It’s nearly 37 years since Morrissey’s career as a singer-songwriter began in earnest. He’s been a solo artist for around 31 of those years. That comprises a large percentage of his career, does it not? Yet the media continue to refer to him as ‘The former Smiths frontman’. Some don’t even bother to use the word ‘former’.
And it’s not just the press that constantly refer back to the first few years of Morrissey’s career. There seem to be a number of fans stuck in the eighties too. Comments on social media continue to include wailings at the Smiths’ demise, calls for a reunion, and calls for more Smiths songs at Morrissey shows. Personally, I just don’t understand this mentality, and I’ve got to admit, I find it a little irritating.
The Smiths broke up over 30 years ago. 30+ years. Seriously; get over it. And we have every reason to believe that a reunion is never going to happen. Never.
But more to the point, why would we even want a reunion? We have Morrissey. We even have Johnny Marr if that’s your bag. Why do people feel the need to see them together on stage? So they can pretend they’ve gone back in time to 1985?
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. And it plays hideous tricks on the brain. Those that were around at the time of The Smiths, and who may even have been lucky enough to see them live, naturally have very fond memories of this time. I’m not decrying the importance of The Smiths, either as a band or as a means of launching Morrissey’s career. A teenager at the time, I lay in awe on my bedroom floor, quite literally. I’ll never forget the effect their music had on me during those turbulent days of my youth. But I enjoy looking back on this time in the past as just that; the past, a memory. Not as something I want to, need to, or can ever recreate.
Hal McDonald, in his article The Two Faces of Nostalgia, published in Psychology Today, describes this as ‘reflective’ as opposed to ‘restorative’ nostalgia.
“Restorative nostalgia…views the past with an eye toward recreating it—a desire to relive those special moments…..Reflective nostalgia, on the other hand, accepts the fact that the past is, in fact, past, and rather than trying to recreate a special past experience, savors the emotions evoked by its recollection.”
Another article in Psychology Today, The Meaning of Nostalgia by Neel Burton, talks about how nostalgia can distort our vision of the past.
“…. it could be argued that nostalgia is a form of self-deception in that it invariably involves distortion and idealization of the past..….If overindulged, nostalgia can give rise to a utopia that never existed and can never exist, but that is pursued at all costs, sapping all life and joy and potential from the present.”
Could this be what is coming into play here? It seems that for some, nothing Morrissey ever does as a solo artist will ever be good enough, will ever live up to those rose tinted days of the eighties, and frankly I feel this attitude is short-sighted, and does a great disservice to Morrissey, and to the musicians and songwriters he has worked with since the demise of The Smiths. Morrissey’s solo work is for me every bit as powerful, beautiful, emotional and inspiring as anything he did during those first few years he spent with The Smiths. Why the need to compare anyway?
Having said all this, I am happy to point out that the audience at Morrissey shows is by no means made up just of middle-aged Smiths fans hoping for a trip down memory lane. Morrissey’s ability to continue attracting a new audience is very much evident, and I enjoy meeting people at Morrissey shows of all different ages, and hearing them sing along with many songs, be they new, old or somewhere in between.
We cannot cling to the old days anymore, and I really don’t see the need to. Morrissey has never gone away, and he is not a Smiths tribute act, but a current artist with new material, not to mention a huge back catalogue. Why pine for the first few years of his songs in particular, when there’s over three decades worth to choose from?
“It was beautiful, but it’s gone. My pride is with Low In High School, World Peace Is None Of Your Business, Years Of Refusal, Ringleader Of the Tormentors, You Are The Quarry, Swords, Southpaw Grammar, Your Arsenal, Vauxhall and I … they are me, whereas The Smiths was a great but simplistic time. I cannot imagine my life without those solo albums, yes, and even Maladjusted ! I love them so much.” Morrissey, 2018
Adventures of a middle-aged Morrissey fan 