Morrissey Central: Blue Rondo A La Turk

BLUE RONDO A LA TURK - Morrissey Central
July 8, 2019

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"I liked them because they seemed two jumps ahead of everyone else. The mere sight of them suggested big league, but they didn't quite get that far. They were one of the very few groups that the Smiths supported, but there was a scepticism about them being just 'club models' … who asked and got. This was said also about very early Roxy Music … who appeared to be quite affluent before they'd even had a hit. With Blue Rondo, again, you suspected that they were given all of their fantastic suits for free whilst the rest of us had to dream of being able to buy SOMETHING that didn't look TOO abysmal. The main electric spark was their dancing which was very virile and athletic … and even though they came from the Blitz/Billy's scene they seemed like supermale prizefighters or nightclub heavies … deep-chested vocals, narrow-hipped, and very much a man's, man's, man's, man's world. I don't think a sudden tussle would trouble them in the least. But their songs were not about the curves of seductive women - or even about women … as if women might even lack some essential excitement. It's a safe bet that they couldn't stand the Smiths … me singing about not even a glimmer of adventure sex. But that was 1982 or, for me, 1947. Their companion Robert Elms described me as "Ena Sharples". I was actually flattered because Violet Carson, I thought, was extremely funny. You know how comedians or comic actors think that if they show lots of teeth people will think they're saying something hilarious … when of course they aren't? Well, Violet Carson kept her teeth well hidden. Maybe she had none? How did I get from Blue Rondo a la Turk to Violet Carson?
Oh. Well, Blue Rondo were a London band … which was obvious to us because they actually had shoes. I don't think their songs were as good as ours, but our shoes weren't as good as theirs, so, there we are.
They quickly went away and didn't return. I don't know if it's even possible to find their music anymore, but it certainly wouldn't hurt the ear. I think some of Blue Rondo were from the West Indies whereas of course all of the Smiths were born at the Manchester Scabies & Gripe Maternity Hospital."

Morrissey 7 July 2019, talking to himself (for … what choice?)

* sorry, I have no idea who took the above photograph.


Amusing musings from Moz about the first Smiths-support act.


Note posted by an anonymous person:

Actually, it was the other way around. The Smiths supported them. It was their first live show ever on 4 October 1982 at the Ritz.
 
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I love the top picture. A begrudging acceptance of where you come from, but perched high above it all, perhaps aspiring to something more.
yes, love it too. only the smoke from the chimneys is rising up high and standing on her ramshackle balcony, like the queen mum of the gutters, is as close as she gets to freedom. also, she is alone, probably mumbling to herself and spitting onto the heads of drunk men, which adds to her beauty.
 
Just guessing by the context, isn't it about how they appear macho but came from a scene where you might not expect that? I imagine those are the names of two clubs but I don't know.
I want to know about how 1982 was 1947 for Morrissey. I'm wondering if it has something to do with his date of birth and the end of The Smiths being another sort of "birth."

Thank you. I was already wondering if anyone even cared about my question or if it was more important to discuss some weird Jewish conspiracy shit that had absolutely nothing to do with the original post.
Regarding the year 1947: while I find your theory intriguing, it doesn't add up, does it? 1959-1947=12 years; 1987-12=1975
He has a habit of intentionally using the wrong year or age, though so I don't read too much into it.
 
Not my thing. But I think the many militant PRIDE activists on here might be more interested...

But I thought you were a woman? ;)

Billy's and the Blitz were club nights in London's Soho run by Steve Strange of the group Visage in the early 80s. Very 'new romantic' in style with a strict 'cool' code of entry at the door. Only glamorous and outlandish styles allowed in. Boy George worked in the cloakroom. Spandau Ballet played their first gig there.

Are you trying to act like you were there, or at least have some personal experience/knowledge of those nights? But according to you you're in your late 20s ;)

:sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping:
 
But I thought you were a woman? ;)



Are you trying to act like you were there, or at least have some personal experience/knowledge of those nights? But according to you you're in your late 20s ;)

:sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping:

At least they were providing an answer to my question...
 
Billy's and the Blitz were club nights in London's Soho run by Steve Strange of the group Visage in the early 80s. Very 'new romantic' in style with a strict 'cool' code of entry at the door. Only glamorous and outlandish styles allowed in. Boy George worked in the cloakroom. Spandau Ballet played their first gig there.

Nope! Run by Rusty Egan and Steve Strange. You do so cut n paste don't you without any thought for factual information.
 
