Geek Yanks Love Chic The Mancs

Sorry it’s been a while chaps. Been sorting out my pre-nuptials! (My missus is gonna be made up with my CD collection if we ever divorce!!) hahaha

Anyhow, just been reading yet another glamorous story about The Smiths and certain peoples continuing fascination with them! Yawn yawn fucking yawn!

The article in question is about a bunch of American publishers who have decided to write about (what they interpret) The Smiths’ songs were about. Really baffles me about what some hack from across the pond really knows what Morrissey and Marr were writing about! It also got me wondering of our dear ‘cousins’ across the pond really knew what ‘The Boy With the Thorn in His Side’ or ‘Panic’ was really about?

The story continued depicting the likes of Morrissey and Marr as some sort of bizarre super hero comic book characters. Batman meets Mozza, I suppose you could say? Either way, it sounds like a bunch of Yank geeks who have randomly picked out The Smiths from one of their mate’s CD collection to gain notoriety

But, what really got me about this article is obviously how interested the general public in the old U S and A are in this band from ‘Plucky Old En-ger-land’? Could they really give a shit about The Smiths singing about a cold and wet Manchester during the Thatcher era or The Singer’s opinions on Vegetarianism or subversive homosexuality while they’re sat on their big fat arses in their chequered three quarter length shorts tucking into a giant Burger King the size of their heads in thirty degree heat? Yeah, gonna be a real big seller in Stateside that is it?

But, going back to it, is it me or do some people still fucking bang on about Manchester bands like The Stone Roses and The Smiths with a degree of ‘romance’ that strangely enough (IMO) borders on stalking and over fantasising? You’d think at times they were talking about The Messiah or (sorry about the pun) the second coming of Christ the way some people still ‘hold a flame’ for them

If it’s not some manc from Wythenshawe called Gary (or Gaz) rabbiting on about how culturally important Salford Boys Club was (to Morrissey’s ‘alternative’ fantasies, of course) it’s some other blert from Whalley Range banging on about how great The Hacienda (or “Haciendo!!) was!

1^ST hypocritical moment:

Now, I know most people may well be reading this and calling me a hypocrite with my fierce association and defence of all things to do with The Stones, Led Zep, AC/DC, Bowie, etc, etc, but, I think there is a rather partisan attitude towards the likes of The Smiths and The Stone Roses that sort of makes me wonder if these people do realise that there are other regional bands and sounds out there that could easily be explored instead of burying your head in all things that were once ‘great’ about Manchester!

2^nd hypocritical moment:

Everyone knows my home town is Liverpool and pretty much everyone on the planet is aware of a certain rock n roll sensation at the start of the sixties called The Beatles. These four chaps went onto claim the title as one of the most influential bands of all time ALL AROUND the world (including America, not just Liverpool). And that’s my point: America is a big place and everyone who lives there has, at some point in their lives, heard their music …

… Unlike The Smiths.

Then again, what difference does it make?

Ahem!

Mol