Johnny Marr responds to Morrissey's open letter via Twitter (January 26, 2022)

Dear @officialmoz. An ‘open letter’ hasn’t really been a thing since 1953, It’s all ‘social media’ now. Even Donald J Trump had that one down. Also, this fake news business…a bit 2021 yeah ? #makingindiegreatagain

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Related item:

• "OPEN LETTER TO JOHNNY MARR." (January 25, 2022)

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Media item:

• Radio X: Johnny Marr hits back after Morrissey asks him to stop mentioning him in interviews - January 26, 2022

 

[Private Widdle]

And yet.... Morrissey has played 47 separate Smiths songs live as a solo artist. So much for "Trading on the merits of your solo achievements."

Well he did write them. Singing them does not negate the points made in his open letter.

 

[Anonymous]

She believes Moz leaves Johnny in a very bad position because he claimed to be his friend and did not prove it..... Reading now autobio I realize that it is true, ... J Marr invented the nickname Moz in a cruel way, to call it Moz making a play on words that derives from misero.osea unhappy and everything negative that has that word, it is not from a good friend, and when Moz was slandered Johnny looked away, he seems to be one of those people who want to look good with everyone, like a bit fake JM

It was Morrissey's fault that Johnny left the band though. Morrissey fired all the managers and tried to make Johnny do the work. Johnny was 23 years old, he couldn't handle that! Moz cancelled shows, tours, the video that would have made them in the US. How can a musician who just wants to play stay in a band like that?

Morrissey's behavior in court during the Smiths lawsuit, ensured that they lost. He would not "state his name" for instance, did not respect the court or judge. Johnny said after that incident that he might as well now write a check to Mike Joyce for a million pounds, which he ended up doing.

Morrissey was not a good friend to Johnny either.

 

[Vegan. Cro. Spirit .777]

It was Morrissey's fault that Johnny left the band though. Morrissey fired all the managers and tried to make Johnny do the work. Johnny was 23 years old, he couldn't handle that! Moz cancelled shows, tours, the video that would have made them in the US. How can a musician who just wants to play stay in a band like that?

Morrissey's behavior in court during the Smiths lawsuit, ensured that they lost. He would not "state his name" for instance, did not respect the court or judge. Johnny said after that incident that he might as well now write a check to Mike Joyce for a million pounds, which he ended up doing.

Morrissey was not a good friend to Johnny either.

RIGHT

no from LePepe when he joined THE THE, no mouthing off about managers
and choice of songs if he would have got out of line Matt Johnson would have
taken away his chubby french fries allowance

 

[SuedeMoz]

Reading now autobio I realize that it is true, ... J Marr invented the nickname Moz in a cruel way, to call it Moz making a play on words that derives from misero.osea unhappy and everything negative that has that word, it is not from a good friend, and when Moz was slandered Johnny looked away, he seems to be one of those people who want to look good with everyone, like a bit fake JM

I think there's some nuance you missed in the reading...

"My own name is by now synonymous with the word ‘miserable’ in the press, so Johnny putters with ‘misery’ and playfully arrives at ‘misery mozzery’, which truncates to Moz, and I am classified ever after."

It was the press labeling Morrissey that way. Johnny was not being mean-spirited but merely playing off of how the press saw Morrissey. If it was such an insult I don't think Morrissey would have embraced the name himself. He's used it on official merchandise... he's used "MOZ ANGELES" as a backdrop on tour and so on.

​

 

[Moz Fan]

In fairness, I think that's basically what Morrissey is saying too - it's Marr who keeps dredging up the 'Golden Lights'/'Work is a Four Letter Word' anecdotes, and although on one level Morrissey is obviously saying "If you didn't want to play on it, you shouldn't have played on it" on another level, he's citing that particular song without any explanation, and yet we all know what he's talking about - which is his point. It's Morrissey who's saying "Let 'Golden Lights' go, for feck's sake!" and his more general point is "Let me go, and let the Smiths go, and live in the here and now, and trade on the merits of your solo achievements, for what they're worth". I'm guessing his fundamental grievance is basically "If you're not going to support me in public against all the haters, and worse if you're actually going to side with them, then please just don't discuss me at all".

Great analysis!

 

[Anonymous]

Johnny can respond as dismissively as he wants. The fact remains that Morrissey is the one who made the dick move of making this a public statement, in the most flouncy and bitchy language possible - rather than simply picking up the phone and politely requesting his old bandmate stop mentioning his name in interviews. Had he done that, rather than acting like a diva, I suspect he might have got a more sympathetic response.

 

[Moz Fan]

A compatriot of mine made a video of Moz where Johnny attacked him by the neck with a bow... Moz posted it in central and it was published here too, I asked him why he had made Marr so bad with Moz and he told me that he finished reading autobio and realized that Moz leaves Marr badly off because Johnny claimed to be his friend, but he didn't defend him when Moz needed him, and that was more serious than the harm others did to him, because JMarr claimed to be his friend

 

[Vegan Cro Spirit .444]

Johnny can respond as dismissively as he wants. The fact remains that Morrissey is the one who made the dick move of making this a public statement, in the most flouncy and bitchy language possible - rather than simply picking up the phone and politely requesting his old bandmate stop mentioning his name in interviews. Had he done that, rather than acting like a diva, I suspect he might have got a more sympathetic response.

PepeLePew has been making dick moves in every dumb public interview.
a phone call is NOT happening we know hes been pining for one
but its not happening.

OI if Moz would 'call me on the telephone'
something is not right with the Pepe bet on it.

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

This response of Marr's, posting a very uncharacteristic photo in swim trunks. Does anyone think this is a taunt to Moz, as in "Here's one thing you'll never have"?

