Entertainment For Lively Minds
So, what did we learn about Morrissey
from the desert island?
The answer: not a great deal. Sure, he was witty at times, but he treated every attempt at introducing depth to the conversation with his usual flippancy. Considering that he thought he had achieved some wisdom at the age of fifty,and was a different person from his younger self, the themes of his answers were entirely redolent of those he regularly expressed in the NME twenty-odd years ago.
I also think he knows very well why the Smiths' legacy still fascinates. He was always a keen student of group mythologies, and must know that whatever he has done since will never have the same musical and cultural impact; indeed, he tacitly acknowledges this in concert by playing more and more Smiths songs.
His choice of records and book were also entirely as I predicted to the GLW before the programme, apart from the blessed Sandie Shaw.
Maybe I was expecting too much, but Mozzer, this was really nothing.
Any other thoughts?
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Predictable Flippancy
very disappointing Moz interview, I agree. My wife came into the lounge half way through, just as the Velvets were playing, and said "what's this bloody racket?"; kind of summed it up really. Any casual student of Moz would have been able to pick the records and the Oscar Wilde book- it was as if Moz was underscoring Moz the known public face rather than sharing any genuine insights. Perhaps we shouldnt expect anything else but just a small glimmer would have been welcome....
I'm pretty sure anyone who knows me...
would stand a good chance of guessing my all time favourite records and book. Not sure why Morrisey's choice should be less predictable than anyone elses. Maybe he just isn't as multi-faceted as you'd imagined. Really enjoyed Desert Island Discs myself.
Maybe
The known public face and the real man are one and the same?
I don't really understand why someone in the public eye for nearly 30 years is expected to suddenly provide surprises on their personality and likes/dislikes. How many people that contribute to this site have changed their musical tastes in recent years? Judging by the types of artists that are discussed, I'd say not many.
It wasn't so much the musical tastes
but the lack of genuine revelation. Many other guests on DID have been honest enough to disclose hitherto unknown facets of their life and/or identity. Despite insisting that he was basically a different person from his younger self, Morrissey didn't venture as to how, why or what had changed, but instead offered snippets which served to re-emphasise a feeling that he has remained in the psychological landscape formed in his adolescence, a feeling somewhat borne out by his ongoing lyrical themes.
My impression
Was more that age had made him more comfortable with himself rather than there being some kind of big event that changed him. Most people don't have dramatic revelations to tell about their lives.
Merry Men
My 4-year old daughter also came in to the kitchen during the Velvets 'Black Angel's Death Song' and said, 'Oh good, they're playing the song from Robin Hood.' I simply nodded sagely.
In the nicest possible way
he is turning into the Lancashire Alan Bennett as imagined by Dead Ringers. I was just waiting for him to say; "as I was saying to Thora Hird the other day over a cup of tea and a moist piece of seedy cake, 'laminate flooring is so common now'"
To be perfectly honest
I listen to DID every week but my brain only tunes into Kirsty. That is a voice I'd love to hear saying to me, "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"
Yes..
she even seemed to bring out the flirt in Moz at times
So did he play...
All Men Play On Ten by Manowar?
Oh well, I enjoyed it.
Oh well, I enjoyed it. Unlikely you would get any major revelations, but I thought his mischievous sense of humour was very funny, knowing full well he was conforming to received myth and then laughing about it. His quips about the framed photo on the mantelpiece, Great Aunt Bessie and his bed made me laugh out loud. I also imagined a typical Radio 4 audience of aging middle class ladies being quite flummoxed when he said, "Kirsty, don't you know your pretty face is going to hell" . Ha ha, priceless. I was glad to hear his sense of self-deprecating humour which doesn't come over in print. Kirsty was good, I thought at bantering with him. Black Angel's Death Song - great to hear on a Sunday morning too!
The Black Angel's Death Song??????
Blooming heck. Was his luxury some ear plugs?
Forgot to say...
... you probably all know this, but Desert Island Disks is now available as a podcast. This has made me very happy indeed.
Podcast!
thanks ganglesprocket , i didn't know.