Top 10 Worst Things Morrissey Has Said And Done
Ava Richardson updates
Script by Jason Porter
He's upset – so everybody else should be, too. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down the Top Ten Worst Things Morrissey Has Said and Done.
For this list, we're looking at the most shocking and controversial things ever said and done by the famously glum singer-songwriter and former member of '80s alternative band The Smiths. Fans already know that Morrissey – known as “Moz” or “Mozzer” for short – has lots of strong opinions on everything from meat to Margaret Thatcher, the Royal Family, and much more, so we're limiting our list to no more than one entry per general topic.
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For this list, we're looking at the most shocking and controversial things ever said and done by the famously glum singer-songwriter and former member of '80s alternative band The Smiths. Fans already know that Morrissey – known as “Moz” or “Mozzer” for short – has lots of strong opinions on everything from meat to Margaret Thatcher, the Royal Family, and much more, so we're limiting our list to no more than one entry per general topic.
#10: Said Jamie Oliver Should Serve Up His Children
The “Pope of Mope” has never liked celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Oliver's zeal for cooking includes meat and fish-based dishes, and his popularity has made him a very influential figure among home cooks. That means he's an easy target for the strictly-vegetarian (and now vegan) singer. But 2014 saw Morrissey's bile for the TV chef rise higher than ever before – the singer made blog posts and public comments that year, saying that Oliver ought to try cooking his own children if he enjoys the meat of young animals so much.#9: Made a James Baldwin T-Shirt
One of the T-shirts advertised in 2017 on Mozzer's official merchandise site pushed quite a provocative message. The shirt paired the Smiths lyric “I wear black on the outside ‘cause black is how I feel on the inside," from the song “Unloveable,” with an image of 20th-century African-American literary giant James Baldwin, who wrote searingly about his ethnic and cultural identity. The resultant design conflated Baldwin and the song lyrics – which, uh, clearly embody two different types of “blackness” – into an awkward game of free association, and led to serious accusations of racial insensitivity.#8: Opined on Brexit
Morrissey is a staunch supporter of the UK's 2016 move to exit the EU, saying “the result [of the Brexit vote] was magnificent” despite many British citizens (and Morrissey fans) seeing it as a move in the wrong direction. His reasoning for his opinion? Brexit will help keep British culture pure. This isn't a new cause for the Mancunian singer, either - he's been quoted saying similar things about foreign influences in Britain for quite awhile, and even performed in front of a skinhead audience in 1992, complete with a Union Jack on stage.
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#7: Hated On Reggae Music
In 1984, Morrissey went on record (not musically) to say he despised reggae music. Fair enough – not everybody enjoys every genre of music. The real problem here is the reason he gave for disliking reggae: he called it “the most racist music in the entire world,” because, to quote the man directly, it's “an absolute total glorification of black supremacy.” He then punched holes in his already-dubious argument by going on to deride other Top 40 artists of the day, including Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, as “vile.” It sounds like Moz might have had more of a problem with black pop music than it ever had with him.#6: Trash-talked Britain’s Olympics
Despite his apparent concern for traditional British culture and his mistrust of foreigners and immigrants, Moz doesn't always have kind words for his fellow Brits either, especially not when they dare to feel proud of themselves. When London hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2012, most of the United Kingdom celebrated. Morrissey, on the other hand, described the festivities, and Britain's general attitude about the games, as "blustering jingoism," and compared the UK's pride in itself to that of Nazi Germany in 1939, on the eve of World War II. You don’t have to like the Olympic games to be wary of that hot take.#5: Insulted Fans Of Yet Another Musical Genre
Reggae isn't the only genre of music Morrissey has complained about. In a 1992 interview for Details magazine, he went on record saying that rave music was "the refuge for the mentally deficient," saying it was “made by dull people for dull people.” We'll admit that the state of dance music in the early 1990s had its less interesting contributions, but there was a lot of quality and Mozzer's words managed to insult an entire genre of music, all of its fans, and developmentally disabled people at the same time. Some forms of EDM may not have aged very well, but neither has this divisive statement.
#4: Hoped Meat Was From A Human Being
It's no secret that Morrissey despises meat and those who eat it. In fact, he often insists that venues where he performs go vegetarian for whatever night he'll be on stage, though the venues don't always comply. However, his reaction to the presence of meat at Coachella in 2009 went a wee bit too far. The virulently vegetarian singer smelled it cooking, and said, "I can smell burning flesh... I hope to God it's human." Don’t hold back, Mozza, tell us what you really think! We only hope Morrissey doesn't *actually* make an exception for human meat.
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#3: Played Down Mass Murder
Moz seemingly doesn't care nearly as much about all human lives as he does those of animals. One striking illustration of that fact came in the form of his response to Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik's mass murder in Oslo, Norway. In 2011, Breivik murdered more than 70 people in a far right-wing rampage. Responding to the event a few months later, Morrissey said that Breivik's actions were "nothing" compared to what fast food companies like McDonald's and KFC do every day. It was an appallingly tone-deaf and abrasive way to communicate his animal-welfare message.
#2: Was Straight-Up Racist
It may be predicated on his anger over China's treatment - or mistreatment - of animals, but Moz's 2010 statement to the Guardian regarding Chinese citizens is just plain horrible. Discussing the Chinese government's lax animal cruelty regulations, he remarked, “You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies.” This takes a nation of well more than a billion human beings and frames them as something other than fully human. It's a textbook example of outright racism, and it's all because he dislikes the way their government handles one specific issue. You'd think someone so critical of his own government would know better. Morrissey still hasn't apologized for the remark.Before we get to our number one pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions:
Refused to play because he was too cold
Called Robert Smith a "whingebag"
#1: Defended Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey
Few people are standing behind these two Hollywood fixtures since they were both accused of terrible sexual misconduct, but Moz has decided their cause is his latest hill to die on. He recently defended both men in multiple interviews, even in light of the evidence against them. What's worse is the way he did it - by acknowledging that the accusations might well be true and then blaming the victims for overreating or not anticipating what would happen. Bigmouth strikes again.So, what do you think of our list? What controversial Morrissey moments do you think should have been included? For more provocative Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
