Morrissey has denied The Beatles had any influence on his career, claiming the iconic Liverpool band penned just four good songs in their career.
In a new interview with Billboard magazine, the outspoken singer and animal rights campaigner says the band's back catalogue contained four 'magnificent' tracks, but no more.
"I thought four of their songs were magnificent, and if a band can give you four magnificent songs then that’s good enough for me," he tells the magazine. "But was I ever influenced by the Beatles? No."
He also spoke of the long-discussed Smiths reunion, again stating that it would never happen, saying that reuniting classic bands was nothing short of 'desperate'.
"I don’t know a single person who wants a Smiths reunion," he added. "But, no, there aren’t any bands I like to see again because your memory of them is how they were in their prime or at their best or at their most desperate, and you look to them to be someone that they no longer are."
The Smiths reunion. Still definitely not going to happen
When asked about the band's 30 year anniversary, he said simply: "Is it only 30 years? It feels like 60."
Below: 'Slack witted, thickwit, dingbats': the victims of Morrissey's 2013 rant
