Morrissey blasts David Bowie

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I thought you guys would find this interesting and discussion-worthy

From NME.com:

MORRISSEY has launched a scathing attack on DAVID BOWIE during his first television interview in 17 years.

He labeled Bowie "showie", claiming that the veteran artist was a "business’". He went on to say that the public only fell in love with Ziggy Stardust, and the visuals for Ziggy were dreamt up by someone else.

Morrissey also tore strips off the artist in an interview in the April edition of GQ magazine.

"(He is) not the person he was. He is no longer David Bowie at all. Now he gives people what he thinks will make them happy, and they're yawning their heads off. And by doing that, he is not relevant. He was only relevant by accident."

The attack on the veteran artist will be broadcast tonight (May 14) on 'The Jonathan Ross Show', where the former Smiths frontman also performs two songs, current single ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’ and the classic 1988 single ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’.

Relations were not always tense between the two, as Bowie covered the Morrissey track ‘I Know It's Going To Happen Someday' on his Black Tie White Noise album in 1993, and asked Morrissey to join him on his 1995 tour, though Morrissey left the tour before it was over.

Morrissey’s new album ’You Are The Quarry’ is released on Monday (May 17), following the release of the single ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’, which is heading for a Top Ten entry on Sunday's chart.

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

"blasts"

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:15 (twenty-one years ago)

(sorry)

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:16 (twenty-one years ago)

"fuck off."

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay well there was no Bowie chat whatsoever in the Ross interview as broadcast

― de, Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:22 (twenty-one years ago)

And this is really is tiresome; I'm not Bowie's biggestf fan but I can appreciate his standing. Morrissey is incapable of enjoying most musical genres, therefore 80% of Bowie's career is incomprehensible to him. Example: above he only mentions Ziggy Stardust, as if that's all Bowie has on his resume. Kind of pathetic. I can picture Moz sitting down to listen to 'Low' or 'Station to Station' and turning it off after two minutes in disgust. His opinion on Bowie is like his opinion on all other artists: irrelevant. This was the man who got all excited over Echobelly after all.

― de, Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Heh, we aleady touched on this on another Morrissey thread. What's next, Morrissey announces favorite breakfast cereal? Mind, I'm not complaining.

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I thoguht this was going to be about CUMSHOTS!

― 24 hours with the King of Snake. (SNAKE!) (ex machina), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Heh, we aleady touched on this on another Morrissey thread. What's next, Morrissey announces favorite breakfast cereal? Mind, I'm not complaining.

Ah, the typical "we already touched the subject on another thread" response, at ILM. Well, not everyone spends the entire day browsing through all possible threads to corroborate if the subject they'll post about has been talked about yet. No reason to be an ass about it. Fuck, and indeed, off.

― Salvador Saca (Mr. Xolotl), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:42 (twenty-one years ago)

touchy touchy!

Salvador, I'm sorry if I was disrespectful to your thread with a dumb joke, but it was just so obvious I wanted to be the first to get it out of the way (thanks to Snake for drawing the diagram, though).

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, if you are interested in Morrissey, you might follow a few of the already current Morrissey threads, but really, I wish every thread on this board was about Morrissey. Here's a transcript of what they didn't play:

JR: Let’s talk about your fanbase now. I’m fascinated by this kind of Latino fan base you have over in California. That’s just such a weird thing.

M: It’s an interesting thing. It’s really strong. And it’s not just on the west coast it’s other places as well.

JR: Well anywhere where there’s a Spanish-speaking community?

M: Yeah, yeah. And people always ask me why and I don’t know why. But they look fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. The wife-beaters and all the tattoos. It’s all very gangy.

JR: Well, what a great following to have as well.

M: It’s very glamorous.

JR: I mean your cool enough already but that makes you even more cool.

M: It’s also something people strive to get that audience and they just came to me without me doing anything.

JR: Imagine if David Bowie had them as an audience.

M: I think he’d like ANY audience.

[Audience oooohs and laughs]

JR: Now, now I know you had a tiff.

M: Well. Nothing like that happened. Now I know you love-

JR: I love David.

M: But do you know him, though?

JR: No, of course not. And I don’t want to either, really.

M: Well, they do call him David Showie. He’s a business, you know. He’s not really a person.

JR: You think so?

