Morrissey has responded to reports that Merseyrail removed posters promoting his new album following a customer complaint.
The Liverpudlian public transport network took down posters for ‘California Son’ after a commuter complained about the singer’s political views, Morrissey has recently appeared to lend his support to For Britain, the controversial political party founded by anti-Islam activist Anne-Marie Waters.
In an interview with Music-News.com, Morrissey was asked if he had a message for Merseyrail and his “regular naysayers”. “It’s very Third Reich, isn’t it?” he replied. “And it proves how only the feelings of the most narrow-minded can be considered within the British Arts.
“We are not free to debate, and this in itself is the ultimate rejection of diversity. If you ever see Question Time on BBC1 it is always exactly the same panel. I am afraid we are living through The Age of Stupid, and we must pray that it passes soon. I’m only surprised that Mary Whitehouse isn’t on the ten pound note. But, no, I’m not about to go into combat with Mersey Rail … could life get any more mediocre?”
He added that he sees his “position in the UK” as “suddenly so abstract”. “The ONLY thing I haven’t been blamed for is the Normandy Invasion of 1944,” he said. “Give them time, I suppose.”
His comments follow the star responding to the criticisms of him wearing a For Britain badge during his performance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. As well as Merseyrail removing his album posters, it also led to his music being banned from the world’s oldest record store.
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In a message to fans on MorrisseyCentral.com, he wrote: “I am sorry the UK print media’s contorted interpretation of who and what I am has gone all wrong. In these days when most people are afraid to even whisper, the print media write as if someone is coming to get them. This aching nervousness brings on the vengeful and paranoid.”
‘California Son’ was released earlier this month. In a two-star review, NME said: “The unofficial line is that ‘California Son’ is a covers album because Morrissey wants his 12th studio record to speak for itself. Well, what it’s saying is that it’s not very good.”