we all take the same things from them, it's impossible?
    Anonymous -- Sunday March 01 2009, @01:55PM (#322929)

  • Educated (Score:1, Insightful)

    I think Mr Brown's endeavour here is perfectly reasonable and justified, given the literary quality of most of Morrissey's lyrics and titles. And why shouldn't Morrissey's work receive the same sort of serious attention and interest as Morrissey himself gives his sources?

    I really don't think Mr Brown is trying to be too definite about the titles here, I don't think he's interested in destroying any 'mystery' they may have. Many of his guesses are speculative anyway - an educated guess. In other cases Mr Brown merely outlines sources most of us knew about already anyway, that are more or less indisputable, that Morrissey has discussed himself. I learnt many things I didn't already know about Morrissey's titles - and I like to think I'm fairly knowledgable about Morrissey and The Smiths. I find the mystery has been deepened for me, not reduced.

    This is a nice bit of writing, as you'd expect from Len Brown. Much more worthwhile than some of the dross posted on this site as 'commentary' or 'news'. I, for one, am grateful for Mr Brown's words.

    Terence Stomp
    Anonymous -- Sunday March 01 2009, @02:11PM (#322935)
  • Fascinating article although I wouldn't consider Morrissey exactly 'prolific' (not a criticism of the artist, just an observation).

     
    Anonymous -- Sunday March 01 2009, @06:19PM (#322960)
    • Re:Titles by jwizjam (Score:1) Monday March 02 2009, @11:18AM
  • Len Brown seems a nice guy and i quite liked his book but - hell's teeth! - he doesn't half over-do the Oscar Wilde analogies. Even though even HE points out that Kill Uncle is named after a film, he STILL tries to rope in The Duchess Of Padua as a source. The man is clearly soft in the head.
    Anonymous -- Monday March 02 2009, @02:37AM (#322985)
    • Re:wilde assumptions by Anonymous (Score:0) Monday March 02 2009, @03:56AM
    • Re:wilde assumptions by Anonymous (Score:1) Monday March 02 2009, @11:50AM
    • i think he's trying too hard with his vauxhall cavalier reference. Vauxhall, ostensibly an ugly south London traffic intersection, has (at least since the 80s) hosted a cluster of gay clubs, the best known being the Vauxhall Tavern.

      http://www.timeout.com/london/gay/features/220/Vauxhall_gay_village.html
      methadone -- Tuesday March 03 2009, @02:55AM (#323038)
      (User #12826 Info)
  • Can anyone spot an idea in this text?
    Anonymous -- Monday March 02 2009, @11:55AM (#323012)

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