The English musician Morrissey came under fire after an interview with Der Spiegel printed comments of his regarding sexual harassment, that he describes as “out of context.” The singer’s quotes characterize the mounting pressure against men accused of sexual harassment as witch hunt. A particularly scrutinized comment purported that what is often described as ‘harassment’ could just as well be “a pathetic attempt at courtship,” adding that “some people are very awkward when it comes to romance.” Morrissey’s comments in Der Spiegel have him in a bind with the media and his fans. No one wants to buy his new album, Low In High School, or play its songs on the radio.
Morrissey also landed himself in trouble with the U.S. government the other day when he claimed he’d murder Donald Trump “for the safety of humanity.” He was later paid a visit by the Secret Service, who “were very very nice.” However, Morrissey is not sure if he still holds the right to travel to the States. “Whether I’m allowed free access to America, I really don’t know. I have to see if I can enter the country again.”
After having so much said about him without a significant outlet for a response, Morrissey released “Morrissey’s State of the Union Address,” today on December 18th. The address runs for about eight minutes and annotates each accusation against the musician. Morrissey argues that his comments about sexual harassment were strewn out of context after what he thought had been a very pleasant and productive conversation with the reporter from Der Spiegel. He also tells his audience that all the negative press has affected his music as well. His new album has suffered and does not get any airtime on the radio. With a book titled, Feminist Avante-Gard, in plain view behind him, Morrissey argues that all the negative attention has snowballed beyond the egregiousness of his original comments, which he maintains were taken out of context. Morrissey’s pitch is clear, it is up for his fans to decide what they think.
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