Simon on Morrissey . . .

[Maria Jose]

As you well know , Morrissey , of the 20 year anniversary , made it clear that he disliked the Cocteaus .
This is a msg Simon sent to the Morrissey site
on the occasion of the Autumns release of
Smiths cover " Please Please Please " :


* * *
Also, I just received this email from Simon Raymonde a week or so ago regarding the above related link:
interesting that I managed to somehow make it on to morrisey's solo site, as he has publicly stated on several occasions that he completely loathed the cocteau twins and everything that we stood for. i was also midly irritated by his rather unecessary comments about us...we hardly courted much publicity or were much of a target but he was pretty vitriolic!! i had liked his music on and off up until that point, but then unsurprisingly lost total interest!

kind regards
to you all

simon raymonde
Bella Union Records/Cocteau Twins

http://www.morrissey-solo.com/articles/00/09/16/0819221.shtml

[REPLICESS]

'All that we stood for ' ??????
and what would that be I wonder ? :confused:

The Cocteaus music was SO much more innivotive, structually exciting and beautiful, than anything they came up with.

[E-Lo]

Morrissey is such a bitchy queen at times its hilarious! That is too funny, because I once loathed The Smiths, but can now appreciate some of the music and dry humor :)

[Maria Jose]

Precisely in that same link you'll read how Morrissey fans do not take his comments seriously . . .
The way Moz is .
Didn 't have to have a go at the Cocks though . . .oops !

[Brett]

Well Morrissey isn't/wasn't The Smiths or more importantly the music of The Smiths. Plus he always was a twerp who championed the most mediocre bands at times.

I will still play and enjoy the music of The Smiths. Somehow I always knew Mozzer was an artist I would not be remotely interested in meeting as he postures all the time. Pretentiousness I can cope with. Can be quite charming (eg Carlos from Interpol) but posturing, no. Proved himself to be a tad racist too if I recall.

Like Dali, I can love the art and leave the artist.

[etc etc]

Yeah, he has always struck me as being a big pain in the arse.....some boys are bigger than others.....

[dynamine]

get a rope!!!

[Dan]

I suspect Morrissey was just reacting to Treasure and the whole gothic thing when he made his comments.

[iceblink555]

Originally posted by dynamine
get a rope!!!

Hang 'em high! --Alan

[andylama]

Remember: Morrissey is eternally yoked with the heavy burden of having to be...HIM, in all his self-indulgent, self-loathing, self absorption.

Thankfully, you and I will never, never have to suffer that fate.

[Choliux]

I'm as much of a fan of the Twins as I am of The Smiths and Moz, and I know a lot of people who have all 3 bands/artists in their top 5 bands of all times.

Personally, I think Morrissey was a very outspoken person and his most extreme quotes come from his late 20's. God knows I said some fairly stupid things when I was that age. I think his views on a lot of things have changed drastically in the last 10 years.

(Anyone who still thinks Moz is racist, should listen to his newer songs like "Irish Blood, English Heart" or "Mexico" - unfortuantely you can only find them as live versions)

Having said that - like most geniuses (i.e. Robin Guthrie) - I'm sure the man is a bit unstable and too smart to figure out there are smarter people than him.

And last but not least, I rather have a bitter Morrissey than all the "vanilla" pop singers out there right now :)

[fuchsiagrl]

I think Morissey is just too damn loud about his opinions. It makes him look like he thinks hes the best thing on this planet. and thats really repulsive!! I personally like the Smiths but think that they do NOT come anywhere near the beauty and amazement that Cocteau Twins!!

Hes also talked crap about The CuRe, and he doesnt even come close to that either!! I think he just needs to keep his unpopular opinions to himself... Then he wouldnt look like such a narcissistic queen!!

[jana]

the wonderful thing about opinions is....well....that everyone is free to have them. If morrissey doesn't/didn't like the cocteau twins...then so be it. The only time i'd see anything wrong with it, is if he made it personal... like 'that liz is such a slut' et cetera.
but even then, i'm like, yeah...whatevah.

[©nevery]

i feel that when asessing morissey's reactions one should consider that he is an oversensetive, often irritated, lady. Because of him being oversensetive, his creations sometimes can carry the mark of satyric, 'see-through-the crap' look on social hypocracy and dogma, however, because of his narcisistic egomania (and hense irritability) he may fall into the trap of poisonous attacks that may temporarilly sooth the emotional menstruation period he may find him-self to be in.
Notice that he doesn't say for which elements or why he 'loathes' cocteau tw. It's graticious.
To attack the cocteaus is like searching to hurt the emptiness--there's nothing there, they made impeccably their art and left. Whatever personal problems, difficulties or hardships these people had, you'll never feel that their art has been used as forum of venting such crap--their art may be at times humorous, almost mock-pop-like, or with unleashed imagination or creativity of almost childlike abandon, etc...whatever it may have been, it's always been sincere art of honest expression. The cult of "Me" never found expression there. There was never idolasation encouragement, selfimportance circus, "i'm special" bulshit or "look-we're high and unaccessible" attitudes, etc...(all the crap society wants you to feel seduced to be, so that the sincerity of your art promptly get muddled by personal gratifcation motivations of the ego)While morissey is mostly one of these little birdies that sing: Me-Me-Me.... And because of this quality of their art, cocteaus touch people's hearts directly. i would guess that morissey may be irritated by the fact that people get touched by this art, rather by the art itself...but this goes out of the domain of art anyway...

[Fuzzguitar]

I do remember Moz spouting off in his 'prime' (many moons ago, obviously) and being particularly offended by Cocteau Twins interviews, and what he perceived to be their inherent dullness as interview subjects. (I love(d) the Smiths so I took a keen interest when any 'cross referencing' with other favourites occured)

To be fair, I don't think even the most die-hard fan would regard the Cocteau Twins as Masters of the Soundbite. It would appear that the music is/was everything to them, and being asked to explain how it was created was not only impossible but irrelevant. Whereas in Morrissey's case, the bons mots and frippery were a goodly part of the whole 'Moz' package (that and releasing rubbish solo albums, flirting with NF imagery and generally becoming a bit of an arse).

Different styles, I guess.

[Brett]

I tip my hat to the inherent wisdom of each of those last three posts.

Nice.

[zed]

.........so. being an arsehole is a style??:confused:

no offense to those of you that adore the man and his "stuff", but i thought being an ass, was, well, being an ass.

of course many artists were, and are asreholes.
i should know. self flaggallation for my failings is practicaly a lifestyle for me these days.

but i never considered it a STYLE.
just a personal failing to be overcome.

oh shit, going pompus and all that again, best leave.........(see!)

Z. ballerina

[iceblink555]

Originally posted by Brett
I tip my hat to the inherent wisdom of each of those last three posts.
Nice.

My hat is tipped as well. Very insightful trio of posts!

BTW, has (c)nevery been banned recently, or is he returning from banishment? --Alan

[aprilskies]

What other people have to say about The Cocteau Twins (good or bad) has never interested me.

[Trashmad]

I was always a fan of The Smiths despite Morrissey rather than because of, so never really take much notice of anything he said (or says)