Tuesday, September 12, 2006

The Moz became Latino yet remained aloof



EX-SMITHS FRONTMAN PERFECT FOIL FOR THE INCARNATION
Chuck Klosterman's new book of old SPIN essays is out and I'm once again contemplating his pop-culture genius. One of his essays (my favorite of his) describes his surreal experience at a Smiths/Morrissey conference in 2002 East L.A. 75% of the people there were Latinos under the age of 20. Klosterman is mystified: Morrissey once sang that we must look to Los Angeles for the language we use, because London is dead. And so it is: The question is no longer "How soon is now?"; the question is "Es realmente tan extrano?"
And again, this time quoting 23 year old Albert Velazquez, a six foot eight (six five without the pompadour), 235 pound Mexican construction worker: The last time I saw him live, he looked into the audience and said, 'I wish I had been born Mexican, but it's too late now.' Those were his exact words. And the crowd just exploded. He loves the Mexican culture, and he understands what we go through.
And yet 43 year old Stephen Patrick Morrissey, the one with Irish blood and an English heart, lives as a recluse in a mansion in L.A. and has never once attended this convention.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

so why does the guy love the latinos so much? i need to read the essay.

Andytown said...

jojo,

you should really check out the UNDER REVIEW series. I saw the ones on Velvet Underground and The Smiths. Both really interesting. Makes me wish I had the entire Smiths catalogue, and not just their greatest hits. You can get it on netflix. search for "Under Review"

Anonymous said...

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