...The Big Issue (In The North) edition was NOT entitled "Hello Gucci", it had Moz on the front cover with the question "A Greek Tragedy?" and the piece inside was entitled "This Charming Man". More interestingly, the article, although clearly based on the same interview as the one posted is worded completely differently, and does have a few Moz quotes which don't appear in the version you have, such as:

"...Gucci'd up, with a conspicuously chunky gold ring on one finger. The design, he tells me, is a Mexican charm for wealth and prosperity. It's obviously done the trick - he speaks in measured, precise tones, with the unhurried elegance of the very well off... America has taken Morrissey to it's heart, "I've been noticed, shall we say" he says with a wry grin. "You learn how to walk through a crowd without looking at anybody"...After the show he continues our conversation about outsiders, rock 'n' roll outlaws. Again more image than real life "It's definitely like that with me. It's not that I'm an old rocker. Not very old, anyway".

Morrissey-The Forum, London. (4 1/2 stars)

We see these things. We see flowers spray out from the stage like organic fireworks, scintillating our view with their colour. We see fans pulled from the grappling hands of security guards, dragged onto stage for their two second hugs and their moment of glory. On stage. With him. We see him topless, fleetingly; slimmed down to that old boxers build. Muscular, able and healthy. We see a banana pulled from a pocket, wobbled against a crotch; a big edible penis. We see the daftest of grins. And we see the funny side.

But we also see these things. We see a slowness; a stilted slur in the movement. Microphone leads whipped gently where once they lashed, knees crooked where once they folded, arms gesturing where they once flailed. So we think of Mohammed Ali: adored, respected, but eventually destroyed by it all. And we decide that Morrissey is the Mohammed Ali of pop: just as the world still listens when Ali stutters a word, a smaller world still listens when Morrissey sings. And that's good enough. By far. Because, besides being to Robbie Williams in the "entertainer" stakes what Byron is to Roger McGough in the poetry ones, Morrissey's songs, these horribly overlooked songs, still burn. There's two kinds: the quick and the dead, dead powerful. "Billy Budd, "Tomorrow" and "Alma Matters" sparkle like forgotten pop diamonds, bristling with energy flashing into the dizziest heights of mindless joy. F*** the wordplay. F*** the clever-clever posturing. These are pop's last stand against contrivance, the last taste of instinct we'll tongue this year.

But the powerful songs? They still bruise. Both emotionally (the wilting sigh of "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me"; the rich, rich triumph of 'Now My Heart is Full') and politically, with Morrissey sneering: "If Prince William wants the right to kill, he must have the right to kill" before 'Meat Is Murder'. And then our guts just clench, tighter than they've ever clenched before.

Good? Better than he's been for years. Which is better than anyone else has ever been. We see that. We hope you see that too.

Robin Bresnark.

I found this Dutch newspaper article today which is already rather old (28 October) but I posted it in the Tilburg - messageboard because it's really nice. I thought you would like to know that www.morrissey-solo.com is mentioned in it. I'll try to translate the part about this site in English (see below).

------

First the article cites the reviews of the Dutch newspapers on the Morrissey concert of 22 October in Tilburg. They are all rather negative but "differ in their forgivingness" (one journalist writes: Someone who writes lyrics like "Last night I dreamt somebody loved me. No hope, no harm, just another false alarm." deserves lifelong respect)

Then the author starts to talk about the fans on www.morrissey-solo.com:

"But how do the fans judge the concert of their 'Moz'? On www.morrissey-solo.com, one of the many websites that are dedicated to this Britpop-idol are reviews such as these:

Gerry: "The Tilburg MOZ gig was a real happening for me. I stood on the second row in front of the stage and I was heavenly happy. I nearly NEARLY N-E-A-R-L-Y!! touched his hand.' Her friend, who touched Moz' hand twice (she did!) helped Gerry to reach out, 'but my arm was 5 cm too short...'

Nonetheless: 'Oh GREAT!!! Moz, thanks a billion!'

