Why Morrissey’s downfall echoes the messy demise of The Smiths - The Independent
As pariah status beckons for Morrissey, Ed Power looks back on the downfall of one of the most important bands of the Eighties
Excerpt:
This is rather a curious article. It is primarily a retelling of the end of The Smiths, with some emphasis on the band's manager at the time, Ken Friedman. But the stuff about Morrissey's fall from grace due to his recent-ish right-wing, anti-immigration sentiments is sort of nailed onto the front of the article, presumably to try and make the rest of it relevant in some way.
As pariah status beckons for Morrissey, Ed Power looks back on the downfall of one of the most important bands of the Eighties
Excerpt:
As Morrissey prepares to release his 13th solo album, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain, it feels instructive to reflect on the demise of The Smiths. The group has, after all, cast a shadow over everything he has done in the past 33 years.
The obvious reason for looking back is that for the Morrissey of today, there is a sense of looming finality. Pariah status beckons for the former generational icon. His 2019 endorsement of the far right New Britain party, and his claim – the latest in a series of outrageous outbursts – that “everyone ultimately prefers their own race”, have pushed him past respectability for many former fans. The campaign to “cancel” Morrissey gathers pace. Might I Am Not A Dog On A Chain ring a closing bell on his life as mass-market entertainer?
This is rather a curious article. It is primarily a retelling of the end of The Smiths, with some emphasis on the band's manager at the time, Ken Friedman. But the stuff about Morrissey's fall from grace due to his recent-ish right-wing, anti-immigration sentiments is sort of nailed onto the front of the article, presumably to try and make the rest of it relevant in some way.
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