Nicky Wire would rather “f***** stab my eyes out with a pencil” than accept a knighthood or OBE.
The Manic Street Preachers rocker has blasted “left-leaning actors and pop star” types for “queuing up” to accept the honours from the monarchy.
Speaking to MOJO magazine about holding onto his working-class principles, Nicky said: “I’m so riddled with doubts and contradictions now, even though I still kept to those principles. My kids have been through comprehensive education, I still believe in high taxation and all those kind of things, I stay close to my roots … I haven’t abandoned any of those things at all. But I don’t know if they’re relevant to modern life.
“You see supposedly left-leaning actors and pop star queuing up to get MBEs and OBEs – and I’d rather f***** stab my eyes out with a pencil than do that. What was it, [Paul] Weller and David Bowie turned down knighthoods? That’s good enough for me.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’ hitmakers are set to release their 14th album ‘The Ultra Livid Lament’ in September, and frontman James Dean Bradfield previously insisted there would be no songs about the pandemic on the LP.
He explained: “We’re trying to make sure that we’re not writing about the [COVID-19] situation too much. It would feel like it was adding insult to injury.”
In March, before the release of the single ‘Orwellian’, bassist Nicky teased that the LP is shaping up to be “an expansive record”.
He shared: “We’ve written one really brilliant Manics song called ‘Orwellian’.
“We’ve demoed that and it feels like a bit of a signpost to where we’re going. It’s got a bit of an ‘If You Tolerate This’ retro-futurism about it. It’s our shining light at the moment.”
The band are set to play two sold-out tribute shows in honour of the NHS at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena on September 19 and 20.
The first night is a free show for NHS workers, while all profits from the second gig will be donated to NHS Wales charities.