James Dean
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The video for Suedehead was filmed in Dean's hometown - Fairmount, Indiana.
The cover star of Bigmouth Strikes Again.
Morrissey wrote James Dean Is Not Dead in 1981.
From The Morrissey Collection - Smash Hits (June 21 - July 4, 1984):
"I saw Rebel Without a Cause quite by accident when I was about 6. I was entirely enveloped. I did research about him and it was like unearthing Tutankhamun's tomb. His entire life seemed so magnificently perfect. What he did on film didn't stir me that much but as a person he was immensely valuable. Everything from his birth in a farming town to coming to New York, breaking into film and finding he didn't really want it when he had enormous success. At school it was an absolute drawback because nobody really cared about him. If they did, it was only in a synthetic rock and roll way. Nobody had a passion for him as I did — for that constant uneasiness with life. Even though he was making enormous strides with his craft, he was still incredibly miserable and obviously doomed. Which is exactly the quality Oscar Wilde had. That kind of mystical knowledge that there is something incredibly black around the corner. People who feel this are quite special and always end up in quite a mangled mess."
Image used as a backdrop circa 2007-2008:
A childhood photo of Dean was used on tour passes & drum header in 2012:
A Morrissey & Dean montage was used as a backdrop in 2019, using a still from Rebel Without A Cause (1955). Morrissey replaces Corey Allen in the image:
Image used as backdrop during "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" in 2022. James Dean on The Stu Erwin Show (S2.E8 Jackie Knows All, Dec. 7, 1951).
Image used as backdrop during "Some Say I Got Devil" in 2019.
Image used on a Crew shirt - observed on 3rd leg of 2022 tour (at The Magnolia):
Miro Lagioia: drum technician (2022) source
Image featured on 2018 tour poster:
Mentioned In
- The Morrissey Collection - Smash Hits (June 21 - July 4, 1984)
- Bigmouth Strikes Again (single)
- Morrissey, the Ever Marketable - Los Angeles Times (March 27, 1994)
- Tour Of The Tormentors MMVI 2006-2007 Pre-show Tracks
- Greatest Hits Tour 2007-2008 Pre-show Tracks
- All The Best Ones Are Dead - true-to-you.net (March 18, 2016)
- The Interview. A LARKS' TONGUE IN APRIL. - Morrissey Central (June 24, 2019)
Wikipedia Information
James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor with a career that lasted five years. His roles typified the teenage disillusionment and social estrangement of his time. He had several uncredited roles from 1951 to 1953 before starring as a rebellious son attempting to win his father's approval in East of Eden (1955). In Rebel Without a Cause (1955), he portrayed a teenager struggling with his emotions and feeling frustrated with his family and social life. His last lead role was playing a Texan rancher who discovered oil and became rich in Giant (1956). Dean died in a car crash in 1955 and became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in East of Eden. He received a second nomination for his role in Giant the following year, making him the only actor to receive two posthumous acting nominations. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him the 18th best male movie star of Golden Age Hollywood in the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars list. Dean's film roles, fashion, and manners became celebrated in popular culture and influenced the development of rock and roll in the 1950s and 1960s.