It's 11:15 pm on Christmas Eve. I sit here alone, contemplating life. I don't mind being alone. I do mind simpletons who have an easy life. Everything falls their way, every roll of the dice and flip of the coin.
I've paid my dues and then some. Some folks get all the shit they want and some folks just get shit on and there is where I lie. Christmas is supposed to be the birth of Christ, a time of peace, love and joy. All I see in this world is hate, jealousy and greed. Everyone seems to have an agenda. How they can use someone or take advantage of someone.
I ask myself, what am I doing here? Why am I wasting my time in a place I really don't like. I don't like most people. I find them uninteresting and dull. I am sure they find me a dotard as well but I really could care less. I am trapped and there is no way out. Of course, it's mostly my fault. I don't have any interest in fitting in or being a follower or a pretender.
I especially hate winter. Cold weather is morbid. My one bit of solace in winter is playing hockey. When I'm on the ice I forget about everything else but the game. I suppose that is good. When the game is over, it's back to oblivion. I wonder if I could be like Walter Mitty and lead an imaginary exciting life. I guess my imagination isn't quite that terrific or maybe my depth of delusion hasn't got to that level, yet.
The Harsh Truth
Of The Camera Eye
There always seems to be a Morrissey song for every occasion.
O Winter! bar thine adamantine doors: The north is thine; there hast thou built thy dark Deep-founded habitation. Shake not thy roofs, Nor bend thy pillars with thine iron car.' He hears me not, but o'er the yawning deep Rides heavy; his storms are unchain'd, sheathиd In ribbиd steel; I dare not lift mine eyes, For he hath rear'd his sceptre o'er the world.
Lo! now the direful monster, whose 1000 skin clings To his strong bones, strides o'er the groaning rocks: He withers all in silence, and in his hand Unclothes the earth, and freezes up frail life.
He takes his seat upon the cliffs,--the mariner Cries in vain. Poor little wretch, that deal'st With storms!--till heaven smiles, and the monster Is driv'n yelling to his caves beneath mount Hecla. William Blake
The noblest name in Allegory's page, The hand that traced inexorable rage; A pleasing moralist whose page refined, Displays the deepest knowledge of the mind; A tender poet of a foreign tongue, (Indited in the language that he sung.) A bard of brilliant but unlicensed page At once the shame and glory of our age, The prince of harmony and stirling sense, The ancient dramatist of eminence, The bard that paints imagination's powers, And him whose song revives departed hours, Once more an ancient tragic bard recall, In boldness of design surpassing all. These names when rightly read, a name [make] known Which gathers all their glories in its own. Edgar Allan Poe
As Morrissey's fall U. S. tour comes to a close, I want to thank Our Moz for playing one of my favorite songs, Glamorous Glue. This song brings back some very fond memories of a better time for me. I am not much into nostalgia but with an artist such as Morrissey, with a wonderful catalogue of songs to choose from it's is nice he is able to take songs from different eras and meld them into a vibrant concert. Music is meant to bring out emotions and make folks feel whatever that particular song means to them. Glamorous Glue takes me to a time when life was dynamic and full of possibilities. Each concert I am able to pull up the Youtube video of Mozza singing it gives me a 4:01 time frame that takes me away to a different place and time. It is much appreciated and I am very grateful.
Glamorous Glue
The line of the song that has the most meaning to me is "I used to dream and I used to vow, I wouldn't dream of it now" has a special place. It may possibly be my favorite quote of all time. It tells me of someone who was once idealistic and non compromising, with the whole world in front of him, all possibilities on the table. And now one who has been beaten down by the world, maybe with some small sliver of idealism left, waiting for the inevitable end.
The Morrissey tour has come to a close with some very stormy seas. The tour opened with such excitement and spirit, with the new album and enthusiastic crowds. Good times! The good times never stay. The controversy with interviews and the last two concerts being cancelled have brought out the long knives. Our Moz has seen rough seas before and I'm sure he will navigate these troubling times and continue to be the amazing artist and poet of our generations.
All You Need Is Me
What concerns me most anytime I hear Morrissey is ill, is how bad is it? Our Moz has had some very serious health problems over the last several years. Anytime I hear he is sick, a little voice in my head says "Could this be the end". I hope not and I hope this is just the flu or a cold. I will miss Morrissey very badly when he is gone. My question is what will all the naysayers and haters do when he is gone? Why do people who hate him, spend so much of their valuable time degrading him? Why don't they find something they like and immerse themselves in that? It's a question I will never be able to answer.
