Bobby Gillespie "doesn’t care" if the late Michael Jackson abused children because he produced great "art".
The late ‘Thriller’ hitmaker was accused in documentary ‘Leaving Neverland’ of molesting Wade Robson and James Safechuck when they were just children but the Primal Scream frontman insists the claims won’t put him off listening to the King of Pop’s music, just as he continues to listen to the back catalogue of convicted paedophile Gary Glitter.
He told Q magazine: "You can’t take ‘Thriller’ away from Michael Jackson.
"I’m still a massive Gary Glitter fan. His records are in my DNA, they haven’t been erased from me.
"If the art’s great, the art’s great, I don’t care what they’ve done. I’m more upset by Tory austerity.
And Bobby is sceptical about the allegations against Michael because his friend and collaborator Sky Ferreira – whose grandmother was the ‘Bad’ hitmaker’s hairdresser – has positive memories of visiting his Neverland ranch.
He said: "Sky stayed in Neverland when she was a toddler and said it was always great."
The ‘Rocks’ hitmaker also blasted the "digital lynch mob" and condemned his Instagram followers who branded Jerry Lee Lewis a "paedo" after he posted a message of support when the musician recently suffered a stroke.
He said: "All these ****s were straight on it, f***ing paedo this, paedo that, married his 13-year-old old cousin. The guy’s the king of rock ‘n’roll.
"I blocked them. Get tae f**k! They’re petty imbeciles. It’s a straight world. And I come from a counterculture. We put up, ‘Hang on in there Killer.’ "
Bobby – who gave up drugs and alcohol in 2008 – also urged musicians who can’t cope with the pressures of living the "fantasy dream" of being a professional musician should find another job.
He said: "Not a lot of people can handle it. Being in the music industry is generally a short career of failure. Or minor success, or success, followed by years of nothing.
"Or, for the lucky few, years of success, wealth and fame.
"We see the casualties through history, alcohol or drug-related deaths, derangement, psychological despair.
"I met someone in a young band the other week who said touring had almost killed them. Really? My God, what a life, even when you’re at the f***ing bottom.
"Going away with your best mates, playing Germany, Italy, Spain, people go missing, people get left behind. Adventures! It certainly beats clocking in and out of a factory. It’s a fantasy dream world, like directing your own movie. Not everybody gets that chance…
"If it’s gonna break you, you’re in the wrong f***ing game."
Bobby Gillespie defends Michael Jackson
