TTY: Full List of Dates Played To Promote 'World Peace is None of Your Business'; Lady Penelope art

Note: May / June 2014 US dates were not included for some reason.

Full List of Dates Played To Promote 'World Peace is None of Your Business'
- true-to-you.net
4 January 2016

6 October 2014, Coliseum, Lisbon, Portugal
...
2 January 2016, The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA
(Click link for full list)

lady_penelope.jpg


Lady Penelope artwork by Sam Esty Rayner
 
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But I think the main reason is his refusal to play by record company's rules, which has plagued his entire career. Hello Harvest, hello Sanctuary, hello EMI. Geoff, are you there?

Doesn't sound entirely logical to me because tere were plenty of moments in Moz career where he was quite willing to promote his music. We will never know. Maybe we have to ask Jake :D If the Autobiography is anything to go by (and I know for most people it isn't) then 1994 sounded far away from perfection. It sounded like a time where Moz seemed trying to come to terms with many personal issues by seeing a psychiatrist and so forth. And the description of his "illness" during that time in Los Angeles is a hint, too, in my book.
 
Wow - Thanks so much for all your perspectives - they've been quite insightful! And I am so envious of all you that got to see Morrissey back in the day. That must have been something to experience - and I had no idea that he didn't do much to promote Vauxhall. It makes sense to me now why he wasn't able to get to the next level of fame so to speak.


The reality was that in '92 Moz gave it a damn good push. He did a lot of MTV type stuff and in-stores in the States, a ton of interviews and Your Arsenal was a genuinely great album to be pushing and touring with. And he got close, I think Arsenal entered at #21 in America (back in the days when charts meant something) and got nominated for a Grammy. But ultimately Morrissey is/was just too polarizing to be a mainstream star, and the voice, well you either love it or loathe it.

I think if he'd toured the States with Vauxhall he may have even got closer but at the time he was too busy tooling around with Jake, LOL. I tell you what though it was a great time to be a Morrissey fan, maybe the best, especially after the disappointment that was Kill Uncle. The band sounded great, I think of it as their 'Meat is Murder' period. I'll always maintain that The Smiths were at their best live around '85 and I think '92 was the zenith for Morrissey solo.

The Hollywood Bowl sold out quicker than The Beatles, he was beating merchandising records set by U2, (the merch was actually great back then) it was genuine Morrissey mania and he covers it quite well in Autobiography.

And Morrissey looked f***en fantastic, the quiff never better, the lame shirts in full ascendance and the interviews around the time were stellar too. The TV performances were on point but the reaction on the Leno show was the best in '92, especially Jay getting a signed copy of the album, LOL.

I did find what he wrote about his U.S. tour in his autobiography amusing - his astonishment at the hysteria he generated seems genuine. Of course it wouldn't be Morrissey if he didn't complain about something so he has to complain about the lack of coverage by the British press - which I found amusing as well -

It would have been fun if Leno could have interviewed him - or better yet Johnny Carson! That truly would have been surreal -

Thanks for this insight. Very interesting, though not altogether surprising. I agree that his decision not to tour behind Vauxhall was probably informed by several factors, mainly contentment in his personal life and not wanting to disrupt that, and his tendency to be contrarian and disregard record label directives.

Maybe this is grasping, but many queer artists with cult followings in the states seem to have much greater success in Europe. This could be an additional factor in why he never "broke" in the States.

Morrissey never overtly presented himself as a "gay artist" or anything along those terms, and in fact actively worked to ensure he wouldn't be pigeonholed as such, but nevertheless there was plenty about him to make him too subversive for safe, mass consumption in puritanical, uptight America. Even if he had toured the US in support of Vauxhall, I'm not sure he would have found massive success. The entertainment industry in this country just doesn't know how to market male entertainers who do not fit a very specific mold; this is perhaps less true now than it was in the early 90s, but it is still more or less the case. Morrissey has himself spoken to this issue. Even if he didn't have a whiff of "the love that dare not speak its name" about him, Morrissey was still never going to fit the requirements of marketability in the US. He is very classically handsome, but his role as the eternal outsider, speaking to and for the marginalized, and serving as a beacon of alternative masculinity means that he would always be at odds with conventional success in America and truly at home artistically in the margins, and that is honestly where I think he belongs. Not because he was never good enough as a performer to achieve megastardom, but because that kind of mass appeal is in many ways antithetical to what Morrissey represents and what his key virtues are as an artist.

