• News

• All

Dec 18, 2017 By Christopher Roberts Morrissey

Find It At: {article-find} {name} {/article-find}

Morrissey released a new album, Low in High School, last month via BMG and his own new label, Etienne. Of course, most of the talk since then has been about Morrissey defending alleged sexual assaulters Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein in a pair of interviews, one with the German newspaper Der Spiegel and another with the British newspaper The Sunday Times). Now he has posted an 8-minute video to his nephew’s YouTube account he is calling “Morrissey’s State of the Union Address” or “Morrissey’s December Speech - 2017.” It begins with the disclaimer “Please Note: Morrissey has a virulent flu virus, and requests your understanding.” In it he says Low in High School didn’t chart as well and the single “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up on the Stage” didn’t get any radio airplay in the U.K. due to the “hateful press” he’s received since the album’s release.

He blames a lot of it on the Der Spiegel interview, in which he says his interview was taken out of context and misunderstood (despite the newspaper later releasing the full audio of the interview). “Suddenly, I was sympathizing with sexual harassment,” he says. “I was apparently sympathizing with pedophilia, I was sympathizing with rape, I was sympathizing with everything that would persuade anybody on the planet to stop listening to me. Of course, none of those assumptions are true. I do not sympathize with anything like that. You can hear it in the tone of my voice.”

Morrissey also says he was questioned by the Secret Service because of the Der Spiegel interview, where he made comments about wanting to kill President Donald Trump, and may not be able to enter the United States again. “As a further resort of Der Spiegel, I was cross-examined by the American Secret Service, who were very, very nice. And I do understand their position. So that went very, very well, and they assured me that they have no cause for concern. But it was a direct result of Der Spiegel that I was cross-examined, which is very, very sad. So congratulations, Der Spiegel. You achieved everything that you set out to do. Whether again I’m allowed free access to America, I really don’t know. I have to wait and see if I can enter the country again.”

He goes on to thank his fans and ends with “I wish you a Christmas free of terrorism, and these days that’s all we can ask for. Be safe.” Watch the whole video below.

Over the weekend his three-song session for CBS This Morning was aired. It was filmed at a new waterfront venue in Washington D.C., The Anthem, and can be watched below as well.

Also read our recent review of Low in High School.

Previously Morrissey shared the album’s first single, “Spent the Day in Bed,” and announced some American tour dates for this fall. He also stopped by the BBC music show Later… with Jools Holland to perform “Spent the Day in Bed” and shared a video for “Spent the Day in Bed” in which he rode in a wheelchair, among other things. Then he shared lyric videos for two other songs from the album, “I Wish You Lonely” and “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up on the Stage,” as well as a full on video for “Jacky’s Only Happy When She’s Up on the Stage.”

(Via Stereogum)

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.