The Sweet & Tender Hooligans

In the band, José 'plays' the role of Morrissey. It's undeniable that he bears an uncanny resemblance to the Stretford Bard, but José  takes the tribute act seriously. So, in his opinion, what are the three essentials for "being a Morrissey"? "A knowledge of the catalogue is first and foremost. I prefer to know the whole lot, both Smiths and solo. Secondly, the wardrobe - from skinny, bookwormish Morrissey to Man of the World Morrissey as he is now - which I prefer. And then a passionate desire to share the songs with the world."

He doesn't need to practice the 'Moz moves'. "They come naturally. I've always been a mimic." José has spent so much time "watching his videos and going to his shows, it's something I've absorbed."

José's favourite song to perform is 'November Spawned a Monster'. But this isn't any ordinary tribute band - sometimes, they have a string section. "That's why we're the best tribute band. We try to keep as close to a live Morrissey and Smiths show. It has to be right on the mark." And so, when they have the live string section, they do 'Angel, Angel, Down We Go Together', 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out' and 'Everyday Is Like Sunday'. A live version of their cover of 'Angel...' is on their myspace page: it really is nothing short of stunning.

The band's secret weapon, according to José, is their lead guitarist, classically-trained David Collett. He arranges all the songs by ear with nary the need for guitar books. Before The Hooligans, he'd "never been in rock before. He's an expert. He's been asked to write guitar tab, but he's reluctant to give up our trade secrets." But even an expert must be flummoxed by some of Johnny Marr's trademark jangling? "Some of the most intricate guitar parts Johnny created are easy once you learn them, like 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others'. But 'Girl Afraid' is difficult." Come on now, José, surely the famous 'How Soon Is Now' opening isn't all that simple? "We do 'How Soon Is Now' using a tremolo effect, and a hollow body guitar gives the desired sound. When we met Andy Rourke, he said that they couldn't get that 'whiny' sound live." Which makes me feel better. I nearly gave up the guitar at 16, in despair at being unable to get that sound....

In wanting to capture The Smiths and Morrissey sound so accurately, to the extent of hiring a string section, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the band owns "the guitar Johnny Marr played on Strangeways. We bought it in an auction. We take our fandom seriously." To properly recreate the sound, José says, "it's always best to have one of the guys to play a hollow body and the other to play a Fender Strat or Les Paul." And a leopard print drumkit? "The drummer (Danny Garcia) had that before he joined and often gets complimented on it." I'm not surprised - it's the percussion equivalent of a fish-tank cocktail bar.

And they don't just do a 'greatest hits' show each time they play live. "We often do album-themed shows and play an album in its entirety. We get to songs people request but don"t play as they're obscure. The most recent album-themed show was Strangeways. It was great to have the long piano intro of 'Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me'."

But all this would be no good if the band's 'Morrissey' sounded nothing like him. José really does sound like Moz. It's extraordinary. But The Sweet & Tender Hooligans isn't José's only hobby. He sounds rather embarrassed when I mention the Depeche Mode tribute band he's in. "It's something I dabble in. We maybe do two or three shows a year for, like, a birthday party." Though I doubt a Depeche Mode tribute band would be much cop with a singer sounding like Moz. So, in order "to sing like Morrissey I have to alter my voice. It's not something I can do for an extended period, I'm not singing in my normal register." Yet it's a noble impersonation for all that. We just have to hope José doesn't strain his vocal chords.

Singing like Morrissey is one thing - but José makes a lot of effort too with costume. He gets the wardrobe from "thrift shops, and boutiques in Melrose in Hollywood." The floral shirt (you can see it in these photos) is a fabulous little number. Where on earth did José find it? "The floral shirt was by accident and cost $8. But I lose my shirts as the fans do their impersonation. We like to recreate what a show is like. We want the craziness." José is more than happy for fans to leap on the stage and rip off his clothing, "but I hope they don't get that floral shirt!" The glasses aren't prescription - José's vision is "better than 20/20." When 'I Have Forgiven Jesus' had Morrissey dressed as a priest, José's keenness for accuracy led him into clerical impersonation too: "when I sang 'I Have Forgiven Jesus', I did a costume change and I come out in a priest outfit." Though the rest of the band weren't dressed as nuns, one assumes. José will change costume several times in the course of a show, and not just because Cristina Garcia from Pasadena has made off with his blouse. "Sometimes I do them chronologically. I open the show as Oscar-Wilde-Manchester-Morrissey, then gold lamé, and as the set moves on something more current - which is my favourite."