I agree with what you say here and I think you put it very well though there are a number of artists whose masculinity didn't really fit the traditional mold who became mega pop stars around that time- Michael Jackson, Prince for instance - but they made a point of "presenting" heterosexual unlike Morrissey as you note. I was thinking that as long as there was some sexual ambiguity in Morrissey's case, he could have become a bigger mainstream star too. In fact, that ambiguity might have been an asset since one thing what made him so charismatic was how sexually charged he was for boys and girls and everything in between. But once he was in a relationship with Jake, his sexuality was no longer theoretical and it seems to me that that must have been the major reason why he resisted doing the usual promotional interviews and tour for Vauxhall since he would have inevitably been asked if he was involved with anybody at the time and he probably didn't want to deal with lying or obfuscating the issue or telling the truth which would have pigeonholed him and I bet would have given his record label an anuerysm. And touring would have meant either a separation from Jake or being together surreptitiously. Though it's not like he made that much of an effort to hide their relationship - when did he do that photo for Creem where he had his head in Jake's lap? I wonder if the record company or his agent told him that if he wanted to promote Vauxhall and make it big in the U.S., he had to keep the relationship under wraps. Because it's not like he wasn't willing to do the promotional bit for Your Arsenal or his other albums, as far as I can tell, when he wasn't involved with anybody.


..But Morrissey just didn't have the songs at the time. Should he have had a song like The More You Ignore Me - or First of the Gang or Irish Blood - he would have been huge in 1991 I'm pretty sure.

Was Tomorrow from Your Arsenal a hit? That seemed to have everything going for it and he looked super awesome in the video for sure.
 
Was Tomorrow from Your Arsenal a hit? That seemed to have everything going for it and he looked super awesome in the video for sure.
Yes, it did very well on the Modern Rock Charts in the remix Sire did for that song.
A great rock song, but no crossover-potential as far as the pop charts were concerned.
 
LOL
moz never presented himself as a gay artist? he didnt have to. i mean, jeesus.
 
Thanks for this insight. Very interesting, though not altogether surprising. I agree that his decision not to tour behind Vauxhall was probably informed by several factors, mainly contentment in his personal life and not wanting to disrupt that, and his tendency to be contrarian and disregard record label directives.

Maybe this is grasping, but many queer artists with cult followings in the states seem to have much greater success in Europe. This could be an additional factor in why he never "broke" in the States.

Morrissey never overtly presented himself as a "gay artist" or anything along those terms, and in fact actively worked to ensure he wouldn't be pigeonholed as such, but nevertheless there was plenty about him to make him too subversive for safe, mass consumption in puritanical, uptight America. Even if he had toured the US in support of Vauxhall, I'm not sure he would have found massive success. The entertainment industry in this country just doesn't know how to market male entertainers who do not fit a very specific mold; this is perhaps less true now than it was in the early 90s, but it is still more or less the case. Morrissey has himself spoken to this issue. Even if he didn't have a whiff of "the love that dare not speak its name" about him, Morrissey was still never going to fit the requirements of marketability in the US. He is very classically handsome, but his role as the eternal outsider, speaking to and for the marginalized, and serving as a beacon of alternative masculinity means that he would always be at odds with conventional success in America and truly at home artistically in the margins, and that is honestly where I think he belongs. Not because he was never good enough as a performer to achieve megastardom, but because that kind of mass appeal is in many ways antithetical to what Morrissey represents and what his key virtues are as an artist.

While all this is true (and well observed), there is another, very simple reason why Morrissey didn't "break through" in the early 1990s: he didn't show up.

I do so like your post: Morrissey was an entirely successful advocate for "alternate" gender identity at a time when such a concept was still dangerous. "Gender queer" wasn't a term heard outside college campuses and art collectives back then, but Morrissey brought it live, unapologetic and full-force. It was a beautiful, brave and necessary thing.

As much as I admire Morrissey, however, he should not be given full credit as a spurned outsider who was never given a chance to shine in the conservative, uptight media spotlight. That's a very romantic notion that suits his chosen narrative, but the truth is a bit more complicated. In the early '90s Morrissey's reps had meetings lined up with several serious journalists who would have featured him (or even put him on the covers of) the biggest music publications of the day (including Rolling Stone). When the time came, however, Morrissey vanished. The man burned a lot of bridges that weekend, and not all of them were his own.

This is not to say that Morrissey doesn't deserve full credit for being a remarkably talented, influential (and spectacularly beautiful) public figure. Had he managed to keep his promises and appointments he might have had a bit more mainstream success to show for it. Ultimately, it probably wouldn't have moved the needle that much. Fame on such a scale is brutal; in many ways he was wise to avoid it.
 
