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Today (May 22) is Morrissey’s birthday.
It’s so weird that in 2021, we’re seeing Morrissey and The Smiths in current media. For the diehard fans, it’s simply amazing…
THE SIMPSONS
fox.com
The long-running The Simpsons animated series aired an episode parodying Morrissey and The Smiths in an episode called “Panic on the Streets of Springfield”, which aired on April 18, 2021.
In the episode, Lisa Simpsons discovered Quilloughby (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) and The Snuffs through Slapify (parody of Spotify). She instantly fell in love with the morbid music and becomes obsessed.
After an accidental meat-eating mushroom burger incident at school, Lisa started to see Quilloughby as an imaginary friend. After some concerns over her “pre-pre-teen rebellion”, Marge canceled the Slapify music subscription. Lisa runs away to see The Snuffs reunion show at the Bummershoot music festival.
When Lisa finally see the real Quilloughby on stage for the first time in over 30 years, she realized that Quilloughby is now an overweight meat-eating racist.
I thought the first part of the show was good… but the ending was just really mean-spirited. Calling Morrissey money-loving, racist, fat, and meat-eating, is simply just not right. There are some tiny small truths in that attack (sure Moz said some bigoted things or he’s gotten chubbier or he likes money).. But if you know Morrissey, you know those things are not 100% true. The worst part is calling Morrissey a meat-eater, that’s just a lie. And to suggest that he would reunite with The Smiths for money - Morrissey wouldn’t do that out of principle. There is also the fact that the “lawnmower parts” (Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce) sued Moz and he will never work with them ever again…
The one good thing that came out of this is that Fox officially released the parody song “Everyone Is Horrid Except Me (And Possibly You)”, co-written by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie on May 11, 2021. The “full” song is only slightly longer than what was televised, but it’s fun to see hear the parody - especially that it does sound something that Morrissey would write.
It’s so weird that in 2021, we’re seeing Morrissey and The Smiths in current media. For the diehard fans, it’s simply amazing…
THE SIMPSONS
fox.com
The long-running The Simpsons animated series aired an episode parodying Morrissey and The Smiths in an episode called “Panic on the Streets of Springfield”, which aired on April 18, 2021.
In the episode, Lisa Simpsons discovered Quilloughby (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) and The Snuffs through Slapify (parody of Spotify). She instantly fell in love with the morbid music and becomes obsessed.
After an accidental meat-eating mushroom burger incident at school, Lisa started to see Quilloughby as an imaginary friend. After some concerns over her “pre-pre-teen rebellion”, Marge canceled the Slapify music subscription. Lisa runs away to see The Snuffs reunion show at the Bummershoot music festival.
When Lisa finally see the real Quilloughby on stage for the first time in over 30 years, she realized that Quilloughby is now an overweight meat-eating racist.
I thought the first part of the show was good… but the ending was just really mean-spirited. Calling Morrissey money-loving, racist, fat, and meat-eating, is simply just not right. There are some tiny small truths in that attack (sure Moz said some bigoted things or he’s gotten chubbier or he likes money).. But if you know Morrissey, you know those things are not 100% true. The worst part is calling Morrissey a meat-eater, that’s just a lie. And to suggest that he would reunite with The Smiths for money - Morrissey wouldn’t do that out of principle. There is also the fact that the “lawnmower parts” (Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce) sued Moz and he will never work with them ever again…
The one good thing that came out of this is that Fox officially released the parody song “Everyone Is Horrid Except Me (And Possibly You)”, co-written by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie on May 11, 2021. The “full” song is only slightly longer than what was televised, but it’s fun to see hear the parody - especially that it does sound something that Morrissey would write.
The Simpsons, Season 32, Episode 19 (18 Apr 2021) |
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SHOPLIFTERS OF THE WORLD
shopliftersoftheworld.com
The American film Shoplifters of the World is director Stephen Kijak’s love-letter to Morrissey and The Smiths. It’s clear, based on all the attention to details that Kijak is a massive fan. The film came out March 26, 2021, via RLJE Films.
The story is based on an urban legend about a Smiths fan who held up a DJ at gunpoint and demanded that he play nothing but The Smiths all night. That’s pretty much is the whole movie.
While I love hearing the music, seeing the old vintage posters and album artwork… this was not a good film. I love The Smiths, but I just have to be honest: if you are not a Smiths fan, avoid this movie.
