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

 

[Anonymous]

The 1988 Wolverhampton gig was a Smiths farewell show in all but name. The other Smiths all took part but Marr refused. It then became a source of footage for Morrissey’s next single.
Marr refusing to take part does reflect badly on him because it reinforces the messy break up of the Smiths. Marr walked out of the band after a meeting in a cafe where Joyce urged him to stay for one more album. No explanation was offered by Marr to fans and he later blamed it all on Morrissey by implying that he’d ‘prematurely’ told the NME that Marr had left the band when it is clear that Marr was planning to leave the band. Morrissey was left to pick up the pieces and deal with the finances. They had just arranged a great new record deal with EMI, so Marr had denied the others the chance to record a great new album for a major label.

Did you ever stop to think WHY Marr was fed up and burned out enough to leave a band that he absolutely loved? Could it have been Morrissey cancelling a tour when the band was already at the airport? What about the time a Japanese photographer was hired to take pictures for their first album and Morrissey didn't show up? How about not showing up at a video shoot that was costing them a lot of money? Making Marr fire the managers, making him tell Andy and Mike they were getting 10%, etc. etc. No wonder Marr took to drinking heavily, he was making incredible music with a guy that turned out to be a nightmare. He had to save himself and his marriage and leave the band.

 

[marred]

We already have Smith's chips here so we're one up on Johnny and Steve on the trademark so far.

 

[gordyboy9]

We already have Smith's chips here so we're one up on Johnny and Steve on the trademark so far.


View attachment 111587

theres a smiths shoe shop in my town wich has been going for a very very long time,they should have the trademark over a bag of crisps and a band.

 

[Eldritch]

The 1988 Wolverhampton gig was a Smiths farewell show in all but name. The other Smiths all took part but Marr refused. It then became a source of footage for Morrissey’s next single.
Marr refusing to take part does reflect badly on him because it reinforces the messy break up of the Smiths. Marr walked out of the band after a meeting in a cafe where Joyce urged him to stay for one more album. No explanation was offered by Marr to fans and he later blamed it all on Morrissey by implying that he’d ‘prematurely’ told the NME that Marr had left the band when it is clear that Marr was planning to leave the band. Morrissey was left to pick up the pieces and deal with the finances. They had just arranged a great new record deal with EMI, so Marr had denied the others the chance to record a great new album for a major label.

There are so many versions of their split so I don't think it's useful to take any one of them as gospel truth. The one thing that is clear is that the lack of communication was one of the main factors: Morrissey is well-known for being "unreachable" and Marr being on holiday in the pre-internet and pre-mobile phones time meant that when media got the story, it blew up quickly without anyone being able to correct it or contact the main players. Let's also remember that because Morrissey didn't trust outside players, Marr was forced to act as the manager of The Smiths, which made his workload unbearable and when shit hit the fan, there was no-one who could have straightened things.

 

[Eldritch]

We already have Smith's chips here so we're one up on Johnny and Steve on the trademark so far.


View attachment 111587

Well, "Smith's" is not the same as "The Smiths".

 

[marred]

Well, "Smith's" is not the same as "The Smiths".

Oh okay I never noticed.

 

[The Wild Turkey]

"I hate Morrissey. Now excuse me
while I write post after post about
him on Solo."

 

[SuedeMoz]

The 1988 Wolverhampton gig was a Smiths farewell show in all but name. The other Smiths all took part but Marr refused. It then became a source of footage for Morrissey’s next single.
Marr refusing to take part does reflect badly on him because it reinforces the messy break up of the Smiths. Marr walked out of the band after a meeting in a cafe where Joyce urged him to stay for one more album. No explanation was offered by Marr to fans and he later blamed it all on Morrissey by implying that he’d ‘prematurely’ told the NME that Marr had left the band when it is clear that Marr was planning to leave the band. Morrissey was left to pick up the pieces and deal with the finances. They had just arranged a great new record deal with EMI, so Marr had denied the others the chance to record a great new album for a major label.

Please provide a source that Johnny was invited but refused to play at Wolverhampton... here's one that says he wasn't invited:

"None of the Smiths played on Viva Hate, but he still invited the former members, minus Johnny Marr, to serve as his backing band for the evening."

Flashback: Morrissey Plays 'Suedehead' at His First Solo Concert

Morrissey is gearing up for a seven-night run at a Broadway theater, so here's a look back to the start of his solo career in 1988.

www.rollingstone.com

I don't get the point that is strained to be made here. The show was clearly a Smiths ending (with songs they had not played live) and a Morrissey solo launch. Would Morrissey have bothered to organize this event just to play Smiths songs and not take the opportunity to showcase his new solo material? How would Johnny have played a part in that?

 

[Phranc & Open]

This was 18 years ago - people are allowed to change their mind .................

When they're with their back against the wall. Yes.

 

[Benny-the-British-Butcher]

Just checking in to see if Steven Quilloughby CrankFraud Dorrissey has issued a public apology yet.
Not only to Johnny but also the whole Smithdom family.

I’m guessing
a) He’s going to be a complete ignorant tw@t.
b) He’s taking his time trying to compose something only he thinks is clever.

Benny

 

[Katsneezle]

"I hate Morrissey. Now excuse me
while I write post after post about
him on Solo."

Yes! We will destroy him yet!

 

[sparacus]

Did you ever stop to think WHY Marr was fed up and burned out enough to leave a band that he absolutely loved? Could it have been Morrissey cancelling a tour when the band was already at the airport? What about the time a Japanese photographer was hired to take pictures for their first album and Morrissey didn't show up? How about not showing up at a video shoot that was costing them a lot of money? Making Marr fire the managers, making him tell Andy and Mike they were getting 10%, etc. etc. No wonder Marr took to drinking heavily, he was making incredible music with a guy that turned out to be a nightmare. He had to save himself and his marriage and leave the band.

