Who would have thought that Morrissey, the former lead singer for The Smiths, would have a large Latino following?
It’s not so strange, after all.
Morrissey, who lives in Los Angeles, has embraced the large Latino community, sharing a common working-class roots. In turn Latino fans have returned the love for his choloness and coolness of the English icon known to his fans as Moz.
That devotion will be seen and heard Sunday, Sept. 6, with Mexrrissey at the three-day HoCo Fest at Hotel Congress. Mexrrissey is the musical brainchild of Camilo Lara, the Mexico City creator of the Mexican Institute of Sound.
Lara will be joined by Tucson’s Sergio Mendoza, leader of La Orkesta who has performed several times with Mexrrissey, and trumpeter Jacob Valenzuela of Calexico.
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In addition, the other band members include Los Angeles singer Ceci Bastida, formerly of the Tijuana No, Jay de La Cueva, leader of a top Mexico City band, and Ricardo Najera who plays with The Mexican institute of Sound.
Mexrissey has performed in England, Mexico City, New York City, and will visit Australia in January.
“I went several times to Mexico this year and last year in December to work with Camilo on translating lyrics to Spanish and turning the music into Mexican regional arrangements,” Mendoza wrote in an email while traveling in Europe. “We did both Smiths and Morrissey songs.”
The Mexican-Morrissey appeal is based in large part on Morrissey’s lyrics of alienation, isolation among ordinary, blue-collar people.
The Latino obsession with Morrissey has evolved into a documentary film, “Is It Really So Strange?,” websites and club nights in New York city and Los Angeles dedicated to Morrissey.
Mexrrissey doesn’t simply cover Morrissey/The Smiths tunes; it turns them into Mexican styled rolas.
“The Boy With the Thorn in His Side,” translated as “El Chico de la Spina,” is given the cumbia treatment and “Panic” is flavored with norteño.