The last date on the tour is the KROQ Almost Acoustic festival on December 10, where Our Moz is the headliner. There is some doubt at this point if the show will go on. I hope Mozza is able to be there, if nothing more to silence his vapid critics. Regardless, the world will continue to staggeringly turn in the age of Trump and Roy Moore. People will be murdered in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The future appears to be going from dim to black. Is there nothing or no one left to believe in?
Why do we continue to go on? Living daily meaningless lives devoted to nothing. One constant "glue" if you will in my life has been Our Moz, his words, his music and for that I am forever thankful.
Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow- You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand- How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep- while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream? Edgar Allan Poe
Today is Sunday. My usual routine is to get up, go to the store and get some groceries. I come home, work out, eat lunch then get on twitter to see what is going on in the cyber world. Of course I did my usual boring thing on this Sunday. I was going through my twitter timeline and the the above picture hit me like a cold, hard slap to the face. Morrissey has never been on a date! Wait a second here. this can't be true. I truly was flattened when I saw this, here's why: last night I had a dream I went ice skating with Morrissey and it was a date.
I rarely ever dream and when I do they are usually horrid affairs. I am falling off a cliff, being run over by a truck or being murdered by a burglar. This was not my usual fare in dreamland. The dream began at an ice rink of course. I said hello to Our Moz and he said let's get our skates on. He had his own skates too. I play ice hockey, so I am a pretty good skater. We got out on the ice and began to skate. I was pleasantly surprised at how good a skater Moz was. He could skate backward, do spins and jumps. I was very impressed at his skills. We skated for awhile and then went to the cafe in the rink and had something to drink. Unfortunately, I woke up and my date with Our Moz was over. He has had a date but it was with a nobody from nowhere in a dream. The funny thing was, this was not the current Moz, it was Moz from about 20 years ago. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans and a long sleeved shiny gold shirt. This isn't over yet. It felt so real but once I realized I was in my bed and not at an Ice Rink with Mozza, I smiled, laughed to myself and thought what funny tricks your mind can play on you. It was fun while it lasted. My dreams weren't over for last night.
I fell back to sleep almost immediately. My unconscious took over and I was back in dreamworld. I was in some kind of office and seated in a chair. There was a white curtain which was partially open.
On the other side of the curtain was Morrissey and two ladies. They looked to be reading him financial reports. He was listening intently to them and when he saw me sitting there he smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. Seconds later Boz Boorer came into the office, he was red faced and extremely upset about something. I said hello as he rushed by me but he didn't acknowledge me. He went through the curtain where Moz and the ladies were. He was trying to say something to Our Moz. Mozza told him to sit down and he had an announcement to make. Moz called for me to come in behind the white curtain. I obliged and as I got behind the curtain, Moz said "I would like to introduce you to Harrison". And at this important moment I woke up! One second I was the subject of an important announcement by Morrissey, the next I was lying alone in my bed. Talk about a big disappointment.
I laid there for awhile trying to take this all in. I just had two dreams about Morrissey in the space of about an hour. My immediate thoughts were, am I obsessed with Morrissey? Am I going crazy? What the hell did I have for dinner last night? Upon reflection I came up with no concrete answers and fell back to sleep with no more dreams. I really didn't think much of it until I saw the headline Moz never was on a date. He really has had a date but he just doesn't know it.
In the real world, the Morrissey U.S. tour successfully rolls on. He is playing to enthusiastic sell out crowds. Portland, Seattle, San Fran, L.A., Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Chicago so far. He is playing a mix of songs, old standbys plus songs from his wonderful new album "Low in High School". He has added some marvelous surprises also. Those include "Glamorous Glue", " I Started Something I Couldn't Finish.", "I'm Not Sorry", "Hold On To Your Friends" and last night in Chicago "Munich Air Disaster 1958". His new album has hit number 5 in the UK charts in its first week. It's well deserved, as this album is a great one.
