"Gary's Letter"

I have been working closely with M since Southpaw, and was interested to read the letter from Gary Day.

As it happens, it is unlikely that it actually was Gary who submitted the info, as I doubt very much he would have used his actual name. However, whoever it was does seem to have most of the facts right.

The most exciting news is of the duet, which will be even more exciting when everyone learns who it is M has lined up to sing with. It would be cruel not to give some clues I suppose, and I think M wants to give this some early publicity, so where better to start?

The guy (and it is a guy) is actually one of M's new neigbours, but is more renowned for his acting than his singing, although I'm sure under M's watchful eye and dulcit tones, he will do more than ok.

Ok, that's enough clues - I don't want to give it away. Besides, I'm feeling very SLEEPY now, so I think I will retire to bed and listen to Hatful of HOLLOW. Ooops, I've already said too much...

Humane Society International -- the Australia branch is hosting a Faux Fur fashion show -- and Morrissey is one of the designers. A vest he designed is currently up for auction on ebay. I was skeptical when I saw it listed, but I checked out the web site, and the show appears to be legit. Here's a link to the Humane Society site:

Faux Fur 2000

The Embassy Nightclub
16-18 Cross Street, Double Bay
Sunday 14th May
7pm till late
Tickets $50 contact [email protected]

Designers Include
• Morrissey • Alexander Perry • Charlie Brown •
• Billion Dollar Babes • Von Troske • Jenny Bannister •
• Saint Teresa • Seduce • Katie Davenport • Table Eight •
• Leonie Designs • Artfur • The Oxford Shop •
• Liz Davenport • Peter Alexander • Vallen •

Description of vest on eBay:

With winter approaching, NW magazine and the Humane Society International are joining forces to highlight the cruelty to animals, as a result of the fur industry.

To increase awareness of the devastating loss of animals throughout the world, top Australian designers have shown their commitment to this cause by creating stunning outfits with Faux Fur. This outfit has been donated for auction, with the proceeds going to the Humane Society International's Animal Protection Project.

This garment was designed by Morrissey.

It is a size 12, Faux Fur reversible unisex vest.

East meets West as tribute bands The Salford Lads and Sweet and Tender Hooligans team up in Los Angeles Saturday May 13th.

Each band will perform a tribute set of Morrissey and The Smiths songs.

The Brave Bull
261 S. Mission Dr.
San Gabriel CA
18 and over

Make sure you mention Sweet and Tender Hooligans and The Salford Lads at the door.

East West, Over the Ocean....

This Saturday, May 13th, come celebrate Morrissey's birthday, as the hometown heroes, The Sweet and Tender Hooligans, play host to NYC's The Salford Lads in the first ever meeting of the Smiths/Morrissey tribute bands. We're expecting quite a large turnout, get there early!

Details can be found on the flyer (click to enlarge):

Mope Springs Eternal

To fully appreciate THE SMITHS (pictured) convention at THE PALACE, you needed to brush up on your Smithsology, including what German car the band used in the early days (white Mercedes-Benz), and which year MORRISSEY appeared on a British game show (1984, with GEORGE MICHAEL). Plus memorize the discography from A to Z. And most importantly, sport your tallest pompadour, cuffed jeans with wallet chain, and plucked eyebrows (men) or tired-looking Bettie Page ’do with painstakingly vintage ’40s frock and cat-eye glasses (women). Rare concert footage and pictures of the Manchester foursome, including the real man of the hour, guitarist JOHNNY MARR, loomed large over the crowd, 99 percent of whom were still teething when the Smiths formed in 1982. It sure didn’t take playing “Meat Is Murder” to prompt a mad dash to pick up the PETA pamphlets on converting to vegetarianism — out of respect for the Great Vegan himself, no doubt. After the look-alike contest and trivia rounds, JOSE MALDONADO, the singer for the tribute band SWEET & TENDER HOOLIGAN, pulled off a very credible and eerie finger-waving, microphone-cord-swinging and gladiola-throwing Moz. The other man of the hour was the gracious-as-always host RICHARD BLADE, who’s leaving his longtime KROQ DJ gig this week to teach scuba in the Caribbean. Some of the loudest cheers of the night, however, went to the guy who jumped onstage waving his flag of Mexico. ¡Viva Shoplifters del Mundo!

—Siran Babayan

The Spanish label Acuarela Discos released on late 1998 the compilation "Lujo y Miseria", with several unknown Spanish bands, and one of them made a really curious cover: "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Succesful", renamed as "És odiós quan els amics triomfen". It´s sung in Catalan, the language spoken by more than 7 million people in Spain, and it´s covered in a certain funny techno-pop style... it´s such a curious cover that even features some bits taken from the 1966 (?) song "La la la", winner of the Eurovision song contest...

I don´t know if this was posted before, but now Acuarela records has re-made their website (it´s available to check in English), which can be found at www.acuareladiscos.com