Tingle writes:

Listening to Janice Long on BBC Radio 2 in the UK early this morning, (7.1.03),I was pleased that the first tune she played after the news break was 'Last of the Famous....'. Nothing special in this you may think, but when Janice plays a Morrissey song it's usually followed with an interesting snippet of information on Mozzer himself. After the record Janice said 'I had a fax from Mozzer just before Christmas' and she added, (in a Morrissey-esque piqued voice and a giggle), that it said 'I'm still not signed'.
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I Like Stew adds:

...Ms. Long mentioned that just before Christmas Morrissey had sent her a fax. Within which Moz said he "still didn't have a record deal and he couldn't believe it"!

So unless Mozza has signed a deal between Christmas and now, he still is without a deal!
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Some recently submitted rumors:

palandi writes:

Morrissey to sign with Arista?
a friend of mine, who is a very close font to V2 Records, told me that in late 2002 Morrissey was dealing with V2, Sanctuary and Arista Records, but ended signing a deal with Arista.

shoplifterromo writes:

Hot rumor!
my best friend works for Universal and says Morrissey will meet with either Universal or an extended branch (i.e. Dreamworks, Interscope) early next week to discuss a possible deal.

Neil G writes:

The current New Year’s issue of NME has an interview with The Thrills. Here’s an excerpt which may be of some interest!

‘With only 24 hours before they board a flight to Dublin, the magic isn’t over. With a twitch of their noses, they (The Thrills) are about to bring to an end one of the longest running feuds in rock history. Impossible? To the most wondrous new band of 2003, there’s no such word.

At 4.30pm on Friday November 29 2002, in the Cat and Fiddle bar on Sunset Boulevard, for the first time in a decade, NME sits down for a pint with Morrissey. No, really, we can’t believe it either. Reports of Morrissey’s rampant misanthropy have been grossly exaggerated – today he’s genial and witty, if reserved (or, more likely, NME-wary; he didn’t know we were coming). He records a get-well message for NME’s girlfriend on our dictaphone and even picks up the hefty bar tab. It’s like Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat having a game of darts in the Met Bar.’

Frédérique writes:

Watch French TV ARTE Programme call TRACKS
On friday 10 01 2003 at 19 PM

Subject In LA on Chicanos Dream and our Moz
I saw that on adds last Friday, not a rumour.
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Steve adds:

Morrissey on French/German T.V Arte (traxs program) this friday night at 19 P.M that's all !

mlozina writes:

Once I saw the title of this article I knew who would inevitably be mentioned.

The Return of Mope Rock by David Samuels - Slate
New Order, the Smiths, and the first pop trend of 2003

bobomoz writes:

Nothing major to report. Just a bit I saw while surfing the net. I spotted a website, http://www.soundsxp.com , that had the Moz at #4 on the live acts of 2002.

here's the top ten list:
1. The Libertines
2. Dressy Bessy
3. The White Stripes
4. Morrissey
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. Cinerama
7. The Bellrays
8. The Hives
9. The Vines
10. New Order
11. Primal Scream
12. The Loves

SoundsXP The Best Of... 2002

ManchesterMoz writes:

Billy Mitchel sings this charming man
Did anyone see Eastenders on Christmas eve? It featured Billy Mitchel singing "I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stich to wear". Needless to say I was incredibly impressed. Mo Slater came in and said "you can say that again" or something along those lines.

How ironic that Billy Mitchel was singing about a charming man. Every sensible child will know what this means.
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styve5 writes:

Morrissey mentioned on Sci Fi Channel's "Farscape"
Practically nobody in the world caught this (I only did by a freak twist of channel surfing), but in a brief moment on Sci Fi channel's "Farscape", an alien version of Edgar Winters crossed with Rip Torn seems to be interogating the protagonist with questions about the nature of time. He concludes by saying "Time is meaningless, and time is all there is." To my surprise (aside from my surprise that I was actually watching "Farscape") the protagonist replies, "How very Morrissey of you." Highly amusing!
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Mike writes:

Morrissey/Smiths Songs mentioned in German novel "Junge Talente"
André Kubiczek wrote a novel about an East German Youth in the eighties ("Junge Talente", Rowohlt Verlag Berlin, 2002, ISBN 3-87134-446-X), and among various song lines and titles are: "Some Girls are bigger than others", "Still Ill", "I was happy in the Haze of a drunken Hour but Heaven knows I'm miserable now", "The Rain falls hard on a humdrum Town this Town has dragged you down" (p. 147)
Also, the Chapter on p. 196 reads: Jeder Tag ist wie Sonntag - "Everyday is like Sunday"

The book is great and fun to read - no further Smiths/Morrissey-quotes, though.

Javier writes:

Kurt Cobain Journals, Riverhead books page 44:

"I mean it seems like there are only two options for songwriters personalities either theyre sad, tragic visionaries like MORRISSEY or MICHAEL STIPE or ROBERT SMITH or theres the goofy, nutty white boy, hey, lets party and forget everything people like Van Halen or all other heavy metal crap.

I mean I like to be passionate and sincere, but I also like to have fun and act like a dork"
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Smiths also writes:

In November 1991, Gilbert Blecken did an interview with Kurt Cobain. The interview was published in the British Kerrang! in 1999. Here is the complete interview transcript (towards the bottom of the page / search for Morrissey)

http://www.nirvanaclub.com/nevermind/

When speaking about not taking the band too seriously, the following exchange took place...

Gilbert :
Do you hope to maintain that way of looking at things?

Kurt: Sure, we have to. It's just weird... I've noticed that with a lot of bands you can either be anally serious, sad and depressed like Morrissey, or you can be a big joke like The Butthole Surfers. Usually it's in these two extremes, and I think we feel comfortable in between.

Brian Zirngible writes:

Minneapolis, MN trombone/pop duo Doc's Kids mention Morrissey in one of their newest songs. Check out an Mp3 file of "Snack Pack" at www.zatchymusic.com.

Doc's Kids live shows have been known to have a Morrissey impersonator for the opening act. The Doc's Kids set list regularly includes songs such as Panic, The More You Ignore Me..., and Please Let Me Get What I Want.

Mother-Me Eyes writes:

Marr in Spin Magazine
I got the new February issue of Spin magazine in the mail today and there is a mention about Johnny Marr's band, The Healers, who will release there album Boomslang in Febuary. They make a big deal about Johnny singing and they have him quoted saying that he has never taken any singing lessons. They also say The Healers sound "vaguely Smiths-ian."

There is also a small picture of Marr with his guitar and with a new, rather shaggy/The Strokes-ish haircut with the caption, "One more request for 'Panic' and I'll start swinging this ax!"

The reporter,of course, asks Mr. Marr if he thinks he will get any feedback from Moz and he replies: "I doubt it. If he does, it'd be nice."

...and so everyone's favorite Mancunian soap opera (followed closely by the the popular Gallagher Brothers daily debacle) goes on.
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Michael M. writes:

Johnny Marr on Guitar Player magazine cover
The February 2003 issue of "Guitar Player" features Johnny Marr on the cover. The article includes an interview and some old and new photos of Johnny. Marr makes a few references to his work with Morrissey and the Smiths during the interview.

TrblLuvsMe sends the link to the story at VH1.com:

Ex-Smiths Guitarist Follows Dream Snake, Finds His Voice
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An anonymous person sends the link to an interview in Hot Press:

Those Charming Men (registration required)
The Smiths: the band who helped re-write the book of guitar rock, the indie darlings who became mainstream legends, the dream of a group which gave the world the unique reality of Morrissey. guitarist Johnny Marr recalls the thrilling heyday of Manchester's finest.