Morrissey on the Jonathan Ross show

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Yeah, I know people are talking about it elsewhere, but it deserves its own thread.

That was so weird. Or maybe it was just weird what it did to me.

Was anyone else kind of freaked out?

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:12 (twenty-two years ago)

what happened?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

did he "do a Kilroy"?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

were you comfortable with standing up afterwards?

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Did he shoot an audience member a la Sid Vicious?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

No, no. To both of you.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

his mannerisms and all that shit reminded me of many people I know who like him. he has become his fans? most of his fans seem to be dicks, now, though. which seems reasonable.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Well. Please explain. Some of us are not fortunate enough to have access to Jonathan Ross.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:15 (twenty-two years ago)

hahahahaha!

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Did anyone have a bush in their ass? I need to know. If so, pix pls ok thx bye.

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:16 (twenty-two years ago)

did he pull a crisping glover?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

DAVID: YOU'RE CRISPING ALL OVER MY DESK!!!

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't even realise it was on - I'm burning CDs for tomorrow night. Did he make faces at Wossy from the Green Room?

― Madchen (Madchen), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry, there was no big controversy. It's just me, then. I haven't seen him interviewed in so long, it was like seeing a dead friend of mine come to life or something. I missed that documentary last year. Seeing him in concert a couple of years ago somehow was a different thing altogether. I don't know. I was just expecting to be entertained but it turned out to be something else entirely.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

HOAX!

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

..was just expecting to be entertained but it turned out to be something else entirely.

15 posts in, I know that same feeling.

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I am intrigued at the thought of what it did to N.

As I have said elsewhere, I think Ross is too nervous an interviewer to allow people time to speak, or to ask interesting enough questions where they might feel the need to find time to speak.

His hair was looking better than I had expected. Oddly, I enjoyed the Ronnie O'Sullivan interview, more.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

he looked like he was on day release, from butlins. sounded a bit like it, too.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Sounds great!

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

most of his fans seem to be dicks, now, though. which seems reasonable.

i still know some morrissey fans who don't even have dicks. now how unreasonable is that, huh?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know what your prob is.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:25 (twenty-two years ago)

i've always had a dick but never been a morrissey fan, that probabaly is my prob.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate Jonathan Ross as an interviewer. He always asks the most stupidly obvious question possible ("to Eddie Izzard: "why do you dress like a woman if you're not gay?" , to Marilyn Manson: "why do you dress like a freak when you're actually quite intelligent?").

I missed it tonight, unfortunately. Did anyone in Glasgow video it, by any chance?

― Cathy (Cathy), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I memorised it.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:28 (twenty-two years ago)

do it now, do it now!

― Cathy (Cathy), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:29 (twenty-two years ago)

JtN totally right about Ross's nervous/appalling (take yr pick)compulsion to take centre stage no matter whether he is interviewing a monosyllabic soap star nerk, or a celebrated wit such as Morrissey.

I can't help admitting, though, to getting a wee kick from hearing the man say the word "Mozzer" for the first time. Little things please et al..

― darren (darren), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:29 (twenty-two years ago)

The man= Morrissey himself, btw, not Woss.

― darren (darren), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:31 (twenty-two years ago)

To me he just seemed incredibly nervous, though he loosened up later on. It's easy to forget that the poor guy hasn't been on live tv in a situation like this since god knows when..

― Oliver Pyper (stickthrower), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:32 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry, I started memorising jools holland, by mistake, and I can't remember morrissey, now.

by golly, alicia keys is looking spotty.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:32 (twenty-two years ago)

An interview I thought I'd hate was Frank Skinner/Michael Stipe but actually I found it quite cute and touching.

― Madchen (Madchen), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

wow, what is ironic is jeff goldblum playing guitar in alanis morrisette's band.

― RJG (RJG), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Norfolkwindmillsboy taped for me, but until then, I can't see it. Can you explain more, Nickee D.?

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 14 May 2004 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

yes N. I feel the same way, i bet. it was excruciatingly embarressing and not the least bit entertaining. Morrissey is not funny. Everone says he is, though. I dont think he is very clever either. He is too guarded and limited to have the kind of intelligence that can sustain your interest... well, mine anyway.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:04 (twenty-two years ago)

i will never learn how to spell embarressing.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:05 (twenty-two years ago)

He very funny in his concerts, in a very silly sort of way. And most of it seemed ad lib, nothing he said was repeated.

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:05 (twenty-two years ago)

You're too guarded and limited to have the kind of intelligence to spell it properly.

(xp)

― deanomgwtf!!!p%3Fmsgid%3D4581997 (deangulberry), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not quite that, jed. I don't really want to talk about his intelligence just now.

It was more, that having been so disparaging about him for so long, I suddenly found myself ashamed, marvelling at how this damaged, awkward man ever became a public figure.