 

[Surface]

Johnny can respond as dismissively as he wants. The fact remains that Morrissey is the one who made the dick move of making this a public statement, in the most flouncy and bitchy language possible - rather than simply picking up the phone and politely requesting his old bandmate stop mentioning his name in interviews. Had he done that, rather than acting like a diva, I suspect he might have got a more sympathetic response.

He may have a deal for his new album and this noise may be part of the marketing strategy !

 

[Anonymous]

He may have a deal for his new album and this noise may be part of the marketing strategy !

He should release it under the pseudonym Dick Move as well!

 

[Lujissey]

I think there's some nuance you missed in the reading...

"My own name is by now synonymous with the word ‘miserable’ in the press, so Johnny putters with ‘misery’ and playfully arrives at ‘misery mozzery’, which truncates to Moz, and I am classified ever after."

It was the press labeling Morrissey that way. Johnny was not being mean-spirited but merely playing off of how the press saw Morrissey. If it was such an insult I don't think Morrissey would have embraced the name himself. He's used it on official merchandise... he's used "MOZ ANGELES" as a backdrop on tour and so on.

​

No, I did not miss anything, my interpretation is correct according to my way of being, if a friend made a joke alluding to the fact that I am misera, which is a dense, negative word, it would not make me any funny, nobody likes to be told unhappy with a nickname and then everyone repeats it ..... I didn't think Moz was happy with that nickname, in fact I saw several repots where Morrissey says he doesn't like to be called Moz, .. Maybe we keep telling you, because yes, affectionately,

 

[Lujissey]

Aha!!! Thank you for publishing, this video liked Moz, well it was what the Argentine woman who created the video interpreted, regarding the reading of Autobio

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Exactly.

"Let me go, and let the Smiths go, and live in the here and now, and trade on the merits of your solo achievements" = how Moz wants people to view the letter.

"If you're not going to support me in public against all the haters, and worse if you're actually going to side with them, then please just don't discuss me at all" = what the letter is really about.

The hypocrisy of telling someone else to "move on" whilst he sits autographing Hand in Glove and writing pissy letters into the night, just to settle a score with an ex-bandmate... it's a bit much.

Was he sitting? And was it really into the night? Was he settling a score, or just finally speaking out because he’s fed up and would like it to stop continuing? Maybe he tried to ignore it and couldn’t anymore, so by writing the open letter it was his way of moving on.

 

[Johnny who?]

It was Morrissey's fault that Johnny left the band though. Morrissey fired all the managers and tried to make Johnny do the work. Johnny was 23 years old, he couldn't handle that! Moz cancelled shows, tours, the video that would have made them in the US. How can a musician who just wants to play stay in a band like that?

Morrissey's behavior in court during the Smiths lawsuit, ensured that they lost. He would not "state his name" for instance, did not respect the court or judge. Johnny said after that incident that he might as well now write a check to Mike Joyce for a million pounds, which he ended up doing.

Morrissey was not a good friend to Johnny either.

Yet people who were there tell a completely different story and do not think Morrissey is why Marr left the band. Marr had even said at one point, it was affecting his marriage, it was the band or Angie, which Tony Wilson pretty much confirmed.
You are just as a bad as Marr, blaming everything on Morrissey. Marr couldn't handle his wife, that was the issue and it's obvious that Morrissey has been a constant presence in that home, even in his prolonged absence, because nothing else would explain Nile Marr's obvious hatred of him.

 

[Vegan Cro Spirit .444]

LePepe doesnt have to defend Moz. Moz doesnt want defending. Pepe should tend to his business. Pretend Moz is not there its not that complicated. Everybody can autograph whatever they want this is not the Soviet Union we are talking about here.

Just like Moz dont mind the NEW ORDER dudes. those dudes didnt name themselves after a deodorant, yet LePepe not only does NOT mind but starts a sucky group with them
Moz dont care, nobody really cares really, as long as they can turn off the caterwauling
doesnt he have anything to worry about? maybe Jrs grades in school?
seeds for lunch?

He knows nothing about Moz for 35 years but he is discreet about him WTF???? like hes doing good by gossiping.

something is not right with the Pepe bank on it.

 

[Johnny who?]

This response of Marr's, posting a very uncharacteristic photo in swim trunks. Does anyone think this is a taunt to Moz, as in "Here's one thing you'll never have"?

I really doubt Morrissey wants an emaciated midget covered in tatoos with a bad wig

 

[ACTON]

And yet.... Morrissey has played 47 separate Smiths songs live as a solo artist. So much for "Trading on the merits of your solo achievements."

Oh please stop. Moz proved himself with Viva Hate. And again with Your Arsenal. Again with Vauxhall. Then with Quarry and then with Ringleader. Ffs he only played Smiths songs because he felt like it. Not to be popular. Because he felt like it and because those songs are as much his as Johnny's. Moz does not have to prove himself. He did that back in 1988. And countless times since. Listen to I Am Not A Dog On A Chain album. I thank Moz for giving us that gem in the middle of lockdown.

 

[Vegan Cro Spirit .444]

Oh please stop. Moz proved himself with Viva Hate. And again with Your Arsenal. Again with Vauxhall. Then with Quarry and then with Ringleader. Ffs he only played Smiths songs because he felt like it. Not to be popular. Because he felt like it and because those songs are as much his as Johnny's. Moz does not have to prove himself. He did that back in 1988. A d countless times since.

very sensible and perceptive.

 

[Anonymous]

I really doubt Morrissey wants an emaciated midget covered in tatoos with a bad wig

I didn't know Damon was covered in tattoos.