Morrisey Threatens Legal Action Against 'Defamatory' Nme Comments
28 November 2007
Picture: Vaccines at NME Awards at Brixton Academy, London, England- 29.02.12
Morrisey Threatens Legal Action Against 'Defamatory' Nme Comments
MORRISEY is threatening to take legal action against a British music magazine, after they accused him of using "naive and inflammatory" language over the topic of immigration in Britain.
The former Smiths frontman is alleged to have made the controversial remarks in a recent interview with NME magazine, in which he decries about the number of foreigners in his native country.
He is reported to have said: “Other countries have held on to their basic identity, yet it seems to me that England has thrown it away.
“Britain’s a terribly negative place… with the issue of immigration, it’s very difficult because, although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the identity disappears.”
Morrisey's management claim the article is defamatory, but the magazine's editor, Conor MCNicholas, has defended the interview, branding it "fair and balanced".
In a letter written to Morrisey's management, he says, "Obviously no-one is accusing Morrissey of racism - that would be mad given what Morrissey says - but we do say that the language Morrissey uses is very unhelpful at a time of great tensions."
In a further twist, the journalist who conducted the interview has demanded his name be removed from the article, claiming his work has been changed beyond recognition.
In another letter sent to Morrisey's camp, Tim Jonze writes, "I should mention that for reasons I'll probably never understand, NME have rewritten the Moz (Morrisey) piece. I had a read and virtually none of it is my words or beliefs so I've asked for my name to be taken off it. Just so you know when you read it.”
This isn't the first time NME magazine has fallen foul of Morrisey - the publication previously angered the singer's camp in 1992 when they printed a picture of the star draped in a Union Jack flag along with the title: 'Flying The Flag Or Flirting With Disaster?'.
The former Smiths frontman is alleged to have made the controversial remarks in a recent interview with NME magazine, in which he decries about the number of foreigners in his native country.
He is reported to have said: “Other countries have held on to their basic identity, yet it seems to me that England has thrown it away.
“Britain’s a terribly negative place… with the issue of immigration, it’s very difficult because, although I don’t have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the identity disappears.”
Morrisey's management claim the article is defamatory, but the magazine's editor, Conor MCNicholas, has defended the interview, branding it "fair and balanced".
In a letter written to Morrisey's management, he says, "Obviously no-one is accusing Morrissey of racism - that would be mad given what Morrissey says - but we do say that the language Morrissey uses is very unhelpful at a time of great tensions."
In a further twist, the journalist who conducted the interview has demanded his name be removed from the article, claiming his work has been changed beyond recognition.
In another letter sent to Morrisey's camp, Tim Jonze writes, "I should mention that for reasons I'll probably never understand, NME have rewritten the Moz (Morrisey) piece. I had a read and virtually none of it is my words or beliefs so I've asked for my name to be taken off it. Just so you know when you read it.”
This isn't the first time NME magazine has fallen foul of Morrisey - the publication previously angered the singer's camp in 1992 when they printed a picture of the star draped in a Union Jack flag along with the title: 'Flying The Flag Or Flirting With Disaster?'.
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