Boz plays Camden, Sunday 19th [Archive]

Tingle

May 19, 2002, 11:50 PM

Is Morrissey a band or a person?

Today I went to see Boz Boorer on his 40th birthday:

The gig was listed in the (Manchester) Guardian as 4pm-8pm so of course I turned up on the stroke of 4 o’clock. The venue was the Golden Lion in Camden, London, a regular old fashioned pub with a fantastic old fashioned bar and brass tills that go kerr-ching rather than beep-beep when the price is wrung-up. There weren’t many people in the pub at 4, but still few places to sit. I found a place by the window with another lone soul and got out the book I am currently reading: “The Legendary Joe Meek”. For an hour Country records (sounded like Johnny Cash to me) were played as well as rockabilly – Johnny Burnette and the like.

I kept looking up from my book to check the footwear of people coming through the door, and dismissed everyone who could not be Boz. Gradually the clientele changed and there were more and more quiffs and cuffed-jeans in the bar. One particularly handsome couple were complete with dragon/tiger print shirts and had a present for Boz in hand (the girl later offered to take photos of Boz for me). More and more I was feeling like an interloper. So many people obviously knew Boz personally, and I was there because of the Morrissey connection.

At about 5 Boz appeared in the doorway, guitar in hand and with another slung over his shoulder, airline label still looped round the handle of the guitar bag. Following close behind was a guy I assumed was his dad, looking about 30 years older and with pure snowy hair. Turns out it wasn’t Boz’s dad.

Another hour or so passed and some guys do support slots. At about a quarter to 7 we are told by Big Steve that next up is Boz Boorer on the occasion of his 40th birthday. Anticipation grows as the DJ plays T-Rex’s ‘Get it On’ and people sing along. By this stage it’s like the party scene in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ - all good natured, packed out and lots of drinking. Some lads aged about 14 and looking like little rockabillys, all greased-back hair and brothel creepers, come in and give everyone hope that rockabilly will live on.

Boz is introduced by his wife Lyn and we sing Happy Birthday. He starts his set with Jeepster* He says that Marc Bolan and T-Rex were the influence that got him started with the guitar. Soon he plays Bowie’s ‘John I’m only Dancin’ which he says he recorded early on in his career with a band. I think the fourth song he played he ‘fast forwarded' to ‘Why don’t you find out for yourself?’ which he acknowledged wasn’t one of his, but Alain Whyte’s (who he says lives not far away), and he said is good to play acoustic. Boz was singing an octave higher than he had been to sing Morrissey’s vocals. There were a few people singing along but by no means everyone. I guess it was just the Morrissey fans.

He played some songs from the Polecats (High Rise Rock (?)) and a song he said was the most recent that he wrote “Looking for the answer in the bottom of a glass” which he said was inspired from a line from Peggy Mitchell in Eastenders (he wasn’t proud of that). Mid-way he played Adam Ant’s Goody Twoshoes and remarked that he’d had a great time touring last year with him. Another song he mentioned was (Steve Earle’s? ) song about how your home town brings you down to Earth, which he said had meant a lot after another particular tour.

Boz played Kirsty MacColl’s ‘Don’t come the cowboy with me sunny Jim’ closely followed by a song he wrote about his father after he’d died – I think Boz said he had himself been in Germany at teh time. Incredibly a woman in the audience had no decorum and whooped and cheered and clapped – completely unaware of the sentiment. The woman clearly had no sense of rhythm either – is there a medical condition that causes this? Later a guy (in Adidas track-suit) came up and was, I think, one of ‘John’s Children’. Boz said how wonderful it was to be part of that band that he had for so long admired and to ‘perpetuate the myth’ (or was it legend?) (of the band of which Marc was a member of course).

Boz played ‘Jack the ripper’ which he said was the first song he wrote with Morrissey and he said to Lyn had bought their first car. Lyn Boorer in seductive leopard-skin print blouse was, to her eternal credit, singing along. A song called something like ‘My baby’s as fat as me’ or something like that was played – there was some quip and he said he still couldn’t get into Lyn’s jeans.

The man, (John Turner?), who Boz described as the one who taught him how to play came from within the crowd and played Johnny B Goode with him. “The more you ignore me” was, I think, the last of the 3 Morrissey songs played.

There was an encore with an impromptu ‘Jungle Rock’ which went down a storm.

Big Steve, who was compare, thanked Boz and appeared to not know Boz’s real name. Said also there aren’t many people who choose to work on their birthday – which is true enough, then said it was Boz’s idea in a mixture of ego and lunacy. I’m glad he played. I had a great time. I’m sure his friends who were there were thankful too.

Thanks Boz.

* If any of the stuff about songs is wrong I apologise. I wasn’t making notes.