The Mozzer makes a preemptive strike
against middle-age
Only a few months shy of his 50th
birthday, Morrissey proved just how little he fears acknowledging his
aging icon status by recently appearing in promotional shots
completely naked, his manhood covered only by a well-placed 7”
single. Whether a self-effacing gesture that insulates him against
any suggestions that he takes himself too seriously or simply an
attempt to prove that his staunch vegetarianism has paid some
dividends for his body, that photo certainly fits the tone of Years
of Refusal, an album loaded with the anger, lust and audacity of
youth, fleeting or not. Reunited with Jerry Finn (the producer of
2004’s well-manicured You Are the Quarry), the Manchester
Mope now pushes in the opposite direction, ratcheting up the
distortion, muscling up on his vocals, and emphasizing
live-in-the-studio energy over overdubbed perfection. In the process,
he has rarely sounded so urgent.But just as he seems to be fighting
against middle-age by emphasizing unkempt edges and biting
indictments of everything from former lovers (“When Last I Spoke to
Carol”) to anti-depressants (“Something is Squeezing My Skull”),
he also seems to be ruminating on his age. On “That’s How People
Grow Up,” he offers the lived-in wisdom that his endless pining for
true love has largely been in vain, leaving him regretful and bitter;
on “You Were Good in Your Time,” he uses sighing balladry as a
backdrop for an aging star who finds himself underappreciated and out
of touch. But Morrissey appears to be in no such danger. Knowing
self-obsession is a young man’s game, he has found the only way to
pull his legendary persona along with him, allowing himself room to
play with his myth while resolving not to change any time soon.
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