On the iconic Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival this year, The Killer’s lead singer Brandon Flowers was joined by The Smiths Johnny Marr for a rendition of ‘This Charming Man.’ In a review, a music critic with NME noted that Flowers almost looked to be ‘auditioning to be the new Morrissey. Because we could do with one.’ This reference was to the ongoing drama surrounding former Smiths frontman Steven Patrick Morrissey and his politics. Questions surrounding Morrissey’s relationship to the British far-right and his artistic legacy are not just for music-lovers, though. They tap into broader philosophical debates about the intersection of fandom, free speech, and far-right thinking.
A controversial figure since the mid-1980s, accusations of Morrissey’s ties to the far-right have developed in recent years in various statements. Although Morrissey has denied accusations of ‘racism’ and ‘fascism,’ many of his comments appear infused with far-right tropes about Islam and immigration. For example, the singer has connected the Manchester Arena bombing to Theresa May’s immigration policies, claimed ‘halal slaughter requires certification that can only be given by supporters of ISIS,’ and characterized silence on halal slaughter practices as occurring because ‘It is exclusively popular with Islamists, and both Labour and the Conservatives desperately want the Islam vote… Migrant boats mean migrant votes, and so on.’ He has also spoken about the destruction of the ‘British heritage’ and how Labour and Conservative politicians ‘do not object to FGM [female genital mutilation], halal slaughter, child marriage, and so on.’
Morrissey has said ‘London is second only to Bangladesh for acid attacks. All of the attacks are non-white, and so they cannot be truthfully addressed by the British government or the Met Police or the BBC because of political correctness’ and declared the term ‘racist’ to be ‘meaningless,’ arguing that ‘Everyone ultimately prefers their own race… does this make everyone racist?’
