'I feel like I've been had': Morrissey's collaborators respond to his politics - The Guardian

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'I feel like I've been had': Morrissey's collaborators respond to his politics - The Guardian
The former Smiths singer’s new album features guest spots from Billie Joe Armstrong and Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste. Are they not put off by his increasingly unpleasant right-wing stance?

Excerpt:

As US music magazine the Fader asked: “What possible reason could any of these people have for lining up behind Morrissey now?”

Droste declined to comment. The only artist willing to speak with the Guardian was Canadian vocalist Ariel Engle, who performs with cult indie outfit Broken Social Scene. She received a call from the American producer Joe Chiccarelli asking her to contribute backing vocals for a cover of Joni Mitchell’s Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow. “I thought, ‘Oh the Smiths, sure’,” she says. “It was $500 for two hours’ work.”

Engle says she didn’t become aware of Morrissey’s political views until the album was announced and a friend emailed to question her involvement. “It’s a very weak argument to claim ignorance,” she says, “but it is my argument. It’s not an excuse but it happens to be the truth.”

Morrissey’s manager, Peter Katsis, says he is unaware of statements made by any guest vocalists, but that the intention of the covers album was supposed to be fun. “This is where his head is at,” he says. “Maybe enough has been said with the last few albums being political.” Of Morrissey’s political views, Katsis says: “I manage his artistic career and sometimes I have to deal with things he says, but it’s not for me to comment.”

Chiccarelli echoes Katsis’s sentiment. “I can’t speak to Moz’s politics,” he says. “I’m a record-maker. I’ve known him 10 years and he’s been a gentleman and a pleasure. I consider him a friend.” When asked about the far-right figures for whom Morrissey has expressed support, Chiccarelli says: “I’d really have to research it and see if it crossed a particular line for me.”

Engle says that learning of Morrissey’s political opinions has left a “bad taste”, and that she stands in opposition to his views. “The inflammatory things he says are not my politics. I think he’s completely out of line. I grew up around multiculturalism and I am the product of multiculturalism and immigration. I feel like I’ve been had, but it’s my fault.”

The American singer LP offered a statement through a PR representative: “As I’m a huge fan of his music and poetry, I was honoured to be asked to collaborate on the album.” Representatives for Lydia Night of California band the Regrettes offered no comment, but the 18-year-old told punk magazine Kerrang!: “I’ve grown up loving the Smiths – my cat’s name is Morrissey!” Representatives for Armstrong said he was in the studio and therefore unreachable.

The guest stars on California Son are all North American, suggesting a difference between perceptions of the former Smiths frontman in the US and UK. Katsis, who is American, sees the critical focus on Morrissey’s politics as a British preoccupation.

“I don’t think they know enough about it to care about it,” he says of Morrissey’s US fans. “I don’t feel knowledgable enough to comment on British politics, therefore it’s probably not as important to me or the international fans as it is to UK fans. This whole thing has had me perplexed. The subjects are very complicated and dividing.”

The figures bear out Morrissey’s enduring support across the Atlantic. He ended 2018 with arena shows in North and South America, and has announced his first Canadian tour in 20 years for this April. In November 2017, Los Angeles City Council declared 10 November “Morrissey Day”.

“In America, he tends to be seen as the rock star who sang about queer life and spoke openly about feminism when nobody else did,” says Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield. “These two images define him, and he’s still seen in terms of his pioneering place in history. His grumpy old age is not really held against him. Americans tend not to follow UK politics very closely, so when he makes mind-blowingly offensive statements there might be outrage or humiliation for a few days, or hours, but then it’s back to listening to The Queen Is Dead”.




Media coverage:
 
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Listen son, i was heavily involved in the Morrissey scene for 30 years, travelled to gigs across continents, and have had encounters with Morrissey you can only dream of. It’s painful to me that he has shown himself to be a racist prick but the opinions of nobody’s like you don’t matter a f***.

Yeah stick to convincing yourself that he is hard done to, but don’t ever think you’re anything but a think gullible idiot.

And f*** Celtic too.
ahh I haven't laughed so much in ages,if im your son that means you are at least in your seventies,and im watching the tic right now.hail hail.
 
Kanye West recently demanded that slavery be reinstated in the United States, that American blacks are stupid, and that he wish more of them had been lynched. Didn't hurt his career one bit. Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper recently defended working with serial rapist R. Kelly, saying that the pussies of young girls are what an artistic genius like Kelly needs to write songs. Chance the Rapper even said no one should believe Kelly's accusers because "they are all black women, and all black women do is lie." And both Gaga and Chance are considered "woke"!

Morrissey's comments are nothing compared to the White Supremacist crap being spouted by West, Gaga, and Chance. And yet the NME still gushes over them - Gaga the rape-defender being their current "most brilliant artist to ever live."
 
Ok, after actually reading the article :cool: I feel had by the Guardian, aint got no quote by Billie Joe or Ed, just some lady I've never heard of, what a gyp, the state of journalism today is very disappointing :straightface:
 
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We are both ok, I have my own business so can't really sack myself, you have a massive chip on your shoulders about anyone who isn't from this country which has made you unemployable, so you can't be sacked either.
"I Have my Own Business":rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
This isn't 1984..........Islam wasn't blowing us up back then.
Dave Islam is a useless piece of shit, shite DJ for sure, I was into the Manchester club scene late 90s, f***ing shite DJ, totally useless, I was better than him, he knew someone who let him out of his cage, Shite DJ.
 
