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The Interview. A LARKS' TONGUE IN APRIL. - Morrissey Central (June 24, 2019): Difference between revisions
The Interview. A LARKS' TONGUE IN APRIL. - Morrissey Central (June 24, 2019) (view source)
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June 24, 2019<br> | June 24, 2019<br> | ||
by [[Mention::Sam Esty Rayner]] | by [[Mention::Sam Esty Rayner]] | ||
==Screenshot== | |||
Some images are included in the original interview, see original post or the archived screenshots. | |||
* [[:File:Screencapture-morrisseycentral-messagesfrommorrissey-234417-the-interview-2023-01-22-22 06 19.png|Archived screenshot (page 1)]] | |||
* [[:File:Screencapture-morrisseycentral-messagesfrommorrissey-234417-the-interview-2023-01-22-22 06 19-2.png|Archived screenshot (page 2)]] | |||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
A LARKS’ TONGUE IN APRIL. | A LARKS’ TONGUE IN APRIL. | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Why don’t The Guardian just have you killed and put an end to it all? | Why don’t [[Mention::The Guardian]] just have you killed and put an end to it all? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
That doesn’t worry me, I’m not Emmanuel Macron. | That doesn’t worry me, I’m not [[Mention::Emmanuel Macron]]. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
It’s now a trend. In 1984 the Manchester Evening News had an enormous front-page headline | It’s now a trend. In 1984 the Manchester Evening News had an enormous front-page headline ‘[[Mention::Myra Hindley]] On The Cover Of New Pop Disc’ …. or some similar blast. Of course the picture was actually [[Mention::Viv Nicholson]], but the press never apologize for getting it wrong and putting your life in danger. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
I then received hundreds of death threats on my Facebook from Italy … all probably from the same person. | I then received hundreds of death threats on my Facebook from Italy … all probably from the same person.<br> | ||
This was a shame because your affinity with Italy has been very strong. | This was a shame because your affinity with Italy has been very strong. | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Is your hand bad? Obviously it’s covered. | Is your hand bad? Obviously it’s covered. | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
You must be pleased by radio play for | You must be pleased by radio play for “[[Mention::It's Over|It’s Over]]” and “[[Mention::Wedding Bell Blues]]”? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Of Nigel Farage? | Of [[Mention::Nigel Farage]]? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
You support For Britain? | You support [[Mention::For Britain]]? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
I think Anne Marie Waters is the only British party leader who can unite the left and right. I don’t know any other party leader who even WANTS to do this. The UK is a dangerously hateful place now, and I think we need someone to put a stop to the lunacy and to speak for everyone. I see Anne Marie Waters as this person. She is extremely intelligent, ferociously dedicated to this country, she is very engaging, and also very funny at times. | I think [[Mention::Anne Marie Waters]] is the only British party leader who can unite the left and right. I don’t know any other party leader who even WANTS to do this. The UK is a dangerously hateful place now, and I think we need someone to put a stop to the lunacy and to speak for everyone. I see Anne Marie Waters as this person. She is extremely intelligent, ferociously dedicated to this country, she is very engaging, and also very funny at times. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
… which reflects their intolerance of diversity! It is not their place or their role in life to cut people down and attempt to wipe them out. They are not a political party, yet they think that they are. sam: | … which reflects their intolerance of diversity! It is not their place or their role in life to cut people down and attempt to wipe them out. They are not a political party, yet they think that they are. | ||
sam:<br> | |||
I don’t think people seriously believe that you are racist, but I think they enjoy saying that you are. | I don’t think people seriously believe that you are racist, but I think they enjoy saying that you are. | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Someone made the point the other day about David | Someone made the point the other day about [[Mention::David Bowie]]’s famous “England would benefit from a fascist government” comment … and his admiration for Hitler … and how Hitler was as stylish as Jagger … and how the UK needed a “complete right wing leader”. Could you imagine if I’d said THAT! Now, of course, I sat privately with David many times, and he wasn’t remotely fascist… although it has been said that he’d visited Hitler’s bunker. But, how many writers at The Guardian have David Bowie albums? All of them, probably!<br> | ||
Hypocrisy?<br> | |||
