The Return of Morrissey

Thursday night, Morrissey returns to LA for a show at the Gibson Amphitheater, and he just dropped a new collection of B-sides called "Swords" (including a short disc of songs from a Warsaw concert.) When Mozz played Coachella in the spring I wrote about the man and his influence HERE.

I am such a hardcore Smiths fan I ventured to the band's hometown -- Manchester -- and wrote this travel piece about an old industrial city -- the first in the world, in a sense -- reimagining itself. Of course, Manchester -- the setting of "24 Hour Party People" -- was also home to the Buzzcocks, Joy Division and the Stone Roses, and here is my sidebar on the 10 best albums from the city. (By sorta coincidence I also had the good fortune to be married on the man's 45th birthday.)

As for the Morrissey show, The Misread City hopes to see you there.

Who Put the 'M' in Manchester

DON'T know how i missed it, but friday was the 50th birthday of one of the key figures in british rock post-clash: 

stephen 

patrick morrissey. (the fact that the day was also my anniversary may explain why i am posting several days late.)

in any case, mozz celebrated his half-century with a concert in his hometown, manchester, UK, which was in some ways the capital of the industrial revolution as well as the capital of several waves of rock music, from joy division's post-punk to the "madchester" scene to acid house. cue "24 hour party people." 

it was partly my love of bands from manchester -- mozz's old group the smiths, buzzcocks, stone roses, joy division -- that sent me to visit the city not long ago. HERE is the travel piece that ensued, and here is a sidebar on music.

and to anyone who didnt see it, here's my piece, tied to last month's coachella performance, on morrissey and his influence.

Photo credit: SRT

The Legacy of Morrissey

THIS year's coachella festival is filled with all kinds of major historical figures -- not just paul mccartney but leonard cohen, the jam's paul weller and shoegaze pioneers my bloody valentine (who i had the ear-blasting pleasure to see play last fall in santa monica). 

one of the most influential is morrissey, the former smiths leader whose solo career finally started getting interesting a few years ago, and who has managed to generate a devoted latino fanbase  in the whitest of all musical genres.

all kinds of unlikely figures -- ryan adams, jk rowling, bono, outkast -- sing his praises.

HERE is my story in today's LAT on mozz and his influence. i hear him or the smiths everytime i hear the shins, the pains of being pure of heart, belle & sebastian, of montreal, the clientele, many others. and here is a live take of "first of the gang to die."

i had the fortune, or misfortune, to be in high school right in the middle of the '80s. tho i am neither gay nor latino nor a recovering catholic, the smiths spoke to me like no other contemporary band during that dreadful and jingoistic time. (okay, maybe r.e.m.) in college i would sometimes go to halloween parties dressed like him.

i am such a zealot i went to manchester, england -- one of the world's most important rock cities and mozz's hometown -- two years ago to walk in the footsteps of the smiths, buzzcocks, stone roses, etc. HERE is the ensuing travel piece, and here the top-10 manchester albums sidebar.

mozz celebrates his 50th birthday with a big concert in manchester on may 22... were it not my anniversary (that was an accident -- really) and were i not quasi-employed i would try to be there.

Photo credit: Flickr user gussifer