And who are the 'loony left' - give some examples, and what they've said and done that you disagree with.
Jez Corbyn for a start, what a stupid mother f***er, blokes got dementia, but he can still lie to f***, his whole manifesto for the last election was based on not winning it, which he didn't, it would of been fun to watch if he did. Left Wing Loony.
 
Bit of an inane comment, buddy
This may force Morrissey to ...whatever..
Nothing forces Morrissey to do anything - that's one of his defining features.
One of the few people left with a punk spirit - never giving in, never giving in

He is entitled to his opinions
You are entitled to your opinions.

Your attitude though, is ironically more fascist / right wing than anything else
- forcing your will on others to adopt your political viewpoint, rather than simply expressing it.

Look at your comment - you appear to know f*ck all about those you are criticising
It's Anne Marie Waters - not Anne Waters
It's Tommy Robinson - not Johnny

btw only one minor collaborator "responded" to his "politics"
- politics which is largely a media creation - a montage of comments taken entirely out of context
"Morrissey supports rape" etc
The Guardian had to exaggerate and pluralise it to make it appear it was the entire gang of them.
Scraping the bottom of the barrel for clickbait

People like you and the Guardian make me respect Morrissey even more, purely for sticking to his guns.
Nah. It’s Johnny Robinson, Chico. It’s whatever the f*** I wanna call the clown. It’s the exercise of my right to free speech.

...so’s this -

GFYS, ISOS.
 
Kanye West recently demanded that slavery be reinstated in the United States, that American blacks are stupid, and that he wish more of them had been lynched. Didn't hurt his career one bit. Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper recently defended working with serial rapist R. Kelly, saying that the pussies of young girls are what an artistic genius like Kelly needs to write songs. Chance the Rapper even said no one should believe Kelly's accusers because "they are all black women, and all black women do is lie." And both Gaga and Chance are considered "woke"!

Morrissey's comments are nothing compared to the White Supremacist crap being spouted by West, Gaga, and Chance. And yet the NME still gushes over them - Gaga the rape-defender being their current "most brilliant artist to ever live."

The poster makes a good point. Are any of the pro-censorship organizations that have targeted Morrissey's tours preparing to make sure Kanye West isn't able to perform in the UK? Publicly urging the re-enslavement of American blacks is far more offensive than saying you support Brexit.

Also, will the Guardian be demanding that all of Michael Jackson's recordings be taken out of print in the UK? It's starting to look like MJ ran a child-sex cult. Does that mean those who own "Thriller"should be placed on a child-sex offender list an be barred from employment? I never thought Michael Jackson was very talented, so I look forward to throwing shit on his fans.
 
the state of journalism today in the UK is very disappointing :straightface:
The state of journalism today WORLDWIDE is very disappointing (see Claas Relotius case). Journalism has some quality issues... every second someone is posting opinions, news e.g. via social media. So jounalism is under extreme time pressure. And the magic triangle (time vs quality vs costs) strikes that branch much harder than before the social media age. Will we ever have quality journalism again?

And even more important:
Is the music branch struggling with similar effects?
Will we ever have quality music again?

Just some thoughts...
 
Listen son, i was heavily involved in the Morrissey scene for 30 years, travelled to gigs across continents, and have had encounters with Morrissey you can only dream of. It’s painful to me that he has shown himself to be a racist prick but the opinions of nobody’s like you don’t matter a f***.

Yeah stick to convincing yourself that he is hard done to, but don’t ever think you’re anything but a think gullible idiot.

And f*** Celtic too.

But you didn't have a problem with him approving of the IRA bomb in 1984 or writing songs about killing Thatcher I'm guessing.
 
So shouldn’t the article’s title read ...

'I feel like I've been had': A Morrissey collaborator responds to his politics’ ?

For only one person said ‘ I feel like I’ve been had’.
 
As a Londoner about town, if I ever bump into a Guardian journalist I'm gonna rip them a new quinoa hole.

Why not pop down and give them a gobfull, seeing as you are in London.

The Guardian - Kings Place, 90 York Way, Kings Cross, London N1 9GU
 
Funny how anons pop up and make posts like this. Unfortunately you make yourselves look foolish as some of the registered posters know what I do.
" They Know What I Do", you stupid f***er, what in God's name do you do? I'm pissing my sides here pal, lol....come on, tell us your big fat massive job, Taxi Driver? :rofl:
 
He says all kinds of ridiculous shit when he's pissed, just for a reaction. A couple of weeks ago he wanted to get married and have a baby (he is a very much out gay man). When he sobered up he was mortified. And strangely, I find I don't need your permission to post whatever I like about my friend. The only reason I repeated it was because KS was doing her sad best to troll me about it.

And Pep does her sad best to turn a blind eye towards Raggy’s self-professed racism.

Oh he’s just ‘pissed’ ! :lbf:

What a troll you are.




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