“Morrissey sent me one of his famous letters which I’ve framed on the wall. It just read, ‘Dear Bernard, I’m sorry - I can’t’”: Bernard Butler shares with us the events that almost led to a team-up with Morrissey

Morrissey in swimming pool.

Love him or loathe him, there’s no denying that Morrissey is one of British indie’s most significant icons. Once a darling of the national weekly music press, there was a spell during the mid-1990s when the ex-Smiths figurehead was a somewhat adrift figure.

Pilloried by the press for (what some perceived as) flirting with nationalistic imagery during his flag-waving appearance at 1992’s Madstock (and some dubious lyrical content on his 1992 album Your Arsenal), Morrissey was further maligned when the stars of the nascent Britpop scene started stealing the covers that were formerly his. Some next move-plotting was clearly required.