My biggest complaint is that I really didn’t care about any of the four major characters. You never really learn why each character loves the Smiths and why they are a fan. They simply are just friends and they are just fans, and that’s as much as you need to know. If you were truly a Smiths/Morrissey fan, you know that it’s hard to meet another like-minded person - especially in those pre-internet days. Maybe it’s just me, but when I first heard of The Smiths, I didn’t know anyone that had their records. I started buying their albums and eventually had to search/seek out other fans through fanzines and letters. You simply didn’t go to school and your classmates all listened to the Smiths…. Again, that may be someone’s story, but not mine.
My other complaint is that song lyrics are cringey when spoken in dramatic dialogue. It just sounds stupid when you hear it, and as a Smiths fan, you recognize the line as taken from a song. I know the movie is winking at the fans, but God, it is embarrassing.
My last issue with the film is that they made the fan who held up the radio station as if he was a hero. I don’t think it’s right to force someone to listen to music they don’t like. Imagine if someone forces you to listen to (insert hated band/music here) - you’ll hate the music even more, right? Especially if you’re a heavy metal listener… to suddenly hear The Smiths, you’ll turn off the radio right away! You’re never going to convert non-fans, so the idea is just dumb.
I know I’m really harsh on the film, but it’s just my opinion… I’m certain most fans will love the film. I don’t think the film was made for non-fans, so if you don’t understand The Smiths, you won’t “get” this movie. You can see this reflection on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics hated the film, while the fans gave it a glowing review.
The best part about the film? The soundtrack. I love hearing the songs… but at the end of the day, isn’t it just the same as putting on Louder Than Bombs or The Queen is Dead and singing along?
PS, Louder Than Bombs is one of the best Smiths compilation … and it’s awesome that it was originally an American release.
PPS, I also got a laugh when I saw someone in the film reading a James Dean is Not Dead book. Morrissey wrote that book and have plead to fans to not buy that book, as he gets no royalties from any sales from the numerous reissues and reprints. I personally own a copy, as well as his New York Dolls book.
shopliftersoftheworld.com
The American film Shoplifters of the World is director Stephen Kijak’s love-letter to Morrissey and The Smiths. It’s clear, based on all the attention to details that Kijak is a massive fan. The film came out March 26, 2021, via RLJE Films.
The story is based on an urban legend about a Smiths fan who held up a DJ at gunpoint and demanded that he play nothing but The Smiths all night. That’s pretty much is the whole movie.
While I love hearing the music, seeing the old vintage posters and album artwork… this was not a good film. I love The Smiths, but I just have to be honest: if you are not a Smiths fan, avoid this movie.
My biggest complaint is that I really didn’t care about any of the four major characters. You never really learn why each character loves the Smiths and why they are a fan. They simply are just friends and they are just fans, and that’s as much as you need to know. If you were truly a Smiths/Morrissey fan, you know that it’s hard to meet another like-minded person - especially in those pre-internet days. Maybe it’s just me, but when I first heard of The Smiths, I didn’t know anyone that had their records. I started buying their albums and eventually had to search/seek out other fans through fanzines and letters. You simply didn’t go to school and your classmates all listened to the Smiths…. Again, that may be someone’s story, but not mine.
My other complaint is that song lyrics are cringey when spoken in dramatic dialogue. It just sounds stupid when you hear it, and as a Smiths fan, you recognize the line as taken from a song. I know the movie is winking at the fans, but God, it is embarrassing.
My last issue with the film is that they made the fan who held up the radio station as if he was a hero. I don’t think it’s right to force someone to listen to music they don’t like. Imagine if someone forces you to listen to (insert hated band/music here) - you’ll hate the music even more, right? Especially if you’re a heavy metal listener… to suddenly hear The Smiths, you’ll turn off the radio right away! You’re never going to convert non-fans, so the idea is just dumb.
I know I’m really harsh on the film, but it’s just my opinion… I’m certain most fans will love the film. I don’t think the film was made for non-fans, so if you don’t understand The Smiths, you won’t “get” this movie. You can see this reflection on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics hated the film, while the fans gave it a glowing review.
The best part about the film? The soundtrack. I love hearing the songs… but at the end of the day, isn’t it just the same as putting on Louder Than Bombs or The Queen is Dead and singing along?
PS, Louder Than Bombs is one of the best Smiths compilation … and it’s awesome that it was originally an American release.
PPS, I also got a laugh when I saw someone in the film reading a James Dean is Not Dead book. Morrissey wrote that book and have plead to fans to not buy that book, as he gets no royalties from any sales from the numerous reissues and reprints. I personally own a copy, as well as his New York Dolls book.
Shoplifters of the World (2021) |
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