The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli recently came to the aid of Morrissey. He said that he still “gives him the benefit of the doubt”.
The former frontman of The Smiths recently grabbed headlines in recent years for making a number of comments that have deemed be racist.
Michael Imperioli backs Morrissey
However, in a new interview with The Guardian, Imperioli explained how other members of the band had led him to believe that racism is not a part of who Morrissey is.
“I’m not sure how racist the things he said were,” said the actor. “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.
He spoke about his admiration for Morrissey as an artist and Imperioli also said in the interview:
“As a lyricist, he’s on the level of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed to me: his intelligence, his wit and point of view.
