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Morrissey Condemns Bush; Has Another Drink
Morrissey prepares to high five Joaquin Phoenix (not present)
British pop star Morrissey, often called the most miserable
man in showbiz, has made a big splash in the overseas press by what's being
called his 'virulent attack' on George Bush and Tony Blair,
in which he says, in part:
"I see no difference between Blair or Bush
and Saddam Hussein - all egotistical dictators. Perhaps the only difference
is that Blair and Bush do it with a smile. Murder and smile .... as
Shakespeare said."
Aha, the old name check to the Bard of Avon, that's our
suffering fellow. Could the writer of 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' and
'Girlfriend in a Coma' be emerging from his decades of self- absorption and
taking a look around the world beyond his own darkened room? Probably not.
We went to the source of the saddened one's comments, a web
hagiography by the name of 'True to You',
to see if these comments were just a ripple in the old Morrissey stream of
sorrow. But of course. The chat begins with his stay in Rome, which he likes
for having the beauty of Los Angeles without all the police state trappings.
See, "If you walk down a street humming in Los Angeles
you are immediately considered to be suspicious." And that suspicion
can only end in one outcome. "Once you're arrested,
the courts always support whatever the police say regardless of what that
is." (Just what the heck is he humming? 'Margaret on the
Guillotine?') But Italy is far from perfect - "In
Rome, women literally walk down the street with dead cats and dogs flung
over their shoulders." As Johnny Carson would say, I did not know
that. Feel the pain? Let's move to a couple of
musical questions, such as 'Who do you admire lyrically'? "Nobody
in pop or rock. Elsewhere, the poet John Betjeman." I can clearly
understand how there is no one in pop or rock that can match lyrics such as
"You're the One for me, fatty / You're the One for me,
a-hey-hey." But who is this
John Betjeman?
Encase your legs in nylons,
Bestride your hills with pylons
O age without a soul;
Away with gentle willows
And all the elmy billows
That through your valleys roll.
Let's say goodbye to hedges
And roads with grassy edges...
Sorry we asked. Moving right along... How does your locale
affect your work? "None of these things affect me. In
fact, nothing affects me. I am an island." Gosh, wouldn't you just
love to party with this dude? Between Morrissey and, oh, I don't know, maybe
Sylvia Plath... So, a couple more sad questions and answer and then the
politics. It's a blip, not even up to the strength of the next critter bit -
"I support the efforts of the Animal Rights Militia in
England and I understand why fur-farmers and so-called laboratory scientists
are repaid with violence." And then we're back to the misery zone.
What kind of feelings and memories come to you when listening to your
favorite music? "All the meaningful memories I have in
my life are musical...........unfortunately. All that gets me through is
some faith in music. AM I missing something? Please - don't answer."
[Ed. Note: The new Morrissey disc, 'Ringleader of the
Tormenters', will be released in March. It will be preceded by the single
'You Have Killed Me'.] |
