Excerpts from June, 2000 issue of a Spin magazine article titled, "Car Tunes for New Grownups: Advertisers Tap the Music of a Formerly Jilted Generation":

"It is a universally acknowledged truth that the best music you'll ever hear is whatever you played in your first car. If you were born around the time of Woodstock, the sound of the (sic) Smiths coming out of the tape deck of a green Camaro could forever be the soundtrack to the Happiest Time of Your Life. Those Smiths fans, arbiters of cool in their youth, are now in their late 20's and early 30's, right about the age when people make their first "serious" car purchase Which is why, in recent commercials, the Smiths are selling you Nissans, the Buzzcocks are pushing Toyotas, and the Minutemen are hawking Volvos. Congratulations, punk-rock fans and former slackers--you're now the auto industry's target market!"

(Later on in the article)

"Nearly every ad agency stocks its creative department with people...whose music knowledge makes them an invaluable source for selling products to their peers. 'I love the Smiths, and we'd never heard that kind of guitar in a mass-market commercial,' says Rob Scwartz of TBWA/Chiat/Day, which created the Nissan ad featuring the tremelo-tinged intro from the Smiths' 'How Soon is Now?' 'We thought it was sort of revolutionary.'"

(later on in the article)

"Nick Drake, the Minutemen, and, for that matter, the Smiths aren't mass-market bands, either; many Gen X-ers were too young to know about punk rock when the Buzzcocks were busy creating it. But these artists all went on to become alt-rock godfathers. Their songs are a perfect vehicle for advertisers to help potential car buyers reconcile adult prosperity with youthful rebellion, even if the impulse is only instinctive."

I had the chance to interview Moby last weekend before he played a show with Bush on the MTV campus invasion tour. After reading an interview with Morrissey on this site, wherein Moz claims that the only dance music he can stand is Moby's and that he really likes Moby's new records. So I told Moby about that comment from Moz and he was quite surprised to find out that Morrissey liked what he was doing. He said that he really enjoyed the first few Smiths records but hasn't listened to much of Morrissey's solo work.

He also said the comments Morrissey made surprised him because as he said "...Morrissey seems to hate everything."

In an interview with the pop-punk band Blink 182, band members Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus are interpreting the tattoos of drummer Travis Barker to the interviewer. They were interpreting his tattoos jokingly as secret homosexual messages:

Describe them to us...
Tom: Hope on his back stands for-I hope I can get laid by a guy.
Can I Say in the front is basically for-can I say that I'm gay.
If you look on his tummy you'll notice thatghettoblaster ...that's always on, always playing homosexual music...Morrissey or Erasure.

Session Obsession - Roddy Woomble from Idlewild

First single bought: Krankies - 'Fan'Dabi'Dozi'
First album bought: Five Star - 'Silk and Steel'
Music to relax to: Velvet Underground, Nico, Nancy Sinatra
Going out tune: Superchunk - 'Precision Auto'
Favourite musical memory: Glastonbury in 1992, aged 15
Last album bought: Lambchop - 'Nixon'
Currently listening to: The Fall - 'Shiftwork'
Recommended album: Gang Of Four - 'Entertainment'
Bad mood record: Morrissey - 'Viva Hate'

Morrissey, ahhhhhh Morrissey. He will release his first 10 solo singles, spanning 1988-1991, in a 33-song box set including all b-sides. It is out June 19, and will include singles from Viva Hate, Bona Drag, and Kill Uncle. We now give all you brooding bleary-eyed Mozzer-kinder permission to retreat to your cave-like rooms and weep openly. We will do the same.

(full track listing)

I went to see John Shuttleworth in February on his "2000 And John" tour. 'Supporting' John, was Graham Fellows latest character creation "Brian Appleton", who was presenting the true history of Rock and Roll which you cannot read in any books currently available.

Brian is a rock musicologist and part-time lecturer in media studies, and is a man obsessed by the outrageous plagiarism he has suffered from over the years. His presentation (with slides!) explains his previously unknown KEY involvement in many major rock stars over the years (Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, Boy George, etc).

"Brain" has a section in his act where he reckons he has been ripped off by Morrissey and it's great!

Before "proving" the fact with a song, he says something like "My girlfriend was sick at the time, but I was feeling very ill too, and I wasn't getting any attention, so I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. I wrote this before I'd even heard of The Smiths. I think Morrissey must have been outside my window listening in. It's only half an hour on the train from Manchester to Newcastle Under Lyme - he could have been passing my window and heard me singing this. The jury's still out, but listen..."

He then does a stunning 1983 Morrissey impression whilst playing Marr-esque acoustic guitar and sings his song "My Turn To Be Poorly"

Some of the lyrics are:

My turn to be infirm
Stop acting like a kid
It's me that's the invalid
Where's my anadin
You lazy harridan
(perfect Moz falsetto)
My turn to be poorly

The following article from the Seattle Weekly is full of Smiths and Morrissey references:

Life imitates art
by Kurt B. Reighley

The opening lines:

For weeks, the question has followed me: "Did you see High Fidelity yet?" The last time so many different people quizzed me on the same topic was when the Smiths released The Queen Is Dead...

This Saturday, May 6:

The east coast's only Smiths tribute band, The Salford Lads, will be playing a tribute to the Jam at Don Hills in NYC. A good number of bands from NYC will be playing 2 songs each by the legendary Jam. Included among these bands is Elva Snow, featuring guitarist Spencer Cobrin, best known as Morrissey's drummer from 91-97, and composer of "Lost", "Wide to Receive", and "Now I Am A Was". I'm told there will also be some very special surprise guests.

Don Hills is located at 511 Greenwich St (corner of Spring) in NYC

Showtime is 10:00
$5 before 11 with flyer, $10 after

(update: 5/2 - flyer available here)