Morrissey VS Robert Smith

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I was wondering if anyone could tell me the history of their feud and/or why they hate each other. Is it a genuine dislike spawned by an actual meeting or is it more like and Oasis vs. Blur thing, that is more press than anything else?

― JD from CDepot, Saturday, 30 April 2005 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, they have completely different approaches to music, and life, I suppose.

Robert Smith = romance hewn from gothy, art-school, Continental material

Morrissey = romance hewn from old-fashioned, English self-improving working-class material

Underneath it all:

Robert Smith = ordinary bloke
Morrissey = deranged

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 30 April 2005 17:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I didn't put that well at all.

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 30 April 2005 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

yes you did. well, the final bit, anyway. i'd argue it could be reduced further, though [ducks]:

robert smith = really, really lovely guy: kind, decent, genuinely concerned with what others think about him and his music (he's the musician i've most enjoyed interviewing; more so even than peter hook)

morrissey = a big wankshaft

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:00 (twenty-one years ago)

When Morrissey said he thought RS should be popped, I think he was still very much in the grip of the idea that new wave music had gone done the wrong path and ended up as something unreal and preposterous. The same attitude that had led him to call his group 'The Smiths' rather than Blue Rondo A La Turk or whatever, and attracted him to tradtional song structures. His rockism, if you like.

But there was always a contradiction in his outlook - there was that side of things, but then was some of his reading, and some of his closest friends like Linder, and his admiration of Siouxie Sioux. Maybe he found it easier to take in women. Less of a challenge to him or something.

I'm rambling now.

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

they had ideologically conflicting hairstylez

― Kim (Kim), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

OTM

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Kim basically said in five words what it took me three garbled posts to say.

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:22 (twenty-one years ago)

hmm. thing is, i have ever-so-slightly morrissey-esque hair and a bob smith lifest ... actually, no, who am i trying to kid. i do like to drink my own body weight in booze, though.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

What little simon doesn't say is that this only amounts to 9oz.

― Alba (Alba), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

ah, but we're just off out for a big slap-up feed at the battlefield rest. when i come back, i intend to be 25 stone. bring on the kegs!

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 30 April 2005 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Both are washed-up now, but Morrissey has his irony, way with a good lyric, and fabulous hair to sustain him.

Smith, who's never quite convinced me that he's as fucked up and obsessive as his songs claim he is (which is why the Cure'll always be in the Smiths and ESPECIALLY New Order's shadow), has always seemed a joke instead of being part of the joke (and I really did "The Head on the Door," "Standing on the Beach" and assorted singles.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Saturday, 30 April 2005 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I think they got along fairly well now, if they have to see each other at industry parties or whatnot. The history I think comes down to Moz saying some inflamatory things in the British music press and RS responding likewise. Something to the effect of:"If Morrissey says meat is murder I'm going to a eat a hamburger." From what I know of RS, he comes from a posh background, is very well spoken, and is basically a family man. He's been married to the same woman from the beginning of his career and has kids and likes staying at home and gardening, or whatever he does there. He went out like a normal person when the Curiosa rolled through America--went to bars, met fans, played chess. One similarity could be that music-wise he is a control freak.

Morrissey has taken a slightly different path. Self-educated, self-taught. Northern. Very large chip on shoulder. Not a family man, although he does appear to be kind to/ spend time with his nephews, mom and sis. Ambigious sexualty. Fearful/distrustful of people in general. I think Alba summed it up best in his "ordinary bloke/deranged" comment. Morrissey has introduced himself at concerts as "As some of you know I used to be in an 80s band called the Cure. As you can see, I'm slimmed down quite a bit since then."

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 30 April 2005 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

RS plays chess? For some reason, that greatly improves my opinion of him.

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 30 April 2005 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

(But I still think someone ought to teach him how to put on makeup.)

― Sundar (sundar), Saturday, 30 April 2005 20:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I vaguely recall a 1984 interview with Morrissey where's he asked about pop music and he dismisses it as rubbish. The interviewer's in disbelief and asks, "You don't even like 'The Caterpillar?'" Morrissey then expresses his disdain for it and for Robert Smith and goes on about how he thinks Robert ripped him off in that Morrissey wore flowers in concert and then Robert started wearing them too or some other bollocks like that, but I think that's how it started.

― Ian Riese-Moraine has a grenade, that pineapple's not just a toy! (Eastern Mantr, Saturday, 30 April 2005 21:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe early on in The Smith's carrer Uncle Morrissey and Fat Bob met up but something happened that put pay to any friendship. What this thing was no one seems to know though...

― elwisty (elwisty), Saturday, 30 April 2005 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

What is most important here, is that Robert Smith pisses on Morrissey completely when it comes to quality material.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 30 April 2005 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

he has better melodies innit

― elwisty (elwisty), Saturday, 30 April 2005 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw this post title Morrissey VS Robert Smith and hoped for something far more violent...

― Magnakai (Magnakai), Saturday, 30 April 2005 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

The incident that ended Morrissey and Smith's friendship:

http://www.ringinsider.com/wrestlingmedia/photos/gifs/windowthrow.gif

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 30 April 2005 22:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Both are washed-up now

You're fired.

He's been married to the same woman from the beginning of his career and has kids and likes staying at home and gardening

Not quite -- they have no kids, and he and Mary have been together since high school but only got married in 1989. He does like gardening at home, though.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 30 April 2005 22:50 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.gothic.hu/images/robert_smith2.jpg

cf; anal virgins

― elwisty (elwisty), Saturday, 30 April 2005 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Morrissey still has a career. I'd venture to say that Robert Smith's career is certainly in the later stages of near death.

― zeropointDL (zeropointDL), Sunday, 1 May 2005 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I vaguely recall a 1984 episode of rentaghost.

― RJG (RJG), Sunday, 1 May 2005 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

which is why the Cure'll always be in the Smiths and ESPECIALLY New Order's shadow

ha ha ha...do you really believe this? :)

― Marco Damiani (Marco D.), Monday, 2 May 2005 13:38 (twenty-one years ago)

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