This must be one of the busiest times ever for this website.

I hope the NME get whats coming to them..

It will be interesting to see if this is what finally puts the NME out of business.

i am withholding true judgment until i buy my import copy next week (i'm in the US) and judge for myself.

i can say that i don't like the sound of this kind of thing though... as i'm extremely sensitive to anti-immigration sentiments, being a US-born citizen of latin descent. in the US at least, anti-immigration rhetoric (from the left and right) 90% of the time reeks of racism or hypocrisy, usually both.

-Lifetime Morrissey Fan, suddenly disappointed

Morrissey did make those comments.

While I absolutely believe that the N.M.E. was disgustingly sly in their set-up, I don't think a lawsuit will do much.

It seems like this will turn out to be a fruitless case, and as fans we will have to endure a slew of childish songs calling for the death of the N.M.E.

Morrissey should have known better than to discuss such things with the paper. He looks foolish, and the N.M.E. looks unprofessional as always.

and no good will come of it.

After reading the interview, and some of the coverage, it is obvious that there is defamation of character here. Even the journalist admits that the article was re-written. I don't agree with Morrissey's views, I think they are way too simplistic, but he is in no way a racist.

England could never be English enough for such a romantic, he's always made statements to that effect.

Furthermore, he has generated more love and saved more lost souls than just about any other artist out there. That is his real story. Everyone who is gutting him should ask themselves how such a thing is possible. The NME should be ashamed of their attacks on a man who has always presented too easy a target, because he does not edit himself or parse his words.

This is real trouble, and grueling, protracted legal proceedings are only going to hurt both the NME (who richly deserve it), and Morrissey himself (whose fantastic legacy will once again be overshadowed).

Good luck Morrissey, we know you're no hater.

Sheeesh, can we ever live without an open can of worms?

Whatever Morrissey said about Britain's lost identity, I'm sure it didn't have racist implications.

Maybe eventually I'll learn to "photobucket" videos, and be able to upload here one in which he stands so passionately on the side of Mexicans who live in Los Angeles.

In the video, launched back in February, during the Polyforum shows, he says: "I don't understand why Mexicans are treated as second-class citizens. They were here (in CA) first, they were the ones that built it.

I also heard that, back in 2000, he had an awsome experience in Brazil.

How can people manage to overlook all these past interviews and focus only on scandals that declared he was racist, like the one in 1991?

Given all he stood for, comments on him being racist shouldn't even be considered mentioning... which is why I think I feel such a fishy odor coming from the headquarters of NME...

I find this whole business wholey ridiculous and a complete waste of time. First off this story didn't originate from some secretely taped conversation that Morrissey had with someone he thought wasn't a journalist. He sat down and had these interviews with someone who was there to quote every word that came out of his mouth. He knew he was going to be quoted and judged on what he said and on his opinions on the matters discussed. It is a pretty stupid stance for someone from an immigrant background anyway but lets not lose sight of the fact that if Morrissey can't avoid these issues coming up in interviews then he should expect all he gets for saying these rather risque comments. I think it is a publicity stunt in support of the drip fed tour that seems to be happening and a new deal. Simple as that there is no right or wrong just publicity to be had and papers to sell.

we need to stop overreacting already, noone died.
jeez louise... drama much!

I hope this case might finally put NME out of business. Some of you might remember a case in the early 90's when The Face Magazine (UK Fashion & music mag, now gone) "outed" Jason Donovan as being gay - although this man is and has always been as straight as a ruler.
The Face magazine nearly folded financially as a result and had to make a public apology to Jason Donovan. The Face did manage to continue but for a while their future looked uncertain.

Everybody knows that magazine sales are down due to internet. The only mags that still sell well in the UK are the weekly fashion & lifestyle mags aimed at female readers - the ones with lots of pictures of lots of different designer handbags which no-one can afford!

NME these days is pretty useless. They have a history of hyping bands up and then eventually ridiculing them. What happened to SUEDE is a good example: The venom they received from NME towards the end of their career was unbelievable. Obviously Morrissey is a tough one because he doesn't fit in their category and doesn't need NME's support in order to be successful - it's the other way round: NME needs Morrissey to sell copies.

Generally NME has very little respect for ANY artist and they are very quick to change their opinion at a drop of a hat. We need some new blood, something like Select magazine was. Something more reliable and not based on trends.
So I am looking forward to wave goodbye to NME - for good.

Morrissey says what the majority feel ,but as an English person , you are not allowed to raise concerns or voice those concerns for fear of being brandished x, y and z.

Im sick and tired of being told that we should embrace other cultures at the expense of our own.

Yes our island is at breaking point...yes thats correct we are an Island that cannot sustain the influx of people from overseas , that is a fact.

And why should we embrace them? , the amount of British people migrating is very very worrying.

Whilst the NME have behaved like total twats - I will never buy a copy again - I think suing is a mistake. Who reads the NME these days anyway? Suing will just give their dreary little publication more attention than it deserves.

It's too bad that NME didn't just say to Morrissey, 'We don't like what you said and we will not be printing your interview', but of course they want to sell magazines and throw their own agenda into the mix to look like heros. They are clueless and zeros.

Is he going to wish the same fate on the NME as he did with Johnny Rogan? I feel another case coming up at the high court.... and i hope the NME gets shut down-it's a pile of rubbish anyway.

Nowt on the NME web site yet. Fuckwitts.

JC

Sue the pants off of 'em and take over the rag.

NME will probably still continue. Magazines get sued all the time.

ohhhh it's so painfully BORING

but hey Moz, England can't be THAT different if the same magazine is giving you the exact same kind of shit 25 years later right? always the same cycles in this culture of yours, right?

heh just kidding i suppose.

the whole 'Love Music Hate Racism' NME thing is horribly simple-minded and annoying anyway. sure, some of Morrissey's songs deserve to be called into question, but NME clearly have no idea what they're doing. what is Conor's beef with Morrissey?

i seriously doubt the suit will threaten NME's existence though; some of the reactions here seem way overblown.

and ugh i don't want to hear any more songs about lying journalists either
they are all so very very boring
even when they are written by Morrissey they are boring
ick.

love, math+

In this interview, with the very magazine that branded him before as a racist for merely not commenting on the significance of draping a Union Jack around himself, Morrissey has walked right up to the line as far as it is possible to go without crossing it. It appears we are not privy to the central comments for which he is sueing the NME, and he might be wiser to drop the threat and issue a public statement instead condemning the responses there as facile etc. He is a ‘living sign’ of the real consternation around the modern phenomenon of diversity.

He supports immigration but has personal reservations about some of its manifestations. He is not racist and has peppered his conversation with placeholders that reinforce this, such as his fondness for people from different countries he meets on his travels and his favourite actor/singer. He misses something that was more present in the past which seems to be something like an English culture. What is this and how much should or can be sustained and celebrated into the future?

He did pen this lyric which suggests that his wish is to be a proud English person without recourse to a regime of domination and elevated rights:

  - Irish blood, English heart, this I'm made of
There is no-one on earth I'm afraid of
And no regime can buy or sell me

I've been dreaming of a time when
To be English is not to be baneful
To be standing by the flag not feeling
Shameful, racist or partial

Irish blood, English heart, this I'm made of
There is no-one on earth I'm afraid of
And I will die with both my hands untied

I've been dreaming of a time when
The English are sick to death of Labour
And Tories, and spit upon the name of Oliver Cromwell
And denounce this royal line that still salute him
And will salute him forever -

To be honest, I've got absolutely no sympathy for Moz in this. Quite why he went anywhere near the issue of immigration in the presence of an NME reporter is completely and utterly beyond me.

That said, I don't think for a second that this is the stitch-up that some are suggesting. Note that there's no challenge in the legal document to the accuracy of the quotes, and to be honest there's not much room to argue that they're our context or that there should be a smiley face after any of them. If I was an editor and I sent a writer off to interview someone, and they came back with quotes like that, too right you'd reshape the story and emphasise them.

Before I read the piece I thought that it might've been six of one/half a dozen of the other, but after reading it, in all fairness, and much as I absolutely hate what NME has turned into, I think Moz has absolutely no legal recourse here, and that he's got no-one to blame for himself for all of this.

