Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East, West and South London & Surrey (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 193 Saturday 24th February until Friday 2nd March 2018.

The Morrissey Weather Special.

 “I always get a thrill when i see our celestial neighbour”. 

This week I want to take you back to a Wednesday in 1992, when i worked at the BBC.  This particular Wednesday I was meeting friends at the main gate to show them around Television Centre,  look in various studios and enjoy a cheap (it really was very cheap) meal in the canteen.  The main program that evening was “Top of the Pop” which would be transmitted at 7pm the next evening.  Every week I checked the dressing room list to see who was appearing and regularly watched the recording or the live transmission from the observation room overlooking the studio or occasionally crept in the studio and becoming a member of the audience.

   “Spring has sprung…… Joking”.

The first thing my friends JUZ said when I met him and Serena was “MOZZER’s here”.  He based this observation on seeing one person in a Smiths t-shirt amongst all the fans of whichever boy or girl band was big that week.  In reception I proved that Morrissey’s name was not on the dressing room list.  Not content with this JUZ wanted to look around, loitering around the dressing rooms was frowned upon.  We walked passed each one looking at the name plate while trying not to look suspicious, only stopping when we found a door name plate that read “Morrissey”.  Another thing that staff did not do is to knock on the door of the “talent.  Yes, you guessed it I knocked.

  “Keep the gloves on all the time”.

Nothing happened, turning to face my friends; if I am honest I was relieved as this was breaking every rule in the staff handbook.  Suddenly the door opened, I turned back and there was Morrissey the “The God of Music” wearing a purple shirt slashed to the waist.  He invited us inside, for 10 minutes we were the centre of his world until he was called to set to perform, which we saw from the observation room.  It was in the canteen later that I realised I was the only one not to get an autograph.  It was a full year before MOZZER returned to appear on “Later with Jools”, this time I handed an internal envelope to a floor assistant, there was no way I was going to knock on a dressing room door again.  That torn out page from an office notepad is still one of my most precious possessions.

 “Not stopped here in maybe 20 year’s, hope its another 20 before it happens again”.

Over the years I have been to a number of gigs where MOZZER was due to perform, each one he has pulled out for various reasons.  What did I say to offend in 1992!!!  Last year my sister mentioned that we were going to see him at Brixton on 1st March 2018,  For months I have been so excited about this gig, nothing is going to stop me from seeing the my hero.

  “What a beautiful site before 7am during a week day”.

This week the capital has been in a state of panic, because of snow.  If you have read this shiz before then you will know that whenever snow is mentioned the capital falls apart.  The problem is that forecasters panic because over the years they have been caught out due to not being accurate.  London’s local councils panic because during previous winters they have not been prepared.  And don’t get me started about the transport network which is a problem all year round.  Just a few flakes of white stuff is enough to bring the system to its knees.  During the course of this week there has been snow, which has as expected caused services to run slow.

  “Freezing my bits off to earn a few quid”.

The MOZZER gig is Thursday and snow is not going to stop me from attending even if I have to walk all the way to Brixton I will be there.  A friend (Calamity) joked “what if Morrissey pulls out because of the weather”.  With my track record of attempting to see him this could happen.  How did I offended him in 1992, I’m sure I complimented him on the slashed shirt.

  “This little one has great taste in music and t-shirts”.

Gig Review……

  “Have waited a long time for this”.

I can now report that the gig took place and was amazing.  There was no support act, instead projected on huge sheet when some of MOZZER’s fave musical acts such as the “The New York Dolls”, “The Ramones”, others like “The Paper Dolls” I didn’t know.  It felt like sitting in MOZZER’s living room while he played some of music he loved.

  “SAZ, Ian and myself.  Three very  happy Mozzer fan’s”.

When the curtain dropped there he was in a purple shirt open halfway down (I’d like to think it was the same shirt as 1992) while the band wore black t-shirt’s topped off with berets.  Morrissey was on wonderful form, owning every inch of the stage flicking the microphone cable in his trademark bull whip style.  During the show above him were pictures which illiterate each song.  During “The Bullfighter Dies” and “Who Will Protect Us From The Police? brutal videos were played which the audience could not miss.

 

He didn’t play my fave Smiths song “There’s A Light That Never Goes Out” but there were other classics such as “How Soon Is Now” and “The Last Of The Famous International Playboys”.  Songs from his most recent 2017 album “Low In High School” were very well received.  Morrissey has always attracted an audience of all ages, but there were a lot over 40 like myself enjoying the evening.  Thank you Steven Patrick Morrissey for that Wednesday evening in 1992 and the 1st of March 2018.

 

 

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

 “Writing this shiz”.

This week I have mainly been watching:  

“Click”, (TX: 24/02/18).  “Damned”, (S2, ep 3).  “Extra Gear”, (S3, ep 1, TX 25/02/18).  “Flatpack Empire”, (S1, ep 3, TX: 20/02/18).  “From Ice To Fire: The Incredible Science Of Temperatures”, (S1, ep 3, TX: 01/03/18).  “Star Trek : Deep Space Nine”, (S2, ep 12 to ep 26)(S3, ep 1 to ep 21).  “The Archiveoloists”, (S1, ep 2).  “The Golden Girls”, (S6, ep 26).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S22, ep 19, TX: 23/02/18).  “The Last Leg”, (S13, ep 5, TX: 23/02/18).  “This Country”, (S2, ep 1).  “Top Gear”, (S25, ep 1, TX 25/02/18).  “Troy Fall Of A City”, (S1, ep 2).  “Will & Grace”, (S9, ep 8). 

Seen LIVE this week: 

“MORRISSEY”, (at Brixton O2 Academy).

This week I have mainly been listening to:   

“Brian Gitten’s And Friends”, (ep 2, 20/07/16)(ep 9, 09/11/16)(ep 14, 09/02/18)(ep 15, 27/02/17)(ep 17, 27/03/17)(ep 18, 19/04/17)(ep 28, 30/11/17)(ep 33, 28/02/18).  “Chasing Earhart”, (ep 5, 03/08/17)(ep 23, 07/01/18)(ep 24, 14/01/18)(ep 25, 20/01/18)(ep 26, 28/01/18)(ep 30, 25/02/18).  “Don’t Quit Your Daycast”, (ep 17, 10/07/12).  “Iain Lee (Bonus)”, (23/02, 2 x 27/02/18).  “Iain Lee (Highlights)”, (22/02, 23/02, 27/02, 28/02/18).  “LBC Podcast: Mystery Hour”, (01/03/18).  “LBC Podcast: Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”, (24/02/18)(02/03/18).  “NASA: In Silicon Valley”, (ep 80, 01/03/18).  “Pints And Puzzles”, (01/03/18).  “Soundtracking With Edith Bowman”, (ep 78, 23/02/18).  “The Adam Buxton Podcast”, (ep 65, 23/02/18)(ep 66, 02/03/18).  “Anti-Social Show”, (ep 44, 16/02/18).  “The Rabbit Hole”, (ep 44, 01/03/18).  “Young Free And Coupled”, (26/02/18).  “Morrissey”,  “The New York Doll’s”,  “Dionne Warwick”, “The Ramones”,  “The Four Top’s”, “Sex Pistols”,  “The Paper Dolls”, “Tatu”, “James Brown”.