Iconic frontman of The Smiths and vocal proponent of a range of rights-related causes, Morrissey is no stranger to courting controversy, but he may have put his foot in it with his latest merchandising attempt.
A new tee shirt design has been drawing the ire of a number of fans and commentors, as it features the words “I wear black on the outside, ’cause black is how I feel on the inside” placed alongside an image of social activist and writer James Baldwin – a move that some are finding a bit, well, troublesome.
The words are, of course, the lyrics from The Smiths’ ’86 song ‘Unloveable’, but some critics are wondering what Moz is trying to say with the design. As Pitchfork points out, Morrissey has long been a fan of Baldwin’s work, but slapping a pretty much unrelated lyric alongside the image of a man who has campaigned for black rights in the US has people a little confused.
Morrissey equating his own fashion choices and feelings of sadness with the struggles that Baldwin has faced and fought over the decades is at best his usual self-indulgent self, and at worst a bit of an insult to a man whose work he apparently admires.
Regardless, most fans and outlets are responding with a collective shrug in response to another instance of Moz being his usual controversial self. We’ll see how many of these he manages to sell on his upcoming tour.
