Cuttings

'THE BEAUTIFUL MORRISSEY LOOKED AT ME' The tears! The screams! The bizarre marriage proposals! For the first time ever in Britain MORRISSEY took the plunge and ventured out to meet his devoted public... Nearly 5,000 of them turned up last week, in London and Manchester, queueing for hours in miserable weather, all for an autograph and a heart-stopping glimpse of their idol. Lacing up our red DM's, the NME joined the heaving crush at the crash barriers. Over the next four pages, we document these emotional meetings and delve into the minds of his adoring legions: do they think 'Vauxhall And I' is better than The Smiths7 Do they know who the mysterious Jake is? How do they feel about Moz’s flirtation with nationalist imagery at Finsbury Park? ANGELA LEWIS in London and STUART BAILIE in Manchester join the melee for a fan’s-eye view of the spectacular love-ins. PICTURES: KEVIN CUMMINS and ROGER SARGENT TUESDAY, MARCH 15, LONDON THERE ARE 20 people on the pavement

ANGST EDITED BY ANDREW COLLINS RIGHT OR WRONG - MOZ HOGS THE POST BAG THOSE THANK YOUS IN FULL Re: Morrissey: Flying The Flag Or Flirting With Disaster? NME , August 22. Thankfully, the NME didn’t take their usual defensive, often sycophantic position with Moz, and instead offered an extremely impressive, investigative piece of music journalism on this most urgent issue. It’s an insult to the re-release of ‘This Charming Man’ to hear that the very same singer has a skins backdrop at Finsbury Park. I’d like to dupe myself into believing that Moz’s interest in all this sad shit is merely a plot on his part to regain attention lost during the release of certain inferior singles - but I think not. The NME aren’t trying to ruin his career, the man’s digging his own grave. To refuse an interview; to not care to defend himself against recent racist allegations . . . what are we to conclude? Victoria Cullen, Hull How can Morrissey say you’re trying to ruin his career? For someone who’s been

ANGST EDITED BY IAN McCANN SURPRISE, SURPRISE! THIS WEEK, A VERITABLE MOZ SPESH! An open letter to the NME and Morrissey from Johnny Rogan THE MOMENT Morrissey unfurled that Union Jack I knew he was in trouble. I assumed that the ‘Is Morrissey A Racist?’ debate was a discredited old chestnut, but now it's back, bigger than ever. The allegation is dangerous and insulting to Morrissey, especially when you consider that he has never publicly espoused racist views. In the aftermath of the unfortunate furore over ‘Panic’, the Smiths played an Anti-Apartheid gig. a fact which deserved a passing mention in your round-up. However, the NME is right to stress the alarming cumulative effects of Morrissey's flirtation with right-wing imagery. It is extremely disconcerting, and the Madness debacle provided a salutary lesson for Morrissey, as well as ourselves. What the NME's five-page article really underlines is the contradictory and capricious nature of Morrissey himself. Yes, he

CAUCASIAN RUT " A child in a curious phase... "?  Once he wore outsized blouses, hearing aids and gladioli, now MORRISSEY's accoutrements are the Union Jack, skinhead imagery and a series of questionable public pronouncements. Following the debacle at Finsbury Park, NME examines the latest controversy surrounding this most provocative of all modern pop icons. Opposite DELE FADELE, in a personal reminiscence about the Finsbury Park gig, asks: Is he actually a racist? Over the following pages, DANNY KELLY, GAVIN MARTIN and ANDREW COLLINS assess recent worrying developments. Has Morrissey gone too far this time?  Pop stars are especially strange creatures when it comes to giving that all-important 'image' an overhaul.  At one extreme, Kylie Minogue miraculously transforms herself from the jovial girl-next-door to a strutting nymphet who cavorts lustily with black 'dancers' to suggest risky sexuality. And, at the other extreme, Steven Patrick Morrissey under