This write-up appears in the Friday "Alive" section of The Asbury Park Press with the headline "His Glorious Defeat." The newspaper actually services a pretty large distribution in NJ and Moz pulled a whole page. Well done!

On the Road: Morrissey knew the end was coming

Published in the Asbury Park Press and the Home News Tribune 2/18/00

On the Road
Chris Jordan

He hasn't a record label nor even a publicist these days.

Sure signs of a music career on the wane.

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MORRISSEY
8 p.m. Thursday
Count Basie Theater
Monmouth Street, Red Bank
Sold out
(732) 842-9000

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But thanks to a loyal cadre of fans even more loyal to him than Bruce Springsteen's fans are to their Boss, Morrissey is back in town and he's sold-out his Feb. 24 show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.

After all, Freehold's Springsteen never sold out the Basie without the help of a record company deal.

Morrissey's show Feb. 25 at Roseland in New York City also is sold out, but there a few remaining seats for his Feb. 29 performance at the Beacon Theatre, also in New York City.

The effete Morrissey's last new album was 1997's "Maladjusted." He played a few shows in Las Vegas and the West Coast in the fall, but has been relatively quiet over the last couple of years.

That's certainly different from his days with the Smiths in the 1980s when he and co-songwriter Johnny Marr teamed up to release a single every four months and an album every year. The British duo has been referred to as the Lennon and McCartney of their generation, thanks to the high quality of their Smiths' output.

But Morrissey, 41, isn't receiving such acclaim these days. Despite the sellouts, it does seem Morrissey is a little down on his luck. He recently told Rolling Stone that he's touring because he wants to, press and record labels be damned. But it speaks to Morrissey's brilliance as a songwriter that he realized long ago that pop stardom is a temporary situation at best.

No one can stave off eventual banishment into the bargain bin.

So in honor of Morrissey's demise, we present his Top-10 songs on the pitfalls of being a pop idol:


Morrissey is the boy most likely to get over it.
10. "The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye" (1991) -- Famous people hate to get their picture taken. Morrissey is no different. Frankly, halting tempo and buried squeaks makes this album track from the album "Kill Uncle" barely listenable.

9. "Journalists Who Lie" (1991) -- "Journalists who lie, the truth is it happens. Praise, then crucify, just follow this pattern" sings Moz on this hard to find B-side. Libel suit, anyone?

8. "Frankly Mr. Shankly" (1986) -- "Fame, fame fatal fame, it can play hideous tricks on the brain. But still I'd rather be famous than righteous, or holy, any day, any day, any day" sings Moz on this track from "The Queen is Dead." Morrissey was at the height of his Smiths success when this was written but the petulant, childish "any day, any day, any day" suggests that Morrissey knew the down side would eventually come -- and there was nothing he could do about it.

7. "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" (1992) -- It's not clear if Morrissey is in the third person singing about himself or if he's singing about former band mate Johnny Marr. Either way, it's a bright and cheeky rock tune.

6. "I Won't Share You" (1987) -- Ambitious heel seeks his dreams; leaves girl with a note. Morrissey's irreverent sense of humor arises when the girl complains that the Perrier has gone to her head after she reads the note.

5. "East West" (1989) -- This Herman's Hermits cover was a B-side on the "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" single. Morrissey has paid homage to 1960s British pop acts throughout his career and this nugget depicts a successful band traveling the world, but longing for home.

4. "Girl Least Likely To" (1990) -- Morrissey plays Professor Henry Higgins to an up-and-coming poetess who doesn't quite have what it takes to become a star. Sentimental, sweet and moving, Morrissey performed this B-side during his 1997 tour.

3. "Golden Lights" (1987) -- Another obscure '60s Brit pop song, this time by someone named Twinkle. The ethereal tune tells the story of a pop idol who forgot the girl he once "loved more than the world."

2. "Rubber Ring" (1987) -- Moz sings from the perspective of a pop idol whose fans have outgrown him. But like his old records in the corner of a room, he'll forever hold the torch for them:

But don't forget the songs
That made you cry
And the songs that saved your life.
Yes, you're older now,
And you're a clever swine
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you. -- "Rubber Ring"

1. "Paint a Vulgar Picture" (1987) -- A pop idol has died and greedy record executives plan to recoup their investment by re-issuing the deceased's songs. But while the star's songs are marketed ad nauseam, a grieving fan's love for his idol remains true. This track, from the last Smiths album, is genius for its cynicism, youthful passion and desperate hope - plus it has one of Johnny Marr's greatest guitar solos.