Highbrow Magazine - indie https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/indie en Irish Blood, English Heart: Morrissey and the Marginalized https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2141-irish-blood-english-heart-morrissey-and-marginalized <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Thu, 02/14/2013 - 08:40</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1morrissey_depositphotos.jpg?itok=j2CUXUfU"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1morrissey_depositphotos.jpg?itok=j2CUXUfU" width="480" height="336" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p>Not everyone likes Morrissey. But the people who do <em>really</em> like him. They read his lyrics like scripture. They pilgrimage thousands of miles to see him in concert, defying gravity and security guards for a chance to crowdsurf their way to his altar and touch the hem of his garment. They build shrines to him and then try to sell them on <a href="http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/pdx/3272847626.html">Craigslist</a> when times get tough.</p> <p> </p> <p>Few artists in the grand canon of Rock’n’Roll ever achieve this level of idol-worship in their living careers—usually they have to die first. But Morrissey, needless to say, is not like other rock stars. In the early ‘80s, when Mötley Crüe was bedazzling its codpieces, when Frankie Goes to Hollywood was breaking down closet doors, and when the British punk scene had all but self-imploded, Morrissey was swinging a bouquet of gladiolas on <em>Top of the Pops</em>.</p> <p> </p> <p>That 1983 television performance was, for many Brits, their first introduction to the Smiths. All at once, that charming man managed to offend both straitlaced society and anti-society counterculture groups. Because Morrissey was neither: His Teddy Boy quiff juxtaposed his costume jewelry and woman’s blouse; his cockiness as a frontman was offset by the quaintness and faint homoeroticism of the words he sang. The Smiths were alternative and indie in the original sense of the word—yet there they were, gloating on the commercially-driven <em>Top of the Pops</em>, with their singer pretending to perform live without a microphone.</p> <p> </p> <p>Immediately, Morrissey was cast as, and remains, an outlier. While he has certainly never been accepted by the status quo, neither could he have hoped to blend in with the metal/new-wave/punk extremists of his day. He fell somewhere in between these either/or distinctions—and so, too, did countless others who saw the Smiths on <em>Top of the Pops</em> that night. They saw in Morrissey what they felt in themselves: an inability to conform, a struggle to find acceptance. They were misfits.</p> <p> </p> <p>And Morrissey’s plight was genuine. Like any rock’n’roll fairy tale worth telling, the odds were set against him from an early age: working-class, Northern, bookish, sexually variant, and, worst of all, Irish Catholic. But where other rags-to-riches stories end happily-ever-after, Morrissey’s only continues to trace circles around his own despondency.</p> <p> </p> <p>Like Morrissey, Ireland’s career is riddled with adversity, ambiguity, and contradiction. It’s no coincidence that some of the heaviest names in English-language literature—James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde—all hail from Ireland. From Viking invasions to famine to civil war, Ireland has always grappled with issues of identity and autonomy. Its harried relationship with foster parent Great Britain further hindered Ireland’s maturation, casting her as the unruly teenager of the Western world—the misfit, the miscreant, the weirdo.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2mediummorrissey%20%28jason%20Upshaw%20Wiki%29.jpg" style="height:401px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>And this is why, at least in part, the Irish have always been such avid contributors to world art and literature. Hardship often inspires reflection, and reflection inspires art. Creative expression is a means of self-exploration, a way of trying to come to terms with questions of identity and belonging; the Irish have always just had plenty to explore.</p> <p> </p> <p>Morrissey himself never lived in Ireland, however. His parents emigrated a year before his birth. But, like any cultural heritage, Irishness is not something one can leave behind at the departing gates. The United States and England were equally notorious in their discrimination against the Irish immigrants who came in waves after the famine in the late 19<sup>th</sup> century and through the 1950s, when the Morrisseys re-settled in Manchester. Being Irish in another country meant being ostracized and victim to blind prejudices—yet for many artists, it was preferable to staying in Ireland. Oscar Wilde left for England in his 20s, as did Shaw and Swift; Joyce and Beckett both abandoned Dublin for Paris.</p> <p> </p> <p>But no matter where they landed, stereotypes followed all Irish immigrants who sought a better life abroad. American and British media propagated the view of Irish men as drunkards or buffoons—a stigma often wrestled with by the Irish themselves, as in Seán O’Casey’s <em>Juno and the Paycock</em> or Joyce’s <em>Dubliners</em>.</p> <p> </p> <p>The Irish are further associated with militant religiosity—the age-old sectarian conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in the country augmenting these beliefs. But the label Irish Catholic, in particular, tends to provoke certain presumptions: a people, as Mark Simpson describes in his sycophantic biography <em>Saint Morrissey</em>, “distrustful of pleasure, hostile to success, suspicious of riches, and [who] always expect to be punished for any happiness.”