M: Trust me, Jonathan, I know.

JR: Now-

M: Why do you like him?

JR: I like him-

M: You like him because you liked him when you were 12.

JR: Yes. But I like his music now as well. Do you not like his new music?

M: Well my theory is that people fell in love with Ziggy Stardust and not really David Bowie. He doesn’t realise that.

JR: I don’t know. I liked the “Let’s Dance” period as well. Did you like that?

M : No!

JR: You didn’t like that?

M: No. Also, I think that when he was wonderful it was just the people around him in ‘71 & ’72-

JR: No!-

M: -that gave him the hairstyle, that gave him the clothes, and gave him the-

JR: Morrissey. I think you’re being unnecessarily bitchy about it now.

M: The entire audience agrees with me.

[Audience laughs]

JR: That’s not true. They’ve gone quiet. They’re scared of you. They think you’re going to shut the door and say, “Thank God, they’ve gone.”

[Audience laughs]

JR: Do you find it in any way easy or impossible to forgive and forget people?

M: Which people?

JR: Like David, for example.

M: Not really. Not really. I could tell you stories, Jonathan, and you’d never listen to “Let’s Dance” again.

JR: Wasn’t he in his drug phase then?

M: So? [Some] People go through drug phases and they’re really nice and flattering.

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:08 (twenty-one years ago)

"Use other feuds please"

― omg, Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"I thought this was going to be about CUMSHOTS!"

That was the funniest thing I've read all day.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:21 (twenty-one years ago)

dont get out much?

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

nah. but it was the only thing anyone wrote today that at least got a chuckle out of me.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:24 (twenty-one years ago)

M: Yeah, yeah. And people always ask me why and I don’t know why. But they look fantastic! Absolutely fantastic. The wife-beaters and all the tattoos. It’s all very gangy.

Uh...

― David Allen (David Allen), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I wonder why he keeps bringing up Bowie now? He's been dismissive of Bowie in the past but never quite this vitriolic and bitchy.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:30 (twenty-one years ago)

It looked to me like Jonathan Ross brought up Bowie and then tried to defend his honor thereby egging Morrissey on.....maybe Moz just couldn't resist.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:39 (twenty-one years ago)

I would think so, but he seems to bring up Bowie in almost every recent interview. It's like one of his talking points.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:43 (twenty-one years ago)

didn't Moz once say something about tattoos being vile? I'm pretty sure he did, because I remember reading that in one of those godawful "Morrissey Quotes" book when I was 16 and bumming on it cuz I had a tattoo and probably would have tattooed a picture of Morrissey on myself when I was 15 if I had the chance

Oh well. Sorry to derail. Carry on feeding the flames...

― roger adultery, Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:44 (twenty-one years ago)

You know I don't care if he is a National Treasure or a member of the royal family or a protected species or something - Morrissey should be called out on virtually everything he said on the show, including that transcript. Because virtually everything he says is bollocks.

― de, Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes and I should know...

― de, Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmmm...can't say I've read that many of Morrissey's recent interviews. But he strikes me as the kind of guy who talks a lot of shit just to amuse himself. He played a show in my hometown in CA once, and the first words out of his mouth were, "I can't believe you people actually live here."

"didn't Moz once say something about tattoos being vile?"
oh, and the cover pictures of the best of Moz show him with what looks like a tattoo saying southpaw grammar on his arm....or was it magic marker?

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:53 (twenty-one years ago)

he strikes me as the kind of guy who talks a lot of shit just to amuse himself. He played a show in my hometown in CA once, and the first words out of his mouth were, "I can't believe you people actually live here."

doesn't he live in CA?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:56 (twenty-one years ago)

or, perhaps the statement can be read differently?

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I think he lives in Southern CA. I'm from the Bay Area.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

This was the man who got all excited over Echobelly after all.

or rather pretended to i order to deflect the accusations of racism levelled at him at that time.

M: You like him because you liked him when you were 12.

just like everyone who buys "You are the quarry" on monday.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

"Morrissey. I think you’re being unnecessarily bitchy about it now."

that should really be the title of his new album. it would even fit the cover art!