While all this is true (and well observed), there is another, very simple reason why Morrissey didn't "break through" in the early 1990s: he didn't show up.

I do so like your post: Morrissey was an entirely successful advocate for "alternate" gender identity at a time when such a concept was still dangerous. "Gender queer" wasn't a term heard outside college campuses and art collectives back then, but Morrissey brought it live, unapologetic and full-force. It was a beautiful, brave and necessary thing.

As much as I admire Morrissey, however, he should not be given full credit as a spurned outsider who was never given a chance to shine in the conservative, uptight media spotlight. That's a very romantic notion that suits his chosen narrative, but the truth is a bit more complicated. In the early '90s Morrissey's reps had meetings lined up with several serious journalists who would have featured him (or even put him on the covers of) the biggest music publications of the day (including Rolling Stone). When the time came, however, Morrissey vanished. The man burned a lot of bridges that weekend, and not all of them were his own.

This is not to say that Morrissey doesn't deserve full credit for being a remarkably talented, influential (and spectacularly beautiful) public figure. Had he managed to keep his promises and appointments he might have had a bit more mainstream success to show for it. Ultimately, it probably wouldn't have moved the needle that much. Fame on such a scale is brutal; in many ways he was wise to avoid it.
Oh, totally. I guess this goes back to Thewlis' point about Morrissey's disagreeable nature and what Morrissey himself once referred to as his "unlimited self-sabotage" and the many problems it's caused him in his career. I definitely agree that these qualities probably presented the biggest obstacle in the way of greater success in the US, I just wanted to offer some perspective on an additional explanation. And thank you for the kind words!

marred said:
Morrissey will never be easy to work with and those who bitch about his behaviour while not knowing the full story are wasting their time which they seem to be very adept at. I am not including you in that group at all. I think we know who I am talking about.
I think fewer people would be inclined to complain about this behavior if Morrissey himself didn't raise such a fuss about label woes he largely brings on himself. He prides himself on doing things strictly on his own terms, but seems to want all of the advantages of playing by the rules along with that, and when that inevitably doesn't happen because that's not how this business works, he lashes out. Maybe complaining about it is a waste of time since he's set in his ways and likely nothing will change that, but surely you can understand why fans who have observed this same pattern of behavior---the "unlimited self-sabotage"---for years are frustrated by it, especially when Morrissey complains the loudest about the wreckage it leaves in its wake.
 
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"Tuesday August 8th 1995 is the launch of Southpaw Grammar at Terry Venables' club Scribes West on Kensington High Street. I prepare to leave but then quickly turn back. I just can't face it - there is too much clattering about inside my head. I stay home and I put the kettle on, talking aloud to myself and pondering on how even Billie Holiday had sex. 'Oh that's so Morrissey - he doesn't even turn up for his own album launch,' says someone with scurvy and rickets." :lbf:

Sometimes there are days like that, for everyone. Would be boring to be a fan without stories like that.
 
Oh, totally. I guess this goes back to Thewlis' point about Morrissey's disagreeable nature and what Morrissey himself once referred to as his "unlimited self-sabotage" and the many problems it's caused him in his career. I definitely agree that these qualities probably presented the biggest obstacle in the way of greater success in the US, I just wanted to offer some perspective on an additional explanation. And thank you for the kind words!

Fascinating, how Morrissey is possessed of such keen self-awareness (enough to know that he's a master of self-sabotage), and yet he continuously blames everyone else for his lack of mainstream success. He is the king of cognitive dissonance.
 
List of the Lidl's ? 4ck me how many outlets do they have on Tracey Island ?


Benny-the-British-Butcher
 
Note to budget-boy (Ryanair).

Hi Same-old Easty Ryanair
When is Auntie Steph n Uncle Damon gonna release their top ten dates of the farewell tour ?

Benny-the-British-Butcher
 
Oh, totally. I guess this goes back to Thewlis' point about Morrissey's disagreeable nature and what Morrissey himself once referred to as his "unlimited self-sabotage" and the many problems it's caused him in his career. I definitely agree that these qualities probably presented the biggest obstacle in the way of greater success in the US, I just wanted to offer some perspective on an additional explanation. And thank you for the kind words!


I think fewer people would be inclined to complain about this behavior if Morrissey himself didn't raise such a fuss about label woes he largely brings on himself. He prides himself on doing things strictly on his own terms, but seems to want all of the advantages of playing by the rules along with that, and when that inevitably doesn't happen because that's not how this business works, he lashes out. Maybe complaining about it is a waste of time since he's set in his ways and likely nothing will change that, but surely you can understand why fans who have observed this same pattern of behavior---the "unlimited self-sabotage"---for years are frustrated by it, especially when Morrissey complains the loudest about the wreckage it leaves in its wake.

