Morrissey’s list of enemies is false (but plausible)

Here we go again: Morrissey against the world, including fans. And no, we’re not talking about yet another canceled concert: in recent days the singer has made headlines for two stories, distinct but connected, which bring his alleged delusions of persecution back to the centre. It all started with a message published on his official website, Morrissey Central, entitled “What Happened Next”, in which the former Smiths frontman denounced the existence of fake accounts pretending to be him online and claimed that those responsible would also include people linked to a former bandmate of his.
The text, written in the polemical style that has long characterized many of the singer’s public interventions, had already attracted the attention of fans and the media. However, over the weekend, a fake post appeared online made with the same graphics as Morrissey Central, which many users initially mistook for authentic.

The title was “The Malefactors” (“The Malefactors”) and consisted of a long list of Morrissey’s supposed enemies. Alongside predictable names like Johnny Marr (mentioned three times) or Elton John, decidedly more unlikely characters appeared: Princess Diana, Bruce Springsteen, Kylie Minogue, Kate Bush, Keanu Reeves, Popeye, Bigfoot, Ross Geller from “Friends”, Edward Cullen from “Twilight”, Canada. Morrissey himself was also present, although a colleague with whom he is notoriously not on good terms, Robert Smith of the Cure, was missing. This is the complete list.

Johnny Marr, Princess Diana, Keir Starmer, Anthony Kiedis, Elton John, Aubrey Drake Graham, Lisa Simpson, Donald Trump, Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, Taylor Swift, Zendaya, Katy Perry, Jack Black, Machine Gun Kelly, Edward Cullen, Popeye, A very judgmental garden gnome named Clive, Jamie Oliver, Keanu Reeves, Ryan Reynolds, Snoop Dogg, Bruce Springsteen, Willem Dafoe, Brian Cox, Meryl Streep, Bigfoot, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, Noel Gallagher, Canada, Lucio, Nigel Farage, Oldplay, Johnny Marr, Ronald McDonald, Alex Turner, John Cena, David Attenborough, Paul Rudd, Stephen King, Cher, Rowan Atkinson, Stevie Nicks, Jeff Goldblum, Gordon Ramsay, Stanley Tucci, Björk, Donna Noble, Mitski, TV Girl, Tame Impala, Alex G, Chris Pratt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jennifer Coolidge, Tilda Swinton, Peter Hook, Mike Mills, Elon Musk, Justin Bieber, The Blue Album, John Gilman, Steven Patrick Morrissey, Charli Cyrus, 50 Cent, Tom MacDonald, Ulfric Stormcloak, Ben Shapiro, Mark Fischbach, Joe Talbot, Nicholas Cage, Sam Levinson, Mo Chara, Margaret Thatcher

The post quickly went viral because it seemed plausible. For years, Morrissey has used his official website as a message board not only to promote music, but also to defend himself and attack colleagues and various public figures. Many users believed the list to be authentic: certainly, apart from a few passages, it was plausible.

It was published by the Instagram account MozPosting, created by fans for memes and satirical content dedicated to the singer. After the post went live, however, the page’s administrators announced that they had received a removal request from Morrissey’s management for alleged copyright violations and impersonation.
“This account was always intended as satire and that post was a parody, but I don’t want to cause unnecessary problems,” the page’s managers wrote. In a second message they added: “I am truly devastated. I am a huge fan of his music and this whole situation has been very disheartening. I created this page to appreciate his work and share some laughter in difficult times, because God knows how much we need it. It was never my intention to cause harm.”

“That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”, to quote the Smiths.