Customer Reviews

Morrissey - Oye Esteban

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When the British rock singer/songwriter with the singular name, "Morrissey," was beginning his music career with his first professional band, The Smiths (1983-87), he proclaimed that the band would never do any type of "glossy promotional" videos. Morrissey, or "Moz" as he soon came to be called in Britain, proclaimed that any song is at least 50% imagination; that is, at least half of one's experience while listening to a song is one's own personal interpretation of what it means and what it is.

The Smiths would go on to make a few videos, though no "glossy promotional" ones, and after Morrissey embarked on his solo career, he continued to use the medium of film for artistic expression. But, he never strayed very far from his convictions: with few exceptions, any Morrissey music video can be said to have little or nothing to do with the actual song itself. The vast majority of the videos stand alone as separate artistic works; the fact that a particular song is playing in the background often is inconsequential.

On October 17th, 2000, Moz released a video compilation on DVD spanning all of his solo career to date, entitled "!Oye Esteban!"--originally titled "I Could've Been Elvis" before permission was denied. While this compilation is not definitive, it is a wonderfully compiled collection of many of his most popular videos, as well as a couple that are so rare they were presumed lost.

"!Oye Esteban!" spans almost all of the artist's albums to date: "Viva Hate," "Bona Drag," "Kill Uncle," "Your Arsenal," "Vauxhall and I," "World of Morrissey," "Southpaw Grammar," and "My Early Burglary Years." The video reviews below are presented in the order the songs appear on the DVD.

"Everyday Is Like Sunday": This song is a picture of depression, explicating that "Everyday is like Sunday/ Everyday is silent and gray." It's the scattered tale of a person trapped in "the seaside town that they forgot to bomb," and the singer is backed by what sounds like an entire orchestra.

The video is a brief but rather shocking artistic promotion of animal rights. A girl is depicted walking around a seaside town and an abandoned carnival, seeing evidence of cruelty everywhere: a butcher shop, old women in fur coats, etc. Sporting a shirt with the George Bernard Shaw quote, "I don't eat my friends," the girl scrawls on postcards "MEAT IS MURDER" (the tittle of both a Smiths' album and one of Morrissey's own songs with The Smiths) and "CRUELTY WITHOUT BEAUTY," which she gives to the fur wearers. All in all, it's a wonderful plug for vegetarianism and animal rights. About the only connection with the song, though, is the location of the action: a dreary, depressing "seaside town that they forgot to close down."

"Suedehead": The title actually is the name of a clan of skinheads in Europe; however, this has nothing to do with the song. The song itself is a brief but haunting message to an anonymous friend who relentlessly pursues the singer, sneaking into his room to read his diary but only finding on the pages "so many illustrations." This was one of Morrissey's greatest commercial successes.

The video is a tribute to one of Moz's idol's, James Dean. It opens with the singer in a bubble bath, surrounded by James Dean photographs, Smiths memorabilia, a typewriter, and a book a verse by Byron. The video follows the singer as he, cloaked in black, visits Fairmount, Indiana, James Dean's home town. He's shown going to the theater of Dean's old school (where Morrissey scrawls his name on a wall), and eventually out to the farm where Dean grew up, where Morrissey plays a tonga drum for the cows and eventually finds himself at Dean's grave. The closing shot is of the mourning Morrissey sitting beside Dean's tombstone, surrounded by flowers.

"Will Never Mary": This song is a very brief, yet indescribably emotional message Moz sends out to the adoring cult of fans who send him love letters daily. He explains simply that he dearly appreciates the sentiment, "I'm writing this to say in a gentle way/ Thank you, but no," but, finding himself a celibate, incurably lonely character, he can never reciprocate: "I will live my life as I will undoubtedly die alone."

