THIS WEEK, ex-Smiths frontman, Morrissey, expressed his anger over the new five pound notes, which are reportedly made with tallow – a substance containing animal fat.

Morrisey

Never shy of controversy, or any issue regarding veganism for that matter, Manchester-born Morrissey said: “If you feel that the use of animal flesh should not be a moral issue, then you should assert your conviction by donating your own body to the Bank Of England for decorative use in future five pound notes.”, The whole rant can be read here.

In light of this outburst, we look back at some of Morrissey’s most outrageous comments over the years.

Comparing a massacre to KFC

In 2011, Morrissey compared the Norway Massacre, in which 77 people died, to the production of KFC’s food.

While in Warsaw, he shouted to the crowd in regards to the mass killing: “That is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried shit every day.”

Seriously.

His hatred of the Olympics

In an open letter to his fan club, Morrissey blasted the “blustering jingoism” of the London Olympics, comparing the mood in the UK to Nazi Germany.

“The ‘dazzling royals’ have, quite naturally, hijacked the Olympics for their own empirical needs, and no oppositional voice is allowed in the free press…The spirit of 1939 Germany now pervades throughout media-brand Britain.”

His offensive, yet entertaining descriptions of other artists

Lady Gaga is ‘nothing new’, according to Morrissey, who called her style “fraudulent, and the exact opposite of erotic.” He referred to The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith as a ‘whinebag’, and poor Michael Buble is supposedly ‘famous and meaningless’.

Ouch.

Of course, his scathing views on the Royal Family

The Smiths After a student was shot in Australia in 1994, Morrissey said: “I wish that Prince Charles had been shot. I think it would have made the world a more interesting place.”

This was just the start of an onslaught of comments from The Smiths front man. In 2012, he and his band wore ‘We hate William and Kate’ t-shirts on stage; a year later he linked the suicide of a London nurse to Kate Middleton, saying “There’s no blame placed at Kate Middleton, who was in the hospital for, as far as I can see, absolutely no reason.

“She feels no shame about the death of this woman. The arrogance of the British royals is staggering, absolutely stagering.”.

Lets not forget, of course, The Smiths hit, ‘The Queen is Dead’

And finally, who could forget his outright racist comments about Chinese people?

When discussing animal cruelty in China, Morrissey told the Guardian “You can’t help but feel that the Chinese people are a subspecies.”

If that isn’t too far, then I don’t know what is.

via GIPHY

The fact is that, Morrissey, whether we like it or not, will always be at the centre of controversy. At least amid the sea of painfully offensive comments there’s that needle in the haystack that is occasionally entertaining.

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