From the early twenties... hah hah.

http://www.johnnieray.com/entrance.html

Was not a star of the 20's, but of the early mid 50's and was a big influence on the young Morrissey, as the missing link between crooner and rocker. Forever remembered for his emotional outbursts when he performed live, often ending with him racked with tears, he became known as the Prince of Wails or the Nabob of Sob, a title that Moz freely adapted when he joked about being the Pope of Mope.
If people dare accuse Moz of being a miserabilist, it might well be worth examining the canon of Johnnie Ray's hits - 'Cry', 'Walking in the Rain', 'Broken Hearted', 'Little White Cloud that Cried'...you get the picture.
He was also famous for his hearing aid, worn after his ear drum was punctured on a scouting trip as a child and later copied by Moz (although I also remember him saying that he did this after feeling deeply touched by a letter sent to him by a deaf fan) and for being on 'the other bus' and a keen cottager, when the law took a very dim view of such things, not that his fans cared a jot.

Am I dreaming, or wasn't there a pretty boy with a large quiff with looks slightly (very slightly) reminiscent of Morrissey's Your Arsenal period around the late 90s.

I guess that first (and only) record was so bad that he went back to singing in the shower for good.

Our Renée 'ad 'im round back of the Gasworks in 1958, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh....

Does the Smiths songs still have that "spark" without Johnny?

Never mind all the kudos for Moz.......PSB are pioneers in electronic music. They always seem to add some humanity to electronic pop. I love them dearly......

I met Neil Tennant at Drury lane in 1995 on the Boxers tour. "Hello Neil" I said as I shook his hand . . . I know, Iknow, I really should have something witty to say on hand but c'est la vie!

Neil Tennent did not speak of his love for Morrissey.
Wossie asked him if he liked Moz and there was a really awkward silence. Tennent eventually said that he liked Morrissey as a performer i.e. not as a songwriter, and talked about the Albert Hall. The little fella (Chris?) said he liked Moz and was going to see him tonight but Neil Tennent certainly did NOT give him his seal of approval.
J

Just put 'Girlfriend In A Coma ' on and you will know that the Morrissey version has no spark.

Neil Tennant didn't diss Morrissey at all - he talked at length of how fantastic his entrance at the Royal Albert Hall had been and how he was an incredible performer. I also know from somebody who spoke to him that he liked 'Quarry' a lot, and Ringleader not quite as much.

You did get the impression that Chris was the bigger fan though - Neil started saying "Chris..." when asked if they liked him.

When Neil spoke at Oxford University in the 90's and was asked to name the best lyricist of his generation (apart from himself!) he answered: "I have to say Morrissey".

If Neil has some reservations about Morrissey after all (which didn't come up during this), it is understandable as Morrissey has dissed *them* often enough as it were. I suppose they're also both aspiring to be the Oscar Wilde of our time.

'Getting away with it' and 'Miserablism' are not about Morrissey per se, but "sort of written from the point of view of being Morrissey".

Do the Smiths songs lack "spark" without Johnny? For the most part, yes. I mean, they are not poorly performed, but often they are proficient rather than inspired. A cursory listen to Johnny playing 'What She Said' and 'Still Ill' on 'Rank' as compared to Smiths songs played on this tour is enough to confirm this. When Alain played 'The Headmaster Ritual' in 2004 it sounded close to karaoke - very pale. There are exceptions. The band's version of 'HSIN' is of course excellent, and their take on 'Shoplifters' is storming, with the Live Earl Court version from 2004 being far more pleasurable to listen to than the poorly produced Smiths original. But it says something that 'The More You Ignore Me' was played with far more vivacity and finnesse by the band in 2004 than 'There Is A Light'. Perhaps inevitably, the Lads give more perfunctory readings of songs that are not their own. In truth, Johnny was and is the better musician. Morrissey's next album needs a new direction, whether this is with the Lads or not. After the marvel of Arsenal and Vauxhall, what happened boys?

But I think it was only Chris Lowe with a group of freinds. No sign of Neil Tennant - unless he was sitting somewhere else.

When asked to comment on Neil Tennant, Moz said, "I´m working on his hair..."

Possibly referring to the Neil´s thinning hair at the time (early 1990s).

Not that it matters...

I think that with the addition of Jesse in the band the "spark" is still there.

From what I've seen and heard, he always seems to tackle Marr's songs extremely well (better than Alain).

Neil, Did you ever interview Morrissey? Surely you have admiration for Morrissey as an artist?