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

 

[Thewlis]

How on this earth could you possibly know what contact they have had in private over the past 15 years. Did you know about these emails, before Johnny's statement?

Like I said, it left a door open because there is paperwork to be addressed, and that's perfectly reasonable. It was never going to be a tea party invite after the 'episode' that Morrissey has just orchestrated, and to expect that would be ridiculous.

I mean private contact not via management.

I don’t think it leaves any door open. It says ‘no’ and ‘not interested’ in very clear wording.

Which is fine, but hardly ‘de-escalation’.

 

[Amy]

I mean private contact not via management.

I don’t think it leaves any door open. It says ‘no’ and ‘not interested’ in very clear wording.

Which is fine, but hardly ‘de-escalation’.

De-escalation is exactly what it was. What it wasn't, and didn't need to be, was some form of appeasement.

 

[Thewlis]

De-escalation is exactly what it was. What it wasn't, and didn't need to be, was some form of appeasement.

I think there’s a finality to it.
A door slammed firmly shut.

Which could be a good thing, but for those who wished to see them ever again together, it is clear that those chances are gone for good now.

Not that we didn’t know that before already.

 

[Amy]

I think there’s a finality to it.
A door slammed firmly shut.

Which could be a good thing, but for those who wished to see them ever again together, it is clear that those chances are gone for good now.

Not that we didn’t know that before already.

The person who slammed shut the door is the one who had an ill-advised public hissy fit and tried to get all his fans to rake Johnny over the coals on the basis of claims that were categorically wrong. That's what closed the door. Are we done yet?!

 

[Thewlis]

The person who slammed shut the door is the one who had an ill-advised public hissy fit and tried to get all his fans to rake Johnny over the coals on the basis of claims that were categorically wrong. That's what closed the door. Are we done yet?!

Yes, or the one who reduced Morrissey to Trump and Farage and thereby set his fans up against Morrissey.

Anyway, we’re done, we’re not going to agree on this. Which perfectly illustrates that de-escalation is not what this move by Johnny was intended to be.

It’s over now, hopefully, and maybe we should all be glad it is.

 

[BurgerButt]

I'm not Marr's biggest fan post Smiths. Aside from what he did with the Cribs (which was great) the rest of what i've heard, The The (i thought The Beat(en) Generation was spoilt by the cheesy harmonica). Electronica were dull for the lads and as for his solo stuff.... ffs laughably cringef***ing bad. But as a person, i don't particularly like him either. What he did to his so called best mate Andy, who by all accounts said Morrissey had done more for him. The fact he never stuck up for Morrissey when the accusations were flying around etc....... BUT.......

You can tell he really does care about the legacy of the Smiths so respect for what he's done here.

As for Morrissey, he is just in a deathloop killing every last bit of honour, respect and fandom with everything he says and does. The last 12 years or so have been tragic, okay some of the songs have been decent, but there's been a lot of shite and as for his image, artwork, decisions on a music front, well they have just gone from bad to worse. I'd bet if Morrissey of today was time warped back to 1984, no one on this board would like him, myself included. Why would we, his attitude to people, his disdain for us fans £££££, his dreary moaning, crap negativity in his lyrics, the way he treats band members, managers etc. The bloke is a Grade A c*** that thinks the world owes him a living........ but yeah his voice and songs just about bring us back, hoping......

Him agreeing to do the Smiths tour is out of desperation, nothing else. Marr rightly said no, the time for doing it has long gone. Just as i don't ever want the Jam to get back, these 2 bands are perfect because they both split at their absolute peak.

There's not a cat in hell's chance that the 2 albums he's sat on are great/best ever, whatever...... The sad thing is the number of people that care is getting smaller and smaller each day....... Poor old Moz

Is there hope..... maybe...... setup a proper Morrissey site where he actually converses with fans. Release something from the archives each week as a gift back to fans, including the songs on the 2 unreleased records. Completely change his outlook and become more positive. Stop with the crappy artwork, yes ban Sam from Paint 98 and sort out the god damn quif..... finally get the boys back together and contact Stephen Street..... triple album release schedule:

1. Songs similar to Viva Hate/Bona Drag era, get some fun back into the lyrics and the way he sings
2. Acoustic album - wring every inch out of songs similar to Asleep, Please Please, Trouble loves me etc
3. Moz does Elvis - album of covers and Hawai concert


After that Johnny might start talking, til then......

 

[Amy]

Yes, or the one who reduced Morrissey to Trump and Farage and thereby set his fans up against Morrissey.

Anyway, we’re done, we’re not going to agree on this. Which perfectly illustrates that de-escalation is not what this move by Johnny was intended to be.

It’s over now, hopefully, and maybe we should all be glad it is.

You will only hear what you want to hear and now you're trying to fight over whether a calm, dispassionate statement of clarity was actually a further aggression. Please, just stop now.

 

[JerryCan]

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....

Looking back at the situation then it's understandable now Johnny had to leave for his own mental health - and keep his distance even if it meant disappointed fans. At least we can enjoy footage of that Wolverhampton moment in time - as opposed to if something ugly had happened like the recent Jane's Addiction reformation/resplit. All on camera.
I can't remember exactly when it was but also he had that terrible car accident which made him take stock. He's since put in the work getting himself in better shape and must wonder if M will ever take similar steps.
Maybe not on stage but surely we'll one day see pics of them together again in a bar at an event or something sometime. I still think Billy Duffy is the key friend here. Or Noel if by some miracle his shows actually do come off successfully.

