is that one Boycott Morrissey person from Canada on this website FINALLY gonna shut up?

He should have done the shows. His poor Canadian fans probably agree with him yet can do nothing about the hunt.

Once again I an getting boycotted for something I have no control over. I protest, but still I am made to suffer the indignity of never having my idol play in my counrty again!

Moz just wants to see the seals happy. Not us, his Canadian fans.

Fact is, some are aware of it and some are not. It is not because we are igonrant. Moz is being a little ignorant here...come to Canada and raise awareness if you are so passionate about it!

To be fair, he hasn't ruled out these shows. Is "coming to visit" different from "coming to do some gigs"?

There was a point in my life where listening to The Smiths/ Moz made one a bit of an outsider or because one didn't quite 'fit in' or whatever - chicken or the egg? It was great going to shows and being part of a terrific community united to celebrate Morrissey's wit, music, humour and presence.

Now we're (Canadian fans) being continually alienated by someone that we once found sympathetic. Morrissey has become one of his headmasters.

Now, if I get the chance to see Morrissey, it will be to be entertained by his arrogance and the WORST part is I'll probably have to drive to the dreadful UNITED STATES to see it.

VS.

If the rest of the album sounds like "Thats How People Grow Up" there won't be a boycott of Morrissey. Just a general lack of interest.
The seal hunt is thousands of kilometers from where I live, and even further from my life. If you feel you need to alienate us Morrissey, then go right ahead. There are plenty of bands right here in Canada that I'll spend my money on. They are writing songs that are more relevant to my life then anything you have done in the recent past.

Hasn't moz had a number of shows in Mexico or Spain where an animal is killed for sport?

it's sad that he'd rather alienate his canadian fans boycotting something that i'm sure none of his fans have anything to do with. the seal hunts don't even happen in or near the cities he'd play. fuck, i live here and have never seen a seal, they are in the far north and on the coasts.

i'd like to see mozzer put is money where is mouth is and do a proper cross canada tour with part of the proceeds going to animal rights groups to fight for the cause.

instead he'd rather tour all over the USA where troops are killing people everyday overseas and their president is the biggest wanker alive.

I'm boycotting Detroit, Michigan. I'm sure they'll miss my tourist dollars.

I would have gone to V as it is not soooo far... but the seal killing is something that he is particularly sensitive to. Such matters of the heart and feeling cannot be contested by so called logical comparisons that aim to make the man out as a hypocrite. In fact going against his own heart and feeling would make him a hypocrite... and nothing else - nothing you say and no comparison that you make to spain or america can change that - because it is a matter of the heart and a unique human being with acute sensitivities to whatsoever strikes him... so why don't you haters lay off and respect his decision. Be upset that you cannot see him or whatever, fine, but don't put the man down for standing up for something with such heart, especially when the statement he is making is one of such a rare and valuable sentiment.

I totally agree with Morrissey.

No sarcasm.

I hope other artists and bands will follow his example.

The real reason morrissey wont play canada is because its easy for him to make some sort of statement in a country that has such a small amount of places he can play. There are 3 major market cities in this country, vancouver, toronto and montreal. Its a lot easier for him to not play here than a place like the united states where he can sell out many major markets. same goes with spain, mexico, and a bunch of other countries including his beloved england that hosts many events that are cruel to animals.

If the seals migrated to the usa and england and the hunt took place there, I guarantee he would still play these countries because it would be devastating to him financially not to.

If morrissey truly cared about the seals, he would make a canadian stop on every tour, doing a benefit show to help organizations fighting the cruel hunt and creating awareness. but when it comes down to it, its not a mater of caring for animals but one of money.

I love moz, but he needs to realize that his solution isnt the answer. At the same time, what can you expect from someone who supports and organization like PETA who kills countless animals every year, supports BSL and all sorts of other non animal friendly endeavors.

