25 years ago, Morrissey ruined Bill Cosby’s appearance on ‘The Tonight Show' by Dan Ozzi

25 YEARS AGO, MORRISSEY RUINED BILL COSBY’S APPEARANCE ON ‘THE TONIGHT SHOW’ - NOISEY / VICE
By Dan Ozzi

Excerpt:

Bill Cosby was capping off the prime of his career when he appeared on The Tonight Show on June 14, 1991. He had just wrapped up the seventh season of The Cosby Show, his Emmy-winning family comedy, one of only three shows in television history to hold the number one spot in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive seasons. He was soon to release his 20th comedy album and his fourth book. Still decades before the darker side of his personal life would come to light, he was America’s comedian. There wasn’t a restaurant, club, or theater in the country he could’ve walked into and not instantly been recognized. On any other night, Cosby would’ve been a solid booking as a talk show guest. But on this evening, as he sat on the set’s armchair, trading jokes with host Johnny Carson, his celebrity was eclipsed by the presence of the man waiting backstage, a man who had never even appeared on American television. On this night, Bill Cosby stood in the shadow of Steven Patrick Morrissey.

Illustration by John Garrison

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UPDATE June 16:

Link posted by an anonymous person and from Mike:

That time we called Morrissey ‘wimp-of-the-year’ - Austin Music Source

 

[Harsh Truth]

Great read and watch, thanks for posting. There was something very urgent about Morrissey back in those days.

 

[vegan.cro]

Beautiful. Thank you.

 

[Calamine Lotion]

25 YEARS AGO, MORRISSEY RUINED BILL COSBY’S APPEARANCE ON ‘THE TONIGHT SHOW’ - NOISEY / VICE
By Dan Ozzi

Excerpt:

Bill Cosby was capping off the prime of his career when he appeared on The Tonight Show on June 14, 1991. He had just wrapped up the seventh season of The Cosby Show, his Emmy-winning family comedy, one of only three shows in television history to hold the number one spot in the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive seasons. He was soon to release his 20th comedy album and his fourth book. Still decades before the darker side of his personal life would come to light, he was America’s comedian. There wasn’t a restaurant, club, or theater in the country he could’ve walked into and not instantly been recognized. On any other night, Cosby would’ve been a solid booking as a talk show guest. But on this evening, as he sat on the set’s armchair, trading jokes with host Johnny Carson, his celebrity was eclipsed by the presence of the man waiting backstage, a man who had never even appeared on American television. On this night, Bill Cosby stood in the shadow of Steven Patrick Morrissey.

Illustration by John Garrison

Very good! That illustration is great, too. But those hands on Morrissey's bulbous salutation are very rude.

 

[g23]

"Hey Marrissy- How'd you like to come back to my dress'n room for some wine n' cuddles and flibby-floppin'? And heck no I didn't put nothin' in your drink!"

 

[Anonymous]

 

[Anonymous]

How beautiful were the boys in Moz's band back then. Happy days...

 

[nicky wire's legs]

always nice to see mozzer getting the love and respect he deserves! <3

 

[g23]

How beautiful were the boys in Moz's band back then. Happy days...

Boz's prancing is a little awkward. Ok... A LOT awkward. I do miss what Alain brought to the band though.

 

[Flibberty]

I do think that this TV appearance was astonishing and deserves to be better known. The reception that Morrissey received in the U.S. in 1991, was pretty remarkable looking back.

 

[ACTON]

That 1991 TV appearance by Morrissey was our generation's version of Elvis appearing on the Ed Sullivan show. Amazing thing to watch.

 

[Honest Voice]

Great read and watch, thanks for posting. There was something very urgent about Morrissey back in those days.

Agree, those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end, but they did......

 

[Anonymous]

cool as f*** back then. that was the time when I first started to really get into Moz. Good times.

There was always something that sounded very strange about Boz's guitar in the live versions of there's a place in hell. Maybe that's it's too far up front in the mix? or maybe it's the way he's playing - a lot of what I call "Chucka chucka" between chords.

 

[bob-first1]

I can remember my brother calling me at a friends house telling me to turn on the Johnny Carson show. My jaw dropped watching the whole time. This was back when you didn't have any idea who a guest would be. That was a cool time for sure.

 

[ACTON]

I can remember my brother calling me at a friends house telling me to turn on the Johnny Carson show. My jaw dropped watching the whole time. This was back when you didn't have any idea who a guest would be. That was a cool time for sure.

Haha that reminds me of seeing The Cure doing 'Lullaby' on Top Of The Pops. I'd been a fan for a while but was awestruck by their appearance. They mimed but I think almost everyone did at that stage of the TV show.

 

[Anonymous]

I remember this broadcast. Great article though a little prone to hyperbole. Carson was in the business 30 years and this wasn't his first rodeo with a hugely popular guest. One minor point: The Tonight Show is not a prime-time show (in the U.S. this refers to the 7:00-10:00pm time slot). It airs later to a notably smaller audience.

 

[nicky wire's legs]

it was the same sort of atmosphere at jay leno in 1992. i like how jay thanks the morrissey fans at the end, and how adorable and slightly uncomfortable morrissey looks in the last few seconds ( i feel so bad for jack scalia and keenan ivory whatever sitting there like a pair of duds because who gives a f*** about them? nobody, that's who)

 

[Anymous]

Hm. This might be a good place to ask, even though it is off topic, but chances are reasonably high that somebody is reading who would know. I was at a television show in 1998 that was shot at the same studio as the tonight show with Jay Leno at the time. The television show that I went to with this English woman from Brighton was shot before the tonight show and aired nationwide in the afternoon at around 3 or 4 p.m. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of said show, but I'd like to know which show it was during which I was on US national television with the cameras full on the English woman and myself, because the woman from Brighton had entered her most embarrassing moment of her life as we entered the building and the people who make that show obviously thought it fitting that she retells her story in front of the cameras. She received a coughing liquid as a thank you, which came in handy a few days later when we went to Las Vegas together, where I cought a cold from the temperature difference between Las Vegas and the air conditioned car so that by the time we got to the Grand Canyon I was sick with high fever, sore throat and the coughing liquid from the show helped me to recover over night. lol True story! I already wrote a message to NBC and asked, but of course never received an answer. I seriously cannot remember the name of the host of the show anymore,which is slightly annoying, I'd like to check if it is maybe on youtube. It would help if maybe somebody knows which shows were shot at the same studio. I had my emails from the time stored to a CD, but as I wanted to access them yesterday because I was sure I had told at least one of my friends about it, I couldn't access, CD damaged apparently. Gosh, I should have known that appareances on US national television are so important for one's life, we should have asked for a copy of it... It is a serious question, so I'd highly appreciate if somebody can help and knows the show.

 

[SuedeMoz]

Very happy to say that I watched it live. Took it for granted at the time but it's amazing piece of TV history.

 

[Anonymous]

http://music.blog.austin360.com/2016/06/15/that-time-we-called-morrissey-wimp-of-the-year/