And just seeing him talk, move, really, after so long, after so many thoughts about him had been entertained, so many feelings organised, to just see him there as a 44-year-old man on a sofa, dealing with such a cruel, alien situation. I hadn't anticipated how much there was to get churned up inside me.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I did smile when JR said "Lighten up, Morrissey!"

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Is there anything near-equivalent to the Jonathan Ross show or JR in America? I have a feeling this is more like Music Station in Japan, which ran every Fri. night?

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know. When he first appeared in the 80s, he was billed as our version of Letterman. I have only seen late Letterman, but he is better than that.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Letterman is good! This guy looks silly, and he talks really fast. So it's not only music stuff that he does?

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:46 (twenty-two years ago)

yes, i must say i was confused by it.

― jed_ (jed), Friday, 14 May 2004 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I think a lot of people who've been big Smiths/Moz fans, gone off them, grown up and tried to distance themselves from the feelings involved and awakened in that fanship might have felt a similar emotional charge and confusion while watching this. I did.
I felt relieved that my sexuality had evolved from the bemused adolescent nowhere that Morrissey's still seems to inhabit. I felt pity for his 'crippling shyness' and aversion to people while empathising with it utterly. I asked myself how I ever thought he was a great singer, rather than 'indie league' which he is.
I found myself thinking yes he is deeply charismatic, but also quite quite boring. He described his day: 'listen to music, eat, turn on the radio..' I almost fell asleep.
A part of me will always be fascinated by him. For me he is the Phillip Larkin of pop music. (Not Alan Bennet, who's much more interesting and varied).

― loggedout, Friday, 14 May 2004 23:59 (twenty-two years ago)

letterman is better than ross, even when he isn't.

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 15 May 2004 00:01 (twenty-two years ago)

loggedout so so OTM - thats what i was trying to say but couldnt think my way around it. Talking of Larkin though (sort of... actually not at all) i was thinking how "everyday is like sunday" is basically a rather poor rewrite of Betjamin's Slough.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 15 May 2004 00:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm so glad to grow older, to move away from those darker years

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 15 May 2004 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

He was, I believe, a great singer. He is now, it would appear, a very poor and feeble one. Also, loggedout has hit on something - it's not just that he's less interesting or witty (he is), for me it seems he has become perversely less intelligent with the passing years

― Ally C (Ally C), Saturday, 15 May 2004 01:00 (twenty-two years ago)

i think maybe the thing is that he stopped, his tastes or views dont seem to have developed in 20 years and maybe that's a key part of intelligence. He's still banging on about the same stuff he was all those years ago but everyone else has moved on. I mean look at his Meltdown programme - Sparks, New York Dolls, Nancy Sinatra and to cap it all "We Are All In The Gutter. An Evening With Mr Wilde".... Does anyone over the age of 16 read Oscar Wilde?

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 15 May 2004 01:16 (twenty-two years ago)

what i meant to say was that anyone who read interviews with the man circa Hatful of Hollow could have chosen that stuff.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 15 May 2004 01:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, it's a case of use other influences, please. I get the feeling he hasn't appreciated any art of the past 25 years except his own.

― Ally C (Ally C), Saturday, 15 May 2004 01:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I just heard the single, again, on CD:UK. os it nu-metal?

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 15 May 2004 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

tell me it osn't.

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 15 May 2004 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"rubber ring", anyone?

vh1.com is streaming the album and first of the gang to die is brilliant. go enjoy it.

― John (jdahlem), Saturday, 15 May 2004 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

It seemed J Ross was missing his 'When Your Interviewee Has Aspberger's' cheat-sheet. I was really wincing at the 'can I call you Steven? Let's be friends' bit of it. Morrissey also did sound a bit bunged in the sinuses.

Although I'm often highly entertained by Morrissey's question-dodging replies (because he is funny with them) there does come a point when the jokiness hangs uneasily over the whole thing because all watching know that no real information is being exchanged.

― suzy (suzy), Saturday, 15 May 2004 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

N, I too found it a bit uncomfortable, I too felt a bit bad for biggying him down of late. I thought he came over better on this than in his documentary. There were some quite funny bits, but Ronnie O'Sullivan was better and Dale Winton was funnier. What surprised me was how boring Morrissey was when he started singing. I liked the fact that he said it was nothing special though. I know you're not supposed to say things like that, but he was right. I thought the 'let's be friends' bit was OK. All in all, a lot better than Ross interviewing Madonna or Thom Yorke.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Saturday, 15 May 2004 07:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll just cut and paste what I said there over here:

Pam reckoned that he was wearing coloured contacts so fiercely partisan blue were his eyes. The man has filled out into a film star frame - a Peck or perhaps a bushel. I enjoyed the testy tensity of the interview, SPM absolutely not entering the pally showbiz world of Ross yet, at the same time, a touch of playing to a gallery he knows is not there. And "Every Day..." was terrif.