I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars Did wander darkling in the eternal space, Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air; Morn came and went--and came, and brought no day, And men forgot their passions in the dread Of this their desolation; and all hearts Were chill'd into a selfish prayer for light: And they did live by watchfires--and the thrones, The palaces of crowned kings--the huts, The habitations of all things which dwell, Were burnt for beacons; cities were consumed, And men were gather'd round their blazing homes To look once more into each other's face; Happy were those who dwelt within the eye Of the volcanos, and their mountain-torch: A fearful hope was all the world contain'd; Forests were set on fire--but hour by hour They fell and faded--and the crackling trunks Extinguish'd with a crash--and all was black. The brows of men by the despairing light Wore an unearthly aspect, as by fits The flashes fell upon them; some lay down And hid their eyes and wept; and some did rest Their chins upon their clenched hands, and smiled; And others hurried to and fro, and fed Their funeral piles with fuel, and look'd up With mad disquietude on the dull sky, The pall of a past world; and then again With curses cast them down upon the dust, And gnash'd their teeth and howl'd: the wild birds shriek'd And, terrified, did flutter on the ground, And flap their useless wings; the wildest brutes Came tame and tremulous; and vipers crawl'd And twined themselves among the multitude, Hissing, but stingless--were slain for food. And War, which for a moment was no more, Did glut himself again:--a meal was bought With blood, and each sate sullenly apart Gorging himself in gloom: no love was left; All earth was but one thought--and that was death Immediate and inglorious; and the pang Of famine fed upon all entrails--men Died, and their bones were tombless as their flesh; The meagre by the meagre were devour'd, Even dogs assail'd their masters, all save one, And he was faithful to a Gorse, and kept The birds and beasts and famish'd men at bay, Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead Lured their lank jaws; himself sought out no food, But with a piteous and perpetual moan, And a quick desolate cry, licking the hand Which answer'd not with a caress--he died. The crowd was famish'd by degrees; but two Of an enormous city did survive, And they were enemies: they met beside The dying embers of an altar-place Where had been heap'd a mass of holy things For an unholy usage; they raked up, And shivering scraped with their cold skeleton hands The feeble ashes, and their feeble breath Blew for a little life, and made a flame Which was a mockery; then they lifted up Their eyes as it grew lighter, and beheld Each other's aspects--saw, and shriek'd, and died-- Even of their mutual hideousness they Unknowing who he was upon whose brow Famine had written Fiend. The world was void, The populous and the powerful was a lump, Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless, A lump of death--a chaos of hard clay. The rivers, lakes, and ocean all stood still, And nothing stirr'd within their silent depths; Ships sailorless lay rotting on the sea, And their masts fell down piecemeal: as they dropp'd They slept on the abyss without a surge The waves were dead; the tides were in their grave, The moon, their mistress, had expired before; The winds were wither'd in the stagnant air, And the clouds perish'd; Darkness had no need Of aid from them--She was the Universe.
Our Moz has begun his US Tour with stops in Portland, Seattle and San Francisco. In addition to new songs from "Low In High School" Moz has added a few exciting wrinkles to his concerts. In Portland he added a song he has never played live before, the raucous "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish". And quite a stunner it was.
Our Moz at his finest.
"I grabbed you by the Heinz Baked Beans, that's what tradition means."
A well deserved ovation for Moz and The Boys
At his concert in San Francisco, Moz sang one of my favorites for the first time in 25 years, "Glamorous Glue". He sang it 25 years ago, November 14, 1992, on Saturday Night Live. He opened the San Francisco show, which was Saturday November 4, 2017 by saying "It's Saturday Night Live!" As of now, there is no Youtube video of "Glamorous Glue" in San Francisco. I sure hope a video will pop up sometime as I love that song.
The closing credits and ending of Saturday Night Live with Mozza as musical guest.
Would be nice if he were invited back again this season.
FYI - Michael Keaton and Heinz Baked Beans are from Pittsburgh.
WOW and I mean WOW!! A video has appeared from the San Francisco concert of "Glamorous Glue". What an incredible live performance! Our Moz commands the stage like no other!!
Today was election day in the U.S.. It was mainly local elections. There were several Gubernatorial races, Virginia and New Jersey. In my neck of the woods, it was mainly local and some state judges. Our Moz would be disappointed in me as I supported the process and voted. Oh, you poor little fool!
Besides playing ice hockey and drinking, I spent a lot of the prior weekend thinking about Bobby Kennedy and what good would have happened if he had been elected President. I can't help that my idealistic self comes through at election time, so I voted. My one pet peeve at the polls is those people who hand out literature for their candidates in front of the polling location. I have to pass by them, I call it running the gauntlet. I try to get by them without acknowledging any of them or taking any of their propaganda. Today I was successful. I took a deep breath, put my head down and sprinted through their skirmish line. They tried their best but couldn't hook me. One guy said hi but I flew by, got to the door and even helped a lady inside who was walking with a cane. Fortunately, they ignore you when you come back outside after voting.
The world of Morrissey is moving forward at quite a brisk and exciting pace. Our Moz is starting his U.S. Tour on Tuesday in Portland (The home of The Dandy Warhols). His new Album "Low In High School" is coming out in November. The wonderful song "I Wish You Lonely" has been put forward as the next single from "Low In High School". And in addition to all of the above, a new U.K. tour has been announced starting in February 2018. What a whirlwind of fantastic news for Mozza. He also penned a very nice statement about Korda Marshall the BMG executive who signed him. Which portends good news for the future. We have not seen this kind of enthusiasm in many years in Morrissey's World. Let the good times roll.
