Ach, we've been through our ups and downs, Moz and me.
We wore cardigans together in the student years and I hung on his every line - The Smiths, Meat, Queen, Hollow especially (student weekends away in cold, borrowed houses watching hastily assembled fires die down late at night)...truly this was the Music Of My Life. And after Johnny left us, I still loved Hate (Vini Reilly!), and I had my own Last Nights On Maudlin Street in the moves from the houses with the lads to the houses with the girlfriends, all that....
But we did grow apart. To be honest he seemed more often than not to be in lack of a tune, and since I like a tune, this became a problem for me. Old friends pressed 'Our Frank' and such on me, but I politely declined.... A successful reunion with the wonderful Vauxhall notwithstanding, it just wasn't like the old days anymore. Though I never swallowed all those NME lies about him.
But just lately, as you'll see from my Last FM thingy, I have been enjoying his company again - a great deal; though the family looked strangely at my holiday reading in France, I had been re-inspired. The over-all quality of this a year or two back and a splendid Greatest Hits have helped, to be sure. But it's good to have him back in my life, for I have missed him.
And there's a new one out next year. It could be genius, it could be rubbish, it could be half of both. That's always been the deal. Tell you what though, there's no-one else out there remotely like him.
Morrissey - 'Trouble Loves Me' (1997)
Morrissey - 'I'd Love To' (1994)
Hmmmm, having the same Morrissey experience over here across the pond... met his music as a youth, carried him with me for a bit and dropped him along the way only to be found again recently in my "middle years." Perhaps Moza is our red sports car of our mid life crisis! Say it isn't so xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteYikes! It sounds too, too horribly feasible, oh tart my dear.
ReplyDeleteAbout six years ago I saw Morrissey play a tiny bar in Salt Lake City during his second label-less tour. By far the best gig I've ever been too.
ReplyDeleteThey crammed us all in (about 200 of us) and there was just one door in and out. I'll never forget looking out the front door as a limo pulled up, Morrissey got out and entered the room. He stepped up on the tiny stage where I had seen a lot of local bands play. He took the microphone in his hand and said "I understand a lot of you thought I wasn't coming."
He ended the night with There Is A Light.
Sounds fabulous.
ReplyDeleteIt's thrilling but also I find slightly unnerving to see your Ancient Musical Heroes up close and personal in small venues.
We caught LLoyd Cole at the Jazz Cafe in Camden earlier this year - there can't have been more than 200 people in the room, and it felt like even fewer.
He just strolled onto a stage a few inches off the ground and a half metre in front of us with his guitar and a bottle of Evian and started playing. I could see up his nose. It was an emotional night.
i'm still baffled i missed the absolutely blooming screaming gayness of the early stuff. the poor lamb. was it just me ? how did we fall for all that celibate nonsense ? i'm ashamed.
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'You can pin and mount me/Like a butterfly' was a bit of a giveaway, I always felt x
ReplyDeleteSurely 'Your Arsenal' was up there with his best stuff?
ReplyDeleteI have discovered this since, yes!
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