So Morrissey didn't turn up for every single thing. The guy suffered from depression and these incidents were not exactly happening every week. Morrissey contributed all the lyrics, all the singing and the vast majority of the press interviews. He was the public face of the band. When Marr walked out, he basically dumped all responsibility on Morrissey to negotiate with the record company and sort out the financial situation.

 

[sparacus]

The whole situation was making Marr ill and I don’t remember anything reflecting badly on him at the time.

I for one was very disappointed and so were many other Smiths fans. The last show had been cancelled a year before because Marr had hurt his foot (or hand, can't remember which) and then he walked out of the band just when they'd signed a deal with EMI and were about to release 'Strangeways Here We Come'. They were at the top of their game. No explanation was given to fans. Morrissey seemed desperate to keep going and put out the superb 'Viva Hate' very quickly. Marr just became a session musician.

 

[Surface]

I for one was very disappointed and so were many other Smiths fans. The last show had been cancelled a year before because Marr had hurt his foot (or hand, can't remember which) and then he walked out of the band just when they'd signed a deal with EMI and were about to release 'Strangeways Here We Come'. They were at the top of their game. No explanation was given to fans. Morrissey seemed desperate to keep going and put out the superb 'Viva Hate' very quickly. Marr just became a session musician.

Marr started playing with other bands he liked and started to enjoy his life again. He also formed Electronic with Bernard Sumner who were very well received.

 

[Mr. Whiteside]

It is funny to me to see people describe this as a "war" or saying "both sides are doing XYZ" when this has been entirely one-sided: Morrissey wailed on and on after he didn't get his way (the reunion) and Johnny was forced to respond with a simple list of facts after things bordered on libel or slander. I guarantee you in his every day life, Johnny Marr is never thinking about Morrissey. Only the latter thinks everything is a "plot" or a conspiracy against him.
I think I'm older than most people here so perhaps that life experience means I have dealt with people in my personal life who have shared Morrissey's insufferable traits, but surely some of you have as well? At work perhaps, or a friend of a friend, or a family member, someone with a toxic personality or perhaps a personality disorder who makes life difficult at every turn, and if you're forced to interact with them for some reason, you know the only way you can is to keep calm and drama-free as possible, yes/no answers, etc. That's what I see in Johnny's response, a list of facts in neutral language, unargumentative, as to not continue the toxicity.

There is a very clear reason Johnny not only left The Smiths, but refused a (probably astronomical) amount of money to reunite, and it's likely because he enjoys his calm, productive life and isn't willing to accept any amount of money to put himself in a toxic position again. One of these people has a history of lying, of managers and PR and band members leaving like a revolving door, and very few friends, if any, and that person isn't Johnny.

 

[Les Tameside]

The Guardian article is a precise summary of the whole debacle, but it assumes that all fans want a reunion. But I don't. This whole reunion culture is a drag. If the tour would lead to recording some worthwhile new material, that would be welcome, but it very rarely does. The Stone Roses came back a decade ago with big promises but after several tours they managed to release only two very lacklustre singles. Suede on the other hand are now working on their fifth post-reunion album and all four albums so far have managed to bear comparison with their classic works. But they are a rare exception.

Morrissey has decades been adamant that The Smiths would never come back. So it's very depressing that now when his own career is faltering, suddenly a reunion seems like an enticing prospect for him. Don't do it, guys! Nothing good will come out of it.

I attended one of those Stone Roses reunion concerts: it was extraordinary. An arena concert where nearly everyone knows and sings every word stands out as a life highlight—never mind a musical one.

It might inconvenience the precious sensitivities of a handful of snowflake Smiths fans (who wish to maintain a personal myth). But a reunion of Morrissey and Marr would be a monumental carnival experience. And if you’re a parent, it’d be tantamount to neglect not to take the kids.

The Smiths are a pop band. I’d love to see the pair out there, playing their pop music again. And reaping the overdue financial and professional rewards.

It’s ultimately show business. So get the show on the road, for f***s sake.

 

[sparacus]

Marr started playing with other bands he liked and started to enjoy his life again. He also formed Electronic with Bernard Sumner who were very well received.

He played with mediocre bands like 'The The' and Electronic were very MOR.

 

[sparacus]

There are so many versions of their split so I don't think it's useful to take any one of them as gospel truth. The one thing that is clear is that the lack of communication was one of the main factors: Morrissey is well-known for being "unreachable" and Marr being on holiday in the pre-internet and pre-mobile phones time meant that when media got the story, it blew up quickly without anyone being able to correct it or contact the main players. Let's also remember that because Morrissey didn't trust outside players, Marr was forced to act as the manager of The Smiths, which made his workload unbearable and when shit hit the fan, there was no-one who could have straightened things.

Where Marr does have a case is that he should not have been expected to act as Smiths manager. He was the guitarist and wrote the music and managing the band would have been a huge responsibility. They needed to get in a professional manager certainly. But Marr could have addressed this head on and insisted that they get a new manager or he walks. Alternatively he could have told the others in the cafe: "Right. I'm going on holiday and then taking a break. When I get back I'm hiring a new manager. Either you accept this or I leave the band. Is that clear?"
However he didn't do this. He just left.

 

[Phranc & Open]

How desperately some people still try to blame Marr for things that may have happened some 37 years ago. They're judging as fans. Calling The The mediocre disqualifies such modern day Morrissey fans as bitter gatekeepers.

 

[Surface]

He played with mediocre bands like 'The The' and Electronic were very MOR.

Who he played with is irrelevant although I suspect many people disagree with your opinion of The The and Electronic. Point is since leaving the Smiths he has done whatever he has wanted to do.