Echobelly - Glenn Johnsson Talks Morrissey

Another post from this blog that has a bit of Morrissey content for those who are interested;

I Can’t Imagine The World Without… - mildmanneredarmy

Excerpt:

That said the second track on the e.p, “Sleeping Hitler”, does doff it’s cap to Morrissey with the line; “I wish I was blindly loved” which is similar to “I would sooner be just blindly loved” from the Morrissey song “The Harsh Truth of the Camera Eye” from his 1991 album “Kill Uncle”. Legend has it that the Pope of Mope himself took quite the shine to Echobelly, so much so that he turned up at the abode of Sonya. Glenn Johansson remembers his interest well;

It’s true, he did show up one day. He was very friendly and the cat liked him as well which was a good sign for us. Slightly embarrassing though since the cat was called Morrissey! He asked what the cat was called and we were put on the spot but managed to make something up. He said he really liked the band and was particularly impressed by some of Sonya’s song titles. He came to see us play a few times and always came backstage after the show for a chat. The Smiths were one of the reasons why I decided to move from Sweden to London, I was a huge fan but I don’t think Sonya was that aware of them at the time. I will always have a huge respect for Morrissey. He is brave enough to speak his mind, even if it causes controversy in a world that is full of political correctness. It has not changed our opinion about him. After all we’re living in a country with freedom of speech so he has the right to think what ever he likes.”

Oh…one more thing while we are on the Morrissey influence. The closing track of the e.p is “I Don’t Belong Here” which might, just might, be a subtle rebuke for the line in “Bengali in Platforms” from “Viva Hate” where Morrissey sings; “Shelve you’re Western plans…life is hard enough when you belong here”. It’s safe, I think, to assume that given the proximity to this song and the Morrissey “Flying the flag…flirting with disaster” debacle the year before it’s release it isn’t hard to see how both events may also be linked.

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Echobelly were a great band. The song 'Insomnia' is fantastic. They sounded and looked great. I'm gonna dig up my Echobelly CD when I get home!
 
Fun fact. When a member of this band gets hungry, there's an audible Growl...Growl...Growl...Growl...Growl...Growl.....
 
Echobelly were a great band. The song 'Insomnia' is fantastic. They sounded and looked great. I'm gonna dig up my Echobelly CD when I get home!

IS a great band. New album Anarchy and Alchemy is on par with the songs they put out in the 90’s. Highly recommend. A few of the tracks were released earlier under the name ‘Calm of Zero’. Reign On, Faces in the Mirror shine brightly.
 


I was always partial to "I Can't Imagine The World Without Me" - would've been a great title for a Morrissey song.
 
Sonya was at the Drury Lane gig in 95, propping up the bar while David McAlmont played.
 
I’m kind of embarrassed to have owned this cd after listening to some of these tracks again. :confused:
 
My brief interview with Glenn is featured in the original first issue of True To You. I was lucky enough to spend some time with them on their first USA tour. They were big fans, indeed. The cat was named, "Moss", but Sonya hated it, so they called him, "Moz"....
 
I was always partial to "I Can't Imagine The World Without Me" - would've been a great title for a Morrissey song.


or was it already a M song ? music wise.....

Billy Budd ? :)



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I love echobelly. Buying the new album after posting this.

Saw them in Los Angeles at the Roxy for their first show. It was sold out so my roommate and I each paid $65 for a $15 ticket.

We both agree it was the best $65 we ever spent.

The writer of the article nailed it when describing Sonya's voice as (misquote) rising and diving live a bird. She is a great, comfortable singer.

W.C.
 

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