Morrissey has this obsession with hearing aids. What's the deal.
Sorry if I'm utterly naive.

> Morrissey has this obsession with hearing aids. What's the deal.
> Sorry if I'm utterly naive.

I believe the story is something like: Morrissey knew a young girl who needed a hearing aid but didn't want to wear it because people would make fun of her.

To prove there was no shame, Morrissey wore one on 'Top of the pops' to prove hearing aids were cool.

It's also a reference to Johnnie Ray...

> It's also a reference to Johnnie Ray...

a 50's/ 60's pop singer/ song writer who was rather deaf and wore a hearing aid on stage I believe

"Johnnie Ray was born on January 10, 1927 in Dallas, Oregon. He was partially deaf since childhood and began wearing a hearing aid at age 14. In 1951 singer LaVern Baker and her manager Al Green helped him with his music. He signed a contract with Okeh that year."




Pictures with hearing aids! (http://www.johnnieray.com/entrance.html)
http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/glossary/gifs/ray.gif

> I believe the story is something like: Morrissey knew a young girl who
> needed a hearing aid but didn't want to wear it because people would make
> fun of her.

> To prove there was no shame, Morrissey wore one on 'Top of the pops' to
> prove hearing aids were cool.

Yep! Very true and very touching!

> Yep! Very true and very touching!

If it were true, then yes, it would be very touching.

He wore it to emulate one of his singing heroes, Jonnie Ray. The deaf girl thing was a later invention, to get Morrissey out of hot water when called 'sick', for wearing an unneccesary deaf aid.