Photo: WENN
Morrissey has lamented the current state of the music industry, in which, he believes, "we are force-fed such as Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, which at least means that things can't possibly get any worse."
Sheeran was not a fan - calling Mozza's claims 'absolute bollocks'.
The former Smiths singer is second only to Noel Gallagher when it comes to slagging off younger musicians, and this week he has continued this passion for negativity with his usual enthusiasm.
Speaking via email to Boulder Weekly, Morrissey said, "There are no bands or singers who become successful without overwhelming marketing. There are no surprise success stories. Everything is stringently controlled, obvious and predictable and has exactly the same content. So, we are now in the era of marketed pop stars, which means that the labels fully control the charts, and consequently the public has lost interest."
He continued, "It’s very rare that a record label does something for the good of music. Thus we are force-fed such as Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, which at least means that things can’t possibly get any worse. It is sad, though. There’s no spontaneity now, and it all seems to be unsalvageable."
Ed Sheeran then responded via NME:
@NME even you guys should think this is absolute bollocks. Taking me out of the equation, Sam was the least ... http://t.co/QMLhbqZTkS
— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) July 10, 2015Don't feel too downhearted though - he does concede that there are some positives to the current roster of pop musicians, such as "the rejection of fur and leather and McDonalds and even plastics, all very important no-go zones for the intelligent young people. Then you see someone wearing animal fur and they immediately register as being moronic. So, in amongst the grime, I see lots of good changes, and as soon as animals are off the menu, the world will be a great place."
Read Morrissey's full interview with Boulder Weekly here.
Morrissey's upcoming UK tour dates are below. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 10 July. For tickets and more information.
Fri September 18 2015 - HULL Arena
Sun September 20 2015 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
Mon September 21 2015 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
