The Guardian: "Who’s bad? From Michael Jackson to David Bowie, why are some stars uncancellable" by Tim Jonze - tiny Moz mention (April 1, 2024)

Who’s bad? From Michael Jackson to David Bowie, why are some stars uncancellable?

A Michael Jackson jukebox musical has just opened – with no mention of sexual allegations – and a biopic is coming. What makes some celebrities immune to cancel culture? We examine who gets ostracised and who doesn’t

www.theguardian.com

Excerpt:

How do you grapple with cases in which there are conflicting views and grey areas? Does Morrissey’s embrace of far-right political groups such as For Britain have to be weighed on some kind of moral scale against Johnny Marr’s progressive values, to work out if the Smiths are cancelled? Should Benjamin Zephaniah be shunned for being violent towards a former girlfriend, or is he excused because he was the one who wrote about it, expressing regret and the need to be better? Before long, my list of factors had spiralled into a tangle of nuances and contradictions.

 

[Juan Dulces]

Morrissey Shall Never Be Cancelled

He's the One!

 

[Was I ever any good]

I thought the Maida Vale gig when he was promoting Low in high school was the start of all this nonsense. Many of us on this site were listening live and commenting on the new songs when in between songs he said
“I was very surprised the other day, it was very interesting to me to see Anne-Marie Waters become the head of Ukiip”

“Oh no, sorry, she didn’t. The voting was rigged. Sorry, I forgot.”

The crowd went deadly silent and it was a real wtf moment.

Yes, it was the crack of noon when all this started.
A very flat gig if I remember correctly.

 

[Malarkey]

I thought the Maida Vale gig when he was promoting Low in high school was the start of all this nonsense. Many of us on this site were listening live and commenting on the new songs when in between songs he said
“I was very surprised the other day, it was very interesting to me to see Anne-Marie Waters become the head of Ukiip”

“Oh no, sorry, she didn’t. The voting was rigged. Sorry, I forgot.”

The crowd went deadly silent and it was a real wtf moment.

It wasn't the start - as quite a few people commenting on that thread would have known.

 

[Seymour Glass]

Micheal Jackson raped young boys, Morrissey associated with a political party that some didn't agree with...

 

[BookishBoy]

I thought the Maida Vale gig when he was promoting Low in high school was the start of all this nonsense. Many of us on this site were listening live and commenting on the new songs when in between songs he said
“I was very surprised the other day, it was very interesting to me to see Anne-Marie Waters become the head of Ukiip”

“Oh no, sorry, she didn’t. The voting was rigged. Sorry, I forgot.”

The crowd went deadly silent and it was a real wtf moment.

Yes, you're right, that was the beginning of it, really. Just over 4 months after the Manchester Arena bombing, which completely frazzled his (already peculiar) mind.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

It was in his June 2018 interview with Dodwell, specifically this part here:

"Anne Marie Waters seeks open discussion about all aspects of modern Britain, whereas other parties will not allow diverse opinion. She is like a humane version of Thatcher ... if such a concept could be. She is absolute leadership, she doesn't read from a script, she believes in British heritage, freedom of speech, and she wants everyone in the UK to live under the same law. I find this compelling, now, because it's very obvious that Labour or the Tories do not believe in free speech... I mean, look at the shocking treatment of Tommy Robinson..."

I wouldn't say, there, that he's openly "supporting" Robinson, more pointing out that certain ideas/debates/discussions get shut down in the UK these days, and using Robinson as an example of that. (Although, of course, if Morrissey really disagreed with Robinson's politics then he should have said that, which he didn't.)

Regardless of Robinson's stint as a football hooligan, it is without question...... that he has been targeted and persecuted by the British State because they fear him.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I thought the Maida Vale gig when he was promoting Low in high school was the start of all this nonsense. Many of us on this site were listening live and commenting on the new songs when in between songs he said
“I was very surprised the other day, it was very interesting to me to see Anne-Marie Waters become the head of Ukiip”

“Oh no, sorry, she didn’t. The voting was rigged. Sorry, I forgot.”

The crowd went deadly silent and it was a real wtf moment.