I don't think he's racist, and I don't think any of the comments are out-and-out racist, but then on the other hand I really don't think NME have made huge leaps in the editorial surrounding the interview. He's complaining about the results of immigration - no question about it. Again, I find myself asking why the hell he chose an NME journalist to air views like that.

"Tim Jonze, the freelance journalist who interviewed Morrissey, told the BBC that he didn't approve of the singer's comments and had found them 'offensive'."

So it's now illegal to express an opinion in the UK then in case it upsets some arsehole twat from the NME. Fuck off Jonze you wanker!

here
http://jdm7.blogspot.com/2007/11/morrissey-continu es-to-churn-promotion.html [blogspot.com]

Moz raised the subject himself when asked about the possibility of him moving back to England. He didn’t have to mention the issue of immigration and could easily have deflected when the interviewer pressed for more, as any decent journalist would. Instead, he elaborated in a deliberately obscure and provocative way.
When re-questioned over the phone Moz gabbles nonsensically (Oscar Wilde he aint). He’d made a revealing slip by bringing the subject up in the first place and then compounded it by expressing the views of a rich, fat-bellied British ex-pat. Can you really blame NME for rising to the bait? Moz’s views may not be racist but they are undoubtedly anachronistic – the subject simply isn’t that simple these days.
Then again, isn’t Moz just being Moz; never explicit, always provocative and yet ever sensitive to criticism?
Great publicity ‘though. If I were more cynical, I would think this had all been carefully planned.

“Morrissey’s parents were immigrants”, “Morrissey is now living in Rome”, “Morrissey has been living in LA”, etc., etc., etc. – blah blah blah – has now been exploded and splattered all over the internet and press with the same redundant quotes over and over and over again like a flesh eating virus. Unbelievable. A defamation suit is rightfully in order here – no questions asked. Here’s what happened – the “enemy” carefully orchestrated the question regarding Morrissey returning to Britain knowing that Morrissey would be responding in a manner of free thinking. Right there they knew that they were going to be setting Morrissey up to say something that they could utilize to sabotage him. It is blatant how strong Morrissey’s views are with regards to politics. Everybody knows this. This is a personal vendetta against Morrissey and appears to have been carefully calculated and thought out well before the interview. Psychology was blatantly utilized to get Morrissey to keep talking and talking so that it could later be twisted, spinned, and twirled into something that could be construed as evil and bad.

All Morrissey did was express facts of what did and did not occur and what is and is not occurring in Britain. Nothing more – nothing less. He is clearly not a racist as everybody knows but his reputation now because of the “enemy” – is that he is one. This is going to damage his career and the tactics and false allegations have already been exploded like nuclear bombs all over the net and newspapers – and this will blatantly affect people’s views on him who do not know him well or would be contemplating buying his future music. He is already being damaged in his career – and I can only imagine the psychological damages he is going to be incurring because of this libel and slander.

I use to say Mike Gross was bad but the NME makes Mike Gross look good.

If I see one more time about Morrissey’s parents being immigrants or that he lives in Rome, I think I’m going to puke.

Enough is enough. This is very disheartening and it makes me very very sad. I also feel very very sad that Morrissey has to go outside now.

I love you Morrissey.

Life is a pigsty and I knew it before you sang it.

I´ve just read the interview & it seems to me that the NME is DESPERATELY TRYING to find fault in Morrissey´s words...even wondering "what Morrissey´s motivation had been for bringing it up" {the topic of immigration}.
His motivation had quite obviously been one of the questions he had been asked, he had brought the topic up as part of a reply.
& the NME couldn´t figure that out even after reading the transcript? I find it hard to decide whether to laugh or to cry at the sight of such real or pretended ignorance.
I can understand Morrissey´s anger.
He makes clear that he believes racism is ignorant & I´m not sure what exactly the NME is going on about...but I´ve understood one thing after reading the interview:
with the words "oh no, not again" on the cover the NME weren´t referring to Morrissey´s words, they were referring to THEMSELVES, to how they once again are trying to make Morrissey look racist! ;-D

What strikes me are the two quotes available from Tim Jonze.
Whereas he stated in his letter to Merck Mercuriadis that "virtually none of it {the rewritten article} is my words or beliefs", he apparently told the BBC that he didn't want his name on something he hadn't written, "even if some of it might have been similar to what I wrote originally".
Strictly spoken this isn´t a contradiction, but it sure sounds like two very different statements. My initial thought was that maybe he´d been threatened with the loss of his job if he didn´t modify his first statement.

