“It is almost four years old now. The madly insane efforts to silence the album are somehow indications of its power,” Morrissey tells me. “Otherwise, who would bother to get so overheated about an inconspicuous recluse?”
“The album” in question is Bonfire of Teenagers, the former Smiths singer’s 14th solo album that he completed back in May 2021, when Britain was emerging from its third Covid lockdown, but has yet to see the light of day. The lost album was set to feature contributions from craggy rocker Iggy Pop, half of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, tantalisingly, Tennessee pop superstar Miley Cyrus. The “inconspicuous recluse” is Morrissey himself. He’s being disingenuous, of course.
