--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared…" description: "\"At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared a promoter with the Smiths. One night, we were sitting backstage when Morrissey burst in, utterly distraught,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png" --- # At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared a promoter with… ![“At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared a promoter with the Smiths. One night, we were sitting backstage when Morrissey burst in, utterly distraught, sobbing his heart out. Turns out someone had thrown a sausage at him on stage during 'Meat Is Murder.'” quote by Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png) > “At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared a promoter with the Smiths. One night, we were sitting backstage when Morrissey burst in, utterly distraught, sobbing his heart out. Turns out someone had thrown a sausage at him on stage during 'Meat Is Murder.'” [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A backstage anecdote illustrating how a provocative performance can provoke extreme emotional reactions, highlighting the tension between artistic intent and audience response. **In simple terms:** Provocative art can elicit strong emotions. Key Takeaway Art can trigger unexpected, intense reactions. Themes Performance art Emotional volatility Audience-artist dynamics Shock value Cultural controversy Mood amused empathetic reflective Type Anecdote Humorous anecdote Cultural commentary When to use this quote - Live concerts - Backstage interactions - Artist confrontations - Media coverage - Fan reactions Key Concepts Stagecraft Public perception Emotional expression Practical Applications - Understanding audience sensitivity - Managing onstage incidents Questions to Reflect On - How should artists balance provocation with responsibility? - What mechanisms can protect performers from hostile audience actions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/the-combination-of-rumination-and-negative-mood-is-toxic-research/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [I know that you're selfish, selfish beyond words, and I know that you haven't the nerve of a rabbit, I know you're a liar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-know-that-you-re-selfish-selfish-beyond-words-and-i-know-that-you/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ginny-weasley-who-sat-next-to-colin-creevey-in-charms-was-distraught/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I learned not to get too happy about good news or too distraught about bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/i-learned-not-to-get-too-happy-about-good-news-or-too-distraught/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [“… I went back to the stories people wrote about Him. It was mostly crazy stories written by people who called themselves Matthew, Mark,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/i-went-back-to-the-stories-people-wrote-about-him-it-was-mostly-crazy/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) > [Over the months, I kept seeing more feathers, especially at moments when I was really down and distraught. You ask for signs in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-parrilla/over-the-months-i-kept-seeing-more-feathers-especially-at-moments/) [Lana Parrilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-parrilla/) > [You gave me emotions that I read as love, little did I you cared about me no more than a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-smith/you-gave-me-emotions-that-i-read-as-love-little-did-i-you-cared-about/) [Mike Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-smith/) > [I've seen some videos where you can tell that the person did not want to ruin their hair and they're distraught over it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-ve-seen-some-videos-where-you-can-tell-that-the-person-did-not-want/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [“There is no depth that exceeds the reach of the God who is, at this very moment, seeking you out in the holes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/there-is-no-depth-that-exceeds-the-reach-of-the-god-who-is-at-this/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Apparently, union bosses are so distraught about declining enrollments they will stoop to exploiting illegal workers. There is no doubt that this would hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/apparently-union-bosses-are-so-distraught-about-declining-enrollments/) [Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/) > [“Ask if you would like to,’ he said, smiling, ‘Or if you prefer, we could just sit.’    ‘But I guess you’re not just sitting.’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/ask-if-you-would-like-to-he-said-smiling-or-if-you-prefer-we-could/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) > [For such, Being made beautiful overmuch, Consider beauty a sufficient end, Lose natural kindness and maybe The heart-revealing intimacy That chooses right, and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/for-such-being-made-beautiful-overmuch-consider-beauty-a-sufficient/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [This lifeless heart..your love had brought it alive.and then it was your love,that made it distraught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny-dreams/this-lifeless-heart-your-love-had-brought-it-alive-and-then-it-was/) [Destiny Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny-dreams/) > [As a fan, I'm distraught, but as a cartoonist looking at new vacant spaces in 2400 newspapers, well, behind me, my cats are dancing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/as-a-fan-i-m-distraught-but-as-a-cartoonist-looking-at-new-vacant/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) ## More by Paul Merton > [I never give anyone advice: it can backfire horribly. In the 1950s, Eric Morecambe told Ken Dodd to get his teeth fixed. But those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-never-give-anyone-advice-it-can-backfire-horribly-in-the-1950s-eric/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [In fact, I don't watch a lot of contemporary comedy for fear of being influenced by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/in-fact-i-don-t-watch-a-lot-of-contemporary-comedy-for-fear-of-being/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [I'll never forget my first experience of swede. It was at school and I thought I was getting mashed potato. I've never got over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-ll-never-forget-my-first-experience-of-swede-it-was-at-school-and-i/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [I read every book about Buster Keaton and Chaplin to see how they worked - it's all about dedication, tunnel vision, pursuit of perfection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-read-every-book-about-buster-keaton-and-chaplin-to-see-how-they/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [In a psychiatric hospital, a lot of people believe that people on TV are talking to them directly through the screen. I'm with about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/in-a-psychiatric-hospital-a-lot-of-people-believe-that-people-on-tv/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [When I was nine I spent a lot of my time reading books about the history of comedy, or listening to the Goons or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/when-i-was-nine-i-spent-a-lot-of-my-time-reading-books-about-the/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [Maybe there's a perception of me as grumpy old bugger who suffers from depression. It's a total misconception. I don't think of myself as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/maybe-there-s-a-perception-of-me-as-grumpy-old-bugger-who-suffers/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [On my first day in New York a guy asked me if I knew where Central Park was. When I told him I didn't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/on-my-first-day-in-new-york-a-guy-asked-me-if-i-knew-where-central/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [I remember being fascinated by the very nature of comedy from the age of 10; why is this funny, and that isn't?