Morrissey Clarifies Comments on Sexual Harassment

Morrissey is still receiving fallout from his controversial remarks about sexual harassment and assault. And since he's stopped doing print interviews because he feels he was misquoted in the German publication Der Spiegel, the singer has instead issued a lengthy statement on Facebook in which he attempted to clarify, unambiguously, his intentions.

“A few weeks ago I foolishly allowed Germany’s Der Spiegel into my life,” he began. “Since they eagerly flew from beloved Berlin to beloved Los Angeles in order to talk and laugh, I assumed a common understanding.”

“Would I kill Donald Trump?" he continued. "No, never. Would I support Kevin Spacey’s private proclivities? No, never. Would I ever support abuse of children? No, never. Would I support sexual harassment? No, never. Would I support rape? No, never. Would Der Spiegel convey my views fairly? No, never. Would I ever again speak to print media? No, never.”

Morrissey kept up his attacks on the press, saying, “In the world of music, as with politics, if you show any signs of being able to make a difference, you will be blocked, and you will have your arms tugged out from their sockets. In the same world of music, if you have nothing to say, if your brain is a mental frost and if your pointless songs are the eyes of a dead fish, then your number 1 position awaits unasked, and your five-star reviews shall keep the press alive. Music is eternity, and the call of 2018 is the time to be new and different. But you must forget the print media who are infatuated with their own reflection and do not want yours. “Be eggless and brainless and cloudy and crap, and they’ll usher you through like a little bag of dung. Can you hear the wind between each ear?”

Last month, Morrissey found himself in hot water when speaking about the sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Although he said, "Rape is disgusting, any physical attack is repugnant," more attention was paid to what followed when talking the alleged assault on a 14-year-old boy. "One wonders where the boy's parents were," he continued. "One wonders if the boy did not know what would happen. ... I was always aware of what could happen. When you are in somebody's bedroom, you have to be aware of where that can lead to. That's why it does not sound very credible to me. It seems to me that Spacey has been unnecessarily attacked.”

He also suggested that the line between attraction and harassment had now been blurred as a result. "Anyone who has ever said to someone else, ‘I like you,’ is suddenly being charged with sexual harassment," he said. "You have to put these things into the right relations. If I can not tell anyone that I like him, how would they ever know?”