"Others conquered love, but Iran".

Even if there was enough interest in Iran for a Morrisey concert, and I doubt there is, surely westerners would not want to travel to see him perform there anyway. I think he made the comment just to get in the papers and sound controversial, and it worked. Ridiculous for an artist trying to be taken seriously. No wonder the press pay him so little attention if thats the most noteworthy soundbite he has to offer.

'Not aware of any censorship'?? Doesn't he know anything about Iran???

Manic Street Preachers played Cuba a few years ago and ended up grovelling before that grizzled old dictator (and, let's not forget, notorious homophobe) Fidel Castro like little schoolboys. It was horrible. Let's hope Moz isn't on TV bowing and scraping to that religious fanatic, woman-hater, murderous anti-Semite and Holocaust denier Ahmedinejad any time soon. Where next? Burma? North Korea?

And before anyone mentions Israel, I really don't think Moz should go there either - though I doubt his invitation has anything to do with the Israeli government (I could be wrong, of course). It certainly will have in Iran.

I've no doubt you could also make a good moral case for Moz not playing the USA (or, indeed, the UK). I suppose the main difference is that the US government hasn't tried to use him for its political advantage, while the Iranian regime certainly would, at least in the current confrontational climate. Morrissey really shouldn't allow himself to be manipulated.

then surely it's safe to assume that the powers that be in Iran have at least some knowledge of what he is about. They are hardly likely to expect him to go and play a heavily vetted set just because they have offered him a possible venue and deal. I still find it hard to believe though, goodluck to him if he does go but I can't help thinking he sees this as an anti-Bush/Blair exercise and probably worth a few column inches too.

Some persons thought Morrissey was joking about Iran .... and in fact not !!
He reveals his desire to sing there and said it in the answer to MY question on True To You.
It's funny to see that an article of the Independent is written "because of me" !! :)

Guillaume
Paris - France

I love Morrissey, but he can't even sell out his shows on the east coast let alone a show in Iran.

He is doing it to have bragging rights. He so wants that attention the media doesn't give him.

Who does Merck Mercuriadis work for now?

Is the writer of this piece trying to suggest that no-one dances at Moz gigs? If so, it's obvious he has never been to one!!

TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed to be delighted when reformist students disrupted his visit to their elite university in December, burning his portrait and shouting "Death to the dictator!"

ADVERTISEMENT

It showed the world that Iranians can protest "with an absolute, total freedom," the hard-line president wrote on his Web site.

But at least eight of Amir Kabir University's leading reformists have been arrested since May, according to their lawyers and activists inside and outside Iran.

They are among hundreds rounded up in recent months in a nationwide crackdown on those accused of threatening the Iranian system.

Two years after Ahmadinejad's election, the "Tehran Spring" of his moderate predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, is a fading memory. A deep chill has settled over those pushing for change inside the Islamic Republic.

Some dissenters blame the crackdown on the regime's fear of a U.S. effort to undermine it as tensions over Iran's nuclear program intensify. Others say the intent is simply to contain discontent fueled by a faltering economy.

Teachers, feminists, union leaders, journalists, students and at least four Iranian-Americans have been arrested over roughly the last six months.

Most have been freed after spending days, week or months behind bars. But many of their cases remain open in Iran's revolutionary courts, a parallel justice system that operates with few of the protections available in civilian courts, lawyers and activists said.

"The new government has increased pressures on the nation — students, laborers, intellectuals," said Ebrahim Yazdi, foreign minister after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's 1979 revolution and now leader of the banned but tolerated Freedom Movement of Iran.

"When laborers stage protest rallies, the government, instead of talking to them, takes them to jail. Women are jailed just for collecting signatures in support of women's rights," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Restrictions in Iran are far from absolute. Iranians criticize the government in public, and ignore a wide array of social regulations at home. Defenders of the system point out that is more open than in many nations in the region, including some of America's allies.

Iranian officials say the judiciary is simply prosecuting crimes. "Thank God, in Iran the rule of law prevails and the judiciary of the Islamic Republic is an independent branch," Ahmadinejad said at a news conference.

