You may or may not know this, Reader, but former Smiths frontman + legendarily doleful crooner Morrissey is quite the outspoken animal rights activist.
True, he’s quite outspoken on most things—including celebrity trash-talking—but the iconic singer has actually been a devoted vegetarian since was a wee lad in the suburbs of Manchester. And then there was the title track from The Smiths’ 1985 LP, “Meat is Murder,” Morrissey’s ongoing support of PETA, and this amazing, cat-approved print ad for his 2011 tour. True, the ad’s not really saying anything about animal rights, but I look for any and every opportunity to point out how awesome that is.
Finally, there was Morrissey’s recent attempt to have the Staples Center in LA go vegetarian for his show there at the beginning of this month…which, sadly, did not quite work out for the best. Pile onto that the cancelation of the remainder of his US tour due to health problems, and you’ve got some seriously bummed out fans, especially in the vegetarian circles.
But fear ye not, Reader! We here at Kindness of Ravens/raven + crow studio are here to help!
We hereby excitedly announce our sponsorship of At Last I Am Born: A Morrissey Birthday Celebration, featuring a live set by The Sons & Heirs, NYC’s tribute to The Smiths + Morrissey, DJ Matt Heart Spade on the turntables, a reading by Tony Fletcher, author of A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths, and a Smiths-inspired congregation of vegetarian food, fashion, culture, and fun, as curated by us.
Everything will kick off at 7PM on May 22 at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn—one of our favorite venues in the city.
We’ll be raffling off products and services from some of our favorite vegan + animal-friendly businesses (more on that later) and are working with The Bell House on some exciting vegan food options for the night.
We’re offering a discount on tickets to readers for a limited time—purchase your tickets by 8PM tomorrow night, and get $2 off the advance ticket price when using the code MEATISMURDER. Get your tickets here, and see you there, Reader!
Below, The Sons & Heirs performing their spot-on version of “This Charming Man.”