Suzy has helpfully debunked the contacts notion with some first-hand experience of the fella. There may have been no more information exchanged than in a Mitchum-Parkinson interview but I feel there was certainly a clear impression of Morrissey that one could take away from the encounter, as alien and frictional as it was (perhaps a bit more tangible than Owen Wilson or whoever bantering around) - one of, as Nick said, someone deeply socially awkward with so very little to say to anyone outside his immediate circle of friends.

I don't think he sang weakly at all - the phrasing was all there.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 15 May 2004 07:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno, but I reckon they're good pals really. I know next to nothing about Morrissey btw.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 15 May 2004 08:35 (twenty-two years ago)

The person SPM reminded me of a lot, in one particular repeated mannerism, was The Nipper.

― Ally C (Ally C), Saturday, 15 May 2004 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I wasn't calling jerry a dick.

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 15 May 2004 11:24 (twenty-two years ago)

i also think this was the first time i have seen Morrisey's (not good) teeth.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 15 May 2004 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Madchen, Cathy etc, I videoed it. Do you want me to take the tape round to Madchen's Eurovisionorama tonight?

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 15 May 2004 12:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I can memorise it, again.

― RJG (RJG), Saturday, 15 May 2004 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't bother.

― Ally C (Ally C), Saturday, 15 May 2004 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Him, or me?

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 15 May 2004 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Him. You, bother.

Oh, bother.

― Ally C (Ally C), Saturday, 15 May 2004 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, it's a case of use other influences, please. I get the feeling he hasn't appreciated any art of the past 25 years except his own.

Oi!

― the pinefox, Saturday, 15 May 2004 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

O - you meant Morrissey.

― the pinefox, Saturday, 15 May 2004 13:33 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I was talking about you. Haha.

You and the Nipper have both become SPM, it seems. It's what you've dreamed?

― Ally C (Ally C), Saturday, 15 May 2004 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey! His Voice is still beautiful, at the Greek in Berkeley I knew that I had never heard anyone who sounded so great live.

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 15 May 2004 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

(Also: I talked briefly with someone who been following since the Kill Uncle tour, and he said that he thought at the Apollo he sounded better than ever.) It seems to be a general consensus--that his voice may have changed a bit, a la Sinatra, but is indeed at its best. Maybe he just 'threw' the Ross show out of spite.

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 15 May 2004 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

not good teeth, yeah!

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 15 May 2004 16:34 (twenty-two years ago)

They're good enough.

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 16 May 2004 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah sure, good enough for a nazi closet homo.

― jed_ (jed), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Your true thoughts have been somewhat obscured on this thread.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Sunday, 16 May 2004 02:41 (twenty-two years ago)

ha ha

― Mary (Mary), Sunday, 16 May 2004 03:50 (twenty-two years ago)

to Marilyn Manson: "why do you dress like a freak when you're actually quite intelligent?"

how is this NOT a great question?

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 16 May 2004 04:01 (twenty-two years ago)

After catching bits of that I thought that this board will need a morrissey vs michael jackson thread at some point.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Sunday, 16 May 2004 08:02 (twenty-two years ago)

(Just seen it on tape)I felt sad watching the interview. Not in the sense of disillusioned, as I have long since given up genuinely caring, but sad in that it could have been so much more interesting. Ross, as has been said above, is not a great interviewer. Swamp a shy interviewee with suffocating interview technique, why don't you?! He committed one of my absolute pet-hate interviewer ticks, namely to repeat the interviewee's answer. (This he did a couple of times near the beginning and thankfully never repeated, but I was already turning against him at this point) The other thing I hated was Morrissey being asked yes/no questions half the time. (paraphrasing...)'So you won't be my friend?' 'No I don't think so' cue upraorious laughter from the audience. It felt like Moz was given the opportunity to give cop-out answers and he gave them. Maybe Morrissey just isn't very interesting. Or maybe this was a wasted opportunity.

― Daniel (dancity), Sunday, 16 May 2004 22:39 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not just that he's boring, he seemed to lack any sense of irony. The rather teenage vegetarianist spouting was hilarious though.

― Charles Hatcher (musenheddo), Monday, 17 May 2004 02:51 (twenty-two years ago)

the interview was anodyne... but strange. i felt transported back to the days of snub TV and the house of love. Monosyllabic grunts to interviewers as a badge of honour. Why is Morrissey making a comeback again? that pre-ironic, humourless world he inhabits, closer to 1977 than 2004, how on earth is it marketable?

why is he the always the exception to the rule? If it really takes so little effort, why isn't Lawrence just as famous? Robert Forster?

once he started singing, i thought, here we are, the same old same old. aesthetically boring. And also, he's actually a bit thick isn't he? isn't he? or is it just me?

conflicting feelings: great to see him on TV, and I really listened to his opinions, was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on everything. And I never even liked the Smiths that much. Ultimately, maybe the weirdness is just part of watching your youth slip away.

