Joern writes:

naomi writes:
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There is also an enlarged photo of Morrissey and dog in the Morrissey MySpace page pics section.

Miguel writes:---
Morran also writes:

strangeways johnny writes:
Morrissey: "I Will See You in Far Off Places" - Pitchfork track reviews
genre: rock

I was going to write this review in hypothetical Moz song titles, but that seemed a little cheap. Besides, I could only think of two: "My Best Stuff, Unlike You, Is Behind Me" and "God Is on Your Side But I Stand Alone, Don't I?" The former isn't necessarily true (Moz can still pull a few gems out of his pompadour), but the second still applies: This song is a humble cry of allegiance to all the world's religions, specifically Muslims ("If your God bestows protection upon you/ And the U.S.A. doesn't bomb you/ I believe I will see you someplace safe").

Thing is, Moz's empathy is undermined; if "far off places" really does mean the afterlife (as he seems to intend), then Moz might actually be offensive here, presuming everyone's heaven is the same. Even more baffling is the song's dated industrial beat and, worse, that sub-"Kashmir" riff that always signifies Middle Eastern mysticism to Western ears. When "Far Off Places" reaches its climactic finale and Moz starts burbling "ya-da-da-da-dum" over and over, the entire enterprise finally descends into the utterly ridiculous. Still, I appreciate that he's trying. [Stephen M. Deusner]

* 1/2 out of *****

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• Related item: Future Retro (out Jan. 24) includes "Suedehead" (Sparks mix,) listening party stream - Jan. 11, 2006

Belligerent Ghoul sends the link/excerpt:

Battle of the bands - Manchester Online

POP stars will face more costly legal battles of the kind that dented the bank balances of Morrissey and Richard Ashcroft, a Manchester lawyer has warned.

Session musicians and backing singers have been given greater rights over their work in a new law that makes sure they get credit for their roles in chart-topping hits.

Entertainment law expert Francis McEntegart said it would mean more musicians can claim a stake in royalties for their performances.

An anonymous person writes: