Not only did Morrissey attract an army of adoring fans from the '80s to the present, but he attracted fans of every demographic. Sure, Elvis and The Beatles had plenty of male, heterosexual fans, but those fans wanted to be like Elvis, Lennon or McCartney, none of them wanted to kiss or hug them like they did with Morrissey. Morrissey attracted fans who would do anything for him.
When filmmaker Fabrizio Federico asked fans why they love Morrissey he heard these answers: wit, humour, honesty, vulnerability, hope, opinionated, true, passionate, bitchy, relatable lyrics, intellect, devilishness, good looks.
But the man also took risks. It was quite odd for a lead singer to flamboyantly rip off his shirt at nearly all his shows and sing about things like "a murderous desire for love" and whether "nature will make a man of me yet," but actually declare himself to be celibate. He gave earthy commentaries that made the audience howl. With a clever sense of humour, he tossed off all pretensions of piety, adopting the language, intonations and vocabulary of his inner city people….he spoke with candour, giving off the sexual magnetism of a 50's crooner
An admirer of people like James Dean and Marlon Brando, one would think that he was surely a homosexual. Quite the opposite. He actually spoke publicly about his asexuality. It was so strange for someone to visually and lyrically present himself in such a way that oozed of sexuality, but who actually was open about the fact that he never truly desired a physical relationship and to some extent, saw himself as above or beyond the idea of sex.
They would (and still do) stage invade, they wore oversized glasses, they adopted his signature hairdo, they waved flowers at his shows, they despised the British royals like he did, they wrote letters to him, they got Morrissey tattoos and they kissed the ground he walked on. Sure, all those things are nothing new, but the fact that he converted so many people to vegetarianism is a pretty remarkable accomplishment, especially for an entertainer.
An 18 year old fan James Kiss in 1987 even tried to hold a radio station up at gunpoint to force them to play nothing but Smith songs all day. He even wrote letters explaining his actions, which read like Morrissey lyrics: “I don't feel right here," he wrote. "I feel as if I'm out of place. My spirit is lost and my body is pollution filled … I guess what I'm doing is a protest about life. The world's dying and most don't care … in a way the Smiths and Morrissey are one reason I'm doing this."
Throughout his career with The Smiths and still till this day as a solo artist, his lyrics were filled with sexual innuendos, sexual ambiguity and themes of physical intimacy, but it was as if he was untouchable. He presented himself with this "look, but don't touch" mentality, which only made people want him more. Morrissey was viewed as this "sweet and tender" man who sang of sexual confusion and sang with so much honest emotion that he claimed that he has never "performed" onstage, it was all 100 percent true emotion. His lyrics spoke to teenagers of both genders and all sexualities who also shared his interest in sex and maybe even similar feelings of sexual frustration. Though he was openly asexual, he actually became a sex symbol, which seems backwards, but he truly was (and is) a sex symbol in every sense of the term.
Morrissey acknowledged it in an interview by saying, "a lot of my male followers have very anguished and rabid desires in my direction. And I find that quite historic." After Morrissey would rip off his shirt at his concerts, he would throw it into the crowd, where fans tried to get at least a small piece to take home and cherish before it was inevitably ripped to shreds.
What's truly remarkable is that these stage invasions still happen today. People of all ages show up to Morrissey gigs with flowers, handwritten letters and a hope of giving the man they love a hug. Morrissey is so beloved that for many people, going to one of his concerts is a religious experience. He's the preacher and the crowd are the loving, faithful followers. Morrissey's intelligent lyrics were a huge reason that people loved him so much (so much so that they read his lyrics like Bible verses). He sang about things that hadn't been discussed in rock or pop music before. He sang about his favorite poets -- John Keats, W.B. Yeats and Oscar Wilde -- but his wisdom didn't stop there. Sure, others sang about their hatred of the British monarchy like he did in "The Queen Is Dead," but he also sang about things like the National Front ("The National Front Disco"), the Kray twins ("The Last Of The Famous International Playboys"), the plight of the disabled ("November Spawned A Monster"), the ineffective Manchester school system ("The Headmaster Ritual"), police brutality ("Ganglord"), the greed and ego of the music industry ("Paint A Vulgar Picture"), black humor ("Girlfriend In A Coma"), and most notably, vegetarianism ("Meat Is Murder").
They would wear white T-shirts, which displayed either Smiths album covers (all of which were designed by Morrissey) or photos of Morrissey. They wore blue denim jeans and many of them even tried to mimic Morrissey's iconic quiff. They wanted to hug the man who spoke to them like no one had ever spoken to them before. They saw themselves as outsiders and Morrissey was someone who made them feel understood and who made them feel like they weren't alone. He was the one who made people feel that being awkward, reclusive or intelligent weren't undesirable characteristics, especially when it came to rock and roll, which is often associated with being extroverted and macho.
