Billie Joe Armstrong has called working with Morrissey an “honour” after the pair’s collaboration was released yesterday (April 8).
The Green Day frontman teamed up with the British singer on a cover of The Fifth Dimension’s ‘Wedding Bell Blues’. The track is set to appear on Morrissey’s upcoming covers album, ‘California Son’, which is released on May 24.
In an Instagram post, Armstrong wrote: “Hey y’all! I had the honour of sharing a microphone with Morrissey on a song. Unreal! Thank you Morrissey! You are truly a legend.”
Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste, Broken Social Scene’s Ariel Engle, and The Regrettes’ Lydia Knight will also appear on the new record. When the collaborations were announced, some fans were concerned about the musicians’ involvement with Morrissey given his political views.
At the time, only Engle spoke out, saying she had been ignorant of his opinions and only learned of his political leanings when a friend challenged her about working with him via email. “It’s a very weak argument to claim ignorance but it is my argument,” she told the Guardian. “It’s not an excuse but it happens to be the truth.”
She continued: “The inflammatory things he says are not my politics. I think he’s completely out of line. I grew up around multiculturalism and I am the product of multiculturalism and immigration. I feel like I’ve been had, but it’s my fault.”
Morrissey has made headlines in the past for comparing Halal meat and ISIS, referring to Hitler as “left wing” and saying London Mayor Sadiq Khan “cannot talk properly”. He also once referred to Chinese people as a “subspecies” because of the nation’s track record of animal welfare.
Meanwhile, earlier today (April 9), it was announced that Morrissey would hit the road with Interpol later this year. The two artists will embark on a short tour of the US in September.