Pitchfork

Morrissey's big Mexican-American following is no secret-- it was the subject of 2004 documentary Is It Really So Strange?-- and last night the bilingual network LATV brought some Moz live footage to the pompadoured English crooner's Spanish-speaking faithful. For those of us outside the Southwestern states served by LATV (and Puerto Rico), the station has posted clips of the Pope of Mope working his charm earlier this year at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, Calif. The first clip is "The First of the Gang to Die", 2004 comeback album You Are the Quarry's supposed ode to Moz's Hispanic fans, and it's delivered a bit breathlessly here by his elegantly graying eminence, with rapidly rolled r's and trumpet flourishes.

After some grandiose gestures, Moz starts into "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", which dates back to the Smiths' 1987 swan song Strangeways, Here We Come. The jangly guitar part practically screams out the name of current Modest Mouse-keteer Johnny Marr. Some of you may have thought you heard this one before recently when Mark Ronson did his Version thing with "Stop Me". (To you, we apologize on behalf of music.) Of course, this isn't Morrissey's first visit to Santa Barbara; check out this clip of the then-newly solo artist doing his classic "Suedehead" there back in 1991.

Video:> Morrissey: Live in Santa Barbara
[Ringleader of the Tormentors is out now on Attack/Sanctuary]