Michael Imperioli — apparently blessed with the gift of ignorance — is "not sure how racist" the things Morrissey has said actually are.
Speaking with The Guardian, the Sopranos actor/ZOPA bandleader opened up about his appreciation for the disgraced former Smiths frontman, who has marred his own reputation in recent years by aligning with far-right groups, stating that "everyone ultimately prefers their own race," likening post-pandemic society to "slavery" and Britain's government to "Chinese emperors," and claiming he was dropped by his label in favour of "diversity hires," all while bemoaning "cancel vultures" and blaming everyone but himself for his record not coming out — among many, many other things.
"He's uncompromising and very true to his art, to himself," Imperioli said. "As a lyricist, he's on the level of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed to me: his intelligence, his wit and point of view. I think that's why so many people connect to him, people who feel like outsiders. When they hear his lyrics and see him perform, they feel less alone in the world."
Perhaps somewhat pertinently, Imperioli goes on to describe discovering the Smiths as a kid stuck between two worlds — living with his grandparents outside of New York City, a metropolis where he didn't yet feel like he belonged. It's an all-too-common tale of suburban angst, and a pretty on-the-nose coming-of-age experience for adolescent Smiths fans. We've all been there!
"As a young person who wanted to be an artist, I felt I was looking for a certain freedom to express, and those other artists made me understand that that was possible," Imperioli continued.
"I thought what he wrote about Sinéad O'Connor was spot-on and brilliant — how easily she was abandoned by the music industry. He was as well. Bonfire of Teenagers was dropped by the label and still hasn't come out. He's on the edge of controversy a lot and they shy away from that."
Imperioli then shared that he's "not sure racist the things [Morrissey] said were," adding that he still gives him the "benefit of the doubt":
To me they weren't flagrantly racist. I've never met Morrissey but I do know a lot of people in the current band and people who have played with him in the past who are very smart, and the least racist people you could imagine. They adamantly express that racism is not a part of who he is, by any stretch of the imagination.
I still give him the benefit of the doubt. I know a lot of people don't, but somehow I still do. As an artist, considering what he's done, he should always have the advantages of having a label promoting him. I think [his situation] is similar [to O'Connor's] in a lot of ways.
Imperioli joins the ranks of RHCP's Josh Kingoffer and the Killers' Brandon Flowers in defending the Moz, while former bandmate Johnny Marr — who has met him and arguably knows him very well — remembers him decidedly less fondly, as do the Cure's Robert Smith and Blur's Damon Albarn.
Speaking with The Guardian, the Sopranos actor/ZOPA bandleader opened up about his appreciation for the disgraced former Smiths frontman, who has marred his own reputation in recent years by aligning with far-right groups, stating that "everyone ultimately prefers their own race," likening post-pandemic society to "slavery" and Britain's government to "Chinese emperors," and claiming he was dropped by his label in favour of "diversity hires," all while bemoaning "cancel vultures" and blaming everyone but himself for his record not coming out — among many, many other things.
"He's uncompromising and very true to his art, to himself," Imperioli said. "As a lyricist, he's on the level of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed to me: his intelligence, his wit and point of view. I think that's why so many people connect to him, people who feel like outsiders. When they hear his lyrics and see him perform, they feel less alone in the world."
Perhaps somewhat pertinently, Imperioli goes on to describe discovering the Smiths as a kid stuck between two worlds — living with his grandparents outside of New York City, a metropolis where he didn't yet feel like he belonged. It's an all-too-common tale of suburban angst, and a pretty on-the-nose coming-of-age experience for adolescent Smiths fans. We've all been there!
"As a young person who wanted to be an artist, I felt I was looking for a certain freedom to express, and those other artists made me understand that that was possible," Imperioli continued.
"I thought what he wrote about Sinéad O'Connor was spot-on and brilliant — how easily she was abandoned by the music industry. He was as well. Bonfire of Teenagers was dropped by the label and still hasn't come out. He's on the edge of controversy a lot and they shy away from that."
Imperioli then shared that he's "not sure racist the things [Morrissey] said were," adding that he still gives him the "benefit of the doubt":
To me they weren't flagrantly racist. I've never met Morrissey but I do know a lot of people in the current band and people who have played with him in the past who are very smart, and the least racist people you could imagine. They adamantly express that racism is not a part of who he is, by any stretch of the imagination.
I still give him the benefit of the doubt. I know a lot of people don't, but somehow I still do. As an artist, considering what he's done, he should always have the advantages of having a label promoting him. I think [his situation] is similar [to O'Connor's] in a lot of ways.
Imperioli joins the ranks of RHCP's Josh Kingoffer and the Killers' Brandon Flowers in defending the Moz, while former bandmate Johnny Marr — who has met him and arguably knows him very well — remembers him decidedly less fondly, as do the Cure's Robert Smith and Blur's Damon Albarn.