Boz Boorer is quietly pleased that his boss, Morrissey, recently received an apology from a UK rock rag after it ran an article he claimed portrayed him as racist.
“I can’t speak for him, but that’s what he wanted,” says the guitarist, Moz’s musical director for the past 20 years. “So yeah, it was a good thing.”
Though arguably as popular as ever, Morrissey attracts ever increasing levels of media flack nowadays. He's mocked for his hardline vegetarianism, his tendency to shoot his mouth off, his refusal to reform The Smiths. Is Boz outraged on his behalf?
“Well, yeah...,” he says. “All of that really. I agree with what he's saying. It is annoying. But, you know, onwards and forwards.”
Does Boz cringe along with the rest of the world when Morrissey drops the occasional verbal clanger, such as likening the 2011 Norway massacre to the evils of fast-food) He falls silent, not quite sure how to answer.
“That’s what he wants to do [speak his mind], which is what everyone should do. I can see your point. He is who he is, and he does what he wants and it’s a good thing.”
Boz has just flown to London from Los Angeles where he spent a week interviewing potential drummers for Morrissey’s upcoming US tour. What does the Moz organisation look for in a sticksman?
“Well, they were all pretty good. Any of them could have done the job. We picked who we thought was the best person at that moment.”
Given Morrissey’s loathing of meat-eaters, it’s fair to assume none of the drummers turned up with a bucket of KFC underarm?
“Yeah, we're all vegetarians,” says Boz. “I became one... I can’t remember how long ago. On the road, especially, it’s a big thing for him [Morrissey]. All the crew are vegetarian and he provides the meals. He won’t spend the money on animals that have been killed."
When not thunking guitar with Morrissey, Boz has a second career as cult rockabilly musician. He keeps a home and studio in Portugal, where he recorded much of new LP, Some Of The Parts.
“I don’t write on the road with Morrissey,” he says. “I tend to focus on what I’m doing, which is playing in a band. The thing is, I never stop really, which is how I manage to squeeze in everything. For instance, if I’m coming off tour, maybe I’ll get back to Portugal for a few days recording, then book two shows in Iceland. I never sit still.”
As a leading rockabilly figure it was perhaps inevitable he would cross paths with the reigning matriarch of the genre, Imelda May.
“If you do a search on YouTube, there’s a really early video of me playing with Imelda in London. We're doing a song called ‘Dealing With The Devil’. She has fantastic vocals and just needed to find a way through. She’s lovely, so natural. You can’t help feeling at ease. And there’s that great voice.”

Some Of The Parts is out now.