German Michaël thought the concert was disappointing, but for very different reasons than the pop journalists. He wondered where the real fans were, who created atmosphere in Cologne and Bremen. 'In Tilburg war ja gar nichts los. Kaum einer trug ein Moz-shirt und die Leute gingen bei den Liedern kaum mit. Gibt's denn in den Niederlanden keine Fan-Gemeinde mehr?'

The fans do read the newspapers, but they don't let them change their minds. Hanneke: 'Compared with the articles in Telegraaf and Trouw the Volkskrant article was quite nice indeed. The Telegraaf wrote that such a short gig showed that Morrissey doesn't care about his audience (in Dutch: hij minacht zijn publiek, I don't know the English word) and Trouw wrote that he's too old to perform and sing more than one hour! For me the concert was great even though it was short.'"

The article concludes by saying that it doesn't matter that according to the pop journalists "Morrissey is a has-been", because he will remain popular with his fans.

MORRISEY: PARTLY LOST IT
September 22 1999, 013, Tilburg, Holland

Morrisey on tour. I was really delighted when I heard the news. Now I could see him, one of my all-time heroes, for the first time. I had a great time at the concert and so did everyone else but it still was just a standard concert. Too bad he also plays the same set of songs the whole tour. It wasn't bad, but the magic of the Smiths is long gone. There where some highlights like 'November spawned a monster', 'Alma matters' but most of the songs like 'Lost' and 'Last night I dreamed somebody loved me' were performed without any passion and ended 'unfinished'. Partly you can blame his band who played like statues, on the other hand Morrisey can do a lot better. And if he cannot, he shouldn't perform and keep the nostalgia and the memories of the Smiths alive. I have to mention that there was a great after-party. Four-and-a-halve hours Smiths/Morrisey music. At the start the idea seems a bit boring but after a few beers more it was a hell of a after-party. (by barry)
Check out Morrissey's website @ www.morrissey-solo.com
26.Oct.1999

After Channel Four's Teletext gave Morrissey a favourable review here's another one from BBC Teletext service CEEFAX. The following review was showing on 22 November:

MORRISSEY, Forum, London. Review by Chris Charles

The Forum was turned into a football stadium for the evening as the massed throng chanted the name of their idol.

So it was fitting that he should turn up in a retro West Ham shirt, gleefully jostled for by his minions as he revealed the physique of a 20 year old.

His master's voice was as sweet and tender as ever as he smiled his way through Meat is Murder, Boy Racer, Alma Matters and Last Night I Dreamt.

The Queen is Dead. Long live the king.

In the 11-21-99 issue of the Los Angeles Times, the band Autumns cite Moz as an influence.

"Autumns Play 'Simon Says'

excerpts:

...High-school Brit-pop fans Kelly, Frank Koroshec (guitar) and Eric Crissman (drums) obsessed over the Cocteaus as well as the Stone Roses and the Smiths. To them, the music was more innovative--and melodic--than the more popular hard rock and grunge of the time. "Morrissey's level of wit was unmatched over here," says Kelly, whose fingers and wrists are laden with rings and bracelets. "And the Cocteau Twins is so entrenched in high-end, poetic references. That's completely absent from what was going on here."

...Judging from the two originals on the band's current three-song EP, "Boy With the Aluminum Stilts" (which also includes a version of "Garlands"), the members appear to have succeeded in evolving musically. Sure, the sonics are lush and dreamy--and Kelly sounds a bit like Morrissey on the title track--but there is a sense of modernity amid the classic melodic melancholy. (For information about obtaining a copy, visit http://www.theAutumns.com.)

The Smiths/Morrissey party in Belgium!!!!

When: Sat.27 Nov.'99
Where: Limelight Follies

Kronenburgstraat Antwerpen (Belgium)

Doors Open: 21.00u.

DJ: Peter + video clips/live shows of Morrissey on a BIG video screen.

Info: (0032)03/312.01.46 (Peter)