A while back, we spilled the tea on Robert Smith, the frontman of The Cure, and his unfiltered loathing for five specific bands and artists, one of which was Morrissey.
Now, the tables are turning, and it’s the voice of The Smiths’ turn to express his sentiments. He’s come out swinging, naming eight bands that truly rub him the wrong way.
Michael Bublé
Morrissey, during a frank conversation, pinpointed Canadian crooner Michael Bublé, stating, “A fiery spirit is critical, without it, you become Michael Bublé: renowned yet hollow.”
Bublé initially attempted to brush off the verbal jab with humor, telling The Sun in 2011, “It’s absurd. But I wasn’t upset. I was actually thrilled that he knew my name. Morrissey recognizes me. That’s so unbelievably cool.”
However, the barb seemed to strike a nerve, as he later admitted to The Guardian in 2013 that it was the most cutting thing anyone had ever said about him.
David Bowie
There was a time when Morrissey and David Bowie shared mutual respect, even sharing the spotlight at the LA Forum in 1991.
However, their camaraderie was short-lived. The cordial relationship began to deteriorate in 1995 when Morrissey was invited to join Bowie’s tour across the UK and Europe as a “special guest.”
“Bowie is a machine. He lacks authenticity. I could reveal anecdotes… that would make ‘Let’s Dance’ a forbidden tune,” Morrissey unveiled in 2004.
That same year, he further lambasted, “Bowie has transformed. He now panders to people’s whims, which induces a collective yawn. He’s lost his relevance. His relevance was purely serendipitous.”
Kylie Minogue
Morrissey reacted with strange indignation when Kylie Minogue was honored with the OBE in 2008, choosing to mock the Australian pop sensation during her performance at the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park.
Dripping with sarcasm, the ex-vocalist of The Smiths told the audience that he was “ecstatic” about the OBE, before sarcastically remarking, “I’m sure you’ll concur she truly earned it.” Minogue elected to remain mum, completely disregarding Morrissey’s biting irony.
Kate Bush
In his formative years, Morrissey cherished the art of letter writing. In one such letter, he disparagingly critiqued one of his friends’ music preferences and didn’t hold back on his criticism of Kate Bush. Given her stature as one of the UK’s leading stars, it wasn’t shocking that Morrissey wasn’t a fan.
“Do you actually enjoy Kate Bush? I’m not shocked,” he jotted down. “The most complimentary thing I could say about her is that she’s intolerable. That voice! Utter drivel! You’ll come to realize, my boy.
Elton John
Morrissey first cast aspersions on Elton John in 1987, when he acidly informed NME, “He’s always thrusting himself into the limelight, sharing his personal affairs. No one’s intrigued. He should disappear.”
Fast forward to 2002, and Morrissey, the erstwhile member of The Smiths, reignited the feud during the documentary The Importance of Being Morrissey, comically demanding, “I want Elton John’s head… which would be the sole case where serving meat wouldn’t equate to murder”.
Madonna
Madonna found herself on the receiving end of Morrissey’s tart tongue back in 1997, when he blurted, “Madonna epitomizes everything ridiculous and objectionable. The desperate female. Madonna leans more towards organized harlotry than anything else.”
He proceeded to criticize her performance at the 2015 BRITs, informing fan site True To You, “In 2015, we have MacDonna, who had a quiet 2014, but here she is, resurrecting her dismal career at the BRIT Awards, regardless of the fact that her music has absolutely zero connection to British life.”
Lady Gaga
Morrissey’s disapproval of Lady Gaga is arguably the softest on this list. His issues lie not with her persona but strictly with her music.
“I’ve encountered her and she’s genuinely lovely. It’s foolhardy to judge people by their public image, or even by the music they generate.”
“(…) Speaking without bitterness, I declare that [she] offers nothing revolutionary. I appreciate the concept of women taking charge, but I’m weary of singers who can’t deliver a song without an army of frenzied dancers supplying the sensuality. It’s a blatant deception, and the antithesis of erotic.”
The Cure
Finally, we reach The Cure, particularly their leading man, Robert Smith, with whom Morrissey maintains a notable rivalry.
The feud was ignited when Morrissey was provocatively asked, “If you were in a room with Robert Smith, Mark E. Smith, and a loaded Smith & Wesson, who would be the first to face the bullet?” His response: “I’d arrange them in a row so that one bullet would pierce all of them… Robert Smith is just a whinger.”
Later, after the release of The Cure’s critically acclaimed album ‘Disintegration’, Morrissey expressed his disdain, branding the influential album “utterly disgusting” and adding, “The Cure: they’ve introduced an entirely new depth to the word filth.”
However, in 2018, Morrissey conceded his regret over the remarks, confessing, “I made some appalling comments about him 35 years ago… but I didn’t truly mean them”.
