Morrissey: ‘Norway Massacre No Worse Than McDonalds’

Morrissey

There are times when it’s quite hard to be around the thoughts of Morrissey. He made his mark as a singularly sensitive songwriter, a man capable of making people feel less alone in the world because his songs appeared to project empathy and insight. And yet you’d struggle, in the middle of a situation which has already captured the sympathy of the world, to find a harder-faced, unimpressible, single-issue contrarian.

So, when he sacks members of his own crew for eating meat, when he refuses to perform if there are stalls selling burgers near the stage, when he openly calls for the end of meat farming from the stage, we can all accept that this is an issue he feels strongly about, that his contribution to the debate is provocative, but ultimately useful.

However, it’s harder to know what to think when he takes to the stage in Poland, as he did this week, and, by way of introduction to “Meat Is Murder”, says this: “We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 dead. Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried S*** every day.”

A case of “interesting point, appalling way to make it,” perhaps? Or more proof that the thing everyone assumed was empathy from Mr Moz was actually just him expressing more tender feelings than he now does, and finding an accidental audience of like-minded fans.

Either way, he’s clearly not someone you’d turn to in a tragedy.

Fair point, or insensitive dig? Tell us here.