Jakarta and Jardigans

While I clumsily drop toast plates and talk to ducks in the park, I've been keeping my eye on updates from Morrissey's Asian tour. I'm so pleased for some of my Twitter friends who have been waiting with such anticipation to see him on Indonesian soil, as Morrissey just landed in Jakarta yesterday. I'm also getting a bit of a giggle out of the fact that some people are staying in a hotel called the Morrissey Hotel - where even the shower caps have 'Morrissey' written on them (surely this is nearly heaven?).

Morrissey Hotel in Jakarta

This morning I was treated to photos and videos of Morrissey arriving at the airport behind Boz, who was pushing a massive cardboard box on a luggage trolly.  Morrissey's nephew Sam was also there, snapping photos in a Jesse Tobias t-shirt. I've never seen anyone look as dashing as Morrissey does at the airport! I usually look like a stale, frazzled, dazzled, confused disaster - more often than not walking in the wrong direction (I am spatially inept). Some very lucky people got photographs and autographs - which is why I try to carry a sharpie with me when I travel on a Morrissey tour, because you just never know. Sadly, the only famous person I've ever seen at an airport is pornographer Ron Jeremy looking terrifically unwashed; no... I didn't recognize him from his films... and no... I didn't go say hello. 

Signing autographs (SER representing TOBIAS) (photo via deny_dean)

Meeting fans (photo via dewadeasywalda on Instagram)

I've also just finally started diving into the Uncut magazine I bought in Manchester in August. I'm particularly delighted by the two-page spread of Morrissey's letters to music mags from the 70's and early 80's. It's nice to have a lot of them in one place (see also here for archives: http://www.passionsjustlikemine.com/magazines-presmiths.htm ) It takes me back to an image of him writing in his bedroom at the house on Kings Road. If you're wondering, the wit has always been there, and so has his enviable arsenal of adjectives, and of course, a cheeky blazing bite. He does have a way with words.  

Uncut Magazine and my cat-print pants

Here are some of my favourite excerpts:

On the Sex Pistols:

"The bumptiuos Pistols in jumble sale attire had those few that attended dancing in the aisles despite their discordant music and barely audible lyrics... I'd love to see the Pistols make it. Maybe then they will be able to afford some clothes which don't look as though they've been slept in." (to NME, 1976)

On the Buzzcocks:

"Buzzcocks differ in only one way from their contemporaries! - they possess a spark of originality (that was important once, remember?), and their music gives you the impression they spent longer than the customary ten minutes clutching the quill in preparation to write...

...Both this letter and Buzzcocks themselves will probably be filed and forgotten.

But for now, they are only the best kick-ass rock band in the country. Go and see them first and then you  may have the audacity to contradict me, you stupid sluts."  (to NME, 1977)

and what a way to sign a letter... 

" P.S. I work for the Inland Revenue - am I still allowed to be a punk?" (NME, 1977)

Still allowed to be a punk?

In other news, I also made a breathtaking discovery while drinking the most bitter Malbec imaginable and perusing Instagram the other night.  It appears that a few years ago, Moz was spotted wearing - oooh the palpable excitement as I type this - a jacket-type-cardigan thing. Since it was not my birthday anymore, this was like a late birthday present!  Some of you (I know there are others so fixated on luscious layering items) may remember earlier in the year Morrissey appeared at LAX carrying a dazzling sweater-y number over his arm and the stir it created on Twitter as I made a poll trying to discern if this item was in fact a jacket, cardigan, or 'jardigan' (a seemingly original phrase I thought I had coined, but woefully did not). Lamentably, jardigan did not win, and nor did cardigan. 

Below is the LAX photo from this May:

Well, never fear because jardigan strikes again - albeit from the past - and I knew I had to grab the chance to create a second poll with this newly discovered photo:

Oh my goodness... SO, thanks to a few retweets, this poll ended up amassing over 200 votes. and... Jardigan won quite handily with 51% of the votes:

Goosebumps and gloriousness! Well it's not too long until Morrissey's concert in Jakarta. I might update this with a few photos and the setlist later.

*UPDATE w/ setlist:

"My heart... my heart... my heart... Jakarta"*

Via zgromadzenie on Instagram

Via dolleydoll on Instagram

Via thedisplaymlg on Instagram

Moz: "Do you like Donald Trump?"

Audience: "NOOO"

Moz: "Did you know that world peace is none of your business?"*

*(concert quotes from @madesarimame & @rapplerID)

Via inabritpop on Instagram

SETLIST:
(October 12th, Jakarta)


1. Suedehead
2. Alma Matters
3. Everyday Is Like Sunday
4. Kiss me A Lot
5. Speedway
6. Ouija Board, Ouija Board
7. Let Me Kiss You
8. World Peace Is None Of Your Business
9. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
10. You're The One For Me, Fatty
11. Judy Is A Punk
12. Jack The Ripper
13. Ganglord
14. First Of The Gang To Die
15. The Bullfighter Dies
16. The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
17. How Soon Is Now?
18. You Have Killed Me
19. Meat Is Murder

Via aparatmati on Instagram

Morrissey in Tokyo, Orchard Hall - Nights 1 & 2

I've been loving the social media updates and watching my friends have such a great time at the Morrissey shows in Japan. Such excitement has helped me through a particularly bad return of the black dog. Japan looks fascinating, although I'd admittedly find the fact I can't read the language intimidating. Everything from scrumptious-looking vegan food to toilets that make "fax-machine sounds" to Cat Cafés (be still my heart!) have been gracing my timeline.

