Morrissey’s merchandise is created by Sandbag Limited, a global merchandising company.
https://www.sandbagheadquarters.com/
Morrissey isn’t involved in the design.
But that didn’t stop the press yet again attacking him for racism – and yet again bringing up the fact that he, a “poofy bastard”, touched a Union Jack – after an image of James Baldwin was paired with a Smiths lyric ‘I wear black on the outside cause black is how I feel on the inside‘.
The Manchester-born singer has found himself at the centre of a number of rows since the early 90s, after an incident when he wrapped himself in the Union Jack at a concert in Finsbury Park. (Danuta Keen, the Guardian, March 2017)
https://folk-devil.com/2021/09/05/sexually-ambiguous/
Baldwin would probably have understood the pairing though since both of them struggled with the gap between their self-perception and the way society perceived them esp in relation to their sexuality, ethnicity, and desire to be writers. And both have been denounced as inflammatory and excluded by supposed progressives – Baldwin was sidelined by the Civil Rights movement because he was gay, Morrissey has been excluded from his own work.
In America, the color of my skin stood between myself and me; in Europe, that barrier was down. Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch. It turned out that the question of who I was was not solved because I had removed myself from the social forces which menaced me – anyway, these forces had become interior, and I had dragged them across the ocean with me… (James Baldwin, Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son, 1961)
https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/02/24/james-baldwin-the-last-interviews/
And on Twitter, two music journalists, decided the font and layout of a t-shirt was a homage to neo-Nazi band Skrewdriver.
Skrewdriver’s roadie, Nicky Crane, came out as gay a month before the Finsbury Park gig where Morrissey was attacked by far right homophobes and the NME accused him of inciting it because he was attracted to skinheads.
Nicky Crane had left the National Front because it was violently homophobic and Skrewdriver disowned him.
The far right were also violently opposed to Irish Catholics and Irish Republicans. Morrissey is an Irish Catholic and an Irish Republican.
It seems to me that most of the people that want to destroy the Royal family are either Irish or commies. (Ian Stuart Donaldson, lead singer of Skrewdriver)
Smash The IRA – Skrewdriver:
On the streets of Ulster, the battle rages on
British people fighting for their land
Fought in two world wars for us, fought and died for Britain
Gotta help them, support the Red Hand
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Remember the victims of their bombs
Gotta change our policies and hang the IRA
Let the Army deal with them their way
Corrupt politicians and sniveling left-wing scum
Are quite content to let them get away
Come on Ulster!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Remember the victims of their bombs
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Remember the victims of their bombs
IRA supporters are marching on our streets
Are we gonna let them spread their lies?
Are we gonna let them march or are we gonna smash them?
Laughing while the British people die
Come on Ulster!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Smash! Smash! The IRA!
Remember the victims of their bombs
Folk Devil 