The video is an unbelievably heartfelt tribute to his fans. It is comprised almost solely of clips from his live concerts. Specifically, the video is simply scenes of his fans--men, women, skinheads and Moz look-alikes--hugging and kissing him, and throwing him to the ground to embrace him, all the while the singer has expressions of gratitude and longing on his face. Coupled with the background song, it's a real tear-jerker. This is quite possibly the greatest and most moving video made. It ends with a fan on stage shaking the singer's hand and bowing in front of his feet. Moz reciprocates the gesture.

"November Spawned a Monster": This song was actually inspired by "Frankenstein" by the New York Dolls, a 70s glam-punk band that Morrissey followed relentlessly. Morrissey's song is the chronicling of the misery and isolation of a poor crippled girl who cries "But Jesus made me so Jesus save me/ From pity, sympathy, and people discussing me." This is another of the singer's greatest commercial successes.

The video is shot in Death Valley, and opens with a shot of Moz sporting a straw hat with "VILE" written on the brim. He is clothed in all black and wearing a large hearing aid (a prop he had worn previously as a Smith, championing the rights of the disabled); and for the entire length of the video he flails and gesticulates in pain and frustration as he croons out the song lyrics and throws dirt at the camera.

"Interesting Drug": The song tells of the squalor and depression of life in the working-class slums (a place where Moz grew up and attended the school of hard knocks). The song has an interesting twist, as the singer turns the aspects of drug use around and says of the interesting drug, "tell the truth, it really helped you." In answer to his critics who would complain that saying such a thing is irresponsible, Moz replies "Look around/ Can you blame us?"

The video is another of his animal rights series, but mixed with aspects of unemployment and adolescence. It opens with school boys graffiting a bathroom by writing on a wall that there are "SOME BAD PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT." The film progresses to Morrissey handing out animal rights pamphlets to these kids after school, which prompts them to break into a research laboratory and free all the test animals.

"The Last Of The Famous International Playboys": This song is a tribute to the English Mafia hit-men, the Kray twins. In the song Moz writes to these two while in prison, asking "do you know my name?" and saying "I am the last of the famous international playboys." This is, of course, flippancy, as Moz is more a retiring shut-in than a playboy. But, the song makes a bold statement on the news media and fame: "In our lifetimes those who kill/ the news world hands them stardom." It is here that Moz, always desperate for fame, admits "I never wanted to kill/ I am not naturally evil."

The video consists of shots of Morrissey singing with his band mixed in with scenes of a young hoodlum as he shadow boxes in his room and roams the streets at night. The implication in this film is that the kid, who is depicted as an angry loner, is the future "international playboy," as he idolizes the criminals made famous by the media and looks longingly at a life of street crime.

"My Love Life": This simple, moving song asks "I know you love one person/ so why don't you love two?" The singer pleads with the listener to "give a little something to my love life." The song ends with "I know you, Love" repeated over and over, with the reverberating "oh, give up," which makes the listener wonder whether this plea is directed at the singer's love interest or back at himself.

The video is in black and white and follows the entire band as Morrissey drives them around Los Angeles in a Roles Royce convertible. All are in fifties attire, with slicked hair and somber expressions. Aesthetically and artistically, this might well be the best video of them all.

"Sing Your Life": The song is directed at the listener as the singer tells of the value of writing and singing honestly and openly, as "any fool can think up words that rhyme." The entire song is comprised of the singer urging "sing your life," as we should enjoy our talent now while we can: "Make no mistake, my fiend/ your pointless life will end."

The video is shot in a fifties dance club. Morrissey and the band are all in period clothing (the singer in a powde

Morrissey is truly a great songwriter and performer.And this DVD is an essential item for the diehard Morrissey fan and also would make a great introduction to the newer members of the land of Moz.This collection contains almost all of the great Mozzer`s video`s with a few exceptions."Ouija Board Ouija Board "and "Sister I`m A Poet"(available on "Hulmerist") and Certain People I Know(available on ("The Malady Lingers On")and "Alma Matters".

