A week after an NME-fueled controversy claimed that he was a “racist,” Morrissey issued a statement today insisting “I abhor racism and oppression or cruelty of any kind and will not let this pass without being absolutely clear and emphatic with regard to what my position is. Racism is beyond common sense and I believe it has no place in our society.”

That was the extent of Morrissey’s response to the racism accusations — he spent the remainder of the 1,800 words in his statement completely eviscerating the “new NME.” The former Smiths singer at first commends the NME of his youth as a publication that featured writers who would “write more words than the articles demanded, and whose views saved some of us, and who pulled us all away from the electrifying boredom of everything and anything that represented the industry.” But then Morrissey began to spit bile at the current NME staff, most notably editor Conor McNicholas and writer Tim Jonze, whose interview with Morrissey spurred this whole broohaha. Jonze got especially pwned by the Moz in this biting paragraph:

“I do not mean to be rude to Tim Jonze, but when I first caught sight of him I assumed that someone had brought their child along to the interview. The runny nose told the whole story. Conor had assured that Tim was their best writer. Talking behind his hands and in endless fidget, Tim accepted every answer I gave him with a schoolgirl giggle, and repeatedly asked me if I was shocked at how little he actually knew about music. I told him that, yes, I was shocked. It was difficult for me to believe that the best writer from the “new” NME had never heard of the song “Drive-in Saturday”; I explained that it was by David Bowie, and Tim replied “oh, I don’t know anything about David Bowie.” I wondered how it could be so — how the quality of music journalism in England could have fallen so low that the prime ‘new’ NME writer knew nothing of David Bowie, an artist to whom most relevant British artists are indebted, and one who singlehandedly changed British culture — musically and otherwise.”

Ouch. Note to self: Never piss off Morrissey, and study up on Aladdin Sane in case of ever encountering Morrissey. The singer goes on to say that it was the NME’s intention to saddle him with a defamatory story after he turned down the magazine’s “Godlike Genius Award” and an opportunity to headline the magazine’s corresponding awards ceremony. He also accused the magazine’s new hierarchy of shifting from intelligent music journalism to “the relentless stream of ‘cheers mate, got pissed last night, ha ha’ interviews that clutter every single issue.” And that’s just a taste of the beatdown Morrissey puts on the mag. It’s like the hype before a wrestling match! As of posting this, the NME has not responded to Morrissey’s statements, nor the lawsuit Morrissey’s lawyers filed against the magazine late last week.

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• Morrissey Makes a Press Enemy
• Morrissey Turned Down Mega-Bucks Smiths Reunion Offer Over Johnny Marr