It´s sad that over this battle the other remarkable parts of the interview/article are ignored.
I personally had a good laugh at Morrissey´s image of him rescuing people from a burning house & the press searching for an ulterior motive.
& that he would actually come to the interview in one of his "Je suis Morrissey"-shirts also put a huge grin on my face, it seems so childish & megalomaniacal at the same time...loveable & a bit absurd, like thumbing his nose at the photographer. :-)
(Though of course there is space for doubt as to if these things are true, since he isn´t wearing that T-shirt on the picture & the NME doesn´t seem to be very trustworthy. Still, an enjoyable imagination).

Wishing everybody a pleasant day (or night, depending on where in the world you are & when you read this) & to Morrissey, Merck Mercuriadis & their lawyers: good success! :-)

the whole thing is stupid beyond belief: Morrissey's parents were Irish immigrants, he came from an underpriviledged segment of English society, he resents the pompuous British royal family. What sense would it make for him to proclaim himself as authentically "English" when he admits to having "Irish blood" himself, and therefore not being fully English?

He might have said something about how England's ethnical profile has changed, but I don't think it was in the racist context NME's interviewer was implying.

I think it's entirely legitimate to discuss the impact of immigration into the UK.

Most right thinking people would agree that immigrants have made - and continue to make - a very positive contribution to the country in all sorts of ways. And I'm sure Morrissey would agree with this as the son of Irish immigrants.

But, unless you believe in immigration without limits, it's only sensible to discuss what numbers are managable and the impact they might have, both in a practical sense and on our identity as a nation.

This has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with common sense. Anyone who suggests otherwise is simply using this incendiary term to stifle debate.

Sadly, the hysteria that has greeted Morrissey's comments demonstrates how impossible it now is to even raise the subject.

I find this very worrying; have we really got to the stage where it is not even possible to discuss the impact of immigration for fear of being run out of town?

This 'political correctness' actually plays into the hands of the racists.

There is a legitimate debate to be had about immigration into the UK and Morrissey is as entitled to express his opinion as anyone else.

I consider myself to be a liberal, tolerant person who naturally embraces people from other ethnic backgrounds, but I share Morrissey's misgivings about the scale of immigration into the UK and our ability to manage and incorporate so many people.

If you disagree, then oppose with reasoned argument.

I really believe Morrissey is NOT xenophobic, racist or even a Nationalist.
I don't truly understand what Morrissey is though.
Is this really a publicity stunt? Why have this as your publicity stunt it seems strange?
We all know what Morrissey's roots are that is clear a working class lad of little formal education, Irish, English, Mancunian, Roman Catholic now living in Rome.
Morrisssey has nostalgia for the Britian/England of the 1940s/1950s/1960s even the 1970s he also seems very interested in British working class culture and youth movements.
People always talk about his vegetarianism and has sexuality too which gets boring. This is boring now. Morrissey is a great singer and song writer the rest of it doesn't matter!!
The press can get things very wrong we all know that.

For those of you who continue to use such lines as "Morrissey's parents were immigrants," forget that Morrissey, and his family assimilated into English society, and Morrissey developed an English identity.

The same point is relevant to the immigration discussion in America. Most Americans are completely fine with legal immigration. What they do have concerns over is illegal immigration, and the lack of assimilation show by many Mexican immigrants. I've experienced this first hand. Too many Mexican immigrants place little emphasis on education, and learning English, which only perpetuates poverty in the country.

The reason the vast majority of the American population does not have any issue with most M.E. immigrants is because they have, for the most part, assimilated, and contributed positively to society.

This is why the throwing around the word "racism" every time the subject is broached comes across as ignorant, and unintelligent.

