Morrissey refutes quotes in newspaper interview about Kevin Spacey
German newspaper Der Spiegel has published what it says is the full audio of an interview with singer Morrissey after he refuted quotes that appeared in an interview with him.
In the interview, Morrissey appeared to defend Kevin Spacey and Harvery Weinstein after a string of allegations of sexual misconduct against both.
Morrissey has since posted on Facebook a post titled ‘The Slander System’, in which he suggested Der Spiegel had misquoted him in the interview.
Responding, Der Spiegel released a statement saying that it had decided to release the full audio recording of the interview in response to his post.
“In a Facebook post, Morrissey doubted that the Spiegel had correctly reproduced his comments and observed that we had not yet published the recording of the conversation, as an indirect admission of guilt,” the article stated.
“To counter this, we have decided to put the interview online, even if it is self-evident from our point of view that interviews published in Spiegel do not contain false or misleading citations.”
Spacey has been accused of multiple incidents of inappropriate sexual behaviour since Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp accused him earlier this month of making sexual advances on him when he was 14.
In response, Spacey wrote on Twitter that he didn’t remember the incident, but apologised for “what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour.”
Spacey has since been accused of sexual misconduct by 20 more people, as recently as 2013.
Weinstein has been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct, since the New York Times published a report on 5 October quoting several actors who accused the Hollywood mogul.
(Getty)
Last month it was reported that Weinstein had compiled a list of 91 people in Hollywood to be targeted by investigators in order to stop accounts and corroboration of alleged sexual assaults.
In the interview with Der Spiegel Online, Morrissey appeared to defend both figures, calling the allegations “ridiculous” and saying, of Rapp: “One wonders if the boy did not know what would happen.”
He also questioned whether victims of alleged sexual assault are sometimes “merely disappointed.”
Now speaking to the Times, Morrissey has since addressed the defence of Weinstein an Spacey.
He says: “I’m sure it’s horrific, but we have to keep everything in proportion. Do you not agree? I have never been sexually harassed, I might add.”
In the Der Spiegel interview, translated from German by ConsequenceOfSound, the Smiths frontman waded into the debate around the allegations.
In answer to a question about the #MeToo campaign, which sees sexual abuse survivors come forward, Morrissey said: “Anyone who has ever said to someone else, ‘I like you,’ is suddenly being charged with sexual harassment. You have to put these things in the right relations. If I can not tell anyone that I like him, how should he ever know?”
(Netflix)
“Of course, there are extreme cases, rape is disgusting, every physical attack is repulsive. But we have to see it in relative terms,” he added.
“Otherwise, every person on this planet is guilty. We can not permanently decide from above what we are allowed to do and what we can not do. Because then we are all trapped. Some people are very awkward when it comes to romance anyway. They do not know what to do and then their behaviour is aggressive.”
Answering a question specifically about Spacey, Morrissey added: “[I] was wondering where the boy’s parents were. One wonders if the boy did not know what could happen. I do not know about you, but I’ve never been in situations like this in my youth. Never.
“I always knew what could happen. When you are in somebody’s bedroom, you have to be aware of where that can lead to. That’s why it does not sound very credible to me. It seems to me Spacey has been unnecessarily attacked.”
He also addressed the Weinstein allegations, saying: “They played along”.
“Afterward, they feel embarrassed, or they do not like it. And then they turn it around and say: ‘I was attacked, I was surprised, I was dragged into the room.’ But if everything had gone well and had it given them a great career, they would not talk about it.”
Morrissey (Getty Images)
Continuing: “I hate rape. I hate attacks. I hate sexual situations that are forced on someone. But in many cases, one looks at the circumstances and thinks that the person referred to as a victim is merely disappointed. Throughout the history of music and rock ‘n’ roll there have been musicians who have slept with their groupies. If you go through history, almost everyone is guilty of sleeping with minors.”
Spacey also came out as gay in the same statement as addressing the allegations from Rapp.
His brother has since said the coming out was “an insult to the entire gay community.”
Fowler is not the first to condemn the way in which Spacey came out, with celebrities from Billy Eichner and Cameron Esposito to Sue Perkins reacting furiously to the announcement.
Zachary Quinto, who has featured in the Star Trek film series, accused Kevin Spacey of committing a “calculated manipulation”.
Quinto, who starred alongside Spacey in 2011 film Margin Call, added that he found it “deeply sad and troubling that this is how Kevin Spacey has chosen to come out.”
Eight people alleged earlier in November that Spacey had sexually harassed House of Cards employees during his time on the set, including one who he allegedly sexually assaulted.
In response, Netflix severed all ties with Spacey, sacking him from House of Cards in the process.
British police are currently investigating an allegation of sexual assault made against Spacey.
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An alleged victim claimed last week that after being invited to Spacey’s London home for a drink in 2008, he passed out – and woke to find the star performing oral sex on him.
This was not the only allegation to be made after Rapp’s story was made public.
Anthony Rapp
A man on the east coast of the US said that Spacey repeatedly had sex with him when he was 14, adding: “He tried to rape me.”
Filmmaker Tony Montana also accused Spacey of having sexually assaulted him in 2003, saying: “He put his hand on my crotch forcefully and grabbed my whole package.”
Tony Montana (YouTube/tony montana)
Another alleged victim, Daniel Beal, said that Spacey showed him his penis in public when he was 19, before giving him his £5,000 watch to buy his silence.
“He said: ‘It’s big, isn’t it?’ He leaned over and tried to pull my hand towards it,” Beal told The Sun.
Dan Beal (Facebook/dan beal)
He accused Spacey of “grooming”.
Another man, who did not reveal his name, told the BBC he was left traumatised after waking to find Spacey lying on him, in his underwear, with his arms wrapped around him.
The man, who was a teenager at the time, said Spacey’s behaviour during that weekend was “either very stupid or predatory – or maybe a little of both.”
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He added: “It seems he was grooming me.
Mexican actor Rob Cavazos has also alleged that Spacey approached him in “unpleasant encounters” which he said he would have termed “harassment” if he were a woman.
Roberto Cavazos (Facebook/roberto cavazos)
He said the American Beauty actor was commonly found at the theatre bar, “squeezing whoever caught his attention.”