Obviously a fascist would never have recorded “Lady Stardust” … and a fascist would never have recorded “Wedding Bell Blues”, but, you see, the press choose their targets, and ignore what it suits them to ignore. In a way, that’s the key to modern Britain … only the mentally castrated are eligible for praise and awards. It’s against the law to be intelligent! The dumb have inherited the earth. [laughs] Because of this, British arts are controlled by completely limited possibilities, and the same faces appear everywhere. When you start arguing with The Guardian you feel as if you’re trying to reason with people who are barely toilet-trained. There actually becomes no point. | Obviously a fascist would never have recorded “Lady Stardust” … and a fascist would never have recorded “Wedding Bell Blues”, but, you see, the press choose their targets, and ignore what it suits them to ignore. In a way, that’s the key to modern Britain … only the mentally castrated are eligible for praise and awards. It’s against the law to be intelligent! The dumb have inherited the earth. [laughs] Because of this, British arts are controlled by completely limited possibilities, and the same faces appear everywhere. When you start arguing with The Guardian you feel as if you’re trying to reason with people who are barely toilet-trained. There actually becomes no point. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
You also knew Lou Reed for awhile? | You also knew [[Mention::Lou Reed]] for awhile? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Because I DO look back in anger! I would have sang | Because I DO look back in anger! I would have sang “[[Mention::World Peace Is None Of Your Business]]” or “[[Mention::Life Is A Pigsty]]” - or something truthful and meaningful. If my child had been killed at Manchester Arena I wouldn’t be lighting candles and swaying … I’d be in a complete rage. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
It’s great to see Jobriath in there with so many great American songwriters, and | It’s great to see Jobriath in there with so many great American songwriters, and “[[Mention::Morning Starship]]” sounds like a big hit to me. But you weren’t involved in the Jobriath projects a few years ago? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
No. I don’t like anything that dwells on the private aspects of | No. I don’t like anything that dwells on the private aspects of [[Mention::Jobriath]]’s life. I only ever liked the music. I don’t care what he did or where he went at 4:AM. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Oh, no. I was petrified. I was convinced I couldn’t do it, and when you hold a song in such high esteem you somehow feel that you have a nerve to even attempt it. I think I gave up after several tries, but Joe (Chiccarelli, producer) kept pushing me … which no producer had ever done before … and the final results were great. It’s the most proud recording of my entire life. | Oh, no. I was petrified. I was convinced I couldn’t do it, and when you hold a song in such high esteem you somehow feel that you have a nerve to even attempt it. I think I gave up after several tries, but Joe ([[Mention::Joe Chiccarelli|Chiccarelli]], producer) kept pushing me … which no producer had ever done before … and the final results were great. It’s the most proud recording of my entire life. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
No. I feel the same about | No. I feel the same about “[[Mention::To Give (The Reason I Live)|To Give Is The Reason I Live]]” which we had done for several years but hadn’t ever recorded. A song has its time, and then it’s over. I loved the song “[[Mention::Action Is My Middle Name]]”, but that, too, wasn’t ever properly recorded. Also, “[[Mention::People Are The Same Everywhere]]” was a fantastic song … just lost in the swill of time. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Did you invite Billie Joe Armstrong to sing on “Wedding Bell Blues” because his name is … Bill? [laughs] | Did you invite [[Mention::Billie Joe Armstrong]] to sing on “Wedding Bell Blues” because his name is … Bill? [laughs] | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
You also sang with Sameer from Young The Giant … I’m sorry, I can’t pronounce his surname. | You also sang with [[Mention::Sameer Gadhia|Sameer]] from [[Mention::Young The Giant]] … I’m sorry, I can’t pronounce his surname. | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
He is incredible … one of the most powerfully soothing voices I’ve ever heard … almost like Elvis Presley. | He is incredible … one of the most powerfully soothing voices I’ve ever heard … almost like [[Mention::Elvis Presley]]. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
and … LP! What is she like? | and … [[Mention::LP]]! What is she like? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
The big track on the album is | The big track on the album is “[[Mention::Some Say I Got Devil]]”. It’s as powerful as “Life Is A Pigsty” or “Trouble Loves Me”. Again, you don’t seem to switch the genders. Am I wrong? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Oh, look, I’ve been accused of everything. I’ve been called every name imaginable … I’m only attacked by people who don’t have the emotional ability to ignore me. This is why I wrote the song | Oh, look, I’ve been accused of everything. I’ve been called every name imaginable … I’m only attacked by people who don’t have the emotional ability to ignore me. This is why I wrote the song ‘[[Mention::If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me|If You Don’t Like Me, Don’t Look At Me]]’. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
You’re missing my point! It’s a great track, and you sing it with such power … you don’t hear that truth anymore in music. | You’re missing my point! It’s a great track, and you sing it with such power … you don’t hear that truth anymore in music. | ||
