Morrissey Sues NME For Defamation

Moz and the New Music Express are at it again. This time the former Smiths frontman is seeking legal action after he was criticized by the music magazine for allegedly stating in an interview with the publication that he would not return to England because it had lost its identity due to higher immigration levels unlike Germany or Sweden. (After a stint in Los Angeles, Morrissey currently resides in Italy.) He later clarified his statement maintaining that it wasn't immigration but expense and pressure that keep him from moving back to the UK.

During the '80s and '90s Moz was accused of racism due to ambiguous lyrics in the songs "Bengali in Platforms", "National Front Disco" and "Asian Rut", as well as his 1992 performance at London's Finsbury Park [see above] in which he draped himself in the Union Jack—commonly associated with nationalism and the British far right—and used a photograph of two female skinheads as a backdrop. After this performance the NME stated Moz had "left himself in a position where accusations that he's toying with far-right/fascist imagery, and even of racism itself, can no longer just be laughed off with a knowing quip".

On the other hand, the singer's defenders bring up his—predominantly Mexican—Latino following which he has embraced wholeheartedly; his criticism of the rise Austrian far-right politician Jörg Haider and his signing in 2004 of the explicitly anti-fascist Unite Against Fascism statement, are also cited. As for this new fracas, Morrissey's lawyers are already pursuing legal action against the NME for defamation. The magazine has declined to print a retraction or apology.

[NME cover courtesy of Wikipedia.]