He's famous for tracks such as The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, and the latest episode of The Simpsons has certainly struck a nerve with Morrissey.
The British singer, who fronted 1980s favourites The Smiths, appears to be displeased with a new portrayal in the animated series, with the star's manager saying he was the subject of a "hurtful" and "racist" parody.
In the episode Panic on the Streets of Springfield, which aired in the US on Sunday, Benedict Cumberbatch voices the character of Quilloughby, the moody star of fictional band The Snuffs.
In the satirical show, Quilloughby shares many similarities with Morrissey, such as veganism, 1980s fame and a distinctive hairdo.
However, the character is revealed to be a figment of Lisa Simpson's imagination, as he morphs into an overweight, anti-immigrant, meat-eater.
After the show was broadcast, Morrissey's manager, Peter Katsis, took to the singer's official Facebook page to criticise the representation.
"Surprising what a 'turn for the worst' the writing for The Simpsons TV show has taken in recent years," the statement reads.
“Poking fun at subjects is one thing … but when a show stoops so low to use harshly hateful tactics like showing the Morrissey character with his belly hanging out of his shirt (when he has never looked like that at any point in his career) makes you wonder who the real hurtful, racist group is here.
“Even worse, calling the Morrissey character out for being a racist, without pointing out any specific instances, offers nothing. It only serves to insult the artist.”
Morrissey is known for his controversial comments, such as accusing London Mayor Sadiq Khan of being unable to "talk properly". He wore a badge supporting the far-right For Britain political party during a televised performance in 2019.
Katsis also referenced Hank Azaria's recent apology for voicing the character of Kwik-E-Mart operator Apu, saying the portrayal reinforced "structural racism".
"Part of me feels like I need to go around to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise, and sometimes I do when it comes up," Azaria told the Armchair Expert podcast this month.
"Not surprising ... that The Simpsons viewership ratings have gone down so badly over recent years," Katsis added.
The statement also shone a spotlight on Cumberbatch's participation, with Morrissey's manager querying why the actor agreed to the role.
"Could he be that hard up for cash that he would agree to bad rap another artist that harshly?" said Katsis. "Clearly he would have read the outline or script before he took the gig."
The episode's writer, however, previously told Variety that Quilloughby was not solely based on Morrissey.
"I'm sticking by that," said Tim Long. "The character is definitely Morrissey-esque, with maybe a small dash of Robert Smith from the Cure, Ian Curtis from Joy Division and a bunch of other people."
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Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Race results:
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2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
Key facilities
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Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
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Date started: early 2020
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Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Spare
Profile
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