As we have a strong Japanese population in Western Canada, it's been interesting for me to observe, even from afar, what actual Japan is like. Particularly in Vancouver, we are huge embracers of Japanese culture, and I don't mean ultra-westernized Japanese-fusion 'culture,' as in the bizarre "going-out" kimono I bought a few years back at H&M, which I have never actually gone out in (on its arrival home I realized it looked less like a kimono and more like a smoking jacket...), or California-roll sushi (sushi was perhaps the only flesh thing I missed ever so slightly when I first went veggie, though not any more). No, here in Canada (particularly Vancouver) we have a fair bit of  relatively authentic Japanese culture happening. That said, it's nothing on how it looks to walk through the actual Tokyo streets themselves!

My wonderful Japanese friend @plainchant_w (on Twitter), who I've queued with in London, California, Germany, and Manchester managed to get some gorgeous photos and scintillating footage of Morrissey covering the Ramones' "Judy is a Punk" - I hope Morrissey keeps this in the setlist! I thought I'd post some of her photos and some others I've come across that I've really liked. 

Night 1:

photo by @plainchant_w

photo by @plainchant_w

Via @civic77si

The above photo - with the Present Box - is something I haven't seen before at a concert (perhaps this is done more often in Asia?) - but it really is a great idea for those who are far back and might not be able to get something to the stage.

photo by @plainchant_w

photo by Prodigalson8

photo via marcoxocram on Instagram

Setlist for Night 1 (from Setlist FM):

1. Suedehead
2. Alma Matters
3. You Have Killed Me
4. Ouija Board, Ouija Board
5. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
6. World Peace Is None Of Your Business
7. Ganglord
8. Speedway
9. Kiss Me A Lot
10. All You Need Is Me
11. First Of The Gang To Die
12. The Bullfighter Dies
13. Meat Is Murder
14. Everyday Is Like Sunday
15. The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
16. You're The One For Me Fatty
17. How Soon Is Now?
18. Jack The Ripper

Encore:

19. What She Said

Night 2:

photo by @plainchant_w

Photo by Curtis Butler (the_guru92 on Instagram)

@LizzyCatMoz captioned the above photo (on Twitter) the pole dancing photo - and I had to do a double take! Now I'm sensing a theme, keeping in mind this recent shot from the US:

And, finally there was a necklace mishap that Moz took with stride and handled with absolute grace. Bless him!:

Photo by Yukiko

Setlist For Night 2 (From Setlist FM):

1. Let Me Kiss You (WITH IMMEDIATE SHIRT TOSS!)
2. Everyday Is Like Sunday
3. Irish Blood, English Heart
4. Istanbul
5. Jack The Ripper
6. Kiss Me A Lot
7. Kick The Bride Down The Aisle
8. First Of The Gang To Die
9. World Peace Is None Of Your Business
10. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
11. All The Lazy Dykes
12. It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small
13. Speedway
14. How Soon Is Now?
15. Oboe Concerto
16. How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?
17. The Bullfighter Dies
18. Ouija Board, Ouija Board

Encore:

19. Judy Is A Punk (Ramones cover)

I'm actually going to make vegan Japanese food tonight now. In other news, I've recently come across some dazzling new charming cardigan photos that I must organize... (it appears as though 2002 and 2009 were big cardigan years!), so I'm off to do that. I've also adopted a pet spider that sits on my window sill while I type, and I've named him Moogly (panic for a short time as he went into hiding, but... he's back!). Yes, I absolutely do talk to him. There was a time when I would fly into a terror over even tiny spiders, and I'm proud to say those times have changed, and that is thanks to Morrissey helping me learn to embrace all creatures. That said, massive spiders still send me into hysteric screams. Now we look to Osaka...

Morrissey in Louisville, Kentucky, September 20, 2016

At Louisville Palace

Since I'm not on the tour right now and these times work fantastically for me to update, I thought I'd post a couple of photos and the set list tonight like I did last time. Some friends and I who aren't attending shows right now are going through Moz-withdrawals, so I find myself hungrily refreshing social media for concert updates to get some glimpses of the excitement. One of my Twitter followers managed to take some absolutely gorgeous photos, and informed me that the lucky audience had the treat of an extra intimate show this evening with no barrier.


Here are some photos so far:

Photo by @BeardedSteven on Twitter

The inside of the venue looks exceedingly opulent:

Look at this beautiful t-shirt a fan made to wear to the show tonight:

Via timetravelingdandy on Instagram

Photo by @BeardedSteven

Photo via @LvillePalace on Twitter

Love, love, love this photograph:

By @BeardedSteven

Via tebay71 on Instagram

Shirt toss:

By @BeardedSteven

By @BeardedSteven

Setlist: (From Setlist FM)

1. Suedehead
2. Alma Matters
3. You Have Killed Me
4. Ganglord
5. Speedway
6. Kiss Me A Lot
7. World Peace Is None Of Your Business
8. Istanbul
9. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
10. All You Need Is Me
11. Irish Blood, English Heart
12. Moon Over Kentucky - a cappella (Sparks Cover)
13. Jack The Ripper
14. Ouija Board, Ouija Board
15. You're The One For Me, Fatty
16. The Bullfighter Dies
17. Meat Is Murder
18. Everyday Is Like Sunday
19. All The Lazy Dykes
20. The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores
21. Oboe Concerto

Encore:

22. What She Said