The Guardian: "Matt Berninger webchat: your questions answered on Morrissey, Taylor Swift and infinite creativity" (October 13, 2020)

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The Guardian - October 13, 2020.
Laura Snapes.

Matt Berninger webchat: your questions answered on Morrissey, Taylor Swift and infinite creativity.

"I want my daughter to listen to the Smiths.
I don't want her to pay attention to what Morrissey says now.


djdazz asks:

Hi Matt, we are about the same age, with many of the same formative influences. The reception of all art changes over time, but I’m wondering how you reconcile your love of the Smiths with Morrissey’s recent political dalliances. Of course, I want to trust the art rather than artist, but sometimes it’s not easy. Your thoughts on the issue would be greatly appreciated!

Matt:

I'm really glad somebody asked me. I brought up Morrissey and the Smiths so many times to journalists over the past few years because I'm interested to talk about that, and so often it never makes it into the interview because it's just such tricky territory, right? Because Morrissey was one of the voices, writers, performers that made me - maybe more than almost any, at this phase in my life when I was 15, 16, 17. When you just feel like a misfit. But I was a misfit with a lot of confidence. I had a lot of chips on my shoulders, small chips. And then to hear this other person from a place that I'd never heard of, didn't know anything about Manchester, didn't know anything about England, really, and then here was this band and this singer singing about all these emotional, hugely dramatic grievances - the Boy With the Thorn in His Side, Please Please Please let me get what I want, these raw pleas to the universe to be understood. And so funny. Morrissey, the thing that's hardest to square now, is how a person with such empathy for himself and for the misfits and those around him, writing so beautifully about that, now seeming to have very little empathy for other perspectives. It's a hard thing. I listen to the Smiths a lot still, and I listen to Morrissey a lot, and then I do pay attention to the things that he says and it's heartbreaking. I feel like fear and the anxiety of the world has maybe kinda overtaken him a little bit, and I guess it makes me try to keep my mind open and keep listening to everyone. At some point, the older you get, you can close your brain off. I feel like Morrissey became very frustrated because he wanted the world to be a very specific way. When festivals have to change their rules because he's there, I understand that when he's making sure the entire festival is vegan because he believes in that. But I think at a certain point you can't control everything, you get bitter and angry and that's happened to a lot of people. The world is chaotic and out of control and people retreat to a very small corner when they feel they cannot control the world, and I feel he's retreated to a very small corner that doesn't have the empathy that he used to have. I think about it a lot. I wish I had a better answer. But the Smiths still provides me a lot of comfort and inspiration and empathy. I still listen to the Boy With the Thorn in His Side and feel less alone in the world. The Smiths really helped me out of some emotional, dark tangles and they still do. Morrissey's body of work, so much of it provides me really healthy, positive answers, still. I won't give up that. I won't put those records in a box and bury 'em. I want my daughter to listen to the Smiths. I don't want her to pay attention to what Morrissey says now. She listens to them now in fact, she loves them. Frankly Mr Shankly - how can you not love that song? Girlfriend in a Coma, it's great."


Regards,
FWD.


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everyone on this site is a loser
the national are great - and matt berringer is an outstanding performer and lyricist
everything he said is spot on - you lemmings are a bunch of idiots
Easy tiger you almost upset me there.
 
AAAANNND we're off - someone else says that Morrissey is not worth of attention and the detractors are quick out of the blocks to slag them off. I mean, the ONLY possible reason is that THEY are rubbish - amirite, folks?
That's not what he said. You either did not read the article or cannot understand basic English. Twat.
 
You are ignoring everything he's said.
I’m literally acknowledging everything he’s said, Felcher girl. So is the ray of the world. There’s no conspiracy against Morrissey. He’s reaping what he sows. Just because your wee noggin is firmly planted up his anus, doesn’t make the truth any different.
 
In your opinion he was bitchy and cutting
We lived in a time when we forced to be bitchy and cutting.
He was poetic romantic and nostalgic..but that was never good enough.
Simple minded perhaps but better that than down right cynicism.

"We lived in a time" ? I was alive then too. I also read every single interview he ever did for the Smiths.
 
Ha ha. I don't give a peanut about if you like morriseys views or music. I have my own mind and nothing changes. My love for morrisey. !!!
 
Smashmouth
Moon shot is Boris Johnson’s plan to deliver co
"We lived in a time" ? I was alive then too. I also read every single interview he ever did for the Smiths.
so what are you saying?
Stephen Hoffman I’m not stating that you are wrong.
I’m not disputing your point of view.
At the time when you and I were there, listening to his perspective did we have a sense of a better world? Were we sold a lie? Up until now a better world never happened does that mean he sold us out?
Does that mean we couldn’t dream of it?
Did they as in The Smiths sell us an illusion? Did we buy into fakery or did we believe something better could happen through music, arts, books, theatre, culture, etc etc including, higher learning from a working class background. Knowledge and self awareness without university education.
Maybe we wouldn’t have bothered with Wilde Keats or Yeats
Reaching out thirsting whatever you want to call it.
Why are we blaming him?
He moved on
Maybe we didn’t.
 
Moon shot is Boris Johnson’s plan to deliver co

so what are you saying?
Stephen Hoffman I’m not stating that you are wrong.
I’m not disputing your point of view.
At the time when you and I were there, listening to his perspective did we have a sense of a better world? Were we sold a lie? Up until now a better world never happened does that mean he sold us out?
Does that mean we couldn’t dream of it?
Did they as in The Smiths sell us an illusion? Did we buy into fakery or did we believe something better could happen through music, arts, books, theatre, culture, etc etc including, higher learning from a working class background. Knowledge and self awareness without university education.
Maybe we wouldn’t have bothered with Wilde Keats or Yeats
Reaching out thirsting whatever you want to call it.
Why are we blaming him?
He moved on
Maybe we didn’t.


I don't think there was any illusion in the things Moz talked about....the movies, books, people. It certainly widened my eyes to a lot of stuff. I'm grateful for that. On a personal level, some of the lyrics were taken too much to heart but thats my problem. I'm not blaming him btw.
 
I don't think there was any illusion in the things Moz talked about....the movies, books, people. It certainly widened my eyes to a lot of stuff. I'm grateful for that. On a personal level, some of the lyrics were taken too much to heart but thats my problem. I'm not blaming him btw.
I know and I agree
I feel like you too, and I’m grateful too.
It’s up to ordinary people to take up the torch and pass it on.
The ideas and influences ignited a generation (it will never be repeated)
We were the last. We can make a difference.
Peace love and harmony. Even it is only in the next world.
 
Don't play daft Surfy you know exactly what I mean. I remember seeing the episode of Later With Joolz when both Moz and The National were guests and the singer Matt looked like a vagabond with a filthy long beard and a rag bag suit. No stage style whatsoever.

Does it matter how someone looks on stage? Matt generally wears a suit when playing live.
 
everyone on this site is a loser
the national are great - and matt berringer is an outstanding performer and lyricist
everything he said is spot on - you lemmings are a bunch of idiots

I think they are incredibly dull, but will give them another listen!
 

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