• Limerick at Elsberryland (pictures by Corinna)
• London Forum (Nov. 13) at Indie Live Pics (pictures by Olivier Absous)

Just to let people know a programme about The Smiths/Morrissey/Electronic entitled 'Later On With The Smiths' was broadcast on British cable channel, UK Arena last night 12th Dec. Fortunately for those who missed it, it is being repeated on the same channel 19th Dec at 1.50am. It featured Top Of The Pops appearances, Late Show appearances, Whistle Test etc & had most performances in their entirety.

In the Dec. 10-16 volume of L.A. Weekly...

Morrissey

Anyone who went to October’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and later read coverage in the L.A. Times might have wondered whether the writers had attended a completely different concert or were smoking something stronger than all the pot being passed around. Predictably, much ado was made of Beck and Rage Against the Machine, while nil was said of the laughably described "mainstream" Morrissey. This would’ve worked if the first day hadn’t become a Mozzhead convention of pale-skinned Morrissey clones burning under the sun waiting for their favorite mope-on-a-rope to sing. Morrissey’s about as mainstream as Gwar, proving to be a bigger agoraphobe and recluse than even Michael Jackson. Neither he nor his music have been explained much, with his self-indulgent whines shifting from disco, Thatcher-bashing nationalism in the ’80s to vegetarianism. Once head of England’s New York Dolls fanclub, this ruling monarch of morose and misery’s fanatical devotion has only grown since the Smiths days. Even after his poorly received latest album, My Early Burglary Years, and without a current label to call home, Morrissey’s been a figurative finger in the face of critics who’d like to keep him toiling in the shadow of Smiths fame. At the Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd.; Wed.-Thurs., Dec. 15-16, 6:30 p.m. (323) 962-7600

—Siran Babayan

MORRISSEY

A superhero to depression addicts allover the world, lonely boy Stephen Morrissey made his grand entrance into the world of pop music in 1983 fronting the Smiths, a band that partially redeemed England from giving us such early '80s musical atrocities as Blancmange and A Flock of Seagulls. A self-absorbed narcissist preaching the joys of vegetarianism and celibacy, Morrissey's joyless lyrics were home to songs with such fizzy titles as "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," "Still Ill," and "Girlfriend in a Coma." Disguised as shimmering guitar pop, these musical tales of woe were put on display through the band's seemingly endless string of catchy hit singles. During the '80s, the Smiths were inescapable.

Alas, the same can't be said for Morrissey's solo career. After getting off to a roaring start with 1988's Viva Hate (which contained his sole solo moment of grandeur, the splendid "Every Day Is Like Sunday"), the desperado of despair has finally sunk to the lowest regions of the pop music netherworld -- releasing lackluster albums, canceling shows, and moving to Los Angeles. It's the latter that may be partly responsible for his sudden fascination with all things south o' the border, an odd little fetish that has led him to name his current tour Oye Esteban! You may also notice he's also looking a lot more like El Vez these days (no truth, though, to those rumors that he'll be replacing the Taco Bell Chihuahua in future commercials). While this fixation doesn't necessarily guarantee he'll launch into a medley of "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "Low Rider," a live appearance by Morrissey doesn't necessarily guarantee you'll hear any Smiths songs either. This was made clear at a recent tour stop in Nottingham, England, when the boy with the thorn in his side announced gleefully to the crowd: "It's funny you should mention 'This Charming Man,' because I'm never going to sing it again." To be fair, he usually does whip out at least one golden oldie from the Smiths catalogue -- "Meat Is Murder." Of course, in keeping with his sense of humor, it figures he'd pick one that nobody really wants to hear.

Having lost direction after disbanding the Smiths (and thus distancing himself from one of England's great modern guitarists, Johnny Marr), His Whineyness has spent the last decade attempting to patch it together again by hiring a series of swashbuckling axe grinders/cowriters, including Vini Reilly (of the Durutti Column) and Fairground Attraction's Mark E. Nevin. Moz has received a lot of press mileage over the fact that he was once president of a New York Dolls fan club, but the closest he's come to capturing the flamboyant and electrifying spirit of glitter rock was on the Mick Ronson-produced Your Arsenal. And that was almost 10 years ago. Nevertheless, his throngs of fans continue to be the most devoted on the planet, springing to his defense at nearly every opportunity while tightly clutching their Oscar Wilde books to their chests. Thus, you can probably expect soccer hooliganlike behavior when their fearless leader stops off at Hollywood's '80s alterna-rock haven (that would be the Palladium) to indulge in some cheerful holiday madness. Wed.-Thurs., Dec. 15-16, at the Hollywood Palladium, 6215 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. (Jim Freek)

Just a quick note to let you know that in "Tainted Life" - Marc Almond´s biography there´s a Morrissey reference on page 424. Basically in there he (Marc) says that a few years ago a dinner between him and Morrissey was arranged by Jill Smith during which nothing really interesting happened. The best part was at the end when both of them had a good laugh after loading her on a taxi as she got really drunk.

In a report about the music industry at the bulletin of the SSP (Scottish Socialist Party), there´s some words of Stuart from B&S, which are really interesting indeed:

"My favourite band is The Smiths. They made the most fantastic music and they seemed to do it from such a righteous background. But, I'm kind of sure that if they signed to a major label, they'd probably take as much money as they could and be an entertainer and be manipulated. As long as the music is produced, I think that's the main thing. I think that things are happening all over Scotland. These initiatives that happen, the underground, just keep at it, you know what you're doing is good. The major guys, the major labels, are in trouble. They know they haven't got a scoobie and they're panicking. You know what's going on so just keep doing it, they'll come to you and you'll have the upper hand.

These Charming Men are a brilliant Smiths/Morrissey cover band. They play the Temple Theatre Dublin this Sunday 19th Dec.

Doors open 7:30pm and tickets are £7.