Feliz cumpelaños, Morrissey!

English singer/songwriter Morrissey celebrates his 48^th birthday today. Though we mentioned him briefly before, it’s worth repeating the cult-like following he has amongst Chicano youth, particularly in the southwestern U.S. Why so? Speaking out of personal experience it’s hard to figure out. However, Gustavo Arellano (he of “Ask a Mexican” fame) tries to explain:

“It may be that it echoes the music of Mexico, the ranchera. His trembling falsetto brings to mind the rich, sad voice of Pedro Infante, while his effeminate stage presence makes him a U.K. version of Juan Gabriel.

Morrissey’s signature beckoning and embrace of the uncertainty of life and love, something that at first glance might seem the opposite of macho Mexican music. But check it out: for all the machismo and virulent existentialism that Mexican music espouses, there is another side—a morbid fascination with getting your heart and dreams broken by others, usually in death”.

Another part of the cult of Morrissey may be due to his perception as an outsider by those who believed that they in turn have been marginalized by society:

“Thousands of Los Angeles' young Latino-Americans, (most of them born in the years of The Smiths' early hits), have rediscovered and redefined this music in the new millennium. By immersing themselves in the impassioned, delicately layered music of Morrissey, these teens have effectively rejected savvy media marketing and the relentless hip-hop hype. They have also found solidarity, a way to escape. Setting themselves apart with towering pompadours, shiny saddle shoes, leather jackets, tattooed arms and spotless tees, these fans have also created an immediately identifiable fashion, the uniform of the consummate outsider”.

Perhaps it is this reason which explains his less rabid yet equally as important following in the Americas. Though his style and mannerisms do no fit within the machismo/marianismo dichotomy, Morrissey is beloved by fans throughout the region and this will not change any time soon.

Image- BBC (Morrissey performing in concert in December 2006)

Sources- Wikipedia, Guardian UK, The Latin Americanist, O.C. Weekly, Rhino RZine