</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumsmithsalbum.jpg" style="height:600px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>But Morrissey, from what we can deduce from his songwriting and public presence, is not usually drunk, buffoonish, or particularly religious—though he does match Simpson’s description of Catholics quite well. Like his place in pop music, Morrissey’s Irishness resists the dichotomous confines of being either/or. He resists being pigeonholed into stereotypes, but also evades falling into a reaction formation—a Freudian defense mechanism where insecurities are repressed by acting out and exaggerating their polar opposites. For marginalized groups like the Irish, where stereotypes serve to oppress and emasculate their people, reaction formations can be seen in subcultures where hyper-masculinity, violence, and gang mentalities are extolled.</p> <p> </p> <p>Instead, Morrissey plays into these preconceptions. His purported asexuality, his desire to be seen as a “prophet of the fourth sex,” as he told <em>NME</em> in 1983, reclaims centuries of Irish emasculation and holds it as a thing to be revered. His sexual ambiguity is far more intriguing than the nymphomaniacal tendencies usually associated with rock stars. Still, he doesn’t ignore that other side of the coin that is Irish maleness, openly courting a penchant for boxing culture and James Dean-esque boy racers.</p> <p> </p> <p>As Simpson points out, Morrissey’s rejection of intimacy also conjures a semblance of piety. “Catholicism celebrates the lives of those who resist the way of the world,” he writes, “the temptations and corruptions of the flesh, those who martyr themselves for the One True Faith and deny themselves mortal pleasures and safety for the promise of immortal bliss and protection.” Morrissey’s immortality, however, rests not in Heaven but in the hearts of his fans. His perpetual misery and isolation may be self-inflicted on some level—but it’s what fuels his creativity. Morrissey’s One True Faith is his music, and in his devotion to his fans he has martyred his happiness for the sake of his art.</p> <p> </p> <p>It’s this loyalty that made Morrissey so near and dear to the hearts of disenfranchised British youth in the conformity-obsessed ‘80s and ‘90s. And now he appeals in the same way to marginalized groups cross-culturally. His significant and still-growing young Latin-American fanbase comes as an initial surprise to many, but Morrissey’s themes of alienation and deep-running sense of un-belonging still ring true for this displaced group.</p> <p> </p> <p>While Hispanics are the largest-growing minority population in the United States, their rights and access to the privileges afforded White America remain stagnant. Questions of identity are paramount to young people whose home countries can’t afford to raise them and whose adoptive countries refuse to accept them. Morrissey, in his own way, has been through these same misfortunes—only a generation and a hemisphere removed.  “I wish I was born Mexican,” he told a largely Latino crowd at a UC Irvine concert in 1999; “but it’s too late for that now.”</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Sandra Canosa is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine. </strong></p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Photos: Man Alive (Flickr); Jason Upshaw (Wikipedia); <a href="https://depositphotos.com/stock-photography.html">Depositphotos.com</a></strong></em></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/morrissey" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">morrissey</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/smiths" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the smiths</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/queen-dead" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the queen is dead</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/ireland" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ireland</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/irish" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">irish</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/irish-musicians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">irish musicians</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/british-musicians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">british musicians</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/new-wave" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">new wave</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/indie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">indie</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sandra Canosa</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:40:58 +0000 tara 2359 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/2141-irish-blood-english-heart-morrissey-and-marginalized#comments Facing the Music: Does Success Equal 'Selling Out'? https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1049-facing-music-does-success-equal-selling-out <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/music" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Music</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Mon, 03/12/2012 - 13:55</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/vampireweekend.jpg?itok=NBSRZ31V"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/vampireweekend.jpg?itok=NBSRZ31V" width="480" height="360" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p>Rock and roll was once at the forefront of rebellion, a powerful force within the counterculture. In the aftermath of Woodstock, as the fire of the glorious counterculture died down, the early- to mid-70s marked a lull period for ambitious musicians dedicated to fighting “the man.” Part of this had to do with a growing awareness of the inherent paradox in the ethos of this new, rebellious music: that the music railed against the system but also operated within that system. The lack of a solution to this Catch-22 culminated in the origins of punk rock.</p> <p>           </p> <p>The rise of punk occurred in the mid- to late-70s – hitting both sides of the Atlantic. American groups, such as The Stooges and the Velvet Underground, provided aesthetic fuel to this emerging cacophony of sound. A number of American bands became focused on an ideology that stood for much more than a clichéd middle-finger waving that would scare the middle masses. This new movement prided itself on its independence and operation outside of mainstream culture.  Thurston Moore, the frontman of the iconic 80s art-punk band Sonic Youth, asserted that punk was “like a nihilist hippie movement.” But in the end, as the Sex Pistols appeared on the cover of <em>Investor Review</em> magazine as the "Young Businessmen of the Year," the death knell for punk and its DIY ethic had been rung.        </p> <p> </p> <p>Today, with the rise of the Internet, changes in the music industry have occurred far more quickly. Steven Hyden of the AV Club writes, that "Today, 'indie rock' has gone from describing a philosophical and business outlook to being a not particularly helpful genre tag." The distinction between what defines an "indie rock" band and how far a band has to go to "sell out," depends on the time period. Now, unlike in the 80s and 90s, the two are mutually exclusive.</p> <p>           </p> <p>The prevalence of the question of selling out can be seen in shows like “Portlander,” where the search for authenticity is mocked in sketches about bohemian life. The never-ending parade of technological advances seems to contribute to this overwhelming search for credibility and legitimacy. Another example occurred on “The Colbert Report,” where The Black Keys and Vampire Weekend appeared on the show in a “sell-out off," where the bands mocked the number of times they had sold their music for advertisements, implying that the notion of selling out is archaic. While “The Colbert Report” was mocking the ethos of independent music scenes, the bit represents another example that the original notion of “selling out” is much easier to compromise and that bands that wish to stay entirely self-sufficient must not be willing to quit their day jobs.</p> <p>           </p> <p>The rise of the Internet has pushed artists committed to operating apart from "the system" further into the fringes. Any artist who insists on remaining “indie” must forget that the Internet exists, and work through tight mediums. As Rob Horning of <em>n+1 Magazine</em> wrote in June 2011, “The total-corporate state may have arrived without our really having noticed it.” Branding becomes much easier. Thus authenticity, which the independent music scene focuses a significant amount of energy on, must find new ways to be expressed.</p> <p>           </p> <p>Ultimately, when an artist’s music is  shoved in the faces of principled music fans with standards and appears as a product, as opposed to an individual piece of art, fans will reject the music. While the implications of selling out may have changed in the new millennium, the traditional meaning of the accusation still holds. When a band begins to sound more accessible and marketable, at the expense of artistic integrity, those dedicated fans will be ready to scream “sell-out” and scoff at their once beloved artist now appearing in <em>Rolling Stone</em> or playing at MSG.</p> <p> </p> <p>Of course, whether or not a band has legitimately sold out is subjective, and often a sign of elitism that critics point to in the independent music scene. But when the market takes music, a highly personal art form closely tied to memory and experience, and exploits it, it’s  understood that fans will be disillusioned.</p> <p>           </p> <p>Nevertheless, “indie” fans must change their standards for whether or not a band has sold out, unless one is content with hardcore and other genres clinging to the fringe. They must recognize the economic factors and pressures that force bands to play a festival sponsored by Miller Lite, or sell a track to a TV show owned by Viacom. Any intelligent fan will recognize that the notion of selling out  is ultimately not that important and that a capitalist economy thrives upon cultural hegemony.</p> <p>           </p> <p>In an February 2010 article in Pitchfork, about the decade in indie, Nitush Abebe describes a schism created due to the increasing commercialization of "indie" music, "On one side, there's a large audience who listens to popular indie as a matter of course, looking more for solid records and strong songs than any huge feeling of strangeness or experiment." The notion of selling out thrives in the other side that seeks "strangeness or experiment."</p> <p> </p> <p>Avant-garde and underground music, by nature, cannot be turned into a commodity, and in many ways, exist as a reaction to the mainstream culture. This explanation clarifies how selling out remains constant. So, if one is an ardent believer in taking down the corporate state, they probably shouldn’t be listening to indie records in the first place. Turning music into a serious, political issue not only detracts from its purpose, but just seems misguided. Instead of complaining about which band sold out or constantly refining a tedious framework of who has or hasn’t sold out, the focus should move beyond banal analysis, criticism and discussion of what cultural commodities a person has consumed.</p> <p><strong>Photo: Kekslover (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vampire_weekend.jpg">Wikipedia.org</a>, Creative Commons)</strong></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/bands-selling-out" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bands selling out</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/punk-rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">punk rock</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/vampire-weekend" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Vampire Weekend</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/black-keys" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the black keys</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/indie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">indie</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">John McGovern</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:55:14 +0000 tara 629 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1049-facing-music-does-success-equal-selling-out#comments