Looks like indie rock’s got an old-fashioned mystery on its hands. Either that or a case of petty finger-pointing. And it’s all over who got Morrissey sick.
After canceling the remaining dates of his U.S. tour due to a respiratory infection, Moz blamed opening act Kristeen Young for his illness. Young then spoke up in her own defense, posting on Facebook she only had allergies and was not responsible for getting the old man ill. And now auxiliary bandmates and producers are getting into the mix on this (ridiculous) whodunnit caper.
It seems that producer Tony Visconti “liked” Young’s defensive Facebook post, as Pitchfork points out, which then gave Moz guitarist Jesse Tobias the motivation to speak up. Taking to the “True To You” Morrissey zine page, he points fingers at both Young and Visconti, who has worked with Morrissey in the past.
Read Visconti’s full statement here:
It’s been quite Disheartening to see the “Facebook” Hatred thrown about by Our Former Friends/ Working Partners Kristeen Young and Tony Visconti. I do feel that Someone needs to Speak Up for Moz in this situation as it is unbearable to watch people you once trusted , Attack and Pick Away at your Friend. In my experience ANYONE associated with the Morrissey Camp know they are solely there because of Morrissey himself. He chooses to tour/ work with certain people. For Kristeen and Tony Visconti to go on about Her being better off now, without considering Morrissey’s 9 years of help and promotion is Very Disappointing. Only speaking from my experience, with the crew and Moz falling ill in Miami, for Kristeen to deny she was truly sick seems disingenuous. I was told after the show in Miami by Crew and Security that there was some concern because Kristeen was obviously unwell. Our crew then tried to keep her at a reasonable distance but being in such close quarters for months these things sometimes happen. I am Upset that in this situation Kristeen could not take the tour as a whole into consideration and just comply with the postponement announcement. One could only assume it was necessary for her to justify herself and ultimately receive some promotion out of the matter. This combined with Tony Visconti’s Parrot Like affirmation on “Facebook” that “she is better off, is Morrissey Capable of being handled?” is Repulsive. This is a MAN who worked closely with us on a record and several sessions that Suddenly flips into Schoolgirl mode with “yeah you tell em” Chatter…??
Good Riddance to False Friends.
Jesse Tobias
There’s still no telling how this mystery will unfold, but there are rumors floating around that suggest it has something to do with that fake Morrissey Twitter account that popped up in May.
