The Loop

Me and Maya at The Moz Disco at Mal's Bar

I Just Want To Say, I Haven't Been Away

I feel like nearly EVERY post includes something about a Moz Disco or a Morrissey/Smiths Night. So in the off chance that ANYONE actually reads this blog on a regular basis, I won't say too much about the most recent ones I went to EXCEPT Conor (from the UK) was able to make it to one of them on his most recent visit to California AND I have another new friend to go to shows with. (See above picture).

Conor and I also spent time together during his visit to California at the Queen Mary. Things didn't quite turn out as planned. We were supposed to spend an evening at The Queen Mary Dark Harbor which is a Halloween related event next to the old ship on the dock. It was probably a bad idea for two people who don't like to get scared to pay money to get scared going through mazes, etc. But we ended up drinking a beer, eating some nachos, and talking while we watched OTHER people get scared. Then we managed to get aboard the Queen Mary and had another beer in the bar. It actually was a stroke of luck that we got on board as usually you have to have dinner reservations at a restaurant on board or staying in the hotel.

I attended a couple of Hooligans shows again, including one at The Lobster Fest in San Pedro and one at The Goth Beach Party with Stephanie at The Observatory in Santa Ana. Both shows were fantastic as always. And I had the added bonus of seeing Berlin play after The Hooligans played their set at the Lobster Fest. 

I'm Still Right Here Where I Always Was

Recently it was announced that The Cat and Fiddle pub (favorite Morrissey haunt) is due to close by December 15 because of some kind of rental dispute with the landlords. The plan is to relocate but it is a very special place because of its relation to Morrissey and its beautiful courtyard and fountain. Therefore there is a push to meet up there recently so our local Morrissey fans can get their fill before it closes. (See July 15 in this blog).

So One Day If You're Bored . . .

So, an added bonus to going to see The Sweet and Tender Hooligans is that you meet up with old friends and even make new ones.That's how I met my new friend, Maya. Requirements of being my friend: "not right in the head". Check. Not a "crashing bore". Check. Self deprecating and undignified at times for the sake of comedy. Check. Available to drive with me to various points of Los Angeles to partake of these Morrissey themed activities. Check. 

By All Means Call Me

A major event I am looking forward to is the Mozarmy Meet up taking place in Manchester in April 2015. Several Breakfast Champions have made plans to be there and I am including myself in the mix. What is the Mozarmy Meet Up? Its a gathering of Morrissey fans and special guests hosted by the Mozarmy founder Julie Hamil. Its just special because you can meet other dedicated fans and hang out in Manchester.

Many of the UK and Irish fans are getting a treat this week as Morrissey's tour comes to London and Dublin. Strangely, I don't feel jealous because I have had the honor over the last few years to see Morrissey here in California. 

Meanwhile, there is a Hooligans show coming up at The House of Blues on Sunset on January 3. Also, Morrissey/Smiths Night at The Echoplex on December 21. 

Even without the opportunity to see Morrissey on his European tour there is more to look forward to. Hell, what IS life but a series of boring events interspersed with milestones and then the non-boring events you can't wait to be a part of?

 Morrissey fans have this aspect figured out.

The Edges Are No Longer Parallel: Part 2

Stephanie, Me, Angie, and Johnny in line at LA Sports Arena (photo by Angela Reyes)

"Is your name Dickie?" I asked the bald man loudly as Krysteen Young belted out a song with her new band at The Observatory in Santa Ana.

The man clearly did not hear me correctly or else he only hear PART of my question as his eyes irritatingly scanned me from head to toe.

"Fuck off!" He said as he stormed away holding two pints of beer.

I looked over to Stephanie who was standing on a booth chair and leaning against a wall. Not phased, I said, "Not him." shrugged, and climbed in the space next to Stephanie.

Both Stephanie and I are fans of Dickie Felton, the author of two books focused on Morrissey fans and fandom. His first book, The Day I Met Morrissey, contains fan's personal encounters with Morrissey and his second book, Morrissey International Airport is Dickie's own account of concerts he traveled to attend and the Morrissey fans he met on his journeys. 

I met Dickie through Twitter and I had arranged concert tickets for him and his traveling buddy, Matt. So, of course, I was thrilled at the chance to meet him, but unfortunately, we didn't meet him at The Observatory show. No wireless and it was crowded. Seriously, I am sure a few fire codes were broken at The Observatory show. Intimate, but if you had any reservations about being in crowds, the pit was not the place for you. 

Stephanie and I avoided it in exchange for comfy seating.

Fortunately, we had plans to meet up with Dickie and Matt at our favorite Morrissey-related pub, The Cat and Fiddle on the following Friday, the day before the LA Sports Arena show. We arranged to meet up with Vanessa (another Breakfast Champion), Jamie, Euan, and Conor.

Stephanie and I had dinner in West Hollywood before we were supposed to meet up with everyone and dinner took slightly longer than we had anticipated. We were worried that Dickie and the guys would have already had a few drinks and moved on. We didn't want to miss our chance of meeting them. I sent Dickie the message: "Are you wasted yet?" 

I mean, that's REALLY the question I wanted the answer to, isn't it?

Luckily they were not wasted yet and I  finally was able to meet Dickie. Our first conversation, surprisingly, was little to do with Morrissey and more to do with running. You know I run. Dickie not only writes books but he also runs half marathons quite frequently. "New Slang" by The Shins came on and we began to talk about that moment when you are running somewhere beautiful and the right song comes on and tears come to your eyes. Not really tears of sadness or happiness but a release. It's like the release of just knowing you are alive-something like that. So, that was our connection. I think that song will forever remind me of Dickie. Strange, because it isn't a Morrissey song.

Later Amy and Abby Battis (Breakfast Champions from Boston) arrived and joined us. Jose Maldonado, the DJ for Breakfast with The Smiths came by and had a beer or two. I think for the Battis sisters and for Jose, it was nice to meet someone whose voice you only heard and now they could place a face and a persona with the voice.

Stephanie and I said we would leave for the OC by eleven but we didn't leave the pub until 1:30 AM. This was because it was one of those nights when everything just clicks. You joke around and have another drink and the conversations just flow. It was like that.

The thing I recall as we were leaving was overhearing Jose and Matt discuss their quiffs. I heard Jose say, "When I go swimming, it stays in place." 

Tomorrow: LA Sports Arena with Tom Jones and the Moz Disco.

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.