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I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Morrissey’s Birthday today, he turns 49.  It was one year ago tonight that I saw him play here in St. Louis for his 48th…time flies.  Over the weekend my wife and I watched a dvd of a rebroadcast concert from Madrid in 1984 of The Smiths, and the songs still stand.  Here’s hoping many happy returns to the man whose music has stuck with me now for more than 20 years!  In other news, it looks like PETA has put Morrissey up with Bloc Party and Paul McCartney for ‘sexiest vegetarian award‘, whatever that’s worth, and Moz’s new single will feature (another) David Bowie cover.  Meanwhile he’s said to be at work on his latest album, set to be released this Fall.

So last week we thought the biggest Johnny Marr (who is currently still touring with Modest Mouse) news was that he’s ”…been announced as Salford’s new professor of music. Not just an honorary title, Marr’s responsibilities will include hosting workshops on the composition and performance of popular music.”  Salford University is in Manchester, England, where Johnny was born, and the Salford Lads Club is famously featured in an indside picture of The Smiths 1985 release, The Queen Is Dead. So while that’s pretty cool, the fact that he’s going to be teaching students about music in a Unversity, it’s nothing compared to what he blurted out this week.  Johnny Marr has said that The Smiths may reform.  While it’s been rumored to be in the works (with offers being made) for years, no one in the band has ever said it would ever happen, so that he’s not ruling it out seems a big change.  “Different members of the band have ruled out offers of reuniting over the years, with Morrissey most recently revealing that he turned down a near $80 million offer to tour again.  He added: “It’s no biggie. Maybe we will in 10 or 15 years time, when we all need to for whatever reasons, but right now Morrissey is doing his thing and I’m doing mine–so that’s the answer, really.”  O’RLY?  It’s no BIGGIE?  To WHO?  Are you KIDDING ME?  “Marr has said that “stranger things have happened.”  He added: “Not much stranger things, but stranger things have happened. So you know who knows.”  … “Right now I am personally working in a band that I have been in for the last 2 years, with Modest Mouse,” he told the BBC.  “You know we are doing a lot of good stuff and kind of strikes me, hits me with surprise really whenever I’m asked it because I’m like well if you are interested in what I’m doing, there is a record I put out in February that a lot of people like so why would I want to talk about a band I was in 20 years ago.”  Um, hello, because that band was The Smiths, a huge band for many from the era, yours truly included. I’ve really liked Modest Mouse for years now, and am really excited about Marr’s contribution there, but come on, to act surprised that people are more interested in The Smiths?

np - The Smiths “Strangeways Here We Come”