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-remember-being-fascinated-by-the-very-nature-of-comedy-from-the-age/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [When I wake up on a Monday morning and I realise I don't have to go and work at the civil service, I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/when-i-wake-up-on-a-monday-morning-and-i-realise-i-don-t-have-to-go/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [When I turned about 12 or 13, I realised that being funny wasn't about remembering jokes. It was about creating them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/when-i-turned-about-12-or-13-i-realised-that-being-funny-wasn-t-about/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [I was trying to organise my DVDs into a sort of chronological order, and I am afraid that it all trailed off after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-was-trying-to-organise-my-dvds-into-a-sort-of-chronological-order/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [The thing about improvisation is that it's not about what you say. It's listening to what other people say. It's about what you hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/the-thing-about-improvisation-is-that-it-s-not-about-what-you-say-it/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [I'm always amazed to hear of air crash victims so badly mutilated that they have to be identified by their dental records. What I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/i-m-always-amazed-to-hear-of-air-crash-victims-so-badly-mutilated/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) > [Beginning with a trip out to Ellis Island, I saw for myself where thousands of European immigrants took their first steps onto American soil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/beginning-with-a-trip-out-to-ellis-island-i-saw-for-myself-where/) [Paul Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) [Explore all 43 Paul Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/) ## More Distraught quotes > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [This lifeless heart..your love had brought it alive.and then it was your love,that made it distraught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny-dreams/this-lifeless-heart-your-love-had-brought-it-alive-and-then-it-was/) [Destiny Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny-dreams/) > [For such, Being made beautiful overmuch, Consider beauty a sufficient end, Lose natural kindness and maybe The heart-revealing intimacy That chooses right, and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/for-such-being-made-beautiful-overmuch-consider-beauty-a-sufficient/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“Ask if you would like to,’ he said, smiling, ‘Or if you prefer, we could just sit.’    ‘But I guess you’re not just sitting.’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/ask-if-you-would-like-to-he-said-smiling-or-if-you-prefer-we-could/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) > [Apparently, union bosses are so distraught about declining enrollments they will stoop to exploiting illegal workers. There is no doubt that this would hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-s-smith/apparently-union-bosses-are-so-distraught-about-declining-enrollments/) [Lamar S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-s-smith/) > [“There is no depth that exceeds the reach of the God who is, at this very moment, seeking you out in the holes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/there-is-no-depth-that-exceeds-the-reach-of-the-god-who-is-at-this/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I've seen some videos where you can tell that the person did not want to ruin their hair and they're distraught over it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-ve-seen-some-videos-where-you-can-tell-that-the-person-did-not-want/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [You gave me emotions that I read as love, little did I you cared about me no more than a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-smith/you-gave-me-emotions-that-i-read-as-love-little-did-i-you-cared-about/) [Mike Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-smith/) > [Over the months, I kept seeing more feathers, especially at moments when I was really down and distraught. You ask for signs in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-parrilla/over-the-months-i-kept-seeing-more-feathers-especially-at-moments/) [Lana Parrilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-parrilla/) > [“… I went back to the stories people wrote about Him. It was mostly crazy stories written by people who called themselves Matthew, Mark,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/i-went-back-to-the-stories-people-wrote-about-him-it-was-mostly-crazy/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) > [I learned not to get too happy about good news or too distraught about bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/i-learned-not-to-get-too-happy-about-good-news-or-too-distraught/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ginny-weasley-who-sat-next-to-colin-creevey-in-charms-was-distraught/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that you're selfish, selfish beyond words, and I know that you haven't the nerve of a rabbit, I know you're a liar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-know-that-you-re-selfish-selfish-beyond-words-and-i-know-that-you/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [The combination of rumination and negative mood is toxic. Research shows that people who ruminate while sad or distraught are likely to feel besieged,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/the-combination-of-rumination-and-negative-mood-is-toxic-research/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [As a fan, I'm distraught, but as a cartoonist looking at new vacant spaces in 2400 newspapers, well, behind me, my cats are dancing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/as-a-fan-i-m-distraught-but-as-a-cartoonist-looking-at-new-vacant/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) Browse all 41 Distraught quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared a promoter with the Smiths. One night, we were sitting backstage when Morrissey burst in, utterly distraught, sobbing his heart out. Turns out someone had thrown a sausage at him on stage during 'Meat Is Murder.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-shared-a-promoter-with-the-smiths/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distraught" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-shared-a-promoter-with-the-smiths/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/paul-merton-15418_distraught_at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-share_73020.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At one point in the mid-Eighties I shared a promoter with the Smiths. One night, we were sitting backstage…” — Paul Merton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paul Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At one point in the mid-Eighties...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-shared-a-promoter-with-the-smiths/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-merton/at-one-point-in-the-mid-eighties-i-shared-a-promoter-with-the-smiths/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```