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When news broke of a new Morrissey single and album last week (both titled \u201cMake-Up is a Lie\u201d), one thing was assured: it was going to get people talking. That, along with the cancellation of several upcoming tour dates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perhaps the most \u201cmarmite\u201d artist of all time, it\u2019s hard to find an artist who divides opinions as much as Morrissey<\/a>. To some, he is so beloved that going to one of his concerts is a religious experience<\/a>. To others, he is so detestable that there are social media groups with names like \u201cthe Morrissey Hate Club\u201d, with detractors dismayed<\/a> by how his recent political positions on immigration and nationalism are so at odds with the socialist values his early work appeared to advocate.<\/p>\n Morrissey has consistently argued that his views are focused on British identity and freedom of speech, not racism, and has denied that his contemporary nationalist stance conflicts with the anti-establishment and socialist values of his early work with The Smiths. In a 2018 blog post<\/a>, he wrote: \u201cI despise racism. I despise fascism.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrissey\u2019s relationship with the media has been similarly complex. In 2007, for example, he wrote a piece<\/a> on the Guardian\u2019s music blog about how the NME had \u201cdeliberately tried to characterise\u201d him as a racist. Then, in 2019, he was quoted in the NME for saying the Guardian was running a \u201chate campaign\u201d<\/a> against him for running an article that accused him of supporting far-right ideologies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Love or hate him, people remain fascinated with Morrissey. And this means that most of the music media covered the news of his new album, even if, like Spin magazine<\/a>, they did so through gritted teeth.<\/p>\n