Age: 61
Occupation: the Ted Nugent of England
Last Seen: Los Angeles
Bee-otched For: Simpsons did it
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Years ago, I would never thought that I would hand the BOTD to someone like Morrissey.
I'll admit that I used to like his music. Keyword: "used to". He and his band, The Smiths, helped to define post-punk music in the 1980s with tunes like "Shoplifters Of The World Unite", "This Charming Man", "The Headmaster Ritual", "Panic" and probably their best-known song, "How Soon Is Now?", which was their highest-charting US single, peaking at #36 on the Billboard Dance charts in 1985. With its iconic Bo Diddley-esque riff and music video featuring a cute, yet mysterious woman whose identity is still clandestine 36 years after it was made, their American label boss, Seymour Stein of Sire Records called "How Soon Is Now?" the "Stairway to Heaven" of the 1980s. In 1990, the British trio Soho went to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their sole American hit "Hippychick", which sampled "How Soon Is Now"'s riff.
Since The Smiths disbanded in 1987, the group has enjoyed at least some degree of success with their own careers. Guitarist Johnny Marr went on to form Electronic with New Order's Bernard Summer, whose 1990 single "Getting Away With It" barely cracked the Top 40, peaking at #38. However, Morrissey has done well for himself with a score of hits on the Alternative Rock charts and even a hit on CHR radio in 1994 with "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get".
But sadly, Morrissey just can't seem to take a joke.
On Sunday's episode of The Simpsons, Lisa discovers the music of "Quilloughby", a 1980s alt-rock singer and his band, "The Snuffs". Immediately, Lisa accepts Quilloughby as an imaginary friend. However, when she sees the real Quilloughby in concert, she is beyond disappointed that he's an old, fat, meat-eating xenophobe.
Quilloughby was portrayed by British actor Benedict Cumberbatch while Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie co-wrote the songs on the episode, titled "Panic In The Streets of Springfield" named after the lyrics of "Panic".
Sadly, the show's producers have learned that Morrissey - and his manager - has no sense of humor.
On Monday, Peter Katsis wrote on Moz's Facebook page his disgust over The Simpsons' portrayal of him through the "Quilloughby" character. He stated that Morrissey is not a racist and that he even has "three Latinos" in his band (yeah, and Derek Chauvin isn't a racist because his now-ex-wife was Asian). He also pointed out the racism that the show has handled for years, especially with white actors voicing the parts of non-white characters. The example Katsis exposed was when show regular Hank Azaria apologized to Indians for his portrayal of Apu, the beloved manager of Kwik-E-Mart. Because of the fallout of recent tragedies such as the death of George Floyd, The Simpsons and other animated series announced that non-white characters would be recast. The 'Panic' episode featured Dr. Hibbert, who was voiced by Harry Shearer for 31 years until he was recast to Kevin Michael Richardson this past year.
In his post, Katsis practically stood up for Morrissey, claiming that he still stands for animal rights and is a strict vegan. However, the comments on Moz's Facebook page says it all: "Don't be a whiner. It's comedy. We weren't offended. Don't be offended on behalf of other people. It shows very weak character." "It’s a cartoon, not a documentary. Take a deep breath." DJ Rob Smith even wrote, "The Simpsons haven’t produced any good content in years. Then again, neither has Morrissey. As you were."
Sadly, the only thing Katsis got right on was in regard to The Simpsons' declining ratings. Once watched by over 30 million viewers weekly, it now averages about 2.5 million viewers per week. However, the show was recently renewed to 2023.
A few days later, Moz himself chimed in to the Quilloughby controversy.
On his website, he said that "The hatred shown towards me from the creators of The Simpsons is obviously a taunting lawsuit, but one that requires more funding than I could possibly muster in order to make a challenge." He continues, "Writing for The Simpsons, for example, evidently requires only complete ignorance. But all of these things are too easy for me to say. In a world obsessed with Hate Laws, there are none that protect me."
Morrissey himself has been under fire for calling Chinese people a "subspecies" for their treatment of animals and supporting the For Britain movement, an extreme far-right group that is known for the Neo-Nazi, anti-Islam and white nationalist beliefs. However, its leader, Anne Marie Waters is pro-LGBT; Morrissey - who kept mum about his sexuality for years - is now openly bisexual.
Since announcing his support for the For Britain movement, Morrissey's record sales have plummeted and was dropped by his label, BMG last year. Many have even criticized him for poisoning The Smiths' legacy.
Peter Katsis claims that he's looking into suing The Simpsons' producers. I say good luck with that. The show is a work of satire and the reality is that Morrissey wrote his own jokes. Why he would join this idiotic group and abandon his fans is beyond me. He did it to himself and jumped the shark doing so.
Yes, Moz is human and needs to be loved just like everybody else does, but he dumbed himself out of position.
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