Interview with Tim Booth with Morrissey and Smiths mention
James - Tim Booth on Not Being a Heritage Band and Why They Were Never Big in America
by Celine Teo-Blockey, Under the Radar, August 5, 2019
Excerpt:
And here I was thinking you missed out on being big in America because you wanted to see a guru [from the Lifewave cult].
[Laughs] Yes, The Smiths invited us to tour with them on their first big tour in America. But two of us were deep into meditations, no alcohol, no drugs and there was this opportunity to see this guru. So we turned down our first American tour and our guru didn't turn up anyway. [Laughs] At any rate, I don't think we were quite ready for America. I joined James as a 16-year-old, we needed that longer period of time to master our craft. We finally got to the States nine years later with "Sit Down" and that was great! Then grunge happened. Once grunge happened—you know that wasn't quite us.
***
While we're on the topic of politics, you were great friends with Morrissey back in the day, does it seem strange to you how his current political views are so far-right, the antithesis to yours?
Fame does weird things to people. In the early '80s, he was a sweet man: tender, insecure, funny—that was the man I knew. I haven't spoken to him recently so I can't comment on his views. But I don't recognize him anymore from the reports in the media.
James - Tim Booth on Not Being a Heritage Band and Why They Were Never Big in America
by Celine Teo-Blockey, Under the Radar, August 5, 2019
Excerpt:
And here I was thinking you missed out on being big in America because you wanted to see a guru [from the Lifewave cult].
[Laughs] Yes, The Smiths invited us to tour with them on their first big tour in America. But two of us were deep into meditations, no alcohol, no drugs and there was this opportunity to see this guru. So we turned down our first American tour and our guru didn't turn up anyway. [Laughs] At any rate, I don't think we were quite ready for America. I joined James as a 16-year-old, we needed that longer period of time to master our craft. We finally got to the States nine years later with "Sit Down" and that was great! Then grunge happened. Once grunge happened—you know that wasn't quite us.
***
While we're on the topic of politics, you were great friends with Morrissey back in the day, does it seem strange to you how his current political views are so far-right, the antithesis to yours?
Fame does weird things to people. In the early '80s, he was a sweet man: tender, insecure, funny—that was the man I knew. I haven't spoken to him recently so I can't comment on his views. But I don't recognize him anymore from the reports in the media.
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