This Charming Man. 09.12.06

Hellooooo. I'm back. I've been a busy bee. A slightly snivelly one but I'm holding up fairly well considering the vast quantities of alcohol consumed throughout the past week. Yep, I'm in good spirits today without the aid of any, due to a great long sleep and a visit last night to see my favourite man in the whole wide world. Well, in the bit of it that I know. I was on a slightly low note this week after various ups and downs of one sort or another. Nuffink serious I realise now but you know....one of those weeks.

Since I was a wee lass there has always been one artist's lyrics who could always lift me out of the grottiest of pits. And last night I had a ticket to see him again.
Morrissey. What a character eh? So far one of the only people I think I could say I really admire almost everything I know about.

I always have glamourous days where the only thing that will do is a put a pair of heels and a bit of slap on and listen to an Iconic Pop or movie star soundtrack. Yep, Kitsch, camp and quirky days a plenty in this household.

I've had great, wild and unforgettable times on the old Rock and Roll. (Fairly often with Taylor in tow!)

I have many, many angsty "Fuck everything, I can't fit in with all this" Punky days, as well as some beautiful, soft, intense and tender melodic dreamy moments.

Then I wake up and I'm a Pop Tart and well, my list could go on forever! It crossed my mind last night that for probably most of us who Love and live for music, we have at least one really special record for every one of the moods or phases we fly or stumble through. One we feel embraces the energy of that moment perfectly.

When I get to cloudy, confused and troubled days however.... you know, those really bad ones when you are extremely lonely and desperate and all you can see is black and every move is painful and you hate yourself and the world and everything in it because you can only see the bad bits and the bad people and you are all hunched up and alone and would like to be dead to stop thinking about it all and you DONT WANT TO DO ANYTHING at all, let alone cheer yourself up by doing something positive like looking at all the good bits or going for a walk or playing a fabulous record or two. Well, those are the days when, for me, I don't WANT to listen to music. I can't face putting the stereo on. I don't want to hear some amazing guitar solo or dance myself off into the night. Being a lyric follower I pay alot of attention to what's being said in a song, and on a miserable day I find most other people irritating and shallow.

I have learnt over time that one of the few good things to do in that situation is sling on a Smiths record. Or, more recently, one by Morrissey.

Morrissey. The direct, charming, witty, intelligent, sophisticated and outspoken older Pop Star, who, wether people Love or despise as a person, never appears to give up or shut up, and I like him.

The hilarious, fearless, honest and deeply humane, sensitive person who speaks his mind and displays his emotions boldly and openly, a rare find in the so often vulgar and shallow bunch of them that seem to be at large in the world.

Nothing feels better on a crap day than to indulge my weary soul in the deeply emotional narsissistic feelings of a man who has been in that exact same spot that I have. A man who not only feels things like I do but has managed to take the time and the energy to capture that state in the form of some fabulously crafted, truly moving, classic Pop records. Phew, this is turning into a gob full. I hope for the reader's sake that the spaces are working now.

Yep, so far, last night's gig was definitely the best I have ever seen yet. The most passionate and faultless performance I think you could ever wish to put on as an Artist. I don't think it was the best just by Morrissey's standards, as I've been to a few now, but by any band. His backing band were fantastic. They all kept tucked back in the background while the main man ruled the majority of the stage, but their presence was definitely known. Better than ever before. The sound was richer, tougher and stronger than I have ever heard it, on the Smiths stuff and the solo material. The odd solo the musicians actually pulled forward for were just great. All of the songs were so perfect, but the chirpy William it Was Really Nothing, the fantastic poignant lyrics of "Ganglord", classic Every Day is Like Sunday, How Soon Is Now and Please, Please, Please Let me Get What I want were probably my personal favourites. Morrissey was on top, top form. He ruled the beautifully lit stage and sang perfectly with lots of power and feeling from start to finish. He moved in all the right places, talked and wooed the crowd in all the right places.... I can't fault a thing about the show I saw.

Oh, apart from the support act which was seriously awful.

Well. I think that could well be more than enough Moz gushing from me, I'm off to finish practising now, as I want to get that good for you.

Byebye. XXXX