We retain faith in the kindness of strangers.

LONDON – When you’re feelin’ alright, everything is up-tight, try to sing a song that goes ding ding-a-dong...

On the third floor of a fancy hotel in London, Stephen Morrissey sings 'Ding-a-dong'! Yes indeed, it's the song that Holland's Teach-In won the Eurovision Songfestival with back in 1975.

He's a fan of the festival, he knows everything about it. "As a child I was almost religiously fascinated with it. I was one of those boys who'd watch every episode with a pen and paper the lap."
He then submits to a small quiz.
The last Dutch winner? Easy! He sings the answer. He also knows that in 1969 Lenny Kuhr won the Songfestival with the song "De Troubadour".
He doesn't know Teddy Scholten and Corry Brokken though, winners from 1959 and 1957.
Those weren't in the "golden years" of the festival. He says those were the sixties and seventies.
He makes up for it all by singing another song: "I see a star..."

MOUTH AND MCNEAL

"Mouth and McNeal were completely unfairly 3rd in 1974. They should have won. I thought they were fantastic."

It's actually quite nice to chat with Morrissey, the English singer and songwiter who is famous for being the most depressed in popmusic.
His whole body of work can be summarized in the title of one of his songs in the Smiths-age: "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now".

So today he's in a good mood. Like most days in recent time, he says. Not that life is all flowers these days, but he's more comfortable than ever.
He moved from LA to Rome last year. And the city did him a lot of good. "It's such a lively place and peaceful at the same time. Rome is beautiful to look at too. Everything is equally beautiful and stylish."

He also recorded his new album in rome: "Ringleader of the Tormentors". The producer was Tony Visconti, not an Italian, but an American (with Italian heritage) who is especially known for his work with David Bowie.

"My musicians and I initially wanted to produce Ringleader ourselves. An enormous selfoverestimation. Someone had the telephonenumber of Visconti, a producer I always knew I'd work with. And yes, he was interested when we called. Actually he was already on his way to Rome even before we hung up."
Honestly Morrissey didn't expect an easy lamb. "But Visconti appeared to be the sweetest person on this planet. Also he doesn't live in the past, even if he's in his sixties. As a producer he is completely up to date. He knows everything about modern recordingtechniques."

Still Morrissey and his sometimes sound -in a pleasing way- pretty oldfashion on Ringleader.
The music on 'In the future when all's well' reminds one of the '70's T.Rex glamrock, a group who's also been produced by Visconti.
Those old T.Rex records left a deep impression on Morrissey.

"But also "The man who sold the world" of you-know-who, who's also been produced by Visconti, is a record I've played many times." "You-know-who" is David Bowie, a man who Morrissey doesn't like all that much.
Morrissey once was the opening act for Bowie, but half-way through the tour he packed up and left. "With Bowie it's all about money. Whatever else he is, he is first and foremost a businessman."

You can't really hear Italian aspects in the music of "Ringleader". Only on the song "Dear god please help me", a heavily orchestrated song of which the arrangements have been written by the great Ennio Morricone. The film composer happened to be working in the same studio. The fact he agreed on Morrissey's request to compose the music is extraordinary.
Many popmusicians asked Morricone to compose music for them, but he rejected the likes of U2 and -this seems to please Morrissey- David Bowie.

Morrissey is also the first one to admit he doesn't really know Morricone's work. "I'm afraid I only know 'Once upon a time in the west'. That's bad, I presume?".
Cheerfully he says: "Well then you might as well shoot me!"

Just as baroque(?) as the composition of Morricone are the lyrics to "Dear god...". Religion is, like

Just as baroque(?) as the composition of Morricone are the lyrics to "Dear god...". Religion is, like on previous material, an important theme on the album. "My parents were originally from Irelan, which automatically makes me catholic."

He hasn't been catholic for a long time, but one of course never can get rid of it. "I always find myself praying when an aeroplane rises(?)"

SEX

Sex is also a subject in "Dear God...". For Morrissey-standards there are some very explicit lyrics "I'm spreading your legs, with mine in between", he sings.
One wouldn't be surprised if it was sung by any other popstar, but with Morrissey it's a big deal.
His whole career he refuses to speak out about his sexuality. Is he homo-, hetero-, bi- or maybe asexual?
The first choice seems to be the most likely (the love for the Songfestival is a huge sign, isn't it?), but today he won't give any assurance.
"Surely my sexlife is absolutely of no interest to the readers of you newspaper?", he decides.

Dat artikel bevat dezelfde info als een artikel over Morrissye in gazet van Anwerpen van vorige week.
Zijn nieuwe plaat is UITSTEKEND!!!
Amsterdam 10 april here we come!!
Greetings from Belgium
Dirk