Episode 3 - Convince Me To Like... MORRISSEY
Extreme Morrissey "Super-Fan," Jose Maldonado (known all over the internet as The Mexican Morrissey), discusses his obsession with The Moz and defends the former Smiths frontman against the charges of intolerable pretension, tawdry melodrama, artistic stagnation and offensive political stances, all of which have been leveled by Morrissey "Hater" Andrew Novick, who, while in 1980's brat-punk band Warlock Pinchers, penned the brutish and comedic song, “Morrissey Rides A Cockhorse”.
THE GUESTS
THE SUPER-FAN
JOSE MALDONADO “the Mexican MOrrissey”
[Photos by Forrest Locke]
Some biographical notes on Jose Maldonado:
Jose Maldonado, also known as The Mexican Morrissey, is a formidable foe for Novak and has gone to the mats to defend the mighty Moz on all accounts. Maldonado, who is a Super Fan of the highest caliber, has seen the former Smiths frontman perform over one-hundred times and is one of the biggest acolytes of Morrissey in the world. Since 1992 he has been the singer of a Morrissey and Smiths tribute band called Sweet and Tender Hooligans, he regularly DJ’s Morrissey and Smiths music sets at clubs in the LA metro area and, for the past eleven years, he has hosted a weekly, two-hour radio show called Breakfast With the Smiths: The World of Morrissey on the Independent FM Radio, Los Angeles.
WATCH:
A mini DOCUMENTARY on THE MEXICAN MORRISSEY
Jose’s Thoughts on Morrissey (in his own words):
For those of us who love and have loved Morrissey/The Smiths, you will frequently hear "he really gets me", "nobody speaks to me like he does" or even "his songs saved my life". There is an exceptional devotion to him that I haven't witnessed quite on the same level as with other artists/bands. Many bands/artists can boast fervent followers, but Morrissey's will go as far as travel thousands of miles to have their picture taken at a random location in Salford just west of Manchester England outside of a youth club where The Smiths were once photographed or in front of his childhood home in Stretford. Annual fan conventions and meet-ups are crawling with fans who can recite every lyric to nearly every one of his songs from a catalog of about 300.
Los Angeles, in particular, is home to many of his most passionate fans. Practically every week there is a club night dedicated to his music, a tribute band performance or a karaoke night specific to Morrissey/The Smiths. Books have been written,and several independent documentaries have been filmed highlighting the SPECIFIC phenomenon of the Latino following of Morrissey fans in L.A. An understandably curious connection for kids who grew up worlds away from the shy son of a librarian from Manchester.
To witness Morrissey's audience at one of his concerts is to witness a love for a songwriter whose songs have given voice to generations of listeners who never stopped feeling "sixteen, clumsy and shy". Brave fans will risk injury and calamity to make their way as close as possible to him on the slight chance that they might even get to touch his hand. The lucky ones make it all the way to the stage to hug him with an embrace that can only be described as spiritual. You see it on the faces of everyone in the room who sing along to his words and cry over what it means to them.
To explain why the obsession runs so deep for so many of his listeners I think the simplest answer is his command of the English language and his ability to tap into those feelings of isolation, shyness, hopelessness but also hopefulness of one day being loved in return. In some cases, he has the ability to grab one's interest with just the title of the song alone as in "November Spawned a Monster", "You Should Have Been Nice to Me" and "Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me".
My 35 year journey with Morrissey has introduced me to so many friends from all over the world who share this love for a songwriter who knew how to sing our lives. Since 1992, I've been the lead singer of the tribute band Sweet and Tender Hooligans. I've been to almost 100 Morrissey shows, but never got to see The Smiths live. For 10 plus years, I've been the host of "Breakfast with The Smiths - the World of Morrissey" a weekly 2 hour radio show dedicated to his music on The Independent FM Los Angeles.
Jose’s Notes on Particular songs:
When I've introduced the uninitiated to the music of Morrissey/The Smiths, a few songs come to mind as good "entry- level" material.
"This Charming Man" for its classic example of Johnny Marr's guitar coupled beautifully with Morrissey's lyrics and unique voice.