"Oye Esteban" is an excellent collection of promotional films."Suedehead" is one of the standout clips because it takes Morrissey (who is an idol to many,many,many people himself including me)to Fairmount,Indiana to pay homage to his idol James Dean.The video is great because it includes many symbols of James Dean that you`ll recognize if your a James Dean fan.For example The Byron book. James Dean`s middle name was Byron supposedly because his mother loved Lord Byron`s poetry.And "The Little Prince" book was James Dean`s favorite book.

Another standout clip is "November Spawned A Monster" that features Morrissey in the desolate setting of Mushroom Rock Death Valley.It matches the theme of the song.I think it`s Morrissey putting himself in the shoe`s of someone is disabled and the isolation they must feel.Therefore Morrissey in the lonely desert.

Another one of my favorites as well as one my favorite songs is "Seasick Yet Still Docked".It`s an absolutely beautiful clip.It does complete justice to that absolutely beautiful song.Another one of my favorites is "Daganham Dave" which portrays a different side of Morrissey which is absolutely fantastic.The "Boy Racer" is also great because of the aforementioned reasons."The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get" is also wonderful and was beautifully filmed.There are many more great clips on this compilation.It is definetly worth owning.

This collection of Morrissey videos is essential if your a devoted Moz fan(like myself) and even if your just a casual fan. This collection is worth owning to anybody who loves truly great music.

When Oye Esteban was released in 2000, Morrissey was much younger and his body of work was still growing. This collection of videos is pretty much a must own for any Morrissey fan. It includes some really popular songs, some rarely played songs, and a very cool group of videos from Morrissey's solo career post-Smiths and pre-year-2000.

I actually happened on this DVD somewhat by accident, having bought a copy for a dear friend who is an even bigger Morrissey fan than I am. After playing this DVD start to finish several times over the years, I had to buy myself another copy. It's not normal for me to buy a DVD of music videos, especially considering I already own all these songs in some audio format. But these videos are so unique, and this mix of songs is so well ordered, this DVD almost screams "buy me!"

The highlight songs here for me have to be "Everyday Is Like Sunday," "The Last Of The Famous International Playboys," and "Sing Your Life." They bookend this DVD's other tracks, all of which are very well chosen.

If you don't already own this DVD, do yourself a favor and buy it. I've been lucky enough to see Moz live a few times over the past few years. He's lost none of his vibrancy nor any of his stage presence. And his shows seem to be structured the same (songs separated by old videos and very daring opening acts). Yet the Morrissey we see in `Oye Esteban' is most certainly younger. And that will make many Morrissey fans happy to see, because that's the mental image I think most fans have of him.

It's hard to really find a knock with this DVD of videos. But still some people will, and I understand that. These are presented in standard format (same way they were shot, so there's nothing to complain about there). These don't include all his videos (not meant to be an anthology, just a cross-section). And of course, some will moan about the sound mix (once again, when they shot DVDs in the 80s and 90s this was standard sound mixing).

I am personally happy with this DVD. The videos are as clear as you could ever want from standard definition DVD. I definitely like watching these videos (some of which I hadn't seen before getting this DVD) and all the memories that come with listening to these songs.

Check it out for yourself, it's almost like a Morrissey time-capsule from 1987 to 2000.

Enjoy!

I have watched this DVD over and over and I never get sick of it. If you were a Smiths fan or are a Morrissey fan, you need to own this DVD. Listening to the music alone does not compare to watching Morrissey interact with his bandmates (especially the tension between Morrissey and Spencer Cobrin.) I am considering buying a second copy, just in case something happens to my first one. You should also buy "He put the M in Manchester." It's a live concert from Manchester on Morrissey's 40th birthday.

Why waste a lot of time reading about this DVD? If you're a fan of Morrissey, there is no reason in the world you're not going to want this video. MTV doesn't play music any more, so there's a good chance that you haven't seen a number of these videos...buy this DVD and be a happy Morrissey fan!

A fine, but unfortunately incomplete, collection of Morrissey's videos. The sound and picture quality are stellar: I can finally make out the title of the book Morrissey's reading in the "Suedehead" video. The "subtitles / lyrics" feature is a great idea, allowing the viewer to read along as Morrissey sings---though it occasionally lends a strangely karaoke feel to the proceedings. I do wish this DVD were a truly complete, definitive collection, though. Some videos, such as the odd "Alma Matters," are truly missed.

I think this dvd is great the only problem i have is oujia board was not on here. Technically I would have rated this 3 Stars but i truly love morrissey. I really hope the Hulmerist Will come out on dvd it has interviews with his fans and it is more artistic. It also only has his old videos which i enjoy the most.That dvd would get a whopping 5 stars. Anyhow this dvd is recommended for morrissey fans and to those who love the 80's.

This is a very good collection of Morrissey videos. It contains videos from his first 8 CD's (from Viva Hate to My Early Burglary Years). If you don't know a lot of Morrissey's music, I think it would be a nice way to know him. Also, the videos are professional and nicely done. Much better than The Smiths DVD (The Complete Picture). A must have for anyone who like The Smiths and Morrissey!

True fans of Morrissey will most certainly enjoy this collection, on crystal clear DVD for all to appreciate. The long-lost "Seasick, Yet Still Docked "is included, plus old faves such as Tomorrow,My Love Life and Suedehead. The only complaint one might have is that later material from Maladjusted was not included, but so it goes, with hopefully Volume 2 available next year.

This DVD is ruining my life. I CANNOT stop playing his songs in my head! Though I have been a big Morrissey/Smiths fan since their inception in the '80s, I have often gone for long periods of time where I just don't play his music. When I heard recently that he was going to be playing in concert here in South Florida, and, never having seen him live before, my friends and I were quick to purchase tickets, even though I rarely attend live events anymore. But, for Morrissey, I'd make an exception, and I'm glad I did. It was by far the best concert I can recall. As his fans know, he is mesmerizing on stage. He is one of those rare, rare performers who truly are an enigma, it is not contrived. I bought this DVD hot off the heals of having seen his concert, and it is wonderful. I'd had little exposure to any of his videos, and was very pleased with this collection. I haven't bothered with music videos of any kind for at least ten years or more, as the ones that were showing on MTV AND VH1 were boring at best, and usually repulsive, with very little exception. The thing that I like best about "Oye Esteban" are the very things that some have commented it is lacking, the so called "qualities" which have become de ri-gueur in almost all music videos; big budget, special effects, re-heated imagery and style, and a general sameness that renders them all sterile. But, the thing that makes these so enjoyable is Morrissey himself. He stares in the camera with his androgynous beauty, the sincerety of his lyrics and singular magic allowing him to get away with what would only be posing and indulgence for almost any other performer. He is, for me, one of those performers, , there are and have been very, very few, who go way beyond being merely entertainers, with a few danceable or pop hits, and are touched by genius. This usually doesn't happen in the "Pop" world, not that you can define Morrissey's music in any particular genre. He is so very talented and one of a kind that he makes all the attempts by someone such as, say, Madonna, and many before and after her... to be "larger than life", to appear only phony. These are people who are desperate to be "artists", and work overtime, with slews of effects, assistants, stylists, publicists, etc..., trying to convince everyone that what they are doing is unique and special, and, it almost never is. What you are left with, after all the diversions, is the song (or, the movie.) These things have become almost totally incidental in most performers careers. Sad. All Morrissey has to do is open his mouth and sing the songs that he has written from his soul, about lonliness, consumerism, isolation, the cruelty of man, longing, etc..., to make bunk out of almost the entire music industry. This collection is, I feel, a great time for the diehard fan, of whom there are many, though I realize there are people out there who just don't "get it", and would maybe dismiss it as a slight pleasentry. They are misguided, and have no taste! Morrissey is a total genius, and some of that genius transfers quite effectively on this DVD. The downside is that he has ruined me for almost all other performers. The plus side is that he has thus far left a legacy of work that will feed the soul and ears for a long time, though I doubt that this most private, gentle of men who simply must write will ever stop creating that which truly deserves to be called "ART."