It doesn’t take long, on this freezing night in Birmingham, before Morrissey makes one of his pronouncements. Somewhere between the dying notes of the opening Elvis Presley cover, You’ll Be Gone – licked by exotic flamenco heat – and the opening anglo jangle of Suedehead, from Morrissey’s solo debut, Viva Hate, released 30 years ago this month, the singer flicks the mic lead like a whip and declares: “Bring back free speech!”
Ah, free speech: you do feel a certain nostalgia for the idea, as you might for the younger, 80s Morrissey. Formerly uncontroversial, the liberty to air ideas and openly criticise authority is enshrined in the first amendment to the constitution of Morrissey’s adopted US.
Over the past few years, however, the goalposts of political engagement have shifted drastically. Now the most ardent advocates of free speech tend to be figures who have something ugly to say.
The quip, halfway through this tour for his latest album, Low in High School, suggests Morrissey is still smarting from his run-in with the German newspaper Der Spiegel last year. Briefly, the paper reported Morrissey’s view that Kevin Spacey – accused of serious sexual misconduct – had been “unnecessarily attacked”, only for Morrissey to claim he was misquoted. In response, the newspaper put its audio of the disputed interview online and Morrissey vowed never to speak to print media again.
Ah, free speech: you do feel a certain nostalgia for the idea, as you might for the younger, 80s Morrissey. Formerly uncontroversial, the liberty to air ideas and openly criticise authority is enshrined in the first amendment to the constitution of Morrissey’s adopted US.
Over the past few years, however, the goalposts of political engagement have shifted drastically. Now the most ardent advocates of free speech tend to be figures who have something ugly to say.
The quip, halfway through this tour for his latest album, Low in High School, suggests Morrissey is still smarting from his run-in with the German newspaper Der Spiegel last year. Briefly, the paper reported Morrissey’s view that Kevin Spacey – accused of serious sexual misconduct – had been “unnecessarily attacked”, only for Morrissey to claim he was misquoted. In response, the newspaper put its audio of the disputed interview online and Morrissey vowed never to speak to print media again.
Source: theguardian
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