Billy Bragg is certainly one of the important British musicians of the punk generation.
Billy Bragg, in July 2019, had released a statement on his Facebook page slamming Morrissey for his views and support of the far-right party For Britain.
At one point, he wrote[via Far Out Magazine]: “He expresses support for anti-Muslim provocateurs, posts white supremacist videos and, when challenged, clutches his pearls and cries ‘Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me’. His recent claim that ‘as a so-called entertainer, I have no rights’ is a ridiculous position made all the more troubling by the fact that it is a common trope among right-wing reactionaries.”
Bragg then compared Morrissey to Oswald Mosley, the late president of the British Union of Fascists. “But now [Morrissey is] betraying those fans, betraying his legacy and empowering the very people Smiths fans were brought into being to oppose,” Bragg opined. “He’s become the Oswald Mosley of pop.”
Bragg had further noted that he loves Johnny Marr and lavished praise on him. However, he always changes whenever a Smiths track comes up:
“Whenever a Smiths track comes up I flip on, I just can’t… I love Johnny Marr, he’s the nicest man I ever met in pop music. So I really feel for him that the great work that he’s done should be tainted in this way,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Johny Marr recently opened for the Killers at Madison Square Garden in September. Smith’s bassist Andy Rourke joined him for a run through “How Soon Is Now?” and “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.” Now Marr and Rourke have appeared on a song together for the first time in 35 years.