Because they had no idea what he was on about. AMW was only known in right-wing circles.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

Unfortunately, on top of his unambiguous support for the For Britain party, he's expressed sympathy for Tommy Robinson, declared Marine Le Pen the winner of a particular debate, and repeatedly enthused about Farage and (I think?) said he was tempted by UKIP.
A key problem here is that I'm not aware of a precise or official definition of 'far right'. Some would argue that For Britain were not far right but in their manifesto they were considerably to the right of the Conservative Party.
He has also expressed sympathy/support (however vaguely) for left wing people in the last 10 years or so including Bernie Sanders and George Galloway. But it was the lack of ambiguity in his wholehearted endorsement of For Britain that probably did for him.

Unfortunately? For whom? Bed-wetting old Labour indie fans?

 

[Malarkey]

Yes, you're right, that was the beginning of it, really. Just over 4 months after the Manchester Arena bombing, which completely frazzled his (already peculiar) mind.

It started in 2016 - when he got flack for mentioning halal in an interview.

Perfect opportunity to start chipping away with "you get flack for that reasonable opinion" so do these people.

The Manchester bomb got him a huge backlash & an industry shunning in his hometown for one Facebook post.

 

[BookishBoy]

It started in 2016 - when he got flack for mentioning halal in an interview.

Perfect opportunity to start chipping away with "you get flack for that reasonable opinion" so do these people.

The Manchester bomb got him a huge backlash & an industry shunning in his hometown for one Facebook post.

OK. You don't really make much sense any more, so I'll put you back on ignore.

Keep going after Simon Wratten on Twitter, though: he's the real enemy.

 

[Surface]

It started in 2016 - when he got flack for mentioning halal in an interview.

Perfect opportunity to start chipping away with "you get flack for that reasonable opinion" so do these people.

The Manchester bomb got him a huge backlash & an industry shunning in his hometown for one Facebook post.

I don't recall him saying anything controversial in 2016?

 

[Les Tameside]

It started in 2016 - when he got flack for mentioning halal in an interview.

Perfect opportunity to start chipping away with "you get flack for that reasonable opinion" so do these people.

The Manchester bomb got him a huge backlash & an industry shunning in his hometown for one Facebook post.

It started in ‘87, or ‘89, or ‘91, or ‘92, or 2006, or 2016, or 2018. Or not at all. Depends who you ask.

 

[nicky wire's legs]

I wish you people would stop feeding the troll!

 

[Rufusindigo]

Micheal Jackson raped young boys, Morrissey associated with a political party that some didn't agree with...

Yes, one of the things that irritates me about that article is the way that Morrissey is lumped in with alleged wife beaters, paedophiles and rapists. I don't personally share a lot of his views, but unlike the other examples cited, he did nothing illegal.....

 

[BookishBoy]

I wish you people would stop feeding the troll!

You're right. Will stop now.

 

[Malarkey]

OK. You don't really make much sense any more, so I'll put you back on ignore.

Keep going after Simon Wratten on Twitter, though: he's the real enemy.

As you are in publishing - you should understand what a pitch is.

They pitched him.

 

[Malarkey]

It started in ‘87, or ‘89, or ‘91, or ‘92, or 2006, or 2016, or 2018. Or not at all. Depends who you ask.

It really depends on which phase of it you mean.

His fame has strunk so much that Marr really should intervene - because it won't be possible to keep the stink away from the Smiths. The Smiths will be the only thing that racists have to comment on & meme about.

 

[Surface]

Because they had no idea what he was on about. AMW was only known in right-wing circles.

I think it was more to do with him mentioning UKIP.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

It started in 2016 - when he got flack for mentioning halal in an interview.

Perfect opportunity to start chipping away with "you get flack for that reasonable opinion" so do these people.

The Manchester bomb got him a huge backlash & an industry shunning in his hometown for one Facebook post.

Never tell the truth (if it goes against the liberal elites) if you want a career in the entertainment industry. Why loads of actors in Hollywood keep their trap shut and go along with the madness.

 

[Stephen Hofmann]

I think it was more to do with him mentioning UKIP.

Oh no.............UKIP........hilarious.