Plus his very clever choice of asexuality, combined with a very physical sexual reality (even if it is only confined to the level of ‘look, don’t touch’) that makes Morrissey so attractive to his hordes. The sweet and tender, untouchable, topless Adonis, always ready to reveal his inner thoughts and passions yet just as eager to veil them in lyrical and sexual ambiguity. Maybe it is this over-enthusiastic curiosity from fans that forewarns him of a more offensive and dangerous threat to the often remarkable relationship with his art and his audience that he has developed – ie from the blood-hungry tabloids. If this is the case, then Morrissey should be wary of the fate that killed off both his heroes Wilde and Dean, (indulgence and the pressures of fame) and maybe for once I can allow him the excessive protection and molly-coddling he has received from record company and followers. When I asked about the paradox of his two-sided character he replied with a standard, “Well I think it’s easier to be oneself onstage.”
Morrissey probably single-handedly converted more people to vegetarianism than any other one person. He was one of the people who brought this issue to the mainstream, and he wore this cause on his shoulder like no other. Many fans, after hearing that album, gave up meat for life and that's pretty amazing when you think about it. A pop-rock song about vegetarianism is something that no record company would ever push for, especially when the live version of the song was accompanied by a video backdrop of animals being slaughtered and abused.
Another thing that was distinctive when it came to Morrissey fans was that they wrote so many letters and tried to give him so many gifts (before, during and after his shows) that it was getting out of control. Eventually, his management started putting boxes outside of venues before his shows that read "gifts for Morrissey" for fans to present Morrissey with whatever they desired. What's also unique about Morrissey was that he welcomed stage invasions and he hugged fans back and shook their hands as they tried to kiss and hug him in mid-song, which, of course, only lead to more stage invasions. When asked about all the love he receives from his fans, Morrissey once said, "Can you imagine being kissed by hundreds of people? It was immensely uplifting."
BONUS READ:
The story on James Kiss. Smiths fan hijacks local radio station in Denver in the 80s. Armed with the rifle, six Smiths cassette tapes and one Morrissey album. When Arvada police searched his home, again with his consent, they found a magazine about the Smiths, a poem and a pair of letters, which were entered into evidence. In the letters penned to his parents just before the incident, Kiss spelled out exactly what he was planning and tried to explain why. Read the letters he wrote...
The first letter, dated four days before the incident: 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙈𝙤𝙢 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙡,
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙄 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙮, 𝙨𝙤 𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙈𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩. 𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙄'𝙢 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙈𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙤. 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚. 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚'𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣. 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚ad it, I guess what Im doing is a protest about life. The worlds dying and most dont care, and if they do care there is nothing to do about it cose man is the problem. Whoever or whatever man the human race made a big mistake. My views of life are in the poems I have written. Some of the show hope, but it quickly dies in others. A lot in the first book have nothing to do with my views. The second book shows my interest in Morrissey and the first time I planned to do this (this is the second time). I think my ideas are mounting somewhat stemmed from Morrissey. Theres no doubt his words have changed me and in a way The Smiths and Morrissey are one reason Im doing this. The third book continues from the second. I want you to know my exact plan. I have brought a gun for this time, when I tried the first time I had a fake gun. Im going to Y108 and Im going to take control of the station and play all the Smiths and Morrissey tapes over the air. (As i re-read what I wrote it sounds crazy to me) and when its over I'll give myself up. I do not expect to die, but if that happens I wont really mind. I will not hurt anyone else that doesnt try to stop me. I really dont expect to be successful. At the end most will say Im insane. I feel Im sane if everyone elseis insane, but Im insane if they're sane. Again Im sorry for you if I cause you pain. I hope through reading my words you can see why I did this and find a way to forgive me. You're still my mother and father. I hope Im still your son. With love and regret James - ''life is hard enough when you belong here''.
The second letter, dated the day of the incident:
Dear mom and Al, I am ashamed for any respect you have held for me because I really dont deserve it. It's true that lies lead to more lies and I have told so many. I have backed out again last Friday. It has happened so many times I think reasons of why outweigh the reasons why not. My only problem is the reasons why not revolve around you two. I hate to disappoint you. I hate to leave you. I hate to hurt you. I can only hope that your pain weak and short lived. I hope you find a way to understand and forgive. If you cant I'll understand. I must be crazy because I look around for what purpose I could possibly have in this world and this is the only one I could find. One for whom people could laugh at and wonder where I went wrong. I could write forever and not tell you all I want. Please read the poems. Please do not blame yourselves because you have been good parents. Please forgive me and dont cry for me. Love James - ''there is a light that never goes out'' I'll fell much better when its over.
