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This Morrissey and 'The Simpsons' Feud Is the Drama Your Dad Craves Right Now

Photo credit: FOX
Photo credit: FOX

On Sunday night, former The Smiths singer Morrissey posted a lengthy statement to his Facebook page blasting The Simpsons for "trying to capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors." In its latest episode, “Panic On The Streets Of Springfield,” the long-running cartoon depicts a Morrissey-inspired character named Quilloughby who is a greedy, bloated racist.

In the episode, Lisa becomes a fan of an '80s indie rock band called The Snuffs after it's suggested to her by a music streaming algorithm from Slapify. The band and its lead singer Quilloughby's vehement Veganism inspires her to try a non-meat diet at school. When she's mocked for her efforts, Quilloughby (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) becomes her imaginary friend. The episode includes original songs from Flight Of The Conchords’ Bret McKenzie in the style of The Smiths—with an exaggerated, crooning baritone and melancholy lyrics. Lisa becomes kind of a sardonic, eloquent asshole. But when she finally goes to see the real Quilloughby live, she realizes he's nothing but a sad washed up rocker.

Photo credit: FOX
Photo credit: FOX

“Shut your gobs, you wankers. Can’t you see this show is just a cash grab? I’m only here because I lost my fortune suing people for saying things about me that were completely true,” Quilloughby says on stage. “You can jeer while I enjoy this pastrami on rye…I was [vegan], until I learned that veganism was invented by foreigners, of whom there are far too many on this planet. That’s right, I hate the foreign: coming to this country and taking our jobs and sleeping with our men.”

Eventually, Lisa learns to listen to other people and not sneer at everything she sees.

The episode appears to be responding to Morrissey's pretty horrible politics in recent years. He's called the Chinese a "subspecies," defended Harvey Weinstein, and supported Brexit and Britain's far-right political party.

But, in his response, Morrissey said:

Poking fun at subjects is one thing. Other shows like SNL still do a great job at finding ways to inspire great satire.

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 then calls out The Simpsons for its own racist depiction of South Asians with the character Apu.

And while certainly this is the most inconsequential feud of the last year, dads everywhere are living for this drama.

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