But the crackdown goes beyond the justice system. Books are more closely censored these days and newspaper editors are being told how to cover issues ranging from nuclear negotiations to local crime control.

"This is completely new and there hasn't been such a thing before," said Mashaallah Shamsolvaezin, head of Iran's Association for Defense of Freedom of the Press.

The annual spring enforcement of Islamic dress codes in Tehran was stricter this year, spawning hundreds of arrests. Amnesty International says executions went from 94 in 2005 to 177 last year, most for nonpolitical offenses.

At least 33 women have been arrested in recent months at rallies seeking change on issues such as legalized polygamy, child custody and a marriage age of 13, said Nasrin Sotoudeh, a lawyer for some of the women. About a third received suspended prison terms of several years.

Even the smoking of water-pipes in teashops, a beloved tradition, has been banned, officially for health reasons.

Campus poetry nights have been canceled, along with commemorations of past student uprisings. Bus drivers and other workers have been fired and arrested for union organizing, and nearly 300 teachers were arrested after demanding higher pay.

"Unfortunately our authorities declare any gathering which is not according to their wishes as being illegal," said Abdolfattah Soltani, a lawyer for bus workers and teachers.

An unknown number of cases remain designated as under investigation by the revolutionar

But going to Iran will either land you an a spot on Al Jazeera in some Anti West propaganda segment or you will say something or do something and will be taken hostage and UK servicemen will be sent in to rescue him.
I can't help but wonder if being gay is punishable by death in Iran why invite Morrissey?

Forget the shows in South Africa, NZ and Iran and get on with recording the new album!!

Moz should be the first rock star to boycott Israel!

Morrissey must be a tad tired of touring at this stage - having been on the road for (nearly) over a year now. Or more than a year? Anyway, it feels like he has been continously touring since ROTT was released.

A new album wouldn't go a miss. And not another compilation/ Greatest Hits Please.

off his fans in a recent interview
Well Morrissey - get ready to see a lot of women's eyes (and that's about it) and islamic fundamentalists who would like to see all homosexuals killed
Hey Morrissey - i doubt that many Iranians are rocking out to "Ringleader"
Also, I know you think Tony Blair and Bush are idiots (so do I) but I don't think your political opinion would matter much right now
As far as it goes - you are English and you are the enemy
But heym "to die in Tehran, well the pleasure, the priviledge is mine."

Morrissey has been thinking of letting her go but can't quite muster up the courage to drop her. So while Kristeen is performing the crowd will stone her and burn her crispy then she'll have a reason to howl and annoy, all while Moz is sneaking out on a plane.

People, notice the conditional modal 'would'... he WOULD love to sing in Iran...if all that many f you had pointed out did not actually take place in Iran. Morrissey knows there are tousands of lonely strange souls in the Muslim universe he WOULD love to sing to.

Now, is that hypothetical? I guess it is. Pay in Iran? He´d be burned by that beyond-all-sense rule that rules that country.

the US, the UK, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, France, Ireland, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Denmark, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Mexico, Greece, Luxembourg and now possibly New Zealand, South Africa, Israel and Iran, but not Canada?

Listen: we all love mozzer or we wouldnt be spending our time thinking about him and fantasizing about his thoughts and intentions. who knows why he would want to play in Iran. His best move would be to take his shirt off, leave it off, and have all the boys in the band strip down naked and have a big gaylove fest
world war fucking three!!!

I honestly hope he doesn't go.

nevermind all of this bollocks. where the hell is markfromscatter?

....how long have we known our man?....Since 1982/3...nearly 25 years...and what do we know?....well we know one thing...he has a great sense of humour.......HE...IS...TAKING...THE ..PISS!

Remember the recent EuroVision comment?

Sheridan

please god that you will escape unscathed. The publicity alone will attract at least one willing, brainwashed religious zealot to unleash their misguided fury in the shape of a bomb. I fear for your life enough as it is without you tempting fate and attracting a fatwa.

(Over?)reactions aside, I think we should take this story with a pinch of the proverbial salt and strip it down to the detail, wherein it says, "has expressed an interest". I've expressed an interest in being in the British Army Med Corp before now, but as it stands, I sell books for a living.