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The Full List of everything Morrissey has branded "vile"

reggae
Manchester
disc-jockeys
Labour
meat-eaters
the Queen
Gary Davies
Queen
journalists
charity concerts
hip-hop
Oliver Cromwell
America
The Sun
women
liars
uneducated types
David Bowie
coatal towns
Bengalis
George Bush
NME
computers
tattoos
Tories
school

A list of some things Morrissy has not branded "vile"

racist thugs
wife-beaters
the films of Russ Meyer
regicide
bare-knucle boxing
football hooliganism
unclecide
guns
Carry on films
misery

Some of these may be made up

― Patrick Kinghorn, Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Ahahaha. Morrissey accusing someone else of being 'showy'. Pot. Kettle. Black.

At least Bowie writes his own music.

― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

boy, i'd like to see this morrissey on russ meyer quote. Patrick?

― the owl, Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"Faster Pussycat! Kill!Kill! is the bee's knees! It reminds me of something Oscar Wilde once said...." -Mozzer

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you see the Importance of Being Morrissey, Nicole? Morrissey blasted Bowie briefly, complaining about how David deprived him of the chance of saying good-by to his audience when he opened for David, and saying that, he was a good artist in the 70s, but not now...that last bit was said with extreme petulance.

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)

over-the-hill entertainer attacks other over-the-hill entertainer for being over the hill shockah

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Sunday, 16 May 2004 04:35 (twenty-one years ago)

i think people are getting "wife-beaters" and spousal abusers mixed up.

― the surface noise of psychotic badassery (electricsound), Sunday, 16 May 2004 06:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Those of us not blessed/cursed with celebrity can say what we like about who we like and people will accept it's our opinion and not the result of jealousy, etc. (Unless you're slagging of professional journalists, apparently, hehehe).

What's Moz said about Bowie that lots of his fans haven't said at some point? Perhaps they have had a personal tiff, but really, do the famous all have to belong to some passionless backslapping "I really love your new work" mutual ego-wank?

Oi, again with the wanking...

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Sunday, 16 May 2004 06:38 (twenty-one years ago)

i think it's hilarious. and partially OTM: i mean for god's sake david did an evian ad! m probably adored david when he was 12 and feels cheated. ;-)

― jesus nathalie (nathalie), Sunday, 16 May 2004 07:09 (twenty-one years ago)

well, he's had 20-plus years to practice

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Sunday, 16 May 2004 07:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Matos, de, otm.

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 16 May 2004 08:33 (twenty-one years ago)

notorious bitch calling out occasionally notorious bitch non-shockah

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Sunday, 16 May 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you see the Importance of Being Morrissey, Nicole?

No, haven't seen it yet.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Sunday, 16 May 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

He needs to get more up to date and weigh in on the art crimes of Wishbone Ash.

― Ian G., Sunday, 16 May 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Morissey and David Bowie are two of the most over-rated pop acts of the last, well, of the last forever.

I am however curious as to who'd win in a fist fight.

Would it be the sexually ambiguous fop, or the why-was-he-ever-famous-anyway twat, and which one is which anyway?

― mei (mei), Sunday, 16 May 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

the best reply in this post is patrick's list of morrissey's loves and hates. morrissey is just being a queen about bowie, probably because bowie called him a name and pulled his hair once.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Sunday, 16 May 2004 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"because bowie called him a name and pulled his hair once"
yeah, "Who's your daddy, bitch!"

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Sunday, 16 May 2004 21:15 (twenty-one years ago)

'The Importance of Being Morrissey' is on channel 4 tonight in the uk, 1:45 am.

― de, Sunday, 16 May 2004 21:25 (twenty-one years ago)

those were pretty timid "attacks".

― keith m (keithmcl), Sunday, 16 May 2004 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Morrissey is fat and irrelevent.

James

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Define relevance again.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 May 2004 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Now now now, I'm just being mean. Would it help if I just called him a fat old windbag? Don't overreact. I'm not insanely opposed to his music.

James

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

And for the record, Bowie's been irrelevent since "Heroes".

tee hee.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:12 (twenty-one years ago)

And quite frankly, relevance to me means having some real social impact or purpose, being a real part of the zeitgeist. Most rock music, by definition, is irrelevant for all but its fans.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

fight the power dude

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

The definition of "Rock" is that it's irrelevant, James? Anyway did you know I think songs are dumb did you know that

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

also what's wrong with having a some fake social impact or purpose, being a fake part of the zeitgeist?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:21 (twenty-one years ago)

No, I'm saying that it doesn't have social impact beyond its shelf date. It's only relevant in its given time. A good question might be "how is Morrissey relevant?"

