The Smiths & Morrissey Rarities / FB Group: Recent photo of "Have-A-Go Merchant" promo cover star

Cover star of Have-A-Go Merchant.
The image was first published in Nick Knight's 1982 book "Skinhead".
Said page:

Regards,
FWD.

 

[gordyboy9]

Bloodvessel has struggled with morbid obesity and underwent laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery in 2004, with his weight dropping from 31 stone (196.86 kg; 434 lbs) to 13 stone (82.6 kg; 182 lbs).

good for him,his life will be longer and better.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I agree. Punks...goth's...rocker's....mods ....they were all fur-babies compared.

how ‘bout the hippies? ….




which makes me think about his interest in skinheads that ran counter to the Madchester hippie thing.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It was one of the first masculine gay subcultures that wasn't completely hidden. It was moving closer to the mainstream.

Rockabilly was on that frontier too - which I didn't know about at all before I was going through the archives.

By the late 80s the gay press was getting annoyed at Morrissey for not labelling himself. But there was (& still is) a lot of conformity to stereotypes - so I can see why Morrissey would insist that it's all just sexuality. The pressure to duet with Kylie would be high.

Ok I can see how you might think it ‘revolutionary’. But I don’t really see Morrissey’s role in it, you said that he was a part of that culture. I mean, he may have been an observer, but that’s about it, as far as we know.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

skinheads were never as bad as they were made out to be,anybody with their hair that short would always look menacing,i used to go to the same discos as them and they never gave me any trouble.
buster used to wear docs and braces,harrington jacket,they were skinhead lite,they used to have a good following and would sell out concerts.

Where I was.....it was all punks, goth's, mods and rockabilly/psychobilly........skins just kind of disappeared where I was. My hatred was reserved for casuals and squaddies mainly.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

how ‘bout the hippies? ….




which makes me think about his interest in skinheads that ran counter to the Madchester hippie thing.

I'm not that old.

 

[Malarkey]

Ok I can see how you might think it ‘revolutionary’. But I don’t really see Morrissey’s role in it, you said that he was a part of that culture. I mean, he may have been an observer, but that’s about it, as far as we know.

Derek Jarman, John Maybury & Tim Broad were openly part of it & used its imagery in their work.

The gay magazine Square Peg mostly interviewed the people around their scene. So, it's a pretty strong indication that he was on the fringes if nothing else.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Derek Jarman, John Maybury & Tim Broad were openly part of it & used its imagery in their work.

The gay magazine Square Peg mostly interviewed the people around their scene. So, it's a pretty strong indication that he was on the fringes if nothing else.

Derek Jarman wasn't a skinhead.......and gay-skins weren't recognized by normal Skins.....they would have been completely despised. Nicky Crane's story of Uber-violence was probably all gay sexual repression.

 

[Malarkey]

Derek Jarman wasn't a skinhead.......and gay-skins weren't recognized by normal Skins.....they would have been completely despised. Nicky Crane's story of Uber-violence was probably all gay sexual repression.

Derek Jarman was on that scene & used it in his work.

There were quite a few skins moving between the gay & straight scenes.

Nicky was part of an NF associated "security firm" that was a running a protection racket. So the gay clubs/pubs/Pride marches would pay them to do "security" ie not beat them up. Sometimes they did beat them up anyway, but it was better than getting firebombed.

It seems Nicky discovered his sexuality while working as security. Then went public after his HIV diagnosis.

 

[klaus]

if anyone is interested in this let me know. got it signed by him around ‘00 during the oye esteban tour behind the universal amphitheatre. i worked on the lot at the time. called in sick but drove in and waited for hours for him to sound check.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Derek Jarman, John Maybury & Tim Broad were openly part of it & used its imagery in their work.

The gay magazine Square Peg mostly interviewed the people around their scene. So, it's a pretty strong indication that he was on the fringes if nothing else.

guilt by association?

Anyway, yeah, I can see in part there being a gay angle or sense of male comradeship, that may hold some interest for him. But I’m still going with the nostalgia angle, in regards to his use of British skinhead images.

 

[Malarkey]

guilt by association?

Anyway, yeah, I can see in part there being a gay angle or sense of male comradeship, that may hold some interest for him. But I’m still going with the nostalgia angle, in regards to his use of British skinhead images.

There's nothing to be guilty about. It's an interesting scene.

I think he was using gay skinhead imagery.

& I think he was very brave to do that at a time when people were more comfortable with gay sexuality as something girly or exotic - over there - being funny or worthy in way that could not possibly lead you to wonder if you were a bit like that.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

You should have gone into some of the clubs.

Why? Did you?

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

It was one of the first masculine gay subcultures that wasn't completely hidden. It was moving closer to the mainstream.

Rockabilly was on that frontier too - which I didn't know about at all before I was going through the archives.

By the late 80s the gay press was getting annoyed at Morrissey for not labelling himself. But there was (& still is) a lot of conformity to stereotypes - so I can see why Morrissey would insist that it's all just sexuality. The pressure to duet with Kylie would be high.

I was on the rockabilly and psychobilly scene in the late 80's and there were absolutely nothing gay or camp about the people involved.

 

[Malarkey]

I was on the rockabilly and psychobilly scene in the late 80's and there were absolutely nothing gay or camp about the people involved.

The straight scene was far bigger - but it overlapped with a gay version of it.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

The straight scene was far bigger - but it overlapped with a gay version of it.

I really have no idea what you're on about there.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

The straight scene was far bigger - but it overlapped with a gay version of it.

You're coming at this from someone who wasn't around at the time on the scene........some cultural/anthropologist University nonsense.......

 

[Malarkey]

Why? Did you?

If I'd been around I probably would have ended up in those pubs/clubs at some point.

I found some fabulous footage of Tara Newley doing cabaret.

And a writer is trying to dig up the script for a play about a gay skinhead from the early 80s for me.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

If I'd been around I probably would have ended up in those pubs/clubs at some point.

I found some fabulous footage of Tara Newley doing cabaret.

And a writer is trying to dig up the script for a play about a gay skinhead from the early 80s for me.

View attachment 103077

The bloke on the left looks like something out of Haircut 100.

 

[Malarkey]

You're coming at this from someone who wasn't around at the time on the scene........some cultural/anthropologist University nonsense.......

Well, yes - but the archives are real. There's pictures, letters, articles, diaries, placards... people still around who are willing to do interviews & find more stuff.

I was just looking into Morrissey press & then found mountains of other stuff - so now it's the intersection between gay culture, popular culture, and fringe politics.

 

[Malarkey]

The bloke on the left looks like something out of Haircut 100.

Yeah. Apparently that's part of the plot & not just the actor refusing to cut his hair.