Do we really need a Morrissey biopic right now? His England is not ours - The Guardian
by Rachel Aroesti
Blurb: "The upcoming Morrissey film, England Is Mine, is poorly timed – the Smiths frontman’s politics are questionable and his strops are silly ... but what’s worse is he’s lost his outsider status"
Excerpt: "It’s not just because the most notable thing about his last artistic pursuit – debut novel List of the Lost – was that it sparked a nationwide competition to see who could hate a book the most. It’s not even a direct result of his recent stream of uncomfortable comments – although calling Brexit “magnificent” and accusing the government of hushing up Islamic extremism makes it increasingly difficult for fans to excuse his questionable politics. From his paranoid claim that HMV are trying to sabotage sales of Smiths reissues, to dog-whistle views that give a different meaning to the title England Is Mine, each week seems to bring a bizarre new missive that makes it harder and harder to justify the hero worship Morrissey has long enjoyed.
It’s not even the spine-chilling words “I like Nigel Farage a great deal,” (so said by Morrissey to Loaded magazine, of all places) that are the final nail in the coffin – after all, surely every fan had doubts about Morrissey’s empathy and political correctness. Instead, something else has soured the charm of a film celebrating the life and work of the universe’s sad-lad-in-chief."
by Rachel Aroesti
Blurb: "The upcoming Morrissey film, England Is Mine, is poorly timed – the Smiths frontman’s politics are questionable and his strops are silly ... but what’s worse is he’s lost his outsider status"
Excerpt: "It’s not just because the most notable thing about his last artistic pursuit – debut novel List of the Lost – was that it sparked a nationwide competition to see who could hate a book the most. It’s not even a direct result of his recent stream of uncomfortable comments – although calling Brexit “magnificent” and accusing the government of hushing up Islamic extremism makes it increasingly difficult for fans to excuse his questionable politics. From his paranoid claim that HMV are trying to sabotage sales of Smiths reissues, to dog-whistle views that give a different meaning to the title England Is Mine, each week seems to bring a bizarre new missive that makes it harder and harder to justify the hero worship Morrissey has long enjoyed.
It’s not even the spine-chilling words “I like Nigel Farage a great deal,” (so said by Morrissey to Loaded magazine, of all places) that are the final nail in the coffin – after all, surely every fan had doubts about Morrissey’s empathy and political correctness. Instead, something else has soured the charm of a film celebrating the life and work of the universe’s sad-lad-in-chief."
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