You had Germaine Greer on the cover of your recent single. Do you put other people on your sleeves for discussion? | You had [[Mention::Germaine Greer]] on the cover of your recent single. Do you put other people on your sleeves for discussion? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Do you share the sorrow over Notre Dame? | Do you share the sorrow over [[Mention::Notre-Dame de Paris|Notre Dame]]? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Mott The Hoople are playing their farewell concert in Manchester this week, or next. I know you saw them when you were 12. What could Mott The Hoople possibly say to a 12-year old? | [[Mention::Mott The Hoople]] are playing their farewell concert in Manchester this week, or next. I know you saw them when you were 12. What could Mott The Hoople possibly say to a 12-year old? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Too much, in my case. My friend Jed Weitzman actually saw Mott The Hoople when he was 5! So, 12 is quite middle-aged in comparison. | Too much, in my case. My friend [[Mention::Jed Weitzman]] actually saw Mott The Hoople when he was 5! So, 12 is quite middle-aged in comparison. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
I know your biggest hero is Bruce Lee as well as the obvious Oscar Wilde and James Baldwin. How does Bruce Lee fit into it all? | I know your biggest hero is [[Mention::Bruce Lee]] as well as the obvious [[Mention::Oscar Wilde]] and [[Mention::James Baldwin]]. How does Bruce Lee fit into it all? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Style. I said many years ago about never having seen a bad photograph of James Dean. Some people just ARE style. I know you feel the same way about Marilyn Monroe, which is also true. It wasn’t possible to photograph her unflatteringly. Style is just there within certain people without anyone needing to point it out… Anne Sexton was another. | Style. I said many years ago about never having seen a bad photograph of [[Mention::James Dean]]. Some people just ARE style. I know you feel the same way about [[Mention::Marilyn Monroe]], which is also true. It wasn’t possible to photograph her unflatteringly. Style is just there within certain people without anyone needing to point it out… [[Mention::Anne Sexton]] was another. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
Manchester recently lost Pete Shelley … and also Mark E. Smith. Were you saddened by their deaths? | Manchester recently lost [[Mention::Pete Shelley]] … and also [[Mention::Mark E. Smith]]. Were you saddened by their deaths? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
No, not really, because with both of them … as with Pete Burns, I suppose … you can see that they’ve had a rough time and they’ve … had enough. Humans don’t last, yet we expect them to. | No, not really, because with both of them … as with [[Mention::Pete Burns]], I suppose … you can see that they’ve had a rough time and they’ve … had enough. Humans don’t last, yet we expect them to. | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
I think you were a fan of Buzzcocks, though? | I think you were a fan of [[Mention::Buzzcocks]], though? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
I suppose the only band that would please millions of people would be The Jam, and although I’m not certain, I gather they don’t much care for each other … so we can be excused for giving up hope on that one! | I suppose the only band that would please millions of people would be [[Mention::The Jam]], and although I’m not certain, I gather they don’t much care for each other … so we can be excused for giving up hope on that one! | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Oh, I never make my regrets small … if I can help it. Oh. Umm. Robert Smith. I said some terrible things about him 35 years ago … but I didn’t mean them … I was just being very Grange Hill. It’s great when you can blame everything on Tourette’s syndrome. [laughs] | Oh, I never make my regrets small … if I can help it. Oh. Umm. [[Mention::Robert Smith]]. I said some terrible things about him 35 years ago … but I didn’t mean them … I was just being very Grange Hill. It’s great when you can blame everything on Tourette’s syndrome. [laughs] | ||
sam:<br> | sam:<br> | ||
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You’ve met Joni Mitchell several times. Is she nice? | You’ve met [[Mention::Joni Mitchell]] several times. Is she nice? | ||
M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
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[long pause] Sophia Loren coming to see me last year. There’s no one on earth more royal. But, also, some years ago I played in a field in Surrey, and I couldn’t believe Iggy & The Stooges agreed to play before me … and then Lou Reed agreed to play … and Patti Smith agreed to play … and it was the most astonishing line-up and such a fantastic day and such an incredible crowd. | [long pause] [[Mention::Sophia Loren]] coming to see me last year. There’s no one on earth more royal. But, also, some years ago I played in a field in Surrey, and I couldn’t believe [[Mention::Iggy & The Stooges]] agreed to play before me … and then Lou Reed agreed to play … and [[Mention::Patti Smith]] agreed to play … and it was the most astonishing line-up and such a fantastic day and such an incredible crowd. | ||
There were no press present and no reviews. That just about sums it all up! | There were no press present and no reviews. That just about sums it all up! | ||
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M:<br> | M:<br> | ||
Well, you didn’t. | Well, you didn’t. | ||
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