Morrissey Sues "NME" For Not Saying "Sorry" Over Printing Alleged Anti-Immigration Rant

Morrissey is suing the NME because the magazine failed to print an apology after accusing the former Smiths singer of being xenophobic. The accusations stem from an interview Morrissey recently completed with NME scribe Tim Jonze where Moz explained why he doesn't live in England. "Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England, the more the British identity disappears. So the price is enormous," Morrissey reportedly said. "If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity. But travel to England and you have no idea where you are." (Insert joke about how Morrissey avoids immigrant-friendly London, but opts to live in immigrant-friendly Los Angeles).

According to Morrissey, the statements were misconstrued to make him sound like he was anti-immigration: "It could be construed that the reason I wouldn't wish to live in England is the immigration explosion. And that's not true at all. There are other reasons why I would find England very difficult, such as the expense and the pressure." But NME proceeded with their cover story, which was originally supposed to focus on the singer's new album, but wound up being largely about Morrissey's statements. Jonze went on to ask the NMEto remove his name from the story, as the magazine rewrote much of the article. Morrissey's manager Merck Mercuriadis posted a letter on fan site True to You where he warned legal action if NME didn't issue an apology by 1 PM yesterday. The deadline passed, and Morrissey's lawyers got involved. "We can confirm that Morrissey's legal representatives have been in contact with NME and, pending the outcome of these discussions, we won't be commenting any further," stated the magazine.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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