"Girlfriend in a Coma" and "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get" for Morrissey's humor and melodrama.
"The Boy with the Thorn in His Side" because it was the song that made me a fan. (also for the same reason stated about This Charming Man)
"Staircase at the University" because it's one of Morrissey's more recent songs and it shows how he hasn't lost his touch.
"There is a Light that Never Goes Out" because it's romantic and not surprisingly, it's everyone's favorite. It exemplifies what kind of a lyricist he is.
"You're the One for Me, Fatty" because it's a perfect example of how Morrissey can make a perfect 3 minute pop song and not choose the obvious "baby", "darling", or "honey", but rather, "fatty". Morrissey is often accused of writing depressing songs but this one is actually about experiencing an extremely happy and positive moment.
Jose’s Morrissey - super fan playlist
Super Fan Playlist description - COMING SOON
THE HATER
ANDREW NOVICK AKA “K.C. KSUM”
Some Biographical notes on Morrissey Hater, Andrew Novick:
Andrew Novick is a prolific Denver provocateur of wackiness. He was known as K.C. K-Sum, one of the two singer/MCs of Warlock Pinchers, band who shocked and amazed audiences with their outlandish performances and gimmicks and are often known for their song, Morrissey Rides A Cockhorse. They had 3 LPs and several singles between 1987-1992 and merch...so much merch. Countless t-shirt designs, lighters, yo-yos, water bottles, skateboards and more. In 1992, he started a band called Scramblehead, playing aggro- industiral versions of Charles Manson songs.
He also “performs” PowerPoint presentations under the name GetYourGoing. The topics are a mystery and they are never repeated. He took the show on the road and toured with the Melvins in 2016. He has put on themed events such as PeepsBQ, Andrew Novick’s X-Treme Pancake Breakfast, Japanese Medical Punk Dance Party, Surgery Dinner, Deconstructed Brunch and Thanksgiving-on-a-Stick. He is also an electrical engineer and time metrologist.
Novick is an avid collector (www.isaveeverything.com) and has been called the “world’s most recreational photographer” – snapping photos to fit into the countless themes of his visual vernacular. Past art shows include: Candy, Cuts and Bruises (~2000), The Astounding Problem of Andrew Novick (2009), International Food Phenomena (2010); Objectophelia (group show, 2010), Window Dressing (2010), Super-Relative (2010). Pieces in another one of Andrew Novick’s collection, FOOD FACE have titles such as: “Meatballs!”, “Pizza Face” and “Eyeballs!”, which sound perhaps more horrifying than delicious. A human blood exposé of portraits surfaced in 2013 called Blood Lustre, along with an interactive Crime Scene Photo Booth. Sweet Tooth (1000 Desserts that I ate) rounded out 2013. Art shows in 2014 included Japan PoPsplosion! and Unstill Life, both of which showed digital prints on canvas of quickly curated shots of brightly-colored subjects. A black and white series called Molotov! was part of Month of Photography in 2015, and three fire-related images were part of a group show called Spark&Ruin. Prank Snacks was a series of edible pranks such as fake vomit and hand buzzer, made for the debut of Mark Mothersbaugh’s Myopia exhibition at MCA Denver, 2016. Bling Voting Booth was another installation project in 2016 toying with the idea of making voting more engaging to young people. Momentary Lapse (2016) was an art exhibition for Month of Photography, featuring cross-processed E6 film, shot with an open shutter while manually winding the film across the lens. Articular was a 2019 gallery show featuring 3D and flip lenticular large format pieces, where the observer controls the experience.
In 2018, he directed a feature film called JonBenet’s Tricycle. It was a documentary about collecting, psychics and the pop culture of tragedy in our culture. He is the subject of the film as the “collector” of JonBenet Ramsey’s actual tricycle, as well as other artifacts from the Ramsey house.
Under the name K.C. KSum, he recently released a song called Donald Trump Rides a Cockhorse. It is a version of the old Warlock Pinchers hit Morrissey Rides a Cockhorse, which is a string of obscenities about former Smiths singer Morrissey. Andrew strives to show thinks all around us that are fun and interesting and usually provoke and new ideas