Is there a more frustrating guy to be a fan of than Morrissey? On one hand, he’s made some great music. On the other, the dude can be straight-up insufferable. So, we thought we’d celebrate Moz’s birthday today by revisiting some of the most obnoxious quotes he’s ever given.
2011: In the wake of the Norwegian massacre in which Anders Breivik killed 77 people, Moz decided to bring up his animal rights cause, saying that the mass shooting was “nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried sh*t every day.” Not the time, dude!
2010: In a similar vein when discussing animal cruelty in China during an interview with the Guardian, Morrissey referred to the Chinese as a “subspecies.” This guy is just great at getting people on his side, eh?
2009: Morrissey bailed on his set at Coachella early, saying, “The smell of burning animals is making me sick. I can smell burning flesh… and I hope to God it’s human.”
2008: In a similarly bigoted statement, Morrissey lamented the problems with immigration in the UK:
With the issue of immigration, it’s very difficult because, although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears,” he said. “If you walk through Knightsbridge on any bland day of the week you won’t hear an English accent. You’ll hear every accent under the sun apart from the British accent.”
England is a memory now. The gates are flooded and anybody can have access to England and join in.”
2007: Moz made yet another controversial immigration comment, this time in NME:
“Although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous.
“If you travel to Germany, it’s still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity.
“But travel to England and you have no idea where you are”
2002: Moz on Elton John, from the documentary The Importance of Being Morrissey: “Bring me the head of Elton John… which is one instance in which meat would not be murder, if it were served on a plate.”
1996: Facing a royalty suit from Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, Moz said that he wished “the very very worst for Joyce for the rest of his life.” That’s actually one of the tamer ones on this list.
1994: After an incident in which Prince Charles is shot by an Australian student with a starting pistol, Moz stated that if he had been killed, it “would have made the world a more interesting place.” Not being a fan of all the insane hype the royal family gets is one thing. This feels like taking it a bit too far.
Date Unknown: I couldn’t figure out exactly when Moz gave us this nugget of wisdom, but it’s notable for being essentially the MRA manifesto:
It’s hard to be a man. It’s made to be hard and I don’t know why. I think it’s easier to be a woman. The women’s movement has been so successful; the men’s movement has never been accepted. I think it’s not wanted. I think the expectation that men be stoic and strong is so enormous that finally they decide that this is the attractive way to be. There’s more to life than being macho – such an ugly word – which is something that I realized at the age of one.
1984: After an assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher by the Irish Republican Army, Moz said that “the sorrow of the IRA Brighton bombing is that Thatcher escaped unscathed.” He backed this up in song four years later, when he suggested that Thatcher be decapitated:
