Mad about Morrissey

The Smiths in Uncut Issue

2007-02-19T04:03:00.000-08:00

The British magazine Uncut have a special on The Smiths in their March issue. I don't know why it's already out since it's just February. I bought the magazine as soon as I saw it in my local music shop and it was a pleasant reading. They had ranked the 30 Greatest Smiths songs and let musicians and other celebrities comment on the tracks. Here's the Top 5:

1. How Soon Is Now
2. The Queen Is Dead
3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
4. What Difference Does It Make
5. This Charming Man

One of my absolute favorite Smiths songs, actually one of my all time favorite songs, I Know It's Over was just ranked #10 witch I thought was a bit unfair. It wasn't that surprising to see How Soon Is Now at #1. It's probably the song that non-Smiths/Morrissey fans are most familiar with. How Soon Is Now is truly an amazing song with a very melancholic and moving lyric and the guitar riff is just fantastic. The comments was interesting to read as well and I got really touched by The Shins's singer James Mercer way of describing his bond to Morrissey. I actually shred a tear when I read it. I think I'll quote him:

I bought The Queen Is Dead soon after I got to UK and it was a big deal for me. At that time I was craving for something that expressed that sense of melancholy. It was so gentle. I needed somebody to just be accepting of me - you felt that the guy singing this song wouldn't judge you.

The last sentence about Morrissey not judging is so true. I completely understand what he means by that.

Wireless Festival and Download experiment

2007-02-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

I'm not taking care of this blog that well. Last post, let's see, oh february 2. About two weeks ago, sorry folks...

Anyway. The British music magazine NME today claims that Morrissey will be playing at 02 Wireless Festival. I'm not familiar with the festival but it will take place in Hyde Park. Remains to be seen if it is a rumour or not. I think it will take place right about the same time I finish school. God knows it would be great to be in London and see Morrissey instead of going to a silly ball. Am I being sad now? Well is it wrong not to always be glad?

You may have heard of this download experiment. Moz fans all over the world are trying to get Morrissey on to the UK single chart by downloading the song Life is a Pigsty. I don't have an Itunes account (or whatever you call it) so I can't help but it would be fun if they succeeded. I guess that the goal with this whole thing is to make the radio stations play his music. It would feel strange to hear Life is a Pigsty on the radio but that will never happen because the world is full of crashing bores. But on the other hand, would I really want his music all over MTV and commercial radio stations? Maybe not....

Moz interview

2007-02-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Morrissey hardly ever does interviews, and when he does it always gets a lot of attention because of the fact that it's so rare. This article was published yesterday in the American newspaper LA Weekly and it was actually Morrissey himself, or ok, his manger that contacted the newspaper for an interview. You may have read it already but if you haven't I can truly recommend it. It's far from a traditional interview where the journalist just rambles on and try to ask as many question as possible with short answers. No, this time he really gets to talk and you can tell that he is comfortable with the journalist Kate Sullivan. The subjects in the interview was quite odd sometimes but also funny and interesting. Ghosts, squirrels and politics was some of the things they talked about. It was more of a conversation rather than an interview actually. Like a conversation between two friends, nice and charming.

And, as I love quotes I'll give you some from the int...conversation.

She has a Nazi face. (On Condoleezza Rice)

This is why live music is so important, because it’s the only moment when it’s untouched by anybody other than the artist who is singing the song. Unless you’re somebody dreadful like Madonna or Britney Spears, who mime when they’re onstage.

Horrendous, horrendous. It’s worse than a human passing away. (On cats)

He’s a global embarrassment. Unfortunately, he’s turned America into the criminal nation in the eyes of the people in the Middle East — and in England. (On George Bush)

Top 3 Moz singles

2007-01-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

I thought I might do a list since it's so popular in blogs thees days.

OK, this is my top 3 of Morrissey's solo tracks that have been released as singles. This is just how I feel right now.

1. Everyday is like Sunday
I bet you think "How original" right now but hey! It's a fantastic song and his voice sounds so beautiful (well, his voice is always beautiful) in it.

