Exploring the reason why Elvis Costello doesn’t like Morrissey
On paper, many things connect the music of Elvis Costello and Morrissey. They are both British crooners, writing songs that discuss the minutiae about living on this tiny sceptred isle, possessing a sharp perception and acerbic wit. Added to these stylistic similarities is that they’re both lauded as two of the key figures in their respective movements, Costello of new wave and Morrissey of indie rock.
The Hugh Grant’s of music, Costello and Morrissey are so British that at some points the neurosis contained in their music is that pathetic that you have to turn it off. It is also arguable that both artists – and with regards to Morrissey, we mean his post-Smiths work – have continued to create the same music repeatedly, making you wonder just how their fans have managed to endure such mediocre laments for so long.
As of late, Morrissey has become something of a public enemy within music, having seemingly shown support for far-right politics and, in general, has been no stranger to controversy. He seems to have enacted a total character U-turn – the one-time indie hero and staunch supporter of progressive causes is now a bitter inversion of himself.
Morrissey, in the contemporary era, is a sticky subject and one that has caused some of his most lauded contemporaries, such as Billy Bragg and Nick Cave, both finding themselves on different sides of the fence when it comes to free speech and defending the legacy of The Smiths.
All this aside, despite them bearing stylistic similarities to each other, it appears that Elvis Costello is not a fan of Morrissey’s work at all. Regarding the repetitive nature of Morrissey’s solo material and its apparent lack in quality, Costello once opined: “Morrissey writes wonderful song titles, but sadly he often forgets to write the song.”
Back in 2005, when speaking to The Times, Costello reaffirmed that he thinks Morrissey’s work is repetitive and also expanded his point of why he doesn’t like his music. The musician revealed that it is because he’s too sensitive to criticism and that for too long the ex-Smiths man has been too cosseted.
The ‘Oliver’s Army’ mastermind said: “Take Morrissey. For me, he’s been singing the same tune for 20 years. I just don’t get it. But he’s clearly an interesting character and means a lot to people. He seems to be of a disposition that is very sensitive to criticism and therefore it’s appropriately English that he becomes cherished in that kind of Frankie Howard, Tony Hancock way. Those who are fragile, who need to be cosseted, maybe their shortcomings or their excellence in their field is then woven into the fabric along with Albert Tatlock and Hobnobs.”
