Oh, Morrissey, so much to answer for?

No stranger to controversy, Morrissey has again left himself wide open to accusations of racism with some comments in the NME.

This is not the first time that Morrissey has been accused of racism. Back in the days of The Smiths, his song Panic was considered by some to racist as it was perceived to be an attack on black dance music and the solution offered by Morrissey ("Hang the DJ") becomes very controversialin that context (as if hanging people wasn't controversial enough anyway). This charge was relatively easy to dispel – as Johnny Marr pointed out, New Order made great dance music, and there were no black members of New Order.

But there were more incidents of apparent racism – not least in the lyrics to his songs. Bengali in Platforms is a good example (and probably ties in with his most recent comments), as is the song National Front Disco (with the "catchy" lyrics: "Oh, you're going to .../Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah/England for the English!/England for the English!") Then there is Morrissey performing draped in the Union Jack. Of course, you could argue that draping yourself in the Union Jack is not racist, and that just because Morrissey writes certain lyrics that suggest the characters in his song are racist doesn’t mean he is racist. But after a while, all the evidence mounts up, and you have to ask the question "is Morrissey racist?"

All of his comments and songs stop just short (and I mean just short) of him being openly racist. His most recent controversial comments, as relayed on the BBC News website (couldn’t find them on the NME website) are a good example of this:

"Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous. 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."

The loss of British identity is not a concern unique to Morrissey, and it is not directly attacking immigrants in his statement (although they are indirectly, in his eyes, responsible for the woes befalling Britain). However, his ideas are not that far away from the politics of the BNP and of the Far Right, and what I wish the NME reporter had asked him was what he proposes to do about the loss of British culture, Because that is where things get funky, that is where things get fucked up.

In a later interview Morrissey attempts to clarify his comments:

"It could be construed that the reason I wouldn't wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that's not true at all. There are other reasons why I would find England very difficult, such as the expense and the pressure."

The expense and pressure of living in the UK are certainly bad, although surely not that much dissimilar to LA, where Morrissey lived for a long time. But the controversial point of Morrissey’s statement was not so much where he lives (because, let’s face it, who really gives a fuck where he lives?) but rather his comments on the negative effect of immigration on British culture. Ultimately, Morrissey’s comments are not explicitly racist, but they reek of "don’t like the foreigners coming into my country". It all lies in how you interpret the comments, but ultimately I would see them as depressingly ignorant and xenophobic.

But then again, why should it really matter what Morrissey says? I don’t agree with his comments, but I am not going to rush home and throw my Smiths and Morrissey CDs in the bin. Because you know what? The reason why I like Morrissey and The Smiths is the songs, not the ideas, prejudices and ignorance of the person singing the songs. Let’s not get hung up on believing that everything Mozzer says drips with wisdom and sagacity – because, frankly, it doesn’t. And let’s not expect him to be a well balanced political thinker, because he is now a portly, middle aged, bitter outsider. Ultimately I’d be concerned if Gordon Brown was expressing this sort of opinion (which he kind of has) because Brown is in a position where his thoughts could become policy. He’s in a position of power. Morrissey is a position where he can do little more than get into a pissing match with the NME.

And you can make this wider. Let’s stop looking at singers and perfomers like they automatically have some sort of greater political insight because they have had a hit album. Bono isn’t a sound exponent of foreign policy because The Joshua Tree was a hit album. Actually he’s a cliched little shit with appalling taste in sunglasses. Likewise, Thom Yorke isn’t a spokesman for a generation – he’s a twisted little misanthrope who happens to jump on every "right on" bandwagon that he sees. Being a successful singer/in a successful band doesn’t make someone superhuman, with deep and meaningful insights into all aspects of life. In fact, all they become is successful singer/band performers with big gobs. More fool anyone who looks to Bono, Yorke, Morrissey or any other pop star for their knowledge of politics.

Yes, I understand that these people are role models to some, and as a result Morrissey's xenophobic comments could influence other people. But you know what? If you are really going to slavishly follow everything Morrissey – an ageing, stuck in a rut, beer bellied middle aged misfit – says, then you are either hopelessly naïve and need to grow up a bit, or you’ve lost your grip on reality, and need to get out more.