T. H. Auden
Well-Known Member
This to do with Boz playing in drag as «Gaynor Tension» during the 2012 tour. Was it really his idea, or was it something that Morrissey ordered to humiliate him?
Gaynor Tension
- Thread starter T. H. Auden
- Start date
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Anonymous
Guest
I don't think it was humiliation. He's done it a few times before. He definitely did it in San Diego on the Your Arsenal tour.
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Anonymous
Guest
Boz was asked about it by fans at the time, and whilst he didn't go into any details he did not react positively to the question. My impression was that he was pissed off about the whole thing, and was only suffering it as the boss demanded it. It certainly wasn't his idea, but something he was told to do.
Amy
from the Ice Age to the dole age
Whenever I saw the band in those outfits (not just Boz in drag but the loincloths, bras, slogan shirts etc) it always felt like Moz was having a laugh at their expense. Maybe he found it genuinely hilarious and harmless and thought everyone else did too, but it was a strange sight – Moz standing there in a normal suit, playing ‘dress up’ with the band. Boz, in his 50s and well overweight, wearing sequins… it was like watching Willy Wonka parade the Oompa Loompas, a power thing, and I found it uncomfortable.
That said, my sympathy for Boz is pretty limited. There is a point where any grown man should be able to say ‘no’ if they dislike something and he never did - never complained, never stood up for other band members booted out of Camp Moz, never refused to write those absurd emails to record execs on Moz’ behalf, etc. He did whatever he was told for years and years, the ultimate “company man” and then, quelle surprise, didn’t even get a ‘goodbye’ when he left. That’s the price you pay for sacrificing your integrity for a paycheck, as Jesse T will learn one day as well.
That said, my sympathy for Boz is pretty limited. There is a point where any grown man should be able to say ‘no’ if they dislike something and he never did - never complained, never stood up for other band members booted out of Camp Moz, never refused to write those absurd emails to record execs on Moz’ behalf, etc. He did whatever he was told for years and years, the ultimate “company man” and then, quelle surprise, didn’t even get a ‘goodbye’ when he left. That’s the price you pay for sacrificing your integrity for a paycheck, as Jesse T will learn one day as well.
(Zippo, Tokyo, 2012)
The rest of the band (eg Zippo or EbisuHall, 2012) were in "speedos"/pants, Boz wasn't.
Not difficult to think why really. If he was remotely self-conscious, the dress saves any perceived "humiliation" perhaps?
That said, he wore the outfit at gigs where the band were in t-shirts too (eg Les Ardentes, 2012), so highly likely to be for 'a bit of a laugh'. Yes "Morrissey bad", we get the mythology, but band/group dynamics are probably a bit more sophisticated than 'do this or you are fired'.
Both he and Lyn have referred to that onstage persona thereafter humorously, without the slightest hint that it was arduous or forced - not really indicative of a bad experience.
FWD.
("Gaynor Tension" was/is a drag artist from Australia and was active in 2012).
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Anonymous
Guest
Morrissey seemed to have a thing for humiliating the band around that time - making them wear speedos and writing on their chests with marker pens etc. I'm sure he thought it was a great hoot, but it just looked demeaning. Thank God those days seem to be behind us.
Ahhh better in context at least!
Forgot to mention:
Boz had dressed in drag at least twice on stage 20 years previously (Del Mar, CA. Halloween gig & Manchester Apollo, 1992).
Morrissey, himself, was being 'written on' in 1992 also.
FWD.
Boz had dressed in drag at least twice on stage 20 years previously (Del Mar, CA. Halloween gig & Manchester Apollo, 1992).
Morrissey, himself, was being 'written on' in 1992 also.
FWD.
Gregor Samsa
I straighten up, and my position is one of hope.
I always felt it seemed tone-deaf of Moz to pull these stunts. Almost autistic. He laughed, surely, but the laughter must’ve got stuck in the throats of the others. And he never realized, or perhaps he didn’t care. Of course, I don’t know, and the fact that nobody ever put their foot down and said no speaks against this theory.
Gaetano
Half A Person
Interesting. I just checked it out on PJLM... I wasn't aware of this. Are there any known pics of him in drag during those shows? I couldn't find any on a quick Google search. I would love to see how he went about it
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Geoffrey Ingram
I don't go in for sensational confessions!
And in 1984 on Top of the Pops with "Marry Me"
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Liliana
Guest
I remember seeing something like “Gaynor Tension, Rest in Peace” or “Gaynor is dead” in a FB comment from Boz to a fan asking if he would be dressing up again, implying that phase was over.
Now he just get's written off.
Amy
from the Ice Age to the dole age
It’s totally possible that it was for a laugh, of course. More than possible, since Moz has a long-held love of drag and has spoken of their mutual obsession with Mrs Shufflewick – maybe it’s just Boz doing tribute? Who knows.
Even so, suggesting that it's mythology to believe that it could look demeaning is a bit disingenuous. What has been clear and consistent throughout Morrissey’s whole public life is that other people and their thoughts, beliefs etc are a foreign country to him. This is a guy who never realised that his band played ‘Golden Lights’ through gritted teeth, who suggested to his knackered, fed up, sleeping-in-the-studio guitarist that they go on holiday to France. He has basically built a career singing about this blind spot; it's not strange to think that it might have re-emerged here.
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nicky wire's legs
Christ is king!
Moz just wishes that boz were nicky wire
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Anonymous
Guest
There's always the chance they were 100% happy with every costume that was chosen for themand loved it, but personally I found the idea of the band wearing a uniform that was chosen for them to be fairly demeaning. With those slogan T-shirts, they cease to even give the appearance of individuals with are simply mannequins for the 'boss man' to dress up. I know Morrissey is ultimately the only authority, and they are all hired goons who can be fired on a whim, but it's just not a good look, when 'The Lads' at least gave the appearance of being a real band. It's one step up in dignity from playing behind a lowered stage curtain, with Moz being the only one visible to the audience.
Again, now Alain is back in the band, they at least appear to be past that uniform stage. I'm still not keen on the way each band member is rooted to the spot though, compared with how they used to roam about in the early days. Maybe it's easier for the lighting guys etc, but I miss the chaos of the early days, when Boz and Alain would wander the stage, swap places, or go to the front when they felt like it, interact and bump into Moz etc. It just felt a bit more like a real band, rather than a bunch of backing session musicians - even if it was only ever an illusion.
marred
Member
I was never a huge Boz fan but I was even less of a fan after seeing him don the dress.