My torts professor called libel and defamation "twenty ways to lose a court case."

It's especially hard for celebrities to win. Politicians in the course of their jobs can defame anybody they want and nobody can touch them.

However, here in America, celebrities can win defamation based upon "actual malice." Even so, burying Morrissey's actual words in the article would probably be enough to get them off...over here. I understand that the standards are lower in the UK so that people are much more successful.

Maybe they assumed that it would be a repeat of Finsbury Park and they thought that Morrissey would just slink off into the shadows and write a few depressed songs about it. Yet, there is one key difference this time: the 'Tards screwed up because they left an actual paper trail which shows nothing but bad faith and lies on their part. even better, they sent them DIRECTLY to the opposing party. How damn dumb do ya gotta be?

After reading Tim Jonze's lameo response and the fact that he conducted a second interview to "clarify" the remarks that this was going to be a hatchet job. My god, what a weenie to be all "oh, poor me and my article being hijacked to libel Morrissey" but then to be the tough guy "oh yeah. I hated what Morrissey the racist scum said!" to the BBC.

Dude, if not a single other big name artist wants to interview with you again, it's your own damn fault. Do you think that the majority of those artists who have management companies that closely control their image will tolerate a reporter that does that kind of shit? You were probably better off playing like you were the victim in scenario one. Now, you've essentially exposed yourself as a guy who has no trouble springing nasty surprises on people.

Oh well. I'm sure you'll make some woman happy by finally getting a "real" job when you can't find any more work.

Show them what you're made of, boy!
Sue the hell out of their manipulative, sensationalistic arses.

Morrissey is human? No! Could this possibly be true!? He shits and he shaves and he fucks up like all of do, and often.
Seductive crooner? Yes. Prone to idiocy? Yes. Often? Yes.
He sings. We listen. We like.
When will you learn that all of you are more important and should be paid far more than this old man? Sing Your Life? Yes. But please live ours and pay for...oh it doesn't matter. The ones who know are laughing.
One leg into the trousers just like us all.

cant stand the old bastard anymore. lawyar liar ... blahblahblah.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts-%26-entert ainment/immigrants-'too-cheerful'%2c-says-morrisse y-20071130568/

I didn't want to comment on this until I'd had a chance to send an angry letter to the NME. But as I was writing, something occurred to me, at what point does he mention race? It's the NME who do that, asking him about 'Asian' fans. His comment about accents was badly worded, but it was presented as a statement of fact with no personal opinion attatched to it; he said "to many people, it's shocking" not "to me". However, racism refers to prejudice based on the colour of someone's skin or genetic background. Morrissey never mentioned a specific race except when highlighting his favourite actor and singer.
So, once again, where's the racism?
What's more, he could easily win a defamation case on the issue of the front page alone, seeing as that 'quote' is two separate answers to two seperate questions. He says the country 'was thrown away' (note WAS) in answer to a question about English national identity vs other countries national identity. He says the 'gates are flooded' when asked what he thinks about immigration in his parents' day vs immigration today, i.e. there's much more of it and this country can't cope. He could have worded his answers much better, he's probably wishing he'd never mentioned it in the first place, but the NME add those comments together and present them out of context, thus making him sound, at best reactionary and at worst, prejudiced. Furthermore, read that NME summary very carefully, at what point does Morrissey "imply that he would shut the gates to people coming to live in the UK"? Again, they've put words into his mouth. He says "you have to allow others the same freedom to travel" that he has.

I don't agree with everything Morrissey said, I think that if you go to another country and ask their views on national identity, they'll say much the same as we do; we don't have one. And yet, any issue of immigration aside, I can see exactly what Morrissey is saying. The perception of national identity is there for other countries. Even Scotland, Ireland and Wales have a perceived identity, but England is just a collection of regions with a North / South divide. Morrissey clarifies that he thinks uncontrolled immigration is just one of many reasons for this and delving back into that issue, how is the immigrant supposed to integrate in a country without an identity?

