Morrissey has explained why he wanted The Smiths to reunite for a live tour, claiming that it wasn’t to do with “any emotional attachment” he has to his former bandmate Johnny Marr.
Over the summer, the former frontman of the iconic Manchester group said he had agreed to a “lucrative” 2025 Smiths tour – but alleged that Marr “ignored” the offer.
Later, a representative from the guitarist’s management team called Morrissey’s comment “incorrect” in a statement on X/Twitter. “I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no,” Marr wrote in his own message.
During a new rare interview with Medium, Morrissey was asked if he was “really keen on sharing a stage” with Marr again, given the pair’s ongoing feud.
“I agreed because it felt like the last time such a thing would be possible,” he told the online outlet.
“We’ve all begun to grow old. I thought the tour that was offered would be a good way of saying thank you for those who have listened for what suddenly feels like a lifetime. It wasn’t because I had any emotional attachment to Marr. I have absolutely none.”
When asked how he viewed Marr today, Morrissey replied: “He seems to me to be just as insecure and fearful as he was during the 1980s.
— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) September 17, 2024
“But he gains more press adoration by pretending to be the Smiths gatekeeper and custodian in isolation, and as long as he is sitting in a corner complaining about me he has a pedestal which would disappear in the event of a reunion.”
Morrissey continued: “He claims to find me completely indigestible, but whenever he walks onto a stage he sings my lyrics, my vocal melodies and my song titles. Is this hypocrisy or self-deception?
“He has forced people to choose between Morrissey and Marr, and I’ve had just about enough of his bitchslap comments. I’ve quietly put up with them for over 30 years.”
The singer then reflected on his lengthy solo career while looking ahead to a future without a Smiths comeback.
“As for me, whatever time I have left is now quite limited, but I absolutely love the musical career that I have made without Marr’s involvement,” he said. “Music really is the last thing that brings people together, and if you enjoy music then you enjoy life.”
Johnny Marr and Morrissey of The Smiths in 1983. CREDIT: Clare Muller/Redferns/Getty
He went on: “The solo recordings are my ultimate pride and joy. I can’t ask for anything more from life than those songs. Smiths songs are powerful, but they are rooted in youth, whereas the solo songs address a world beyond Manchester. It had to be that way, somehow. A lot of people, I know, wanted me to remain as a spindle-shanked boy twirling around Manchester… but that would be ridiculous at my age.”
In September, Morrissey claimed that a Smiths ‘Greatest Hits’ album had been “blocked” by Marr. He also alleged that his ex-bandmate had acquired “trademark rights and Intellectual Property” of The Smiths’ name, and could therefore tour under this banner without him.
Addressing these accusations, Marr’s management team wrote: “In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use The Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting The Smiths’ name.”
The statement went on to say that “a failure to respond” led to Marr registering the trademark himself, but there was a subsequent agreement with Morrissey’s lawyers that the trademark was “held for the mutual benefit” of both parties.
It added that “as a gesture of goodwill”, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey in January this year. “Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign,” the statement claimed.
Marr then commented directly, writing: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both. myself and my former bandmates.”
Morrissey’s statement about the “lucrative” Smiths reunion tour came shortly after Marr responded to a fan’s call for the band to return amid the Oasis comeback news this summer.
Speaking to NME in October, former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce shared his thoughts on the “unsavoury” recent spat between Morrissey and Marr. He also talked about ending his own decades-long feud with the latter, having reunited with him at bassist Andy Rourke‘s funeral.
“It wasn’t tough when I saw him, it was just unusual, as I hadn’t spoken properly to Johnny for years and years,” Joyce told NME. “But we had a good chat there.”
Asked whether The Smiths could ever make a comeback, he responded: “Other people will have other ideas but, as far as I’m concerned, with Andy not being here, it’s impossible to have a reunion of The Smiths.
“But Morrissey and Marr together? Obviously I read those back-and-forth statements and I’m surprised they didn’t get that together earlier – that they’d have done something 10 or 15 years ago, whenever. The ownership of The Smiths’ name, going out as The Smiths with a different rhythm section? So be it.”
In other news, Morrissey recently donated £50,000 to help save Salford Lads Club – the venue pictured in The Smiths’ ‘The Queen Is Dead’ album artwork.
He has also announced some US live shows for later this month, including a New Year’s Eve gig in Los Angeles, California.
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