Hours after Morrissey’s manager criticized The Simpsons’ mocking the singer as ‘insulting’, the former Smiths frontman weighed in with a lengthy statement on his website.
‘The hatred towards me that the creators of The Simpsons is obviously a teasing affair, ‘Morrissey wrote,’ but a matter that requires more money than I could possibly gather to present a challenge. ‘
The Simpsons the episode in question – “Panic on the Streets of Springfield”, which was broadcast on Sunday, Lisa falls in love with a vegan British musician named Quilloughby (pronounced by Benedict Cumberbatch), who previously suggested a band called Snuffs.
The character first appears as Lisa’s imaginary girlfriend and influences her more sad behavior, and he also sings spoof songs (co-written by Flight of the Conchords ‘Bret McKenzie) such as’ Hamburger Homicide ‘and’ Everyone Is Horrid Except Me (And Possibly You)). When Lisa saw the real Quilloughby and the Snuffs in concert, she was afraid to discover that he was a xenophobic who ate meat.
Following the episode, Peter Katsis, manager of Morrissey, criticized The Simpsons – via the songwriter’s Facebook page – for ‘trying to capitalize on cheap controversy and lay out cruel rumors’. He also condemns the portrayal of Quilloghby’s program (which he describes as the “Morrissey character”) as a ‘racist’, without pointing to any specific cases. ‘(Fox and The Simpsons did not immediately return a request for comment.)
In a subsequent interview, Katsis said Rolling clip, “It’s funny that none of the stories talk about the fake depictions or what The Simpsons done. The Simpsons claims that it is a compilation of various artists – obviously so that we do not sue them. What no one is talking about is how insulting it really is. The guy is still a super vegan. His conviction in animal rights is what brought him to this point. ”
Katsis said they are not currently planning legal action, but will “certainly look into options.”
In his lengthy letter Monday, Morrissey noted that he does not have a determined business group of legal practitioners ready to attack ‘, adding:’ I think this is widely understood and is why I am so indifferent and be attacked loudly. You are especially despised when your music touches people in a strong and beautiful way, as it is no longer necessary to do music. In fact, the worst thing you can do in 2021 is give some power to others’ lives. There is no place in modern music for someone with strong emotions. ”
Later in his note, the singer writes that music ‘and the world in general’ ‘has become an enchanting mess’ and that ‘freedom of speech no longer exists’. “I threw enough horror at myself that would kill a herd of bison,” he wrote. ‘Accusations usually come from someone with a crazy desire for importance; they do not work at a very high level. Write for The Simpsonsfor example, apparently requires only complete ignorance. But all this is too easy for me to say. In a world that is obsessed with hate laws, there is no one who protects me. ‘
Katsis further commented on the “Simpsons bullshit ”Monday night via Morrissey’s Facebook.
“Why did Cumberbatch even agree to take this voice-over concert with the Morrissey character?” he wrote. ‘Can he cash so hard that he would agree to rap another artist so hard? It is clear that he would have read the exposition or writing before embarking on the concert. Could he actually be just as big a hole as the people on the [Simpsons] writing team? and the FOX team? Apparently so. Maybe he should talk and tell his side of this. Does he even have enough balls to do it? ”
A Cumberbatch representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.