― Dave Amos, Monday, 17 May 2004 09:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I think La Moz suffered from not really being in control of the situation. He can spout wittily in press interviews cos it's just him and the journo, he's speaking for print, and he's completely in charge - but a tv studio is a whole other moulinex of mackerel.

The idea that he has no sense of irony is a bit daft, I think.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 17 May 2004 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

i dont understand why he chose the buffoon ross, of all people, to interview him

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 17 May 2004 09:16 (twenty-two years ago)

although the blanket coverage suggests he is going to be in as many places as possible

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 17 May 2004 09:17 (twenty-two years ago)

yes he clearly has a (gentle?) sense of irony in his music/press interviews, but it seemed to escape him on this occasion. His comments about not putting on a 'performance' per se, for instance.

― Dave Amos, Monday, 17 May 2004 09:20 (twenty-two years ago)

i dont understand why he chose the buffoon ross, of all people, to interview him

Precisely because Ross is a buffoon, I'll wager. I don't think Morrissey was there to tell us anything about himself.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 17 May 2004 09:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Ross has (I think) the biggest audience. It's like Adam Ant choosing to go on Cannon and Ball.

I think it was top viewing really, Moz was quite chatty, in his way. Also, I don't think enough biggie props have been given to the Flying V action.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Monday, 17 May 2004 09:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I did like the mortally wounded look on Morrissey's face when they played the Harry Hill bit.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 17 May 2004 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

the dislike for Wossy is interesting

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 17 May 2004 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Taking Sides: Wozza vs Mozza

― don (don), Monday, 17 May 2004 10:07 (twenty-two years ago)

The secret of high ratings in the chat show game is for the interviewer to be the centre of attention. That is what Letterman does, it is what Norton does and certainly what Ross does these days. The big rating chat show of the week is not Face To Face, and I am glad this is the case.

Morrissey would be well aware of this. You either play the game or the game gets played on you. One time in a hundred does and individual interviewee triumph over the host.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 17 May 2004 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

and = an?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 17 May 2004 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 17 May 2004 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Morrissey will probably be making a cameo in that too

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 17 May 2004 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I was looking over some of the documentation of the '97 tour, and it was so completely different. Morrissey did a signing for fans at a record store in New Mexico to kick off the promotion. The tour was very college-oriented, and the biggest promotions he seemed to do were appearances on random radio stations.

I think this over-promotion is a big risk. I'm not sure it will net any new fans, and it risks alientating the loyal fans. Also, I wonder: is Morrissey himself paying for all this promotion? Since he payed for his last tours, maybe he gotten used to funding his own promotions. He has been quoted as saying that Sanctuary is the first label to ever get behind him, but doesn't he own Attack, meaning that he is in fact logrolling the promotion?

I'm also wondering about whether he will be able to cut Lollapalooza. Is he going to be able to sweat out the hot summer days playing to America's lowest denominator? I wouldn't be surprised if he cut out half way through. How many festivals can he play this summer before he drops of exhaustion?

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 17 May 2004 15:00 (twenty-two years ago)

He doesn't own Attack.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 17 May 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Is there an echo in here?

― Ally C (Ally C), Monday, 17 May 2004 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

he really doesn't strike me as a logrolling kind of guy

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Monday, 17 May 2004 15:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh--he's totally logrolling--hence his truce with NME.

― Mary (Mary), Monday, 17 May 2004 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Or maybe I meant steamrolling...Anyway, these sound excerpts from the radio interview today on XFM may redeem the fallen hero in your eyes.

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 18 May 2004 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought he was much better on TOTP, so it's true, context *is* everything. Then again, I thought he was really good on Later too, great performance and great interview. His Badgerwatch joke was possibly the TV highlight of the week.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Saturday, 22 May 2004 09:29 (twenty-two years ago)

TOTP: jacket & jeans?!

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 22 May 2004 10:10 (twenty-two years ago)

He really was the original Will Young, huh?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 22 May 2004 10:40 (twenty-two years ago)

it should have been jean jacket and tie (feels like such a lie)

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 22 May 2004 12:00 (twenty-two years ago)

WY actually looked OK in jacket and jeans, cs the cut of his jacket ws so good (i.e. not just normal suit but quite slim-lined and cut-in) (ignore the horrid horrible dragon [??] print on its back, obv) - whereas morrissey? :/

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 22 May 2004 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

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