The target of Morrissey’s alleged-but-denied murder/pain plot answered a couple of our questions

One of the silliest Morrissey-related stories of recent years—and there have been many—was yesterday’s report that a former security guard of Morrissey’s was suing him after being fired for refusing to hurt (kill?) the owner of a Morrissey fan site, David Tseng of Morrissey Solo. Morrissey denied the allegation via True To You, the fan site that only prints the good news. We caught up with Tseng via e-mail to ask him a few questions about this whole affair. That brief exchange is below.

The A.V. Club: You’ve been a Morrissey fan for decades. (And for complete transparency I should note that you and I have been acquainted for nearly as long.) I know you met him several times over the years. Was he ever a fan of what you were doing with Morrissey Solo?

David Tseng: I don’t recall him ever saying he was a fan or liking the site, in a 2002 Janice Long interview he did say it was a “great” site but at the same time he said that he “never logged on” to it. (transcript here)

AVC: Can you point to a particular incident that led him toward disliking you and the site? Was it the rumors about him not paying his band, or did it go back further than that?

DT: I don’t know if it was that specific incident or any other, but I think the general open and critical nature of the site doesn’t sit well with him. His recent statement that I “give maximum and inexhaustive publicity to anything said in the negative” is ridiculous. I highlight items of interest, whether they are considered positive, negative or neutral doesn’t matter.

AVC: How did you find out that you were banned for life from Morrissey shows? Do you still consider yourself a fan of his music in spite of this rift?
DT: In 2011 I was refused entry to a concert in Denmark and Morrissey issued a press release saying I wasn’t welcome at any of the shows. I thought it has blown over but earlier this year at the Santa Ana, CA show the tour manager said I was “banned for life” and was also refused entry. I was never given any sort of reason why so I don’t really understand it. I’m still a fan, I’m not there to cause problems and I enjoy the concerts when I can.

AVC: Were this morning’s reports about Bradley Steyn the first you’d heard of this supposed plot against you? Do you put any stock whatsoever in Steyn’s allegations?

DT: Yes, this was the first I had heard of it. I am of course concerned about the allegations but I don’t know any details. I had never heard of Bradley Steyn before so it’s hard to say one way or another about how credible he might be.

AVC: Have you thought about shuttering Morrissey Solo at any point? You seem to take a lot of abuse, both from fans and Morrissey himself.

DT: No, I have never thought about shutting it down, I love doing the site and the community that supports it. The timely information, activity and passion that surrounds the site far outweigh any of the negativity.

AVC: If you could say anything directly to Morrissey, what would it be?

DT: I’d like to go back to being able to enjoy his great concert experiences.