Josh Klinghoffer says “the culture” to blame for Morrissey album delay: “I honestly don’t think he’s a malicious person, even if he says stupid shit”
“Morrissey has a great record. It’s in my phone. And it’s not in stores. What does that say about the world we’re living in?” said Klinghoffer, who played on the album.
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Josh Klinghoffer has chimed in on why Morrissey’s latest album has not seen the light of day more than a year after its completion, claiming that it all boils down to “what’s going on these days in the culture”.
Appearing on the Tuna on Toast With Stryker podcast last Tuesday, Klinghoffer hinted that cancel culture is to blame for the delay of the yet-to-be-released Bonfire of the Teenagers.
“If anybody follows Morrissey or is a fan of his, or if anyone knows anything about what’s going on these days in the culture, they can sort of put two and two together and perhaps make sense out of why a great Morrissey album, one that he said is his favourite… an album that Morrissey made that he is hailing as his best is not out yet,” said the former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist, who played on the record.
The former Smiths frontman has faced criticism in recent years for things he has said , including when he defended Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey over multiple allegations of sexual abuse back in 2017, or more recently where he likened pandemic restrictions to “slavery”.
“Morrissey has, I think, done himself no favours in the court of public opinion with some of the things he’s said or some of the pins he’s worn on television,” Klinghoffer admitted. In 2019, Morrisey appeared on Fallon wearing a badge featuring the logo of the far-right party For Britain. He later affirmed his support for the right-wing group, headed by ex-UKIP politician Anne-Marie Waters, who is vehemently anti-immigration and anti-Islamic.
“I think the whole story surrounding this record and the fact that it’s not out yet, if people were able to listen to the information and keep a cool head, they could see that there’s a greater discussion around this album than the album or the music itself,” Klinghoffer added.
“If Morrissey says something that’s offensive to people… I don’t know how much they know him, how much they know his music in the past,” he continued. “I don’t know how much time they spend listening to his [music], thinking that they really know where he’s coming from. People just might get offended. I don’t, because I honestly don’t think he’s a malicious person, even if he says stupid shit.”
“Morrissey has a great record. It’s in my phone. And it’s not in stores. What does that say about the world we’re living in?”