But José does't go round on a daily basis as a Moz-a-like. "I do keep my hair in a quiff, I suppose my style of dress is similar to his, that's probably where it ends. Morrissey and I have little in common. He was a track star in school and I run marathons, but that's where it ends. I'm not quite that shy, morose and cynical as he's made out to be. I'm a happy person. Like his fans, I'm an ordinary person who likes his music." It should be borne in mind that quiffing his hair isn't quite as throw-away a habit as José might wish us to think - in 'real life', this Morrissey is a lifeguard. But I forgot to ask him if he's had a special quiff-shaped swimming hat made. However, The Sweet & Tender Hooligans are yet to play 'Lifeguard Sleeping, Girl Drowning' as they're looking for a clarinet player. And no, he wouldn't wear his uniform on stage.

Yet José's impersonation of Morrissey is restricted to their shows. Don't ask him to sign your arm. "I leave the signing of people's body parts to Morrissey. We sign our 'Sweet & Tender Hooligans' T-shirts but not Morrissey's records. The message I want to convey is I'm a fan, I'm no-one special. I wait out in the cold to get a good place at a gig. I'm waiting outside the record store to get my dvd signed."

I think it's safe to say that Jose is a rather passionate fan of The Smiths and Morrissey. In a way, the band is his shrine to St Morrissey, without having to sequester the corner of his front room and adorn it with fairy lights. Though he doesn't have a Moz tattoo. "I'm from the generation where only bikers had tattoos." On tour in the UK, all the band members paid a visit to The Salford Lads' Club. They had their photo taken outside and "the caretaker, David, gave us a tour and showed us the whole club. It was amazing. Every Smiths / Morrissey fan should visit Salford to see where the famous photo was taken at least once in their life. It was rather moving for us to be there. Being in LA, our only connection with England was what Morrissey sang about. So we went to Leeds to see the side streets too."

Having lived for a while in two of the cities mentioned in the lyrics of 'Panic', I find this devotion rather sweet (and tender). Though there is a cultural aspect at work here. Latino kids make up the majority of Morrissey fans in southern California, as you will have realised if you've seen The Importance of Being Morrissey and Real Life With Morrissey documentaries. For pasty British tea-drinking me, I have to wonder: why? José says, "I didn't seek out Morrissey because he's British and I'm Mexican-American. It's because his voice and lyrics were unique and 'pleasant to my ear'. Countries of origin have nothing to do with it. It's fascinating, though, as 80-85% of the audience in LA is Mexican-America. We get the sense that 'First of the Gang to Die' was directed at us. For me, I felt a sense of pride. I was listening to his songs and he'd sing about far-off places, and later on he comes to live in my backyard. We felt "We're glad to have you." Driving by his house was a treat. It's nice he tried to sing in Spanish on 'Don't Make Fun of Daddy's Voice' - but I wish he'd consulted with me as he got the lyrics slightly wrong." There's a very interesting radio interview featuring José which you can listen to by clicking here, about Morrissey's Latino fanbase. It may also be that Morrissey's 'Christ-complex' (the wounded, the hounded, the iconic, the crucifixion-by-media-and-'northern-leeches', "Via Dolorosa all the way," as Edna O'Brien once said), appeals to people with similarly Catholic backgrounds to his own.

Growing up listening to British music has meant José is rather fond of the damp old place. "9/11 happened in the middle of the tour we did in the UK. In the UK, Brits wanted to know if our families were ok. I'll never forget the kindness of people in the UK. When the planes were cancelled, they said we could crash at theirs." José wonders if Morrissey will ever go back to live in the USA, thanks to the machinations of everyone's favourite trained chimp: a (un)certain president. "I hope people understand we're not behind Bush and we do care about people. I have an affinity with England, my musical heroes are from there, and everything's so old. And hopefully we'll be back in June for the 20th anniversary of The Queen Is Dead." Which will be fantastic, I'm sure.

Anyone will tell you that José comes across as a thoroughly down-to-earth chap, though to be honest, he'd be entitled to have a head too large to fit through the doorway. "I've met every band member past and present, and Morrissey five times. I was in the 'Irish Blood, English Heart' video and acted in a film (My Life With Morrissey) playing Morrissey." And he has a tip: "if you only get to meet one of Morrissey's band members, you'd be hard pressed to find a nicer person than Alain Whyte. He's a wonderful human being." José reckons "it's a shame Spencer [Cobrin] didn't write more with Morrissey as 'Lost' is great - I've translated it into Spanish and perform is as 'Perdido'." Hearing The Hooligans' version is quite something. Listen to it and you will believe Morrissey can sing really well in Spanish, despite what 'Daddy's Voice' might have led you to think.

So what do José's lifeguard colleagues make of his past-time? "My colleagues have never heard of The Smiths or Morrissey, and only know I'm in a band. Some have been to gigs and find it odd there's this following and so many people come." Because, let's face it: as José says, "it's a unique hobby."

Photos used in this interview are from the Sweet & Tender Hooligans and were taken by William Jones and www.diemylove.com.

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