I will say this much. This statement seems more focused on the Canadian government, whereas last time he did not seperate his fans from the government. At least this time Moz isn't making me feel like I personally club seals. I still think this is the right protest, but the wrong way of handling it, there are a lot of Morrissey fans in Canada, and they are very passionate about the Moz. I Love Morrissey, Love him! It is truly heartbreaking that I will most likely never see him play Canada again.

Morrissey, just like few years back during a concert in London,just could not help to compare animal killing with WW 2 atrocties ... How can someone so clever claim such stupidity ?

As usual, a Morrissey statement containing lots of fair points on an emovite issue, and then he goes and ruins it my making an absolutely infantile comparison between a seal cull and the Gas Chambers.

He really can be an idiot sometimes.

Morrissey comes across as a sheepish dupe who is willing to go forth with what his commanders tell him to do (PETA), as long as it is financially viable, and aesthetically pleasing.

Once again, he demonstrates why he is a smart guy who isn't well educated.

Even associating yourself with PETA demonstrates that you have a poor capacity for reason.

Canadian fans should boycott his albums. Don't be a sucker.

it should be 'people such as me'!

where two teenage boys were executed in public recently for being homosexual.
yet you tell us you're thinking of playing there.
if you're gonna claim the moral highground, perhaps you should educate yourself a little more deeply about international affairs...
look forward to hearing your new song, 'because of my poor education'.

The strange thing is that Canada seems like quite a sensible place, which makes the seal cull seem even more barbaric.

I'm with the bloke up there who said it's in his heart that he cannot bear to play there. I don't personally think that him boycotting playing in Canada is going to make any difference, but if he feels so strongly about it (and enough to hurt his fans' feelings - because despite quite a lot of things, I think he does really care), then maybe it's something we should accept.

Then again, that's easy for me to say when I don't live in Canada....

I do wish he'd stop comparing it to gas chambers, though, but from his point of view, if he values animal life as being equal to human life, then it is, in Morrissey-speak, a valid comparison.

So in summary, I still think what I wrote two years ago.
http://prettypettythieves.com/moz/mozseals.htm

Guys can we stop bringing up Iran, etc, every time Morrissey brings up his concern for animal rights.

It's completely fallacious to say that we must all be concerned with all the moral outrages in the world equally and in a complete order of precedence.

If that were so then surely most of the money we spend on the national health service in the UK should be sent to the starving millions in Africa. And we should all be paying 90% tax or something, to support poorer nations.

No, there is nothing wrong with favouring a few moral projects and pursuing those the best one can. It's actually the only practical way to live, and we all do it.

You may not agree with Morrissey's stance on the seals (I don't, in fact) but incessantly bringing up other alleged moral outrages when he mentions the seals is just childish.

Suck it.

signed,

Morrissey

I think it's quite brave for Morrissey to take such a step. The thing is, noone but Morrissey fans will even take notice, and they're not the ones responsible.

What about all the innocent people the United States government is killing in Iraq? What about the fact that we still haven't signed the Kyoto Protocol and our capitalist greed is destroying fragile eco-systems and animals and plants are becoming extinct every day? Does this register on your conscience? Will you stop playing in America too?

I support any sustainable harvesting of any natural resource, as should any good environmentalist.

Fur is bio-degradable, and is infinitely preferable to synthetic material, produced from petroleum.

I love Morrissey's lyrics and music, which have enriched my life for 23 years.

However, just as I never listen to music written by MPs and Congressmen, I never take my politics from musicians.

Why don't you all take your pity naive cries and shove it where the sun don't shine?
You like your Morrissey to be some Gandhi/Mother Theresa/Jesus kind of person. Don't you have certain issues you favour and have a passion for?
If he shouldn't play anywhere where there's injustice and cruelty of any kind then his next gig will be at the dark side of the moon I'm afraid.
I'm swedish and Morrissey seems to have fallen in love with this country but he can't come here either 'cause women still don't get payed and have the same rights as men have etc...