The very lovely "I Wish You Lonely"
Let the "Good Times Roll"
And now for the other side of the coin. The microcosm that is the life of the common man, the state of Harrison is in constant disarray. I was able to stop at the club after hockey on Friday night. It was a nice diversion in the hum drum commonality of a dull life. As I was out with friends, the song "Rubber Ring" was constantly playing in the background of my mind.
I need a Fanfare every now and then.
Friday Night I was dancing and laughing and finally living. All the while I heard a voice in my head (I thought of Moz kindly) but I knew this was all only temporary.
After a few hours of living, reality set in and it was back into the void. "The passing of time leaves empty lives waiting to be filled".
Recitative
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.
Aria
When I am laid, am laid in earth, may my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
'YOUR eyes that once were never weary of mine Are bowed in sorrow under pendulous lids, Because our love is waning.' And then She: 'Although our love is waning, let us stand By the lone border of the lake once more, Together in that hour of gentleness When the poor tired child, passion, falls asleep. How far away the stars seem, and how far Is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart!' Pensive they paced along the faded leaves, While slowly he whose hand held hers replied: 'Passion has often worn our wandering hearts.' The woods were round them, and the yellow leaves Fell like faint meteors in the gloom, and once A rabbit old and lame limped down the path; Autumn was over him: and now they stood On the lone border of the lake once more: Turning, he saw that she had thrust dead leaves Gathered in silence, dewy as her eyes, In bosom and hair. 'Ah, do not mourn,' he said, 'That we are tired, for other loves await us; Hate on and love through unrepining hours. Before us lies eternity; our souls Are love, and a continual farewell.'
When I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain, Before high-piled books, in charactery, Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain; When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face, Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance, And think that I may never live to trace Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance; And when I feel, fair creature of an hour, That I shall never look upon thee more, Never have relish in the faery power Of unreflecting love; - then on the shore Of the wide world I stand alone, and think Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.
A speckled cat and a tame hare Eat at my hearthstone And sleep there; And both look up to me alone For learning and defence As I look up to Providence.
I start out of my sleep to think Some day I may forget Their food and drink; Or, the house door left unshut, The hare may run till it's found The horn's sweet note and the tooth of the hound.
I bear a burden that might well try Men that do all by rule, And what can I That am a wandering-witted fool But pray to God that He ease My great responsibilities?
II
I slept on my three-leged stool by the fire, The speckled cat slept on my knee; We never thought to enquire Where the brown hare might be, And whether the door were shut. Who knows how she drank the wind Stretched up on two legs from the mat, Before she had settled her mind To drum with her heel and to leap? Had I but awakened from sleep And called her name, she had heard, It may be, and not have stirred, That now, it may be, has found The horn's sweet note and the tooth of the hound.
Cat! who has pass'd thy grand climacteric, How many mice and rats hast in thy days Destroy'd? How many tit-bits stolen? Gaze With those bright languid segments green, and prick Those velvet ears - but prythee do not stick Thy latent talons in me - and tell me all thy frays, Of fish and mice, and rats and tender chick; Nay, look not down, nor lick thy dainty wrists, - For all the wheezy asthma - and for all Thy tail's tip is nick'd off - and though the fists Of many a maid have given thee many a maul, Still is thy fur as when the lists In youth thou enter'dst on glass-bottled wall.
Spent the day in bed
With a head full of dread
For all I've ever said.
Can you take back something you said that you wish you hadn't?
Can you truly spend the day in bed?
I love to sleep, the only place I have peace. A bad night of sleep and nightmares are often better
than a good day in the real world.
Now to some good news. Our Moz has released his first single from the new album "Low In High School". It's called "Spent The Day In Bed". It is a delightful tune. I immediately took a liking to it. To me, it is different than the songs from "World Peace". That's a good thing. Our Moz is constantly
evolving and changing. One of the many reasons he continues to be the icon that he is. I will leave reviews to others. I am certainly not qualified. What I know is this, I love the song. It is both alluring and captivating. Bravo Mozza!! This new album is going to be fantastic.
Spent The Day In Bed
Our Moz spending the day in bed? or just playing solitaire?
The cover for the new album
I am extremely upset and worried as to why the hyphen was taken out between High and School?
I was terribly vexed when the hyphen was there originally and now it's gone. It's haunting me, taunting me. The grammar police are constantly wanting me to break their laws and I frequently do.
Our Moz is a grammar whiz so I guess I will go to my grave never knowing the true story.
