James Dean Bradfield has "no regrets" about the Britpop era.
The 47-year-old musician reflected on the era – a musical and cultural movement most prominent in the mid 1990s – as he celebrated 20 years since his band, Manic Street Preachers, descended on a field in Knebworth to support Oasis, alongside other big names such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, and The Charlatans.
He said: "[I have] no f***ing regrets about that time whatsoever. I never understood when bands came out the other end of Britpop and said, ‘Oh, it was such a tiresome time – we got pigeonholed into something. We got coerced into something that wasn’t us’. It’s like, yeah, but you were selling 500,000 records you d***wad! And then you never sold anything close to that ever again after Britpop, so stop f***ing moaning!"
The ‘A Design For Life’ hitmaker also discussed the band’s upcoming 13th studio album – which is yet to have a name or release date – saying that although getting former Smiths frontman Morrissey involved would be "beyond a dream", it wasn’t something he could see happening.
Speaking to Digital Spy, he said: "If [we] did ask Moz [Morrissey] inevitably there would be a rejection. But that would be beyond the dream really because there’s not many people who sing like him. I don’t want to sound too muso but his choice of notes are just so f***ing different to anybody else’s. His phrasing is different to anybody else’s. His voice would transform any band. But I don’t think we’re ever going to ask, because like I said, it would just be like that school disco moment – you know the girl’s going to say no."
James Dean Bradfield: I don’t regret Britpop
