40 J u t M rt * January 2U 2000
4
WINTER SALE
Angst lang syne
lip to
$100 Off!
In
WINDOW COVERINGS
*50 off any purchase over $600
*100 off any purchase over $900
by
Now. you can afford some real window coverings. Budget
Blinds makes it easy to dress up your home and get dressed
in your home with a $100 discount on any purchase of $900
or more. This offer is good on every style of window covering
and every brand we carry.
W e s p e c ia l iz e in
Offer good at time of purchase only.
Not valid with any other coupons.
i B udget!
b lin d *
r\
HunterDouglas
w i i
F re e E s tim a te s • F re e In s ta lla tio n
•
• o w
f a i * i o M i
9 0 d a y s s a m e as ca sh
Serving Oregon & SW Washington
C a l l N o w ! 503 590-4333
-
on approved credit
Salem
503-362-1643
Yin & Yang
3101-09 SE 11th
SE clo se in Brooklyn Area
R ow house style condo alterna
tives. 2 b e d ro o m refurbished
Victorian Era. High ceilings, pock
et doors, nook, pantry, formal
dining, full basem en t with garage.
Reduced to $122,500 to
$124,900
Richard Voss.
Associate Broker
2 8 6 -5 8 2 6 Office
8 0 4 -9 4 2 4 Cell/VM
Enjoy cooking in
REFACinG
& I1EIÜ CABinnS
$400 OFF
Kitchen Remodel with this ad.
Fully
Guaranteed
26 Years
Experience
C all fo r free in-home design consultation
Visit our beautiful showroom M-F 8-5; Sat IO-2
RENOVAT!
17643 S W P ilkington R d . , _____
ren o vatio n in c@ n etscap e.n cC
699-9801
L A K E O S W E G O KITCHENS • BATHS • COUNTER TOPS
Licensed Bonded insured #135156 Specialists in kitchen & bath cabinetry
.. . nv-fR P .VS».;-VÄ . :
Don’t m iss M o rrissey
concert—ev en if y o u ’r e no
longer 16, clu m sy a n d sh y
. ™ »¡
■ -M W - « 1
m
Is Tour Printer Having
A Hard Time Meeting
Your Deadlines?
WITH IN-HOUSE DESIGN, PRINTING AND MAILING,
OUR START-TO-FINISH SERVICES WILL GET YOUR JOB
WHERE Y O U W A N T IT, W H E N Y OU NEED IT.
424 N l traad w ay * Portland, Oregon 97232
503.291.9646 • lax 503.249.1440
l-a ia ik s a la s # plppdx. co m • www.pippdx.cam
or over 15 years, both as the lead singer of
the Smiths and as a solo artist, English pop
star Morrissey— who will perform at the
Roseland Theater in Portland on Feb. 2—
has provoked strong reactions from audiences
with recordings and live appearances so unique
and powerful they can only be attributed to a
true icon. Though never much more than a
cult object in the United States— and a fervid
cult it is— Morrissey is a legendary star interna
tionally and has always been capable of pro
voking controversy with his incisive lyrics and
outspoken views on sex, gender, class and race.
In 1983, during the bleak Thatcher era of
unemployment and social service cuts, Morris
sey (who dropped his first name, Steven, before
he began performing) started writing songs
with guitarist Johnny Marr. Shortly thereafter,
they formed the Smiths.
A four-piece group with guitar, drums, bass
and vocals, the Smiths was Morrissey’s nostal
gic pop revenge upon what he saw as the
impersonal, mechanized pop of the 1980s.
Influenced heavily by England’s working-class-
realist “kitchen sink” films of the 1960s and
musical eccentrics (such as the Buzzcocks and
the Fall) of the 1970s, Morrissey wrote cleverly
cutting lyrics of adolescent anxiety, sexual
skepticism and unrequited love.
Musically, the Smiths paid tribute to the
most noble pop moments of the preceding
decades. Motown girl-group simplicity, Who-
Kinks melodiousness, glam swagger and punk
attitude all weave their way through the
Smiths’ recorded output. On the vocal front,
Morrissey sang aching melodies in an
unabashed croon that hit rich baritone, swoon
ing falsetto and all points in between. His
untrained hut technically capable singing fit
the mood perfectly; Morrissey understood the
part of the song when the singer’s voice breaks
with emotion is always the point of purest pop
tenderness.
When the Smiths broke up in 1987, the
UK press reacted as if Keith Richards and Mick
Jagger had said goodbye forever, and the band’s
sizable cult following mourned the loss of
C hristopher M c Q uain
arguably the most passionately ( if not
widely) loved group of all time. Worries
were quickly dispelled, however, by the
release of Morrissey’s first solo album,
Viva Hate, in 1988. N ot only did it
prove that he would have no problem
finding musicians as willing to fol
low his vision as the Smiths had
been, the album hit No. 1 on the
UK charts.
Smiths concerts had always been
events, with fans of all genders showering
the stage with flowers and notes for Morrissey.
But when he embarked upon his first solo tour
in 1991— handpicking lesbian folk singer
Phranc as the opening act— the scenario was
reminiscent of Beatlemania. Audience mem
bers, in hopes of touching their idol, would
frequently dodge security to clamber onto the
stage, often leaving Morrissey gasping for
breath beneath a heap of adoring fans.
Today, with the aid of the Internet, Mor
rissey’s touring and recording schedule is fol
lowed by fans worldwide with the sort of
attention usually reserved for royalty or the
pope; punch “Morrissey” into your search
engine, and you’ll come up with hundreds of
fan sites, news groups and chat rooms.
Willfully enigmatic and prone to saying
provocative things to the press— like “I can’t
recognize gender” and “I don’t know anybody
who is absolutely, exclusively heterosexual”—
Morrissey deflects questions about his own sex
uality with Wildean quips and proclamations of
celibacy. Regardless of his refusal to categorize
himself, he’s always had a large and loyal queer
following, perhaps due to his androgynous per
sona and derisive view of gender conventions.
Many of Morrissey’s own heroes were gay, and
Smiths record covers feature photographic por
traits of Morrissey idols like Truman Capote, or
stills from the films of Jean Cocteau and Andy
Warhol.
Morrissey’s unwillingness to identify his sex
uality has, of course, angered some members of
the queer community. In his book Seduced and
Abandoned: Essays on Gay Men and Pofndar
Music, British music critic Richard Smith
demanded that Morrissey come out, and if he
wouldn’t, that he “get his hands off our histo
ry...and write about breeder culture.”
It can, however, be argued that Morrissey’s
stubborn artistic independence, embrace of
homoeroticism, questioning of gender roles and
his personal, insightful lyrics about “otherness"
of every sort, including sexual, make him more
genuinely valuable to queer audiences than
many “authentically” gay rock stars. It’s diffi
cult to imagine the latest George Michael or
Elton John album being called “homoerotic
and darkly celebratory of things homosexual”
by the Sunday Independent, as was Morrissey’s
1994 masterpiece, Vauxhall & l.
One of the most intriguing amalgams of
emotional, political, artistic and sexual contra
dictions to appear in 20th century popular cul
ture, Morrissey is the end of a family line that
includes Oscar Wilde, Elvis Presley and David
Bowie. Don’t miss your opportunity on Feb, 2
to witness this unique, beloved living legend.
■ C hristopher M c Q uain writes frequendy for
Just Out. He also screams and faints at Morrissey
concerts.