Back on May 16th I heard about a series of shows called "Sweatin' To The Oldies" at Al's Bar in LA. I didn't go to the first night, but I did go to the second night which featured (former guitarist for the New York Dolls) Sylvain Sylvain and the punk band Street Walkin' Cheetahs.

Anyway, after four songs of the opening band I notice at the bar a man, who looked just like Morrissey. Well I didn't really make a big thing about it and just kept watching Papa Roach. But right before the Street Walkin' Cheetahs came on I walked towards the back to get a clearer view and this guy with an English accent said, "Excuse me sir, mind moving to the left a little? And oh by the way, I was at that show you know." I turned around and he was pointing to my shirt which was a Morrissey tour shirt with European dates on the back. The shirt was from the 1995 tour.

Well, what was next to come was expected. I was in shock and scared - I said, "Oh shit! you're Morrissey" and he said, "No, please call me Steven." We shook hands and then watched Street Walkin' Cheetahs do a blazin' set of original tunes and some Iggy Pop and New York Dolls tunes. After they were done the lights came back on and I was shocked to see what he looked like. He had kind of a light beard and his hair was very short, lots of gray hairs. We talked very briefly, and I asked him what was up with a new album, anytime soon? He said, "Don't worry too much. I still have enough fight in my throat. I'm still strong enough to do a new album." And then I asked why and who he came to the show with he said, "By myself, I often come to shows by myself.  And besides, I can never pass seeing Sylvain Sylvain. He is amazing and a brilliant man, should I ask him to be on my next record?" I said, "Fuck, yeah" and he said, "Well no one really likes old 70's punk rock anymore." (Then he sipped his drink. I think it was rum and coke, but not sure). "Punk is dead. The music is great but I don't think Alain would like that Sylvain touch on new material." Then he laughed.

A small group of people, I'd say less then five, came over and asked, "Hey are you Moz?" and he said, "Moz? hmmm Moz is that spelt with one Z or two Z's?" He smiled and said "Yes, I am." I was bumped away (by a girl who looked like a lame Bettie Page wannabe) then I felt it was time for me to leave him alone. I said to Morrissey, "Hope to see you after the show" and he replied, "Oh in case I make an early exit it was nice meeting you... um..." and I said my name "Fernando." "It was great meeting and talking with you Fernando." And just as I headed away from the bar and towards the stage I turned back and saw Morrissey head towards the side of the stage. He went backstage and that was the last I saw of him all night.

The reason I report this story is because in the June issue of BAM magazine here in LA it is mentioned in the section titled NIGHT FEVER that "at the Sylvain Sylvain show on May 16th major sensation was felt by some fans when former-Dolls fan club prez Morrissey was spotted and was cornered by some fans who noticed him." Sorry it was long but I had to go into great detail. And sorry I reported it late. I told everyone what happened and no one believes me, but since it was noted in BAM that he truly was there... I figured what the hell, I'll send my story to Morrissey-solo.

I'm reading a book called Writers on Comics Scriptwriting which features interviews with major comic book writers about their craft. (It's written by Mark Salisbury, published by Titan Books.)

One of the featured writers is Grant Morrison, who's very famous in the comics world for books such as The Invisibles, JLA, and Arkham Asylum. Anyway, in his interview, Morrison compares his early mindset to our favorite lyricist:

"Back in the eighties, when I was doing Zenith, the persona I had then was Morrissey; he slags everybody off, he's really clever; all that Oscar Wilde stuff. So I started saying cruel things about everybody else in comics. No one had ever done that before and it made me famous, but it was a horrible way to get famous. It just seemed funny but I was upsetting a lot of people, and it became a persona I had to escape from because everybody hated me."

Sounds like a bit of a compliment and a criticism to me... Morrison does call him "clever"... and from what I know, Morrissey also grew out of "slagging everybody off."

Just thought I'd add this find to your impressive collection of obscure references. :)

I found this interesting piece of info: A guy called Simon Svale built a scanner using only Lego pieces. The image he chose for his demo is that of our own beloved Morrissey. He even won a contest with it at the official Lego page.

..."Some people have a problem with the comic strip," Mr. Langford said. "Morrissey picked up a copy and threw it across the room and said his chin was too big. He was quite angry. But others, especially less popular bands, have used the comic as a T-shirt and view being included in it as an honor."

related articles: Jul 5, 1999 - Morrissey Lightbulb Joke, Great Pop Things (1997)

Comments / Notes (3)

This is from the July 1999 issue of Q, so I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet. It's their summer festival guide, which features short interviews with a number of performers. From the Billy Bragg interview...

Best festival experience?
... I also remember playing football backstage one year (at Glastonbury) with the Housemartins and a white stretch limo drew up and the Smiths got out. Morrissey's female minder - a big schoolma'am of a woman - went into the ladies, pushed everyone out and stood there like a leviathan for 20 minutes while Morrissey went in. We asked the other Smiths if Morrissey wanted to play football with us but I'm not sure his mum would've let him.

It seems like Mr. Bragg can't do an interview these days without mentioning dear old Mozzer.

Moz has been shortlisted as one of the 100 most important musicians of the 20th century, according to the Spanish magazine "Factory". This is a poll which has been appearing at this magazine during the last 3 issues, and makes a list of the musicians in alphabetical order, without making any charts. The list has different kind of musicians, like Antonio Carlos Jobim, John Lennon, Thurston Moore, Madonna, Nusrat Fateh Ali Kan, Ruben Blades, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, Chuck D, David Bowie...

The article about Morrissey is basically about the Smiths period, mentioning Your Arsenal as the only masterpiece of his solo career.

Q readers voted for the top 100 stars of the century, where Johnny Marr got to #95 and Morrissey reached #41... here's what it said :

95 - Johnny Marr - This charming man
Johnny Marr exudes an ineffable cool. He doesn't talk much, but then he doesn't have to: he can express more emotion in three minutes of music than most singers manage in an entire career. Though, there is a theory that he's wasted his talent, not being in full-time employment since the 1987 demise of The Smiths(Electronic hardly being the busiest of bands), when he does choose to flaunt it, he does so with a flourish others can only dream of. What Beckham is to the dead ball, Johnny Marr is to the guitar.

Recommended album: The Smiths Hatful Of Hollow (Rough Trade, 1984). Because of "How Soon Is Now?". Every time.

You said:"The boy looked at Johnny.. and Oasis were born." Claire Christian, Wolverhampton

41 Morrissey - He didn't think we deserved him
Morrissey popularised introversion, negativity and the strengths of '60s pop and he acheived it with brilliant Wildean wit and a bunch of gladioli protruding from his back pocket. His chest-painted messages ("Marry me") and his appendages(hearing aids, National Health specs) were a first, and his extravagantly sexual, shirt-free stage persona belied those romantically crabbed and coy lyrics. Yes, he went truculent and lost his levity, but at least Morrissey kept true to his art: he never said he would cheer up or move on.

Recommended album: The Smiths, The Smiths Rough Trade, 1983(sic). The original grey-grim, morbid, hysterical, kitchen-sink drama.

You said: "I just love him, but not in that way." Philip Crossman, Milton Keynes

Anyone with BBC Prime on cable or satellite take notice because they will be showing Young Guns - the series, which means The Smiths will be one of the bands on it.
Itīll air every Thursday at 22h00.

I just got done watching back to back episodes of VH1's Rock 'n Roll Jeopardy (I know, I'm not sure what the hell I was doing either). In the first episode, in the category New Wave, one of the answers was "Albums of this 1980's new wave band included (TQID) and Meat is Murder". This one was answered by the lead singer of Sugar Ray. In the second episode, I forget which category, but the answer was "The departure of this guitarist didn't "Marr" this artists solo career". This was answered by, I think, the lead singer of Everclear.