I love Morrissey's candid sensitivity to the problem he is exposing. He really knows how to use words in a way that is touching and virulent at the same time. What is mostly refreshing is that he never lets his mind settle in that monochromatic, one-note, cliché that it is naive to try to change the world on your own - and that old other very convenient cliché, "life feeds on life", among many other well-sedimented ones. I love the fact that several times he's insisted on the lack of combination between humanity and hunting instincts - unless you think that tearing through a cabbage with a knife represents this instinct. People seem to forget all to easily even the most elementary concepts: predator and benevolent doesn't rhyme. If we find "kind-hearted" fishermen who are good fathers and good husbands, but treat seals and fish without any consideration they have a right to live, it doesn't mean they are good despite being hunters. It only means that there are areas in their souls where kindness was sadly unable to penetrate.

What I don't accept too well in Morrissey's discourse, however sensitive and thoughtful it is, is his nearly-exclusive focus on Canadian seal hunting. What about the countless other species of animals being unnecessarily decimated across the Earth, on an hourly, daily basis? What about the bats the Africans tie upside down and kill to produce cold medicine? What about the Gorillas that are beheaded and have their hands and feet cut off so their body parts can be sold in the market? What about wild horses that get hung upside down (like the bats) and have their throats slits and their flesh exported to the Chinese market? Why then does he focus so exclusively on seals, when so many other species of animals could definitely benefit from his words?

was a Yiddish writer who lost his mother, younger brother and other relatives in the Nazi concentration camps of WWII. A vegetarian for 35 years, he never shrank from the notion that the atrocities of the Nazis and the atrocities of the slaughter house were syptoms of our lack of empathy for other living things. As a matter of fact, he saw a direct link. In "The Letter Writer" one of his characters is contemplating the death of a mouse:

      "What do they know--all these scholars, all these
        philosophers, all the leaders of the world--about
        such as you? They have convinced themselves that man,
        the worst transgressor of all the species, is the
        crown of creation. All other creatures were created
        merely to provide him with food, pelts, to be tormented,
        exterminated. In relation to them, all people are Nazis;
        for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka."

He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1978. He never wavered in his belief that human barbarity to our fellow man was inextricably linked to our cruelty and inhumanity to animals.

I do not support people who cavalierly make comparisons to Nazi atrocities, that is no subject to ever take lightly. Morrissey, PETA and other animal-welfare advocates should be very careful when taking on the subject.

Singer, however, knew what he was talking about. He spent his life in contemplation of this very subject, and wrote heartbreakingly on the human capacity for cruelty, and compassion, in all it's forms.

           

So, a representative in the Canadian parliament is told, "Morrissey is boycotting us because of the seal killing!" Their response: "Who?"

Or

"Umm, Sir, the switchboard is overloading again with calls about the seals, brought on by that British guy who's touring the country all summer...and your e-mail is down again...and the picketers are here again...and the local newspaper is here again...and the local TV and radio is here again...and your car is covered with toy stuffed-seals covered in ketchup again... etc...etc...ect..."

Morrissey is a coward when it comes to action, which is the number one reason why people who cheer at his concerts when he makes idiotic statements like "Ronald Reagan is dead...it's about time...it should have been George W"...those people single themselves out to the rest of the crowd that they, too, are just about as worthless as Morrissey is when it comes to the topic of politics and the globe.

Morrissey is an expert pop historian with a great voice, sly lyric, and incredible stage show. He's expert in nothing else.

Is this an April Fools joke?!

Play the shows on the condition that they allow him to speak out about the seal-hunt and hold a press conference etc.

No better place to protest something than IN the country it's taking place.

The multi-million dollar documentary on the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan is really going to shcok Morrissey and just about everyone who sees it.

What Morrissey is saying in this piece is that seals are more worthy than any other creatures on this earth, including humans. The man may be deluded, but he's entitled to his opinion.

But it's not as if the canadians are missing out on anything. I was unfortunate enough to be present at several Moz shows on the YATQ and ROTT tours, and the guy is a washed up diva of the lowest order. He's been going through the motions for years, just raking in the cash and soaking up whatever devotion is left from his dwindling fanbase. What Morrissey needs is a period of sustained commercial failure, after which he may actually come to appreciate the fans he has left.