And how exactly do you know concerning label woes that Morrissey largely brings them on himself? Do you have some insider knowledge of the deals and who did what to who? Record companies are run by morons. Artists who have a vision have trouble working with morons. If a record deal goes south we only ever hear from the artist mostly, therefore you just assume Morrissey is the one at fault.
 
And how exactly do you know concerning label woes that Morrissey largely brings them on himself? Do you have some insider knowledge of the deals and who did what to who? Record companies are run by morons. Artists who have a vision have trouble working with morons. If a record deal goes south we only ever hear from the artist mostly, therefore you just assume Morrissey is the one at fault.
He has exhaustively outlined them for years on TTY, in interviews, and most recently in his autobiography. As far as the nitty gritty specifics of contracts or who said what on what day, no, I am not aware of such things beyond what Morrissey or record label personnel have disclosed but what has been disclosed by parties involved is more than enough to start making reasonable inferences.

Yes, many people on the business end of entertainment can be inept. Yes, artists can be dicked over, and when they have "a vision" as you put it that they do not want to compromise, problems arise. Morrissey is not unique in this regard. Where he differs is in the frequency of major fallout. I agree that Morrissey shouldn't shoulder all of the blame for every record deal and professional relationship gone sour, but if someone has a recurring problem for over 30 years and consistently blames other people for that problem when they themselves are the only constant, it starts to raise suspicions.

What I find curious, which goes hand in hand with the paradox pointed out by Anaesthesine, is that given the decline of the major label system, an artist like Morrissey, who frequently complains of being held back by the incompetence within said system, should be rejoicing with the knowledge that he now has the potential for more freedom, more control of his artistic vision than ever before via other avenues, and yet he refuses to move forward with releasing music without a label. There often comes a time when artists who have been burned too many times take the chance to move away from a major label, or labels altogether, when presented with that opportunity. Morrissey could do this with minimal risk, and yet elects to remain beholden to the people he repeatedly deems obstacles in his way when he doesn't need to be. This doesn't make much sense, but then, Morrissey is a man of contradictions.
 
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He has exhaustively outlined them on TTY, in interviews, and especially in his autobiography. As far as the nitty gritty specifics of contracts or who said what on what day, no, I am not aware of such things beyond what Morrissey or record label personnel have disclosed but what has been disclosed is more than enough to start making reasonable inferences.

David Bowie just died. I'm tired of these discussions. What does it matter at the end of the day when he is gone?
 
David Bowie just died. I'm tired of these discussions. What does it matter at the end of the day when he is gone?

Who? Bowie or Morrissey? Morrissey has retired, so he is effectively "gone" as well.
 
Benny to evennow come in evennow, over !

First of all thankyou Sir ! Thanks for your kind comments on previous posts, also belated thanks to Gernie X for kind comments I stumbled across on the forum fan pages ( never go there normally).
Happy new year everyone, ok you as well Ketchup-Bum ( oh that hurt ).
This is not a good time of year for me so I have been busy going to bed early with hot drinks and books but nothing works, sleeping is a waste of time.
I'm always here reading but at the moment I'm in a very grey boring mundane place as far as music is concerned. Lemmy's passing has been tragic BUT ! Also an arse kicker ! I'm so 4kin bored with music these days ! I need stimulating FFS !
I have to admit that I have done a " Silly Steven " and turned to utube to seek my needs/hopes.
If anyone has anything for me to view/recommend please pass on but not any old shit please, music with passion, adventure, commitment, direction, hope, anarchy and true 4kin feedback volume.
Think Cramps, Motörhead, Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain, James, The Mission, Camera obscure, Primitives, Joy Division, The Darts, Ronettes, Shirelles etc etc.

Happy new year (for now)
Down ! Out ! And pissed off !

Apart from that have a great wknd people and send me lots of good music to stimulate me.

Benny-the-British-Butcher

I am here sir and a Happy New Year to you as well. Sleeping is one of my favorite things to do. I quite look forward to it for it is where dreams are made. Sorry to read you are down in the dumps, but I see we have a mutual love for the "obscure". I was hooked when I first heard Pen and Notebook and then the Marr reference dropped in. Makes sense they would be The Smiths fans. I hope your spirits improve as I quite enjoy your feedback so to speak.

evennow
 

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