Morrissey turns LA venue veggie

Next month, for one night only, vendors at the 20,000-capacity Staples Centre in LA will serve exclusively vegetarian fare.

Morrissey, the 53-year-old former Smiths frontman, demanded the venue ban “flesh as food” during his gig on 1 March. Gone will be the pepperoni pizzas and “skyscraper” hotdogs favoured by LA Lakers fans. Its management – who will donate a portion of the box-office to animal rights group Peta – even agreed to close its McDonald’s.

A statement released by Morrissey’s representative claimed a similar request had been denied to Paul McCartney. “I don’t look upon it as a victory for me,” said Morrissey, “but a victory for the animals.”

Morrissey, a vegetarian since the age of 11, is a long-time animal rights activist. The singer, who has homes in LA, the UK, Rome and Switzerland, was recently forced to cancel US dates due to ill health, but he said he was on the mend.