Morrissey

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"Freedom of speech means the freedom for someone to say something you disagree with. If you don't believe in that, then you don't believe in freedom of speech."


I remember the fuss over "Suffer Little Children" and the utterly horrific crap which was thrown at Morrissey for it. Then the papers realised the Lesley Ann and Keith's mums really approved of the song and had regularly visited Morrissey. Lesley Ann's mum thought "Suffer Little Children" was very touching. The press had completely got the wrong end of the stick. Completely and deliberately. They hadn't even read the lyrics of a song they described as "evil".

"'Morrissey does this and Morrissey says that and Morrissey believes... and nobody asked me a thing. Nobody knew what I believed ..'
- Morrissey

Can you give exact quotes of what exactly Morrissey has said that you don't agree with. Actual quote and source. All the extreme racist stuff. Then we can read what you are on about.

First they came for the racists...

I have to admit, I feel some unease when I hear that someone has been sacked because of something they tweeted 5 years ago. It sometimes feels like a road towards McCarthyism using racism, sexism, homophobia, antisemitism as a proxy Communism.

Where are we going with all this? It's being weaponised against the left - See for example how the Labour Party suddenly became Anti-Semitic at the same time that a Leftist leader was elected.

See also the furure when Corbyn called May a "Stupid Woman". The fuss was about May's gender, but the insult was in describing her as "Stupid".

From a 1986 Melody Maker interview with Frank Owen. Pete Paphides flagged this up a year ago. Over 30 years ago, true.


Moz: "Reggae, for example, is to me the most racist music in the entire world. It's an absolute total glorification of black supremacy... There is a line when defense of one's race becomes an attack on another race and, because of black history and oppression, we realise quite clearly that there has to be a very strong defence. But I think it becomes very extreme sometimes."
"But, ultimately, I don't have very cast iron opinions on black music other than black modern music which I detest. I detest Stevie Wonder. I think Diana Ross is awful. I hate all those records in the Top 40 - Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston. I think they're vile in the extreme. In essence this music doesn't say anything whatsoever."

Interviewer: But it does, it does. What it says can't necessarily be verbalised easily. It doesn't seek to change the world like rock music by speaking grand truths about politics, sex and the human condition. It works at a much more subtle level - at the level of the body and the shared abandon of the dancefloor. It won't change the world, but it's been said it may well change the way you walk through the world.

Moz: "I don't think there's any time anymore to be subtle about anything, you have to get straight to the point. Obviously to get on Top Of The Pops these days, one has to be, by law, black. I think something political has occurred among Michael Hurl and his friends and there has been a hefty pushing of all these black artists and all this discofied nonsense into the Top 40. I think, as a result, that very aware younger groups that speak for now are being gagged."

Interviewer: You seem to be saying that you believe that there is some sort of black pop conspiracy being organised to keep white indie groups down.

Moz: "Yes, I really do."