2. November Spawned a Monster
I never get tired of this song, but on the other hand, I hardly ever get tired at his songs ha ha. The lyric is one of my all time favorites. The line Sleep on and dream of love because it's the closest you will get to love is very moving. And don't forget the beat, very catchy indeed!

3. Now my heart is full

I have to clear my thoughts

2007-01-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

I know I said that this blog would only be about Morrissey in my first post but I feel that I have to bother you with some personal feelings right now. Sorry for this...

OK, here's the thing. This is my last year in school and it's now less than 5 months until it's over. Everyone feels exited about the future and they all look forward to the last day of school. Me, on the other hand just feel anxiety about the future, I see no light what so ever. You know how Moz sings "No, I've never had a job because I've never wanted one" in the Smiths song You've got everything now. Well, that's true. I've never had a job, and why? Because I never wanted one. This tortures my soul. If you don't work you are considered lazy and useless. How could anyone want to hire me? It's beyond my understanding, no experience and no skills. My grades are not bad, they are actually quite good but how could they help me, in what way? Morrissey once said "Life is excessively overrated" and that feels very true right now. At least the "Life" the world wants you to live.

You've got everything now - The Smiths

Moz in ESC?

2007-01-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Big news, big news everyone! Morrissey has talked to BBC about writing a song for, hang on now, Eurovision song contest! I don't know if this is good or bad really. No, I guess it's a good thing. I mean, ESC could really use some intelligence and as we all know, Morrissey's got plenty! But still, the thought of millions of people criticizing him. Hmm, could be a bit annoying. The chance of Morrissey actually singing in the ESC is probably very small. It's also hard to imagine him standing there on a big stage in that kind of forum. You may know that Morrissey is a fan of ESC and that he expressed his disappointment over the UK fiasco last year in the Eurovision. It truly was a catastrophic performance by that wannabe rapper Daz Sampson. I remember those girls in the uniforms. A bit creepy actually, an old man and a bunch of school girls. Morrissey was absolutely right about that Daz fellow.

I was horrified but not surprised to see the UK fail again. There’s a question I keep asking myself — why didn’t they ask me? It keeps going round in my head.

BBC article

The Sun article

The Smiths: Songs that saved your life

2007-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

I have just started reading Simon Goddard's book The Smiths: Songs that saved your life. I'm only at page 40 or something but I can already see that it is a really good book. It first describes how The Smiths was formed and it contains a lot of facts that I didn't knew before. Loads of quotations and anecdotes for example. Later on, it reveals the stories behind every Smiths track, even the unreleased once. The book is very interesting so far and I can really recommend it. Although I'm sure that a lot of Moz and Smiths fans have read it already. It's just me who's behind the world.

I'm just a country-mile behind the world....

The Smiths - Miserable Lie

Vote for Morrissey!

2007-01-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

It was kind of sad that Morrissey finished #2 in BBC's Living Icons. Especially since he was very honored and glad to take part in it. I would have loved to see him win but unfortunately he didn't. Well, he is still an icon to all of his fans and that's what's really matters. BBC is currently holding a public vote to choose the best "Mancunian" album, artist, gig (and so on) of the year. Morrissey is nominated in three categories and it's looking good. He is in the lead in all of the three categories so far. Make sure he stays in the top and vote for him!

It spells: M-O-R-R-I-S-S-E-Y

2006-12-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

I bet you've seen a lot of miss-spellings of the King's name. The usual mistake people does is to leave out a R or a S. But I lately saw the most peculiar version of his name. Here it goes: "Morssay". Congratulations to whoever who wrote that. It must be the ugliest spelling ever.

The thing with the spelling is kind of a classic actually. Morrissey fans often get very annoyed at this, and that goes for me to I'm afraid. I don't know why but it is quite irritating. The ones that can't spell his name correctly is often people that don't like him and I can accept that. It's a whole other thing when people who claim to like him don't know how it's done. I can't really take them seriously. I know this sounds very weird but I'm sure the Moz fans knows what I'm talking about, ha ha. Morrissey himself also think that the spelling is rather important. I've seen him express some anger over record companies who have miss-spelled his name on record sleeves for example.