But I thought you were a woman? ;)
Are you trying to act like you were there, or at least have some personal experience/knowledge of those nights? But according to you you're in your late 20s ;)
:sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping::sleeping:

A deceptive cut 'n' paste enthusiast who airbrushed Rusty Egan out of the equation with her ignorance. Oh, don't be fooled by 'woman' or 'late 20s'. Think 'Hofmann alter ego' and it'll all make sense.
 
I feel its time Morrissey was given some leeway. He deserves to be treated differently. We all lapped it up when he was firing off fireworks in the 80s. He has views which are contentious these days. I feel he is mentally ill, and that's what made his art so fascinating in the first place. I think he's more vulnerable than him or his close circle would have us believe. I'm mentally ill as well so I'm not having a dig at him. It was his mental instability that gave so much joy.

if you’re mentally ill, then why aren’t
you famous too ?

;)
 
Has anyone seen the video for the queen is dead, I think by derek jarmain ( pros spelt his name wrong) at the beginning it shows a young lad with a bucket of paint writing on a wall, the slogan .... local jobs for local people,,,. If I’m correct with this, and I don’t remember any controversy over this at the time, would that statement be acceptable today?? And does this make ALL the smiths racist???
Think you are remembering something you would have liked to have happened. The slogan at the beginning of the video is 'The Queen is Dead'.
 
I keep going back to how strong Morrissey must have had to be in those early days. They were doing something completely new and I believe Joyce wasn't fully convinced by Morrissey at the time. Of course, he quickly relented when he saw the power of what they were doing. There's a very early performance on Top Of The Pops and you can see Joyce's sheer incredulity at being sat there miming on the drums. He looks towards Morrissey and there's nothing but admiration. You can see he looks so proud and you can sense his thought processes. He's thinking, how the f*** am I playing with this man. Sheer joy. I think that was the point where he realised Morrissey was a crowd pleaser. The charisma registered with him. His poor sticks were banging away on those drums but he was just admiring the view. You could see him thinking, 'this is working, it's something real'. At one point you can actually see him slowly shaking his head as though he can't quite believe its real. He was in a world of his own that day. I believe it was What Difference Does It Make but you have to catch the right one because I think they did 2 separate performances.
Could of been the shrooms, Joyce was s big shroom head.

Probably hallucinating Morrissey turning into a giant free lunch ticket !

:lbf:
 
Thank you. I was already wondering if anyone even cared about my question or if it was more important to discuss some weird Jewish conspiracy shit that had absolutely nothing to do with the original post.
Regarding the year 1947: while I find your theory intriguing, it doesn't add up, does it? 1959-1947=12 years; 1987-12=1975
He has a habit of intentionally using the wrong year or age, though so I don't read too much into it.
Given his reminiscing normally has some reasoning to it, I'd also offer the following to help explain the Central post:
The 6th & 7th of July 36 years ago saw The Smiths play The Hacienda & The Rock Garden as headliners as opposed to supporting anyone - a few posted about this online and memory lane may have been the result (having played 6 London gigs in that formative time).
Just something to consider/an idea.
Regards,
FWD.
 
No, because of the lyrics I just quoted. Never being sorry, never looking back, making it on his own terms are all part of his success. Playing the game isn't. So there is no way back for him, and neither would he want one.
He doesn't seem to be making it anymore is the problem. He seems to be losing a little more each day, and mark my words- it will show by the time this doomed Interpol tour starts. If it starts at all.
 
It is going to be a real test, no one knows what is going to happen.
It will start, I think, but it will almost certainly not finish with all dates completed.
 
Given his reminiscing normally has some reasoning to it, I'd also offer the following to help explain the Central post:
The 6th & 7th of July 36 years ago saw The Smiths play The Hacienda & The Rock Garden as headliners as opposed to supporting anyone - a few posted about this online and memory lane may have been the result (having played 6 London gigs in that formative time).
Just something to consider/an idea.
Regards,
FWD.
Thanks for this insightful addition. It's nice to think that he still gets sentimental about that time despite everything...
 
Time will exonerate Morrissey. Reality has a way of winning the argument in the end.
Yeah, he'll be a corpse someday, incapable of any further verbal diarrhea, and he'll get fans who weren't alive or at least aware of his nonsense. And then they will look him up online, read his history. To many, there will be a huge disconnect between the music and the man, and it will bother them as well, but to others, they will just sing along and ignore it because they weren't there to witness the decline in real time.
 
It is going to be a real test, no one knows what is going to happen.
It will start, I think, but it will almost certainly not finish with all dates completed.

It's very troubling because of the reason why his European tour was cancelled not due to political opposition, but as he said, "The tour could not go ahead because it wasn’t insured." Tour insurance is a very big deal. With his penchant for cancelling shows, he is a bad risk. It's a wonder he can still get insurance at all for the U.S. tour.
 

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