Are Morrissey's lyrics "better" because he didn't attend university

[I am a Ghost]

snobbery in reserve doesn't count.

I always keep it in reserve for special occasions.

reverse snob 
–noun
a person overly proud of being one of or sympathetic to the common people, and who denigrates or shuns those of superior ability, education, social standing, etc.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

aww man, this was gonna be my next poll question

 

[smeath]

I personally think yes because of the fact that a diploma or certificate doesn't even show true intelligence. He doesn't need that, he's already a literate genius. So the rebellion makes it even better. I respect him.

 

[Suedehead71]

voted "no" on this one. morrissey's already been to school on a steady course of music, poetry, and other bits of life-altering pop culture. he gleaned from, stole, was inspired by, regurgitated, and created his own particular art from the various "courses" he took over the length of his formative years.

 

[sdsuedehead]

I vote for this being the most pointless poll of 2011.

 

[Georgissey]

What the hell does that have to do with the price of oranges nowadays?

You're probably a wonderful person, but what an insipid poll...

 

[Georgissey]

If Davey would emulate facebook a bit more, I'd "like" this.

 

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

Probably not, but then it's a hard one to answer because it's so wildly hypothetical. His lyrics would quite possibly be different, but not better or worse.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

I vote for this being the most pointless poll of 2011.

clearly you have not seen my polls

 

[Dave]

I'd say it's the most English poll.

 

[SparkleBoy]

This has to be one of the most idiotic polls in the history of this site. How many amazing lyricists went to university? Countless. How many never graduated high school? Countless.

Schooling has nothing to do with anything except job prospects.

 

[Dave]

This has to be one of the most idiotic polls in the history of this site. How many amazing lyricists went to university? Countless. How many never graduated high school? Countless.

Schooling has nothing to do with anything except job prospects.

It's about the class system. That's what they're arguing about.

 

[Media Whore]

I think I am missing the point here. Isn't the question just asking if a higher education would have affected Morrissey's writing allowing us to say 'yea' or 'nay' (or dunno)? And if so, how?

What is wrong with that as a question? You are allowed to dissent without ridiculing the value of the question. And if it is 'insipid' then you are not required to answer. No pouting necessary. Honestly, some of you act like you are 12.

 

[Dave]

*leaves to go ride bmx bike*

 

[King Leer]

Yes, that was the entire idea behind the poll - thank you.
I haven't been tracking the thread that closely but it's amusing that some people are getting their backs up about it -- might be related to their own schooling?

In the realm of cinema the argument for and against film school (and its influence) is never-ending, so I don't see why not with lyrics? That's why I expanded on the Tarantino mention.
Hell, Shakespeare's relatively short stint at school is a topic in itself in light of his genius.

I think I am missing the point here. Isn't the question just asking if a higher education would have affected Morrissey's writing allowing us to say 'yea' or 'nay' (or dunno)? And if so, how?

What is wrong with that as a question? You are allowed to dissent without ridiculing the value of the question. And if it is 'insipid' then you are not required to answer. No pouting necessary. Honestly, some of you act like you are 12.

 

[oranges]

Maybe Morrissey has made a few spelling/grammar errors in his time but I doubt he has made more than the average university graduate. What is incredible is that he managed to foster such an incredible, keen interest in the English language, despite having gone to to a quite depressing sounding school and coming from a pretty harsh, working-class background. I think that the years spent in his room reading Oscar Wilde was his ''university' experience and helped make him the man he is. I can't imagine his songs would have sounded the same if he had spent the same period at the student union.

 

[chris]

i think lyric writing, or good lyric writing, is inspired by the unconcious part of the human mind, and a formal education has the habit of stifling that link to the unconscious part of our brains.

 

[Black Cloud]

Had he gone to university he would have ended up a double agent, like Rupert Everett.

 

[Timmybear]

Bit of an odd question, this one, but a "what if?" question I've thought about for many years.

If Morrissey had gone to Uni do you think his lyrics wouldn't be as unique? He's obviously drawn on a bottomless well of poetry, literature, films. Would a higher learning institution have been like a middle man that took a percentage of his raw creativity away? Or would it have sent his lyrical genius even higher into the stratosphere?

A university-educated person would probably (emphasis on probably) not make the grammatical/spelling errors "Everyday is Like Sunday," "You Know I Couldn't Last" (the original Candy Darling quote was "Did you know..."), pronounce "annals" as "anals" etc. Having said that, Morrissey has intentionally incorporated grammatical errors into his lyrics ("I just wish you'd stay where you is" from America...)

Thoughts?

Did you really learn grammar in university? Personally, I learned it from kindergarten to Grade 13. And, sadly, I met people in university who were just as proud to be illiterate and not to have read a book they did not have to read as I met in elementary and high school. It's depressing when you want to talk economics with an Economics major and you discover he knows NOTHING about Marx or Luxemburg.

And as to coming from a working-class background, so did I. That's why I went to libraries a lot. Cheap access to knowledge.

 

[Dog Walker]

Clearly, Morrissey is better read than most university students.