..it is to boycott your Canadian fans....

make it a big tour against seal-clubbing and donate every pound to organisations who fight this cruelty...

THAT and only that would be a true statement...

Morrissey is obviously losing it....
i'm dissapointed (and not even canadian)

With seals, not for them.

Do you think that seals around the world will now go into their local record emporium and purchase his Greatest Hits? they're so cute though. ah bless.

At least he admits to his infalliblity in his statement but what about the elephant cull about to occur in South Africa? Even conservationists think it needs to be done. Or the badger cull in Britain? And on and on and on.....

bb

Sorry,Canada, that Morrissey chooses not to tour your country--but why are you slamming the U.S. because if it?

Get a grip.

Morrissey, I love you dearly but just f*cking play in Canada already. I'm not even Canadian but it's just so ridiculous to alienate Canadian fans for something that is beyond their control.

It's not that big of a damn deal. It's as if he thinks he's helping the seals by simply refusing to go to Canada. This is all just incredibly stupid.

I'm a Canadian. More to that, I actually know of people who join in the seal hunt, not friends/family but people I know. As a firm animal rights supporter, I myself have been protesting the hunt for years now, but each season my thoughts land on deaf ears.

At times I feel to be a Canadian and is to be a Dixie Chick. Speak out against and you will be ignored or ridiculed.

So, as to what Morrissy says and does; I wish he would come here and lead some sort of protest against it. Maybe use his time here to bring more awareness to the issue. On the other hand, the hunt is such an awful thing with a terrbile history that I can see why someone might choose to never come here. I'm hoping that in the future the backlash and mud on Canada's name will put an end to the hunt. That, however is something that ultimatly must be done by governments and they don't tend to listen to their people -or Morrissey.

As a Canadian I feel sort of stuck. So, to anyone who feels the need to slam Canada, do what you will, but try to remember that there are some of us who actually don't find much comfort in the hunt.

Good for Morrissey. If you Canadians want Moz to come to your country, then why don't you do something to stop the seal clubbing? Go and stage a protest or something. Or better still, club the clubbers to death with your own baseball bats. Show Morrissey some respect. You big Canadian dimwits.

I have trouble understanding why people that in most cases agree with Moz on this are so easy to bash him for refusing to play there. If you agree with him, the next logical thing to do would be to take it up with the Canadian government as opposed to slamming Moz.

I sense it is far easier and more convenient to take issue with him for doing the right thing than it is to actually put the work in to change the policies regarding the murdering of seals. Put forth an effort to make a change.

And here I thought we Americans were a lazy lot.

As someone who lives in Canada and has been a devoted fan of The Smiths / Morrissey since I could dance this is the one area I have to say Moz has gone too far. There's much more he could do to get his point across or better yet bring attention to the masses about this horrific event that even us as Canadians are, for the majority appalled at.

To boycott Canada once again serves no purpose. If you, Mr. Morrissey were serious about a true Boycott then why did all your new material find its way on to our store shelves? I'm sure the rewards you reap from our dollars are all donated to PeTa. Or did it make its way in to your bank account?

To punish your fans this way is something I never imagined you would do. Now who will sorrow come to in the end?

about time they get exposed

Moz's concern for animals is of course very touching.

Here in Britain, an African student who had the temerity to become terminally ill during her visit has recently been deported to an inevitable, premature and lonely death in Accra.

A gay Iranian teenager whose partner was executed in that country for sodomy currently faces deportation as well.

Both these people, along with countless others, are victims of a media-led popular hysteria to which the Brown government feels compelled to offer succour.

It would be just fantastic if celebities (who are inherently of interest to the media) would stretch their compasssion to reflect on the fate of these people before they go sounding off to magazines &c.

Why not save ALL the animals - including the people?(!)

