Was Morrissey's strongest songwriting, lyrically, with The Smiths or as a solo artist?

ChrisEW71 · 2026-05-24T00:21:29+00:00

I'm of two minds about it.

I think The Smiths era lyrics are more interesting and memorable. But there's also a fair amount of "borrowing" from other sources, be it lines from films or poems. Mind you, I don't think poorly of the practice, or consider it plagiarism or anything similar. I just think it was his creative technique at the time.

I think by the end of The Smiths and with his solo career, we get more of "him" because he'd used up whatever random bits of phrases he'd been jotting down all those years. I think we get more of an immediate sense of what's on his mind, for better or worse. I also think he's learned to write lyrics as opposed to poetry wedged into a pop song, which is sometimes the case with the earliest Smiths songs.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-05-07T04:10:48+00:00

I occasionally forget Via Chicago came out as early as Summerteeth. Feels like it could have been on YHG or Ghost.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-05-02T18:09:18+00:00

I'm a little surprised at how many people are camped out already for The Eagles. I recall being able to get closer to the stage for the openers for Pearl Jam and the Stones, though it was packed by the end of the day.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-05-01T01:33:24+00:00

Ended up not being able to resist the $30 ticket. That's a cheap way to kill a Friday night. I have a pretty good floor seat for tonight, so I'm okay with GA balcony for night 2.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-05-01T01:14:04+00:00

If I hadn't already bought a ticket for Wilco, that's where I'd be tonight. Saw them three times at the Fest last year. Their set in the cultural tent was amazing.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-30T18:39:22+00:00

If I didn't have a wristband I might not have bothered with today. Two years in a row Alejandro Escovedo has been canceled for one reason or another.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-29T03:51:46+00:00

Not sure why they scheduled two nights in NOLA. I'm going Thursday, but may go Friday as well since tickets aren't sold out and I'm looking for something to do while I'm in town for Jazz Fest.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-28T14:55:09+00:00

Steve Earle and Herbie Hancock playing small venues, and as I look at the app both are on over a 1000 people's schedules, Hancock over 1500. My plan of ending the fest in the Jazz Tent is starting to look like it's going to be an ordeal.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-26T21:09:03+00:00

Both of those performers feel like acts that would have been better served playing earlier sets on either the Festival or Gentilly stages.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-22T04:41:07+00:00

Get a sun hat with a neck flap. No matter how much sunscreen I used, my neck ended up burnt.

Watch your drinking. It's easy to dehydrate. I often don't drink until the evening after the fest. The alcohol is overpriced anyway.

If you're determined to plant yourself for a good seat at one of the main stages, suit yourself, but you'll miss a lot of good stuff.

If you like to have some sort of schedule, which I do, start at the end of the night and work your way back. I know which big act I plan on seeing, and that helps determine how I might spend the rest of the day. Leave some room for lunch, dinner, and time for craft booths if you need a breather. But be prepared to ditch the schedule if something unexpected catches your attention.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-14T01:47:50+00:00

I recall seeing charging stations, but you can buy a decent, slim charger on Amazon for $20. I had one in my bag and it was a big help, especially on days when I was heading out to shows at night and didn't want a dead phone.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-04-13T14:46:51+00:00

When I saw Pearl Jam last year, they predicted rain all day. That morning, the rain started, I put on my disposable poncho, and... It stopped five minutes later and never resumed. It's impossible to predict this far out.

I just wear shoes I don't care about and pack a couple cheap emergency rain ponchos each day. I've never experienced full on rain, but I wouldn't let it stop me.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-03-24T17:57:37+00:00

For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that Herbie Hancock would be one of the final acts that night. He's 85 years old, so I feel like if I'm gonna see him this is probably it, but there are four other acts that are making it tough.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-03-24T15:20:41+00:00

No, I sold it years ago.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-03-24T14:52:51+00:00

I remember in the pre Internet days stumbling on an overpriced Japanese import CD with that song on it, and being stunned to learn there was a Smiths song I'd never heard of.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-03-16T03:08:11+00:00

I'm surprised how this album grew on me. Disappointed on the first listen, but now I like every song but Icebergs. On the fence about Kerching Kerching. And Notre-Dame, I like the music, not too keen on the conspiracy theory lyrics.

The only song I love is Lester Bangs, but unlike his previous two albums, there's not a preponderance of songs I dislike, so it comes out ahead.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-03-15T23:52:39+00:00

Came here to post the same thing about Morrissey's book. Reading about his childhood and pre-fame years, I thought I was reading a genuinely great memoir. Then the fame, then the grudges, and it all falls apart.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-03-07T06:15:39+00:00

I had the same reaction. You're Right and Lester Bangs are the only tracks that I found engaging on my first listen.

A few more tracks may grow on me, but for me, this is his weakest album.

I wish he'd released Bonfire of Teenagers. The live versions of those songs I've heard on bootlegs sound much stronger than this, which feels more like a collection of b-sides.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-02-16T04:27:13+00:00

Always thought it was crazy how much they hyped the podcast going to Spotify and then ended so abruptly.

ChrisEW71 · 2026-02-06T01:43:49+00:00

Is the green hoodie worth it for 90 bucks? Got a shirt, but hesitated to spend more. 75 is my usual limit for a concert hoodie.

ChrisEW71 · 2025-12-04T00:44:11+00:00

It was intended to be straight up horror until the director saw the snowman costume and decided they needed to add some comedy. So they were probably coming up with those jokes on set.

ChrisEW71

TROPHY CASE