Heaven knows they’re miserable now: Johnny Marr denies former bandmate Morrissey’s claims he ignored offer of lucrative Smiths reunion tour
As a long-time fan who grew up listening to The Smiths and their iconic tunes that echoed my teenage angst, I can’t help but feel a mix of dismay and intrigue at the ongoing saga between Johnny Marr and Morrissey.
Johnny Marr has refuted Morrissey’s statements suggesting that he declined an opportunity for a Smiths reunion tour.
Instead the guitarist, now 60, revealed he simply ‘said no’ to the lucrative offer.
The group known as The Manchester Band consisted of members Morrissey, Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke, and Mike Joyce. They came together in the year 1982, and throughout their career produced popular songs like “Easy Money” and “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
For many years, lead vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr have had disagreements, both openly and privately, following The Smiths’ contentious breakup in 1987.
There was much anticipation among fans that The Smiths might come together again for a global tour, following in the footsteps of their hometown contemporaries, the Gallaghers. However, Morrissey claimed that Marr had disregarded an invitation to reunite.
As a die-hard admirer, I can’t help but share this intriguing tidbit: Morrissey alleged that Marr impeded the launch of a greatest hits album and even seized ‘trademark rights and intellectual property’ associated with The Smiths. Essentially, what he’s saying is that Johnny could potentially tour under the band’s name without me, the original frontman. Quite fascinating, isn’t it?
The administration at Marr’s office clarified that due to a third-party trying to exploit the band’s name, they initiated the process of trademarking it. As a friendly gesture, he extended an invitation to his ex-bandmate to jointly own this trademark.
The statement, which was shared on social media, read: ‘Here are the facts:
In 2018, when it was discovered that someone else was trying to exploit The Smiths’ name without the band’s ownership of the trademark, Marr contacted Morrissey through his representatives to collaborate on safeguarding The Smiths’ name.
After a lack of response, Marr decided to secure the trademark on his own. Later, it was settled between Morrissey’s legal team and Marr that this trademark belonged to both Morrissey and Marr jointly.
To show kindness, on January 2024, Marr is planning to share ownership with Morrissey through an agreement. However, for the deal to be finalized, Morrissey needs to put his signature on the document as well.
Furthermore, as stated by Marr, it fell upon him to safeguard the band’s legacy and ensure that no external parties could capitalize on their name.
‘This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates.
‘As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.’
Contrary to Morrissey’s assertion, John’s team firmly believes it’s not feasible for him to embark on a tour using the band name with a different vocalist.
To clarify, rumors suggesting that Johnny Marr will tour with another artist under the name The Smiths are baseless.
‘There are no such plans.’
As for the suggested new greatest hits compilation, Johnny believed it wasn’t really necessary.
‘According to Johnny Marr, he turned down an offer for another best-of collection from Warner Music Group because there are already too many of them available.’
Ever since The Smiths disbanded, Johnny Marr and Morrissey have undeniably had impressive careers. Yet, not even their individual successes can surpass the legendary status that The Smiths, a band hailed as one of the most impactful British indie groups ever formed in 1982, still holds in my heart and music history.
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2024-09-18 20:18