TRUTH-TELLERS SILENCED
Why artists like Morrissey are suppressed and censored…
It seems somehow fitting, that in our world, we are becoming more and more deprived of true honesty, integrity and originality in art. There is a deliberate suppression of those who have something real to say. We see it time and time again. What are publishing houses trying to hide? What are music labels so afraid of? What do they not want us to hear? No longer are our artists invested in because of the quality of their output. Never have the press supported talent — indeed, one is more likely to be a darling of the media if compliant, comfortable and obedient. Talent, then, appears to be low on the radar and an inconsequential trait. If you say the right thing and pose the right way, you’ll be fine. If you cross that line, if you say things that are uncomfortable to hear, you’ll be punished. And what is left, then, for the artist, amongst the debris of these attacks on their personality, and suppression by an industry that should be rallying behind them?
Artists are, perhaps, the last amongst us who have a voice that can touch upon truth and reach millions of people through the medium of music. Music has been a catalyst for so much change, and at times, has been a loaded bullet aimed at society and those in power. Music shakes things up. It wakes us up from our comfortable slumber and makes us think. It inspires us, moves us, changes us. It’s a powerful tool in the right hands.
When discussing such issues, it is impossible not to think of an artist like Morrissey. He serves -sadly- as a symbol of these things. There is a sad inevitability to the suppression he has faced. His journey has never been an easy one and his fans know this. When you dare to say it how it is, when you refuse to filter your thoughts, when your creativity serves as an outlet that often challenges the status quo rather than placates, you will always be seen as a threat. Morrissey, after four decades of writing music, with over 13 million albums sold and endless sold-out world tours, faces being discarded from the very industry that should be celebrating, honouring and promoting him. His current lack of label support is a repellent act and only serves to make the world of music a stagnant and dull place.
There is no fairness in such a predicament, for artist or his audience. We must cling to those who swim against the tide, for once we lose them and their voice, we lose it all. The game will be over. There will be no room for true freedom and challenges to what we are being told. Society will become number and dumber…perhaps this is what those in power want? Surely there is no easier way to create an obedient society than to shun those with something intelligent to say. Heaven forbid we are allowed to think.
We all cling to hope, though. As we have seen, Morrissey’s music continues to touch lives everyday. There is a reason he has become the legend he has, and there is a reason why, despite the trials he has faced, he will remain loved. Always. True art lives on, and it transforms everything. True art will never be destroyed. This in itself will provide us, eternally, with hope.
One inescapable and final truth: any artists of the future who have something real to say, will only have a voice to do so because of trailblazers who have fought and paved the way.
