The Libertines drummer Gary Powell discusses “rude” Morrissey meetings
Garry Powell has argued that Morrissey has ignored him on a number of occasions when the ex-Smiths singer had been at events with the New York Dolls and The Libertines. Powell is best known as the drummer for the Libertines but also got behind the kit for the New York Dolls when they played the Morrissey-curated 2004 Meltdown festival.
Powell has recently told the NME that Morrissey had regularly been rude to him. Harking back to that Meltdown festival in 2004, Powell claimed that the only act he could remember from the weekend was Morrissey himself, who Powell called a “wazzock”.
When Powell was asked whether or not Morrissey had ever apologised for his discourtesy, Powell said: “No. 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 added: “When [we] 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.”
Powell also alluded to the fact that he once had to play to racist Sex Pistols fans, who had been throwing Nazi salutes at him. He said, “I lost it and wanted to kick off with those guys. It wasn’t a joyous occasion. There were aspects of racism pinpointed at me, with nobody standing up against it. The Sex Pistols didn’t do anything.”
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