Dr feelgood writes:

A friend of mine is working with the bloke who made the recentish C4 doc on Moz. Apparently all references to homosexuality had to be cut because Moz's mum is a devout Catholic. They also interviewed Kathy Burke who was still livid about the footage of her in the doc. She spent ages saying what an inspiration The Smiths had been to her and they only used a few clips of embarrassing remarks. She was still hostile to any media interviewers.

Jay writes:

Boz Boorer will be touring in December and January of this year. Boz will be playing on December 28th and 29th in New York and New Orleans on December 30th at Club 735 on Boubon St as well as on January 2nd. Coulter and Rocket350 will be opening on the 30th. This should be a great time since New Orleans is a great place to spend the New Year.

More info to come soon at
www.bozboorer.com
www.coulterclub.com
www.rocket350.com
www.club735.com

fell out of bed twice writes:

Here is an excerpt from a british magazine in which Dan Rhodes, the author of Timolean Vieta Come Home (which was short listed for The Booker Prize) speaks about The Smiths and Morrissey. (link and excerpt provided)

3AM: When I asked you for your Top 5 recently, you said that The Smiths were "still the soundtrack to my life -- I can't work out if they saved it or ruined it". Your stories reflect a very pessimistic outlook on life and love -- they are "all about unhappiness in love" (Jenny Colgan) -- which is reminiscent of Morrissey's. Do you agree?

DR: I discovered the Smiths when I was twelve, and Mozzer was always a big influence on my writing. As well as being deeply melancholy, his songs are extraordinarily uplifting, and I've always striven for a combination of sadness and joy. I tend to take my cues from songwriters as much as other fiction writers, maybe even more so. Other primary musical influences on my stuff include Stephin Merritt and the great Daniel Johnston, both of whom were always on my stereo when I was writing Anthropology, and who both have a Smithsian balance of humour and heartache in their music.

3AM: Do you also agree with Paul Morley (quoted by Michael Bracewell in The Nineties) who argues that "You could swap every winner of the Booker Prize for one song by Morrissey"? After all, the list of writers who make references to Morrissey and The Smiths keeps growing (Douglas Coupland, Irvine Welsh, Jonathan Coe…).

DR: The Smiths were the best band ever. I tend not to be very interested in books that win the Booker Prize, particularly when it seems as if they were written with one eye on it - that's just lamentable. And yes, it's not often you come across a book that carries as much of a punch as something like "I Know It's Over", or "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me". Fiction at its very best can rival The Smiths -- I'm a Chekhov nut at the moment, and he's up there. I re-read Timoleon Vieta Come Home recently, and found three or four Smiths steals. I doff my cap at every opportunity.

Mel writes:

I have just built based on a lecture I gave last year. It's called "Morrissey Does Bona Drag":

http://www2.gol.com/users/melemail/

Cassman writes:

Comics artist Philip Bond dresses as Morrissey for Halloween 1999 (includes picture). Check it out (second one down).

ejcmp writes:

More Craig Kilborn wanting Moz to do a duet with Merv Griffin
Craig Kilborn wants Morrissey to sing Little Drummer Boy with Merv Griffin on his show, just like David Bowie did with Bing Crosby a million years ago. It seems that they contacted Moz's people (their words, not mine) and he will be out of the country until the new year. Kilborn said that he will be looking for another British icon.
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defmoz414 writes:

"Asleep" at a Deftones show
Just kind of interesting. On October 31, Deftones played a show in San Diego, CA. During the set change before Deftones came on stage the final songs played over the PA was "Asleep." Though it probably was not at the request of Deftones, it was very nice and calmed the crowed just before the lights went down. It was also a nice way for the show to begin being that Morrissey and the Smiths are major influences of Deftones' singer Chino.
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Mark writes:

"Billy Budd" beer is not to be
A-B Wins Suit Against “Billy Budd”
Concord, New Hampshire-AP) -- Chalk up a court victory for St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch.

A federal judge in New Hampshire has ruled that a New Hampshire brewery cannot use the name "Billy Budd" for its ale, because beer drinkers might confuse it with the "Bud" family of beers.

The judge ruled against Caught-On-Bleu Incorporated of Franconia, New Hampshire in a trademark infringement lawsuit brought last year by Anheuser-Busch, maker of Budweiser.

The judge did not award attorney's fees to Anheuser-Busch, however, saying the nation's largest brewery failed to show the owners of Caught-On-Bleu intentionally and maliciously tried to capitalize on the "Bud" trademark.

Liz writes:

I am a student currently researching for my final year dissertation, which is on Morrissey fans. I need fans who would be willing to partake in an interview about their views on Morrissey, his music, etc. The interview would be via email, so where you live doesn't matter.

If anybody is interested in helping me out and airing their views on Morrissey, please email me on: [email protected] as soon as possible for more information. Thank you!