I can see why a Western artist who cared enough about foreign policy, government corruption and human rights would wish to play somewhere like Iran; the people need a sign that the world is watching and that they are not alone in their struggle to assert their basic human rights. I'm not setting Morrissey up as the saviour of civilization (though he's a better prospect than any of our current leaders) but when you empower a people through art, you empower them in real life. The fact that most of the West's current artists are of the bland, crass and faceless variety is why we have regressed and failed to challenge blatant corruption and dictatorship.

But, as people have pointed out, exactly what his fanbase will be in a country like Iran remains to be seen. Furthermore, the brand of Islam enforced over there probably restricts or excludes the use of certain types of music; can a better person than me tell me if they ban the use of string instruments? I know it is a requirement of fundamentalist Islam.

And yet, it could easily happen, President Ahmadinejad would be keen (just like Mugabe) to appease the West and show that all is well in his country by allowing a notable British pop star to play a gig; it would offer him perfect propaganda material. However, with Morrissey's need to speak his mind, I fear what could come his way on the part of the population. Not everyone hates a dictatorship and plenty of Iran's citizens would literally be gunning for his blood.

If you can find another way to peddle the diplomacy of pop music and fan the flames of a growing revolution, Morrissey, then please do. Beacause right now this world is too belligerent for a brilliant, beautiful, bigmouth such as yourself.

A few months ago I read an article about a German group of theater-actors that played in Iran. Apparently everything was censored: their texts, their costumes, their movements - & even after the censoring the actors where all the time afraid of doing something wrong during the performance. But they´re still going back there again & again, to bring their art to the people & I think that´s great.
So in that context (supporting the people) I would like Morrissey to go. But as many have pointed out, he has refused to play in Canada because of decisions the government made & so it would have to be taken as a pro-government statement if he played in Iran...
(About Canada: I would have thought it more helpful & reasonable if he had gone there for a few concerts & during each concert told the audience to please send letters of disapproval to the government, or to sign petitions...there could have been petition-tables outside the venues & so on.)

There was also an article with pictures about rock-concerts in Tehran (or maybe it was in the same article): the rock-band was on stage (& yes, they did look quite wilde), but the audience was seated, men & women strictly seperated on different sides of the isle. There were heavily armed men taking care that no one would get up & dance or even move or sing while sitting. I doubt Morrissey would enjoy that.
I don´t think it´s realistic to think he would really go there. Maybe he wasn´t completely joking when he said he´d love to (at least his ego might love it, or the adventurer in him), but all in all I can´t see it happen. But at least it did cause an interesting thread!
Well, he said "for this week it´s a dilemma"...if we can take him literally (yes, I know we usually can´t), we will know more next week. :-)

Morrissey boycotts Canada for whatever reason. A decent country.

Iran executes homosexuals.

Did you hear that, Morrissey?

Iran executes people like you just for EXISTING.

Have fun in Iran, Moz.

Morrissey won't play in Canada, but he'll play in IRAN???? What an idiot.

When you are a famous individual with a large fanbase, boycotting a democratic country attracts the attention and possible concern of the government of that country. The famous individual hopes that his/her fans will be angry and write to their government to voice their displeasure.

Unless you are bankrolling a dictatorship, boycotting the country under that dictatorship attracts no attention whatsoever.

At least that's the way I think Moz sees it, but then, he's his own man.

If one of the last bastions of nornal speak is attempting to make a journalist out of kristen yung, i'll willingly
shootthe editor
No, not meself, im not that stupid

is she perchance screaching about summat else she knows piss all about...e.g iran

Tonight instilled in me once more what a fantastic track this is--
One for my funeral corterge

Any yanks whove never heard it
Please take a listen
Its one of those songs you never forget

such drivel.
If it's proven to be true, all I can say is not only is it a slow week for news but Murdoch is more powerful than suspected.

Every paper will shortly be filled with kak

morrissey's a damned fool if he goes to middle east right now.

he's not serious. if he is, what the fuck is wrong with him?

Morrissey is a clever man.

No Canada, but he'll play Iran??? What a stupid, backwards idiot he is! He knows nothing of what's going on in this world, the moron.