Johnny Marr's Management response to Morrissey's allegations (September 17, 2024)

A statement from Johnny Marr's management:

Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of
The Smiths' name are incorrect.

Here are the facts:

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.

A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself.
It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey's lawyers that this trademark was held
for the mutual benefit of Morrissey & Marr.

As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint
ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.

In the interests of accuracy and clarity regarding the trademark, and to answer
recent reports that Marr ignored a promoter's offer to tour as The Smiths, Marr says:

"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."

"As for the offer to tour, I didn't ignore the offer - I said no."

Additionally, speculation about Johnny Marr touring with a different singer as
The Smiths is not true. There are no such plans.

Johnny Marr also confirms that he declined a suggestion for another greatest hits
compilation from Warner Music Group given the number already in existence.

---

Related items:

• Morrissey Central: "THE PLOT THICKENS" - September 15, 2024
• Morrissey Central: "SMITHS NOT OK" - September 11, 2024
• Morrissey Central: "WAR IS OLD, ART IS YOUNG" - August 29, 2024

 

[DaveJCarr]

That’s just what we needed, thanks, Johnny.

Still I wonder what happened that he refuses to consider working together as The Smiths (in June, prior to the whole ‘affair’) and refuses to cooperate in a working on a new Smiths comp.

How does he see the future? There’s bound to be more offers and more demand for a new comp.

1. The simplest answer is that he *doesn't want* to tour/work with Moz - hence Farage. 2. A new comp might be less interesting (to him) then doing the Troy Tate sessions, or a box set a l la Queen is Dead.

 

[Gray Fruit]

That’s just what we needed, thanks, Johnny.

Still I wonder what happened that he refuses to consider working together as The Smiths (in June, prior to the whole ‘affair’) and refuses to cooperate in working on a new Smiths comp.

How does he see the future? There’s bound to be more offers and more demand for a new comp.

You must be joking. Johnny doesn't want to work with Morrissey because he knows what he's like. Morrissey lied on his website and watched people heap scorn on Johnny. Who would want to work with someone like that?

 

[Surface]

I really hate how much Morrissey reminds me of Trump these days

Funny you say that, I was thinking the same thing earlier today, it's like he's trying to fire up his extreme fan base with half truths , just like Trump does.

 

[Gray Fruit]

At least Moz got what he wanted; Johnny's attention

You'll notice the response came from Johnny's management, not directly from Johnny. This is the best way to deal with toxic individuals, at arm's length.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

As I predicted the other day, best to reserve judgement in this whole ordeal until the full facts emerge. Morrissey was obviously on the voddy the other night. I pity anyone with tickets for the upcoming tour - I sense another spell in a “clinic” for “exhaustion” coming on…

 

[Thewlis]

1. The simplest answer is that he *doesn't want* to tour/work with Moz - hence Farage. 2. A new comp might be less interesting (to him) then doing the Troy Tate sessions, or a box set a l la Queen is Deaf.

A deluxe box release of The Smiths first album was part of the deal offered by Warners.
It seems strange to me that he blocked that release.

 

[MrShoes]

Somebody stop me
From thinking
From thinking all the time?
So deeply, so bleakly
From thinking all the time

Such a great song that captures my personal zeitgeist so well.

 

[unloveable]

Someone is lying

 

[Amy]

Calm, civil, and fair, leaving the door open for Moz to co-sign.
Game (and war) over.

 

[SteveWS]

I note, with arched eyebrow, that Johnny made no mention of the chickens who are replacing Morrissey...

 

[Pokey]

Well, there you go, that all seems extremely reasonable. I just knew that Morrissey's information on this was going to be wrong. He really does come across as someone who sees what some random bot account posts on Facebook and instantly takes it as gospel

 

[Famous when dead]

Unfortunately, there certainly isn't a first album 'anything' coming out nor a Hatful 40th either.
First album is 7 months late and there is zero being prepared in any pressing plant (which would have required ordering in 2023), same for Hatful.
Really is a shame as they'd sell and if curated tastefully, could be definitive releases with extras lots of us wanted to see.
Oh well.
FWD.

 

[Thewlis]

You must be joking. Johnny doesn't want to work with Morrissey because he knows what he's like. Morrissey lied on his website and watched people heap scorn on Johnny. Who would want to work with someone like that?

No, if you read the statement you’ll see that he signed an assignment of joint ownership in January 2024. So he does want to work with Moz, as he should, because they have to protect the legacy.

So why not cooperate on the releases requested by Warners? There are going to be more requests for future releases.

 

[Surface]

A deluxe box release of The Smiths first album was part of the deal offered by Warners.
It seems strange to me that he blocked that release.

But we don't know what would be included in that package, maybe Johnny did and thought everyone's heard that already.

 

[Anonymous]

A cut and dried response. I'm no fan of Marr's solo records, and believe he claims too much credit for The Smiths, but his handling of this seems beyond reproach - and no wonder he turned down a reunion tour, given that a) Morrissey had been persistently blanking him about the trademark issue and b) coming so soon after Andy's death, I reckon (and suspect Marr may have done too) that it would have been in very poor taste, timing-wise.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Still I wonder what happened that he refuses to consider working together as The Smiths (in June, prior to the whole ‘affair’) and refuses to cooperate in working on a new Smiths comp.

I think Johnny would see something as pointless a cash-in as 'Smiths Rule OK' ultimately harming The Smiths brand. He was not very complimentary about the two 'Best Of' releases, or 'The Very Best of the Smiths'. You've already got those, and the 'Singles' compilation, and the 'Sound of the Smiths' LP - how many greatest hits compilations does anyone need? Do we really want The Smiths to be flooding the market with pointless compilations like 'This is Morrissey'?

Tellingly, Johnny's statement made no mention of any archival boxset reissue of the debut album, so maybe there's still room for something to happen there?

 

[DaveJCarr]

A deluxe box release of The Smiths first album was part of the deal offered by Warners.
It seems strange to me that he blocked that release.

Right. But we don't know what that set would have included - Johnny doesn't mention declining that. And please pardon my skepticism, but only Morrissey has alleged that box set was included. This is the same guy who claimed Marr (implicitly nefariously) has taken control of the copyright- not that Moz or his management were made aware of it before the action, nor that there exists an offer for joint ownership, nor that Moz can contest that trademark if he wants.

Hell, this is the same Moz who claimed that "Rainbow Valley" was an imminent release, the World Peace French remixes, the Miley co-feature He has zero credibility when it comes to truthfully announcing agreed upon releases.

 

[BookishBoy]

The absurdity of this, for me, is that despite everything I still have zero interest in seeing Johnny play shows (no shade on those who do enjoy it) but I'll always go to see Morrissey if he plays near me. I know they were both The Smiths, but it was Morrissey who got me through my teenage years, much more than Johnny.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

Someone is lying

I don’t think Morrissey was lying, I think he was just mouthing-off without knowing the facts.

 

[SteveWS]

Could be:

a) Johnny understandably assumes that any 'new' release would burden him with all the work i.e remastering etc etc, or...

b) The release(s) would be left in the hands of Moz and the minions. Brr...