Singer Morrissey has furiously blasted The Simpsons for the hatred and complete ignorance of their recent parody of him but surprisingly, the star didnt get much sympathy from much of his own fanbase. The most recent episode of the long-running animated series focused on a “moody post-punk” artist called Quilloughby, militant vegan and lead singer of 80s band “the Snuffs.”
But when Lisa sees present-day Quilloughby in concert, she finds him overweight, clutching a pastrami sandwich and complaining about hating foreigners “taking our jobs”.
It was an obvious parody of former Smiths frontman and lifelong vegan Morrissey – particularly given his controversial views on immigration in recent years and outbursts such as calling the Chinese a “subspecies” due to the country’s animal rights record.
RELATED: Apu actor apologises for ‘racist’ Simpsons portrayal
Yesterday, Morrissey’s manager slammed The Simpsonsin a post to the singer’s official Facebook page, calling the show “hypocritical,” for their “unapologetically hurtful and racist” parody.
Now, Morrissey himself has weighed in, publishing a lengthy message titled “HELLO HELL” on the forum of his official website.
He writes that the “hatred shown towards me from the creators of The Simpsons” could be grounds for a lawsuit, “but one that requires more funding than I could possibly muster in order to make a challenge.”
“Since my very first interview several decades ago I have lived with horrible accusations to such a degree that it is generally understood that ‘this is how we write about Morrissey’. In other words, I’m quite used to it. I’ve had enough horror thrown at me that would kill off a herd of bison. Accusations usually come from someone with a crazed desire for importance; they don’t operate at a very high level. 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,” he continues.
RELATED: How The Simpsons predicted the future once again
Ironically, given he’s complaining about a tongue-in-cheek cartoon parody, Morrissey also complains that “free speech no longer exists,” saying that the world “has become a mesmerizing mess” where “you are especially despised if your music affects people in a strong and beautiful way.”
Strong words – but perhaps surprisingly, Morrissey’s own fans have offered less than sympathetic responses under his post.
“Well, it’s official. Moz has no sense of humor,” wrote one.
“Ummmmmmm Moz? ?? It’s just the f***ing Simpsons!!! It doesn’t matter!!!” wrote another.
“He has a point: we need to protect this middle aged millionaire white man from this cruel world!” said another.
The reaction outside his immediate family has been even more scathing:
