Gary Powell has claimed that Morrissey ignored him on several occasions when the former The Smiths singer was linked to matters concerning The Libertines and the New York Dolls.
Powell, who drums in The Libertines and also played for the New York Dolls at the 2004 Meltdown festival that Morrissey curated, told NME in a new interview that he found the singer to be “rude” towards him.
After saying that the only other act he could remember at Meltdown was The Smiths man himself (and calling him a “wazzock!” in the process), Powell claimed that Morrissey never apologised to him for blanking him at the festival.
“No,” Powell said when NME asked if Morrissey had ever said sorry about the alleged lack of interaction, which the drummer had spoken about previously.
“He never spoke to me for the two days we did Meltdown. He came up onstage, spoke to everybody in the New York Dolls, and completely blanked me. At the meet and greet afterwards, he didn’t even look in my general direction,” Powell said.
He continued: “When [The Libertines] later did an NME photoshoot with Morrissey, I was stood next to him and he again didn’t talk to me – he spoke to everybody else in the band. The only thing he said to me was ‘Mexico’, grudgingly, and that’s because I asked where his ring was from. He showed his true colours and feelings towards me and it was a level of ignorance I can’t be bothered to deal with.”
NME has contacted Morrissey’s representatives for comment.
Elsewhere in the interview Powell alleged that he once performed to “racist” Sex Pistols fans whom he claimed threw Nazi Swastika salutes at him.
Powell has also drummed for Dirty Pretty Things with his Libertines bandmate Carl Barat as well for The Specials and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Meanwhile, The Libertines’ singer and guitarist Pete Doherty recently shared some of his strongest Glastonbury memories. They feature Kate Moss, an “undercover agent” sent by Vivienne Westwood, and a £16,000 cardigan once owned by T-Rex legend Marc Bolan.
Doherty also told NME that he hopes The Libertines‘ long-awaited fourth album should be completed by the end of this year.
The band are set to further celebrate the 20th anniversary of their seminal debut album ‘Up The Bracket’ this year, releasing a ‘Super Deluxe Edition’ of the record in October.
