Morrissey's Live Tour Journal 2011
23rd-24th June 2011
Went shopping in London for a nice new 'post-gig' shirt for the Joey meet up. Purchased some rather dashing cologne from Selfridges too. Popped into Pizza Hut in Groucho Marx spectacles with a tint, long overcoat and a tall hat. Don't judge me, I just adore those croutons with blue cheese sauce. Mmm. Piled my salad bowl half a mile high with the help of cucumber slices and carrot sticks round the side. Evil glance from a spotty kid in a Pizza Hut uniform. Bloody fascists. Found a bacon bit deep within my mountain of iceberg lettuce. Typical. The Pizza Hut staff aren't what they were five years ago, I have to say: I asked for three scoops of ice cream with my cookie dough dessert 'to share,' and they only gave me two. Greedy sods. No tip, chaps. Well, there is a global economic slow-down on at the moment, in case you hadn't noticed...
Spotted a chap who looked a little like Boz sitting under the KFC window on Oxford Street. Obviously not quite as portly as Boz, but the same haunted eyes and poverty-stricken demeanour. I did wonder if it might have been Boz senior. I have heard he's back out. Dropped a twenty pence coin into his cap, then realised it was a fifty. B*ggery. Paused and reflected, then strolled of knowing I'd done my bit for the day.
Glastonbury itself was a bloody nightmare. The main stage was half-empty by the third song, as usual. Radiohead turned up unannounced (thanks lads) and stole the few remaining stragglers. By 'This Charming Man' I just kept trying to grab the camera bod's full attention, hoping he might forget to do his close ups of the audience, or lack thereof.
Still it wasn't all bad. I stood back for a moment in awe of Jesse's fretwork during 'Shoplifters.' His 'reinterpretation' of Marr's stale riff was rather trendy, in a kind of Pavement-esque way. Well, if Pavement can get away with making three albums before they learned to play their instruments then why not little old Mozza? Same old music press. One rule for Mozza, and a different rule for everybody else.
I notice the Guardian were less than impressed by the gig. And Joyce has been whining again about the 'cover versions.' Here's news to you, Mikey Boy. If you take a 1968 Ferrari 250 GTO and put in some new struts, what happens? It remains a Ferrari 250 GTO - because it's got the chassis. It's the same with a pop group. If you take a classic group and substitute the bassist or drummer, it's still a classic pop band. How is the old Austin Montego coping with life in the 21st century by the way Joycey? Brakes haven't seized up again, I hope... they're so prone to that - the old Montegroes... I'd hate for something terrible to happen to you, old friend, like happened to poor Diana...
"Anonymous - Today, 08:56 AM Not a fan of U2 at all but the difference between their's and Morrissey's sets was huge.
Morrissey plodding through the hits, tempo too slow on the majority of Smiths songs - rent-a-band in their tacky matching t-shirts, no personality, no vitality, no finese. Bono with his gang, of similar age, full of life, personality. Brilliant guitars, great bass lines and tight drumming - sound familiar?
Morrissey seems arrogant enough to think that he can just belt out any Smiths songs and it doesn't matter who provides the musical backing as it's his songs. But I'm afraid without Johnny & Andy, who created the Smiths sound, he just comes over as a tired and dated cabaret singer."
Oh f*ck off, why don't you? Nothing but whining on so-low. It's a good job I haven't glanced at that squalid site for three-and-a-half years now...
How was Joey? Oh dreadful. I told him I'd phone him, of course. But of course I won't. He has one of those terrible abrasive, offensively rouch Manchester accents. Still, Joey knows Smiffy, and Smiffy knows Rio, and Rio knows Javier Hernandez... so all's not lost, perhaps ;-)
Well, it's Saturday and I'm a good £70 000 richer than I was yesterday morning. Oh not bad for an evening's work. How much did you earn yesterday? Oh dear, I am sorry...
Just watching the BBC4 footage. Lovely stuff from Jesse. Golly, they're right about Boz though. He really does look like a fat c*nt in that t-shirt...
Morrissey
www.morrisseysworld.blogspot.com