You know how he spells his first name Steven in the song "Ouija board". It would be kind of fun if he did the same thing with Morrissey. It might get people to learn how it's done once and for all.

My favorite tracks from Ringleader...

2006-12-26T05:36:00.000-08:00

Morrissey released his brilliant album Ringleader of the tormentors earlier this year. I remember the day when I first listened to it, a holy moment indeed ha ha. I would like to share my three favourite tracks from the album with you.
1. Life Is a Pigsty - This is simply an amazing song with breathtaking lyrics. All the dramatic sound effects creates a very special feeling. It's truly hard to explain how good it is, especially in a language that I don't usually speak.

2. I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now - I love this song, despite that the track title is an utter lie. Morrissey is a hero to me as well as to many other people. I have read in forums that a lot of Morrissey fans don't like this song. I really can't understand why they feel that way.

3. Dear God Please Help Me - This is a beautiful ballad and I got quite chocked when I heard it the first time. It feels strange to hear Morrissey so....sexually outspoken. But then again I don't think that you always can interpret his lyrics literally.

I had a hard time picking these songs because all of the tracks from the album are very good. Buy the album if you don't have it already.

Morrissey doesn't like Christmas

2006-12-23T03:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is coming up tomorrow and it feels quite strange. The Christmas spirit hasn't showed yet. I was recently wondering if Morrissey celebrates Christmas and I wasn't surprised when I found out that he doesn't. Lauren Laverne interviewed Morrissey a couple of weeks ago in her radio program. She asked him how he will be spending Christmas and he answered: I'll do what I normally do...try to completely avoid it. It seems reasonable, I can't really imagine him sitting under the Christmas tree and opening presents, something's wrong with that picture...

I didn't get the chance to listen to the interview because British radio is only available for people within UK. It's a pity because XFM seems to be a really good radio station with loads of interesting interviews and music.

Morrissey on Jonathan Ross

2006-12-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd better come up with some proof to Morrissey's humorous side. These two videos will convince all of those people who think he's sad and depressed that he actually can be very funny.

Jonathan Ross interviewed Morrissey in 2004 on his popular television show "Friday Night With Jonathan Ross". I have watched this interview about 5 times and it always makes me laugh.

Part One:

Part Two

Morrissey IS funny

2006-12-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

You often hear people complaining about how miserable and bitter Morrissey is, and that he has no sence of humor. I just can't understand that. Those people don't know much for sure. In fact, Morrissey is one of the most funniest people I know. He is always very witty and amusing in interviews and also in his lyrics. There is a line from the song King Leer that always make me smile. It goes Your boyfriend he went down on one knee, well could it be he's only got one knee? I was really surprised when I saw that this song ended up at #19 on some "worst lyrics"-chart. I think it's hilarious. Well, I don't laugh out loud when I hear it but I still think it's a brilliant line.

Other funny lyrics by Morrissey:

But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye Oh, ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye - Still ill

She said : "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing"I said : "That's nothing - you should hear me play piano" - The Queen is dead

How can you stay with a fat girl who'll say : "Oh ! Would you like to marry me ? "And if you like you can buy the ring" She doesn't care about anything Would you like to marry me ?And if you like you can buy the ring I don't dream about anyone - except myself ! - William it was really nothing

All I ask of you is one thing that you never do. Would you put your arms around me ? (I won't tell anyone) - Tomorrow

Here we go

2006-12-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt to write a blog in English, a bit of a challenge for me since it's not my mother tongue. So, when I make spelling and grammar mistakes, you know why. Who am I then? I live in Sweden in a small small town, well let's just say a village instead. I can't think of this place as a town really. What else, I'm 18 years old and I love music. That's pretty much what I will give away about my personal life. This blog will not be one of those digital diaries where people tells you everything about themselves. The title sums everything up. I will write about Morrissey, his music and everything about him. I am a huge fan of Morrissey and I listen to both his music and The Smiths practically everyday. I discovered Morrissey through my older sister. She had a Smtihs cd called "singles" and, I know it's strange but I didn't really liked what I heard the first time. I think I was to young. However, about a year later I listened to it again and I was thrilled and I still am. Once you start listen to Morrissey you're hooked for life.