Michael Imperioli recently answered fan questions through the Guardian and when one question asked his stance on Morrissey and his recent defense of Sinead O’Connor, Michael decided to delve right into his feelings for the Smiths singer, saying:
“He’s uncompromising and very true to his art, to himself. As a lyricist, he’s on the level of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed to me: his intelligence, his wit and point of view. I think that’s why so many people connect to him, people who feel like outsiders. When they hear his lyrics and see him perform, they feel less alone in the world.”
He then carried on by sharing his thoughts on the singer’s defense about O’Connor and how Morrissey’s unreleased album ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ had been dropped by his label, stating:
“I thought what he wrote about Sinéad O’Connor was spot on and brilliant – how easily she was abandoned by the music industry. He was as well. ‘Bonfire of Teenagers’ was dropped by the label and still hasn’t come out. He’s on the edge of controversy a lot and they shy away from that.”
The actor continued by discussing the singer’s alleged ‘racism:’
“I’m not sure how racist the things he said were. 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.”
Micheal then explained how he was still adamant to give Morrissey ‘the benefit of the doubt,’ while likening his situation to O’Connor’s:
“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. I think [his situation] is similar [to O’Connor’s] in a lot of ways.”
Morrissey’s words about O’Connor had come after numerous names in the music industry started paying respects to the late Irish singer, as the frontman decided to protest against those ‘fake praisings’ by explaining why it was wrong to call Sinead ‘an icon.’
