In a statement on January 6, 2023, Morrissey reacted to the speculation surrounding his new album BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS, which has been recorded but is somewhere in the pipeline. He also opened up about Miley Cyrus’ desire to have her vocals removed from “I Am Veronica,” saying her request had nothing to do with his “political leanings.” Morrissey has recently been increasingly accused of xenophobia.
In late December, the singer announced that he had parted ways with both his management company, Maverick/Quest, and Capitol Records (who own the unreleased BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS material).
“Miley came into my world; I didn’t venture into hers”
In a lengthy statement on his website, he wrote: “I’m aware that the ridiculous ‘Morrissey is a far-right’ claim has been back in vogue on all the usual gossip sites lately. That rush, I’m assured, is because Miley Cyrus wanted her vocals removed from ‘I Am Veronica’. And suddenly the very outdated rehash of ‘That’s because of Morrissey’s political views’ comes up again – to the delight of those for whom I am a book they absolutely can’t stop reading.”
In the statement, the musician also provided an explanation of Cyrus’ decision: “The truth is, for reasons unrelated to me, Miley backed out after getting into an argument with a key figure in the ‘circle.’ I can’t give details about the private dispute because … it’s private, after all.” The 63-year-old added, “Miley came into my world; I didn’t venture into hers. I was eternally grateful to her and still am.”
A few days ago Miley Cyrus announced her new album “Endless Summer Vacation”, all information so far can be found here.
Morrissey on cancel vultures and right-wing extremism
In the post, the former The Smiths singer also targeted what he dubbed the “cancel vultures,” the people who would intentionally tarnish his reputation, noting, “The campaign to destroy my career was originally launched by four male individuals in Britain, all of whom hold prominent positions on social media – and they have full, unedited access to legacy media.” To whom Morrissey is referring remains unclear. In the past, the musician has been criticized for supporting the far-right For Britain Movement party, which tried to prevent Muslim immigration to the UK and dissolved in July 2022.
Speaking about his political views, he further clarified: “Although the left changed and left me many years ago, I am most certainly not far-right and I have never met anyone who claims to be far-right. My politics are straightforward: I recognize realities. Some realities frighten me, some don’t, but I accept that I wasn’t created for others to delight and delight me in whatever they think and do—what a bombastic life that would be.” He added, “Me I’ve been insulted all my life and it has strengthened me and I’m glad about it. I wouldn’t want to start the journey any other way. It is only by listening to the views of others that we can form a truly rational opinion, and therefore we must never accept a hive society that refuses to reflect a diversity of views.”
Morrissey ended the post by saying it was for his fans, who he described as “the best and most incredible audience imaginable.”
The artist also recently announced that he is already working on the follow-up to BONFIRE OF TEENAGERS. Here you can hear the first, and so far only, track “Rebels Without Applause” from the first announced record: