Stop me if you think you've heard this one before...
Morrissey, former frontman of beloved '80s mope-pop band The Smiths, (or his people) responded to a recent episode of The Simpsons which made fun of not only the crooner's history of unpopular public statements but also his advancement in age, veganism, and more.
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Aside from calling into question the satirical acumen of the show's writers and reminding readers about the recent apology that "Apu" voice actor Hank Azaria made "to the whole country of India for his role in upholding 'structural racism,'" Camp M0Z was also not happy with the beer-belly his caricature was portrayed with... although they HAD to be happy with some of the Smiths' (or The Snuffs') song titles.
In a post on Morrissey's Facebook page, a statement says the episode made lazy references to alleged racist comments that the character based on Morrissey, Lisa's imaginary friend named Quilloughby (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), had made without providing any context or pointing to specific instances.
It also offers the opinion that The Simpsons "started out creating great insight into the modern cultural experience, but has since degenerated to trying to capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors." Adding, "Poking fun at subjects is one thing. Other shows like SNL still do a great job at finding ways to inspire great satire." Although we'd argue they did a fine job with the way the band's music was portrayed with ridiculous song titles, and actual tracks created by Flight of the Concords' Bret McKenzie.
Morrissey's statement about the episode, which honestly raked him over the coals and was perfectly titled referencing a Smiths favorite, 'Panic on the Streets of Springfield,' also says that the actual singer unlike his fictional portrayal, "has never made a 'cash grab', hasn’t sued any people for their attacks, has never stopped performing great shows, and is still a serious vegan and strong supporter for animal rights."
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For those aware of the singer's long-running preoccupation with personal vanity, this part of his retort will certainly strike a nerve, as it obviously did for Morrissey: "When a show stoops so low to use harshly hateful tactics like showing the Morrissey character with his belly hanging out of his shirt (when he has never looked like that at any point in his career) makes you wonder who the real hurtful, racist group is here.”
Read the full statement above.
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