Last week Morrissey gave an interview to British newspaper The Guardian, where he mused on several topics and was a bit of a dick to the interviewer, poet and Morrisseyfan Simon Armitage.

Morrissey caused an international stir with his musings on Chinese people (“Did you see the thing on the news about their treatment of animals and animal welfare? Absolutely horrific. You can't help but feel that the Chinese are a subspecies”), but he also took time to diss one of his “3 or 4” current hometowns: our lovely city of Los Angeles.

“Where's home?,” asked Armitage and Morrissey answered:

“I'm very comfortable in three or four places. When the world was a smaller place, Manchester was the boundary. But it's a relief to feel relaxed in more places than just one. I know LA well, but it's a police state. I frequent Rome and a certain part of Switzerland. And I know this city very well.” [emphasis added]

Predictably, the Mozzosphere started buzzing about that, with his local acolytes, which are many and famously vocal, trying to justify their idol's comments. Things especially perked up when word got out that Morrissey might have been back to our charming “police state” this past week:

“I saw Morrissey in LA today at the Target parking lot on Santa Monica Blvd. He was waiting for our parking spot and after we pulled out, he took it. I know this may sound odd to some, but it didn't feel right to approach him then and there. I am 100% sure it was him.”

Here's a tattoo an Angeleno got this week, allegedly sketched by the Big Mouth himself:

What was that thing Shatner told the trekkies on SNL?

What was that thing Shatner told the trekkies on SNL?

Inicidentally, the “police state” description is not new: a 2006 commenter to one of his forums had pointed out that Morrissey “wanted to leave LA because it was like living in a police state. He also said that he would leave the US if George Bush was voted in. I am sure it is horrible having people outside your house all the time but I think there were many other reasons for leaving LA and the US.”

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.