If this whole debacle wasn't so awful, it'd be comical. This is where we stand in the 21st century, unable to comment on an issue for fear of upsetting people. Read that initial comment wherein he brings up immigration. He admits it's a difficult issue and then submits the idea that it's eroding a past identity (the past identity on which Morrissey's songwriting once thrived). He then says "I'm not sitting here saying it's a terrible thing". That run of 5 questions was enough, if the NME had left it there, they wouldn't be open for libel and Morrissey may have faced one or two letters about clarifying ambiguous views. Instead they go for him, give him a grilling at which even Paxman would balk and then execute a ludicrous summary that bears no relation to the interview that precedes it. If you believe that this is just my view then go to the Guardian and look up 'Mozgate', their article says exactly the same thing.

Morrissey, Morrissey, Morrissey, we live in dangerous times my friend. I admire you for still speaking your mind, you're a brave soul, but I fear that one day you're going to land yourself in hotter water than this. Remember that comment you made about Thatcher and the Brighton bombing? Well, if you said anything similar about a politician now, you'd be prosecuted.
And yet, I hope Morrissey continues to speak his mind, because I believe that, within reason, you should be able to say what you think without worrying if the law or the PC brigade is listening. I mean, do we really want to live in a world where you're not allowed to say 'black board' in schools because it may be considered offensive. You think I'm joking? It's actually been decreed that you have to say 'chalk board'. Going too far in

Did anyone see Question Time last night?

Moz (and his alleged comments) were the topic of the final question. First time I've seen that happen.

It's interesteing to see how far these comments have spread. Also interesting to see that all the panellists took it for granted that Moz said all the things attributed to him.

Go lawsuit!

what he said is not racism just factual.

I am considering leaving the States though because it is losing its identity with all these Brits and euro trash coming over. Tesco's is even opening here!

No more good days. NME today is a shame to music fans all over the world... boring, upset and very stupid. Sensationalist magazine.

Send 100,000 French immigrants to London!

From ManchesterCondidential:-

""Morrissey Awareness Week
After the NME lost its head yesterday about Morrissey allegedly being nasty about immigration, Sleuth has found spontaneous outbursts of support for the singer breaking out across the city. This is the best so far. Here, on Market Street, we have Metropolitan interactive art student Lora Marsden, complete with tattoo, declaring Morrissey innocent of all charges. Very interactive indeed. No doubt, this protest will grow exponentially during the day, until Manchester storms the NME to tar and feather the feeble editor with his silly sixth form opinions. Or maybe not."

Pictures on the site as well!

Brel (not been on for ages. My broadband wont support this website for some reason?)

trendy pages of tacky shite. bout time they got a punch in their gut.

I Love Morrissey for being a Nationalist and i dont give a shit about what you people say or think
                                                                        MORRISSEY NME
"If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity.

"But travel to England and you have no idea where you are,"

Do you want this people to happen in your society
i dont...

I don't really undertsnad what is so wrong about being proud of your heritage, and being proud of where your from!

Other countries are Proud, other countries keep there cultural values, so why when somebody says britain has lost theres, it is considered racist.

It doesn't make sense!

People need to remember before judging Morrissey, that he lived through decades like the 60s and 70s, time when Britain was famous for its music, art, television and film. He lived through the downfall that came with margeret thatcher.

He is right.

Morrissey has been on the "NME cool list".
The NME always seemed to support Morrissey and The Smiths that is up until now. Morrissey was even called an "NME media darling". How fickle is the NME?

i read the interview, and completely ignored the commentary bits, only focusing on what Morrissey was talking about. Moz never discussed any feelings of negativity towards any group of people... in fact, he never named any groups at all.

what he was discussing was a feeling that traditional English heritage seemed to be becoming less and less visible and prevalent. Moz is a nostalgic person as we all know, so this was not a surprise.

unfortunately, the word immigration was used, and the cultural transformation is admittedly tied to that issue, and that's the sticky part. the NME, however, should have been smart enough to recognize that Moz was, at the heart of his words, merely speaking out of a love for the romance & (in some ways) simplicity of times past. to label him as a bigot was sensationalist, and a betrayal of him as a person.

"How can they hear me say these words, and still they don't believe me?" The NME should be ashamed... they know all about Moz's nostalgic ways, and acted in haste to print skewed interpretations.