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Who said anything about being wrong? Jesus, you guys need to lay off the coke.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

ok what's irrelevant about having a some fake social impact or purpose, being a fake part of the zeitgeist?

pepsi suxx

― cinniblount (James Blount), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey I was just making fun of Morrissey and his fans. Leave me alone!

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:29 (twenty-one years ago)

James, am curious which current musics you feel have real social impact or purpose.

― Tim Ellison, Monday, 17 May 2004 03:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Besides, irrelevance is largely subjective and circumstantial. It's an opinion more than an objective fact. There's really no point in trying to make empirical arguments about rock music. You're asking for an objective account of something I basically *feel*. How does Morrissey affect my life, or most peoples' lives? He doesnt.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

What's yr point then? We knew that

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think any of the music I like has any real impact to tell you the truth. There are bands that are relevant to me, but their importance ends there. You have to understand that I use words like irrelevent to describe mainstream acts because I know it drives their fans mad. Morrissey has a lot more relevent than most of what I listen to, since he reaches more people and has had far more influence.

Quite frankly, any really popular current band is relevant, since they have audiences and consequently have more aesthetic and ideological bearing on the world around them. I would say that for most people I know, contemporary is the most relevant music, politically, culturally, and aesthetically.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:37 (twenty-one years ago)

when i say contemporary, I mean current mainstream hip hop, rock, country, etc. etc.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, but Velvet Underground circa 1968 as "irrelevant" because they didn't sell many records?

― Tim Ellison, Monday, 17 May 2004 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I never had a point. I just like call Morrissey fat and irrelevant. It was you who wanted some kind of point.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Point taken.

― Tim Ellison, Monday, 17 May 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

The Velvet Underground are more important because of their impact on rock in general than their social impact- let's put it that way. To 88% of the world population they're completely irrelvant. You guys really want to take this non-debate somewhere, don't you?

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:43 (twenty-one years ago)

good, that's resolved. Now let's talk about something else.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Monday, 17 May 2004 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

James is highly entertaining!

― don (don), Monday, 17 May 2004 07:33 (twenty-one years ago)

not one point on the fact that the interview was edited. who made the desicion to remove this section ? was it JR himself to keep the David Bowie love on the right track (ie no more JR/DB exclusives) or record label involvement, or were the BBC concerned of litigation? surely this is the part that is of most interest of the anodyne interview that was eventually shown .. and i speak as someone who has time for both prima donnas.

― mark e (mark e), Monday, 17 May 2004 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

Done better here (enjoy):

Morrissey Versus David Bowie

― Naomi D, Sunday, 5 March 2006 16:23 (nineteen years ago)

You have a strange definition of "better", Naomi D!

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Sunday, 5 March 2006 18:28 (nineteen years ago)

Just waiting for Bowie to state that Morrissey has done nothing interesting since The Smiths broke up.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 5 March 2006 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

Morrissey never did anything interesting before the Smiths broke up, either.

― vartman (novaheat), Sunday, 5 March 2006 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

I thoguht this was going to be about CUMSHOTS!

-- 24 hours with the King of Snake. (SNAKE!) (williamj@cs.rochester.edu), May 15th, 2004 10:31 PM. (ex machina)

― Special Agent Gene Krupa (orion), Sunday, 5 March 2006 23:14 (nineteen years ago)

Morrissey never did anything interesting before the Smiths broke up, either.

Well, personally I consider "You Are The Quarry" the best thing he's ever done, including everything he did with The Smiths.

But I know the Canon disagrees :)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 6 March 2006 00:13 (nineteen years ago)

the canon...and people with ears.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 6 March 2006 18:12 (nineteen years ago)

I still haven't forgiven him for his 1992 album title though. A guy from Manchester naming an album after ARSEnal. That's blasphemy!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 6 March 2006 22:49 (nineteen years ago)

He was a Man U fan, Geir, but apparently he no longer follows football.

― Lotta Continua (Damian), Monday, 6 March 2006 22:58 (nineteen years ago)

Hilarious thread, this one!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 09:34 (nineteen years ago)

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