In the Billboard (Nov. 4) Top 40 Music Video chart, "¡Oye Esteban!" entered at #13. It dropped out of the chart the following week (Nov. 11).

Steven writes:

The actress from the video "You're The One For Me, Fatty" is in the latest carphone warehouse advert. The clip is a take off of "Blind Date", which is presented by Cilla Black!!! SPOOKY (or not)

• Related item: "Fatty" actress appears in British commercial? - Jan. 27, 2000

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Regarding the above related item, I received this email from the actress (Morag Siller) a few months ago:

Hello there!

My friend loves morrissey and had logged onto this website, only to discover everyone was having an argument about me!!

So she told me and I'm here to say that : a) My name is Morag Siller
and
b) I did that video back then because i thought it was a positive song about overweight people and there's so much prejudice surrounding the whole boring subject, i thought in an ironic way it was a good positive song. That's what morrissey believed too.

I didn't like the title of the song, but understood why it had it. Rather tongue and cheek i think!

Anyway- am amazed that you recognised me from the commercial as it is very short but glad at the same time.

An anonymous person writes:

Harry Potter author JK Rowling was recently interviewed for Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. One of the records she picked was The Smiths' "Bigmouth Strikes Again"!! It was mentioned in the papers but as I never heard the broadcast I dont know why exactly she chose it or what she had to say about its significance. If anybody DID hear it, please could they let us know what she said...

GurgleJerk writes:

My just-arrived December issue of Select Magazine has a graphic of world-wide "arbitrary musical tastes." (pp12-13) They spotlight such local scenes as Polish Hip-Hop and Japanese Rastas, and include "Californian Brit-Pop" and "Hispanic Morrissey Devotees."

The blurb of text regarding Morrissey reads:

In Britain he be a weird old geezer with an interest in criminals and flower-arranging, but among the Hispanic community in sunny Los Angeles Moz is still God. None are more devout than The Sweet and Tender Hooligans, the tribute act fronted by Jose R Maldonado [inset]. "No one loves him as much as we do," says the Mexican Mozzer. "Most Hispanic-Americans come from working class backgrounds not unlike first-generation Irish immigrants into England – maybe we relate to Morrissey because his upbringing was so much like ours."
www.angelfire.com/80s/morrissey/index2.html

There is indeed a small b&w pic of Mr. Maldonado in concert accompanying the text.

• Related note from Mel: the Sweet and Tender Hooligans will be headlining at the Roxy (Hollywood) this Saturday night, Nov. 11. There's more info at the Sweet And Tender Hooligans Yahoo! club

G. Horacio Ochoa writes:

Last week on VH1, Hootie and the Blowfish were being interviewd about their new album of cover songs, Scattered, Smothered and Covered. When asked why they picked the Smith's song "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want", lead singer Darius Rucker said that anyone who loved music, not just Smiths fans, could listen to that song and realize the beauty of it and what a wonderful voice Morrissey has.

TrblLuvsMe writes:

I came across this transcript from an interview with "Hootie and the Blowfish" on the Nov. 3rd. "CNN Showbiz Today." Here's the pertinent bit:

(more)

Matt Zolan writes:

London radio station XFM has been playing a very interesting version of 'The Is A Light That Never Goes Out' by German artist Schneider TM. His version is called 'The Light 3000'. It's on XFM's N1 list (30 second sample included) and is played a few times a day. It's very different, very electronic and futuristic sounding, but I like it. I've been searching for a copy but haven't found one yet.

UPDATE Nov. 8: Link to "The Light 3000" video (RealVideo format) from A.

• Related link: Schneider TM to cover "There Is A Light..." - Mar. 10, 2000

David T (different) writes:

For the life of me, I can't remember if Moz ever went to the Hacienda Club (the spiritual home of Factory records). He probably did. Anyhow, there is a mention of the Smiths and a picture of Moz on the BBC website (caption: "Morrissey epitomized Manchester cool")

Harking back to the Haçienda

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Lifeguard Sleeping also sends a link to the article at "Virtual Manchester":

Hacienda Lots To Go Up For Auction

Apparently, they're tearing down the Hacienda and auctioning off such items as the DJ booth, chunks of the dance floor, bricks, etc. Under the heading, "A Brief History of the Hacienda," the Smiths are mentioned as having performed there twice in 1983.