T
theloveofyourlife
Guest
His views have always flirted with controversy but I think it's fair to say that he's become more outspoken about certain topics in recent years. Does anyone else find it really difficult at times to reconcile his beautiful lyrics with his, at times, deplorable public persona?
The post-Maladjusted years also saw a radical change in his writing style, to my ears at least. The literary allusions and playfully poetic language were largely replaced with a way more blunt approach. I feel like this must be somehow linked to an underlying change in Morrissey himself. Did anything major happen in his life during the 'wilderness' years? (I've not yet read his autobiography yet). It seems to me like he reemerged from that break as a totally different artist.
It's only natural for an artist to develop but this seemed quite sudden and veered in a counter-intuitive direction. There was so much more maturity, nuance and artistry in Vauxhall & I/Bona Drag/Viva Hate and even Maladjusted. I expected him to have something more profound to say than, 'Each time you vote you support the process' or 'Stop watching the news'. These cliched statements feel like such a step backwards for someone with his flair for language. I had always envisioned Morrissey becoming more refined with age. This is a man whose written songs like; 'Asleep', 'Late Night, Maudlin Street', 'Trouble Loves Me', 'I'm Changing My Plea'. And yet he never fully explored that more melodic style that suits his voice so well. Vauxhall is the closest he went to expanding on this and that subtlety is part of what makes it his most powerful and mature work.
How do you guys reconcile Morrissey the person from the Morrissey that lives in the music? Or is that not an issue for you? Also, is the change in his writing style well-acknowledged here or am I imagining it? It's my first visit to the forum so I'm not aware of the consensus here.
The post-Maladjusted years also saw a radical change in his writing style, to my ears at least. The literary allusions and playfully poetic language were largely replaced with a way more blunt approach. I feel like this must be somehow linked to an underlying change in Morrissey himself. Did anything major happen in his life during the 'wilderness' years? (I've not yet read his autobiography yet). It seems to me like he reemerged from that break as a totally different artist.
It's only natural for an artist to develop but this seemed quite sudden and veered in a counter-intuitive direction. There was so much more maturity, nuance and artistry in Vauxhall & I/Bona Drag/Viva Hate and even Maladjusted. I expected him to have something more profound to say than, 'Each time you vote you support the process' or 'Stop watching the news'. These cliched statements feel like such a step backwards for someone with his flair for language. I had always envisioned Morrissey becoming more refined with age. This is a man whose written songs like; 'Asleep', 'Late Night, Maudlin Street', 'Trouble Loves Me', 'I'm Changing My Plea'. And yet he never fully explored that more melodic style that suits his voice so well. Vauxhall is the closest he went to expanding on this and that subtlety is part of what makes it his most powerful and mature work.
How do you guys reconcile Morrissey the person from the Morrissey that lives in the music? Or is that not an issue for you? Also, is the change in his writing style well-acknowledged here or am I imagining it? It's my first visit to the forum so I'm not aware of the consensus here.