re the Electronic interview excerpt, that's a valid point about artists disliking their own hit songs!
but it was the other two things that got to me - Johnny wheedling Bernard into naming a Moz song as his least favourite Smiths song and Bernard's "big girl's blouse" in reference to Morrissey. two unnecessary potshots at Moz that came off juvenile. if they can't help themselves in an interview, imagine what they say in private! they were like two girls shittalking Johnny's ex
i think Johnny had a full blown complex post-Smiths over needing to prove he didn't NEED Morrissey and was better off without him
Hey again ❤
Sorry for taking long to answer again, uni work has been too demotivating at the moment.
I can see how you found those two comments juvenile but I think that that is just examples of their senses of humour. I'm not even sure if Johnny was being genuine either, I can't help but find it amusing too especially as he took a shot at one of Bernard'ssongs too. As for Bernard, from what I've seen he does have a bit of a dark sense of humour (even joking about Ian's death) and does like taking shots at others too. Also, as Moz always loves to takes shots and even criticised negatively one of Electronic's song, he should accept and expect a punch back. However I do agree that it is a bit sad seeing them joke so easily about this. Johnny had always spoken so seriously and religiously about the partnership (still does sometimes!), seeing him use it for comedy does reflect a decline in the relationship.
Now for Johnny's new need to display his artistic autonomy and shifting from Morrissey's shadow, I think that just what most artists strive for when a partnership breaks down. Morrissey did allude to Johnny wanting more of the spotlight in his autobiography too, but I think that is just natural. If I were Johnny I would want to prove my own artistic merits too and not be under someone else's shadow. I think that has more to do with public and media perception than his own feelings towards Morrissey.
In that way both Johnny and Barney are similar as they both struggled to detach themselves from the legacies of two lyrically gifted sensitive and literature minded songwriters, while Johnny and Bernard have always been more musically minded. At the end of the Smiths, Johnny by his own admission was growing tired of their "fey" image which probably is a reason why he so disliked songs like "Work is a Four Letter Word" and why he had this more baggy and slacker fashion style during Electronic. He also said once in 2012 about his solo career "What's wrong with singing from the brain?". I guess this shift for less "fey" and and emotional music explains why he would want to work with someone like Barney. Recently I've been interested and listening more to Joy Division and New Order and the deviation lyrics wise is so interesting. Barney like Johnny has always been so private and less openly sensitive, so when you put his lyrics next to Ian's it's pure whiplash.
