New Moz Single, Smiths Musical

And it seemed so damn easy. Last week's expanded re-release of Morrissey's 2004 comeback You Are The Quarry-- with its addition of the complete b-sides from the three singles the record had then spawned-- originally looked like the ultimate Xmas package for your mope-rock fan of choice. But just when you thought Morrissey, the indie king of catalog repackaging, had finally made life easy for fans and completists, he's gone and pulled, well...a Morrissey, and released one more single from Quarry-- the b-sides for which are not included on last week's expanded reissue.

The single for "I Have Forgiven Jesus" hit UK record stores this week and, as previously reported, includes two exclusive b-sides-- "Slum Mums" and "The Public Image". In another quick slice of Morrissey news, a remastered version of 1995's undervalued Southpaw Grammar is being readied for a Japan-only reissue. The disc will be available on January 1, and is reported to include an as-yet-unnamed bonus track.

Our news now turns to a darkened theatre stage, as Johnny Marr recently confirmed through his official website that both he and Morrissey have given their thumbs-up to the long-rumored musical based around seminal british pop band The Smiths. Written by fans Andrew Wale and Perrin Manzer Allen, the musical is set to feature 20 Smiths songs performed by a string quartet, with vocal and acting duties handled by a cast of six. The show is tentatively going under the title "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others", and associate producer Michael Brazier offered the following preview of what to expect.

"It is not a linear story. There will be action going on stage-- whether its dance or movement or acting without words depends on the scene. Sometimes the song-- and what the singer is saying in the song-- will be the main line of action. But other times when you are concentrating on the singer, out of the corner of your eye you will be seeing impressionistic goings-on elsewhere on the stage. The significance of that [action] will become clear later. The meaning of these clues will gradually reveal themselves." We have no fucking idea what any of that is supposed to mean.

And, finally, it's the end of the year, and we all know what that means in rock journalism land. LISTS! That being said, famed British music rag NME has recently announced their annual cool list, which sees our good friend Morrissey ranked at an impressive 6th for overall "coolness" in 2004. Those edging the crooner out of the top five included Eminem, The Streets' Mike Skinner, and estranged Libertine Pete Doherty, who came in at No. 1 along with bandmate Carl Barat, proving that there is, in fact, no such thing as bad publicity, even if you happen to be a criminally-inclined drug addict. Hats off to you, Mr. Doherty, bastion of cool!