I know you read the forum. Please ask Morrissey to reconsider. He would be better served doing a benefit show to raise awareness...he could play Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver and donate the proceeds to fighting the seal hunt. It is very unfortunate that having been a fan for more than 15 years, I am now unable to see Morrissey in my own country. There are many fans in Canada, I can assure you we do not club seals, or wear fur. Why are we fans made to suffer? There are more fans at a Morrissey concert in a samll venue, than there are seal hunters throughout Canada. It makes no sense that because of the innane actions of a few, we must all suffer. Please ask him to reconsider. I do not see Paul McCartney boycotting Canada, rather he raises awareness of the issue, please, can't Morrissey do the same, come to Canada, we Love Morrissey. Thank you!

I wonder if we can look for a letter like this evey time the hunt happens. I wonder if it will do any more good than the last one?
Doubt it.

The seal cull went on long before Morrissey jumped on the band wagon with McCartney and bono. He seemed fine with doing shows there for a long time. Wonder what changed, and why he has to rag on the Canadians?

Loyola Hearn is the Canadian Minister of Fisheries. His office in Ottawa is (613) 992-0927
his office in Newfoundland is (709) 772-4608 or email him at Hearn.L@parl.gc.ca I encourage everyone to call or phone him and make know how you feel...that includes our American and UK friends!

very very loaded statement from mr morrissey. he perpetually comes across as a sad grumpy old man. shame

'especially menacing'?? Is seal-killing any worse than cat-skinning, whaling and killing dolphins??

British Icon Morrissey has decided to "stop fooling around".
"I am almost 50, and it's obvious by now that, in spite of what Mother said, i'm not going to live forever."

Recently moved to tears by the fate of baby seals (when a reliable source has confided he never cries for anyone), Sir Morrissey has decided to "do his bit".

"People keep saying I'm a hypocrite, and I must admit it's true: until now, I've always put myself first. Even the cutest baby seals always came second. But that's going to change. I'm a new man."

When asked if anything in particular prompted this change, the Iconic Briton just smiles.

"Well, there's someone very, very special in my life."

This very special person, it transpires after a few vodkas, isn't the pretty miss Y. ("far too superficial"), but someone " with badly cut hair".

We immediately think of Patti Smith, but the Icon-Artist loses his saintly patience.

"No! It's someone who's extremely devoted to me, who's been everywhere with me...And I don't see what's funny in that, really!" he scolds.

And?

"And well, she cares for baby seals too, in fact they're number 2 on her list of People With Special Needs, right after me, and after a few years of private maths classes, she finally put two and two together, and decided to stop collecting Air Miles to give baby seals what they want: good ice."

Long story short, the guy has finally realized that the music industry is detrimental to the planet's climate. So he's decided to boycott himself.

"No more air travel around the world. No more trees sacrificed just because I have this urge of printing a picture of my bottom. All this is over. From now on, I'm going to listen and do what Nature says."

So don't expect plastic cases for the new record. We can reveal it won't be an object at all. ("There's enough rubbish with my name on it all over the planet already"). Someone has finally understood the need to dematerialize music.

Any plans for the future?

" Well, J. (-the U-turn girl, editor's note-) has bought an ice cream maker, we plan to invite a few seals over and together we'll mend what we can."

Enjoy retirement, Mor-Icey. And ...Go with the floe!

*(April fool's day. Shame eh.)*

No w you know how us Australians feel. He boycotts us on a yearly basis and we aren't killing anything!

First of all, it's "slaughter" not "murder", a fact Johnny Rogan points out in his discussion of "Meat is Murder." You can kill a seal. You can slaughter a whole bunch of them wantonly. You can't murder one.

Second of all, Morrissey's rhetoric is way overheated. At least, familiarize yourself with both sides of the issue before rushing to join the predictable Official Team Morrissey Yay Seal Boo Canada Defense Team: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/sealhunt/

Finally, Morrissey not coming to Canada is a blessing. Not even a blessing in disguise, anymore after ROTT. Just a blessing.

you'll get to see leonard cohen!