I Can Have Both

Johnny Marr at the El Rey 

Sometimes I just can't escape Morrissey. Not that I'd ever WANT to. I mean, I just doubt that there are as many events for other artists out there.

For example, there was a book release party for To Me You Are A Work of Art-a photographic book depicting  Morrissey related tattoos on February 28. This was in Los Angeles at Lethal Amounts which is a small studio. There was a DJ playing Morrissey music and on the wall there were photographs of various Moz fans sporting their Morrissey tattoos. I met up there with Vanessa and we ran into Jose Maldonado.

So Jesse Tobias walked in and while I am virtually nobody, he said hi to Vanessa and Jose as we were talking  (at least my friends are famous). I seriously could have said I discovered a cure for cancer when Jose and Vanessa introduced me to him and I doubt that he would have been impressed;  at least I got to shake his hand. Furthermore, I am pretty shy and I didn't really know what to say to him. I think he's a great guitar player? Duh!

Jose kindly posing beneath a photo of a fan from Tustin 

 I have come to the conclusion that its okay not to say much but just be happy to shake someone's hand. I feel like if I can't make a lasting GOOD impression, its best to just shut up and let others do the talking, which worked out just fine.



It worked just as well when they also introduced me to Mando Lopez and his wife that night. Its quite exciting to meet them and to tell you I met them. For, how many get the opportunity?

Mando and Jose in conversation

In addition to meeting Morrissey's band mates, I also was fortunate enough to get to meet the two collaborators and authors of the book, Anthony Amor and Julian Chavez. Both of them were lovely human beings and very pleased that Morrissey wrote the forward to the book. I don't think you can top that!

There were quite a number of fans who are featured in the book there as well. It was awesome to realize that I actually know quite a number of them. I think you can learn a lot about a person from what they choose to put on themselves permanently. You learn even more about them from which line from a particular song they chose. And if you know Morrissey's lyrics, you probably realize the impact of those lines more than most.

Vanessa posing with the book

The following weekend was a Johnny Marr gig at the El Rey. It seemed it was a pretty short tour for Johnny but we were lucky to have him here in California. In addition to the show in Los Angeles, he played in Pomona, San Diego and further north in Sacramento and Fresno.

Roland came along with me this time which was great. We ran into a couple of Breakfast Champions, Ed Navarro and his girlfriend as well as Officer Mike. Vanessa, and others were there up near the stage but we didn't meet up since Roland and I were further back.

There is just something you can't explain about hearing a Smiths song played by the original guitar player and songwriter. Its like he had this special touch that NO ONE can recreate. It's widely known that Johnny Marr is one of the best guitar players of our time, but to actually SEE him was quite special. He sang and played probably about six Smths songs: Still Ill, The Headmaster Ritual, Bigmouth Strikes Again, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby, and of course, How Soon Is Now?

There were moments when I was watching him play and I thought to myself, "This is THE guy who walked up to Morrissey's door on King's Road and asked him to be in a band with him. He saw it all happen. Everything."

Another shot of Johnny at the El Rey

So, in addition to seeing such a phenomenal guitar player, I was seeing a bit of history in an intimate venue. It felt unique.

To be fair, I have seen him play before. But I suppose what made it different this time was the band he's been with now for a few years seems a bit tighter, he seemed to play more Smiths songs and more importantly, seeing him in the more intimate venue with my friends who I KNOW appreciated the moment as much as I did made it better.

Lost

Moz at Posers in Hollywood

"I am informed today that the projected tour of South America is snuffed out, thus euthanized - due, I'm reliably advised, to lack of funding. It's quite easy to sell tickets, yet impossible to transport band and crew from F to G.
In a year when far too many disappointments have been buried this really is the last of many final straws, and I am not alone in feeling this. The future is suddenly absent, and my apologies are now so frequent as to be somewhat ridiculous, and it is I who apologize because no one else would bother. It is agonizing to be responsible for imparting such news - especially when it springs upon me unexpectedly and inexplicably. But the collapse of South America rings the curtain down with a colossal thud, and the major problems remain as insoluble now as they were in 2009. The obvious conclusion stares back at me from the mirror, and the wheels are finally off the covered wagon. Cancellations and illness have sucked the life out of all of us, and the only sensible solution seems to be the art of doing nothing.
As always I ask your pardon, and I offer pangs of overwhelming love and gratitude to the band and the crew, whose loyalty stretched above and beyond.
I shall see you in my dreams,"
Morrissey
19 July 2013, Los Angeles
From True-to-you.net

Sometimes being a Morrissey fan is like checking your email and only finding adverts for penis enlargements. A bit disappointing.

Of course, the constant cancellations have much to do with health issues and I can say with complete conviction that any Morrissey fan wants our hero to feel better and to approach any upcoming tour in optimal health.

Its just the tone of his latest letter is rather somber and almost hopeless. Which frightens the hell out of your average adoring Morrissey fan.

What do we do with these feeling of despair and lost desire? Well, if you live in Los Angeles, you seek him out at his favorite LA haunts such as Amoeba music and The Cat and Fiddle Pub as well as a place called Posers (pictured above).

You might attend a Sweet and Tender Hooligans show or a Moz Disco night. You listen to Breakfast with the Smiths and send in a weekly request.

You give yourself things to look forward to such as the movie of the Hollywood High show Moz 25, which will be shown in various theaters around the country in August.

You might even get a Smiths fix and plan to see Johnny Marr on his US tour.

It isn't easy. I liken it to being a hard core fan of any athletic club when its going through a losing streak. You just hold out hope.

Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before

Me and Johnny at the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas

The Trip

Roland and I decided that we would see Johnny Marr play in Las Vegas when the opportunity arose. He was opening for New Order and playing outdoors in the pool area at the hotel. It took a bit of maneuvering to arrange babysitters on a weeknight-Thursday-but we pulled it off thanks to good friends.

As we were packing, I quickly grabbed my Louder Than Bombs album and a sharpie so that if I were to meet Johnny Marr, he could sign this item of my youth. I was kind of joking because I knew it was unlikely and Roland thought it was funny. Of course, I left the actual vinyl in a nice, cool place at home since the heat would warp it. 

We stayed at a fairly new hotel called the Vdara, which is right next door to the Cosmopolitan,  where the gig took place. The Cosmopolitan was just way too expensive to book a room and the feature we liked best about the Vdara is that it has a little kitchen so you can prepare your own food. Its not that we don't like eating out but its nice and romantic to share and prepare a meal without the kids around. It can also be expensive to eat out. 

The Vdara also does not have a casino in it, which makes it nice if you like the quiet, and aren't bothered about not gambling.

The ride from Orange County is about four hours. Roland and I just played music and sang along the whole time. Its not really cool that we were blaring music in a mini van but if you have to be undignified, why not do it in style, eh? We listened to the likes of Johnny's new album, The Messenger, as well as Morrissey (of course), The Smiths, Buddy Holly and New Order among others. 

Arrival

Once we arrived and had a quick nap, I realized that although I had remembered to bring Louder Than Bombs, I had forgotten to bring my make up. Now, if you are a guy, you might think this is a minor thing, but if you are a fairly vain woman (approaching fifty), in all likelihood you know how important it is to look as good as you can if you are going to a concert to see your favorite guitar hero.

So we went make up shopping on the strip and then for a drink. (And to look for Johnny Marr).

Roland did not want to have a drink at The Cosmopolitan because the last time we were there, it was kind of crowded but I insisted since it was my belief and hope that Johnny would be there. Somewhere. I was kind of joking because I did not think it was really possible but I had my LP in my bag anyway.

I had a Bloody Mary, Roland had a beer and we enjoyed watching the bartender make tourists amazing drinks. I kept looking around for Johnny and joked with Roland that he might just come in the bar to order a drink, see my album in my large bag and ask, "Miss, is that a Louder Than Bombs album you are carrying in your bag? May I sign it?"

I realized I needed to head back to the make up store for an eye shadow brush so we left the bar and headed back outside the hotel. I said to Roland, "Keep an eye out for him. Remember what he looks like. He kind of looks like that guy over there." As I said so, I realized it WAS him. 

The Meeting

I picked up my pace leaving Roland in a cloud of dust and approached him. "Johnny? Johnny Marr?" and he kind of looked at me as if he were unsure. I said, "Are you Johnny Marr?" and he said yes but he was looking towards the direction he was heading so I was afraid I was interrupting whatever he was doing. Perhaps he was looking for an escape route.

It made me think that I don't know what is going on in his life. Maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he was anxious about something. I wanted to make sure he had a way out if he did not really want to engage.

I said, "I just happened to have my album here. Would it be okay to ask you to sign it?" (Although I thought it was odd that I was carrying an album cover, he did not indicate that it was at all strange.)

He said, "Yes. I'll sign it."

I said, "I really like your new album."

He looked me dead in the eyes and said, "Thank you." But it made me think it was nice for him to get positive feedback on something he has been working on more recently. 

He dropped the pen and picked it up and began to sign my album. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Andrea."

My heart was going so fast, I began to feel kind of shakey. I just could not believe he was signing it and I was here with him. He was holding just an album cover which probably did not mean so much to him at the moment but to me, it was the very album I would run home to and sometimes literally hug for comfort during some of the toughest days of my life. The sound of Johnny's guitar signaled the songs I would sing that brought me joy in knowing that someone else in this world understood me. Many tears were shed on that album. That album that Johnny was signing at that moment for me. It was almost like a recognition of what we shared but I don't think Johnny really had any idea. Strange to meet the person who seems to have written the soundtrack to part of your life, but you don't know each other. 

He asked, "Are you coming to the gig tonight?"

Roland said yes.

I said, "If my legs don't give out." My legs really began to feel weak and rubbery. I felt like the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

I think he smiled at that.

Then he asked Roland where he was from. Roland told him and they had a conversation about the production of the album. He told Roland that the only band he never sang with was The Smiths. 

A woman approached and I said, "Hi. I'm Andrea," and we shook hands. She also asked if we were going to the gig. I said yes, and I told her that I was really overcome. I think she thought it was sweet because she said, "Aww." I assumed this was Johnny's wife. The last thing I wanted to do was ask her. 

I reached in my bag for my camera and she offered to take my picture with Johnny. She took two shots, which came out very well. In my vanity, I wish I had worn shades but you can see I had no time to think about being cool. I was too happy.

There were a couple of guys that had seen us and wanted to meet Johnny so I knew that our time was up. We said good-bye and thank you very much.

As we rounded the corner, a man asked, "Who is that?"

We said, "Johnny Marr." But Roland had to explain who exactly he is.

How do you express in words all that such a talent has given you? How do you express the amazement and the love you have for the songs? Its not possible. You can only grin like a fool.

When we got back to our hotel, I realized I hadn't even read what he wrote:

"To Andrea. Good luck. Johnny Marr"

They seem like such simple words but how true. I already had my good luck, Johnny. Thank you!

Coming Soon: The show at The Cosmopolitan