 

[Dorothy]

Looking back at the situation then it's understandable now Johnny had to leave for his own mental health - and keep his distance even if it meant disappointed fans. At least we can enjoy footage of that Wolverhampton moment in time - as opposed to if something ugly had happened like the recent Jane's Addiction reformation/resplit. All on camera.
I can't remember exactly when it was but also he had that terrible car accident which made him take stock. He's since put in the work getting himself in better shape and must wonder if M will ever take similar steps.
Maybe not on stage but surely we'll one day see pics of them together again in a bar at an event or something sometime. I still think Billy Duffy is the key friend here. Or Noel if by some miracle his shows actually do come off successfully.

Or maybe Chrissie Hynde? She's still friends with both and last year at her concert, stood up for him.

Hynde’s knack for sparking reactions was still very much present, too. After wishing Manchester’s revered guitar hero Johnny Marr a happy birthday (communicated directly through a real-time phone call with his son Nile Marr, who was present in the audience), Hynde expressed her love for Marr’s estranged songwriter partner, Morrissey: “I love Johnny… I also love Morrissey… a bit controversial, I know.” The remark was greeted with the passionate cheers of those who see him as a landmark, life-changing songwriter, and the boos of those who see him as a misguided jingoist. Hynde couldn’t care less about her audience’s sudden split, drawling “I don’t care. I love you, Morrissey” before leading her band into a cover of Morrissey’s ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

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.

Yeah it’s been a mess from the beginning. But Johnny was in his right to say no to the gig and move on.

In regards to my initial comments on the Wolverhampton gig, was that Phranc snd Open said that Morrissey made it all about himself. And I replied back that it was a Smiths farewell gig. Meaning that if he wanted to make the gig all about him then he probably wouldn’t have done any Smiths songs since he already had hits from Viva Hate, so in that aspect he was already moving forward, though I’m sure even at that point he wanted to get The Smiths back together.

 

[Benny-the-British-Butcher]

I note still no response from Silly Steven!!!!!!!!!

THE PLOT THICKENS

Benny

 

[Thewlis]

You will only hear what you want to hear and now you're trying to fight over whether a calm, dispassionate statement of clarity was actually a further aggression. Please, just stop now.

No you’re not reading me.

It is a calm, dispassionate statement, yet at the same time shuts the door firmly with a ‘no’ and ‘not interested’.

Not fighting over anything really, not sure why you would think so.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Have you apologized yet to Johnny Marr for mischaracterizing him in light of the new information?

Yep, falsely accusing me. Still waiting for an apology from you Johnnie.

 

[Thewlis]

Yeah it’s been a mess from the beginning. But Johnny was in his right to say no to the gig and move on.

In regards to my initial comments on the Wolverhampton gig, was that Phranc snd Open said that Morrissey made it all about himself. And I replied back that it was a Smiths farewell gig. Meaning that if he wanted to make the gig all about him then he probably wouldn’t have done any Smiths songs since he already had hits from Viva Hate, so in that aspect he was already moving forward, though I’m sure even at that point he wanted to get The Smiths back together.

He did. And most people wore Smiths-shirts getting in which made it look even more like a Smiths-farewell.
He sorely missed The Smiths in the years ahead. It was only in 1991 that he really started feeling confident as a solo artist.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

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

Mind Bomb is a classic album. Saw The The with Johnny on that tour, fabulous show! I thought, wow! If this is the direction Johnny goes in, then I’ll follow. But sadly it wasn’t to be.

 

[Thewlis]

Mind Bomb is a classic album. Saw The The with Johnny on that tour, fabulous show! I thought, wow! If this is the direction Johnny goes in, then I’ll follow. But sadly it wasn’t to be.

You didn’t like Dusk? I thought that one was even better. Never saw them live unfortunately.

I saw Johnny with Modest Mouse, but I came just for Johnny. Nameless, faceless music, as the name should have warned me.

 

[Anonymous]

oh please - "I'm not a dickhead I'm just an artist!". A whole career of feuds, fallouts, record label problems, cancellations etc and it is quite simply never his fault. He doesn't even accept any wrong doing at all - just an endless ill-informed tirade. But it's ok because he's passionate hahah

This is why I think the Donald Trump comparisons are spot on

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

You didn’t like Dusk? I thought that one was even better. Never saw them live unfortunately.

I saw Johnny with Modest Mouse, but I came just got Johnny. Nameless, faceless music, as the name should have warned me.

Dusk is good. But thought Mind Bomb was more cohesive, focused and hit harder. Just love the dark moody vibe of those The The albums. Yep, drugs helped to get them there. Lol.

 

[Johnnie Ray]

Yep, falsely accusing me. Still waiting for an apology from you Johnnie.

You haven't yet acknowledged that what Morrissey did was intentionally deceptive and wrong. In fact, you continue to defend him. Good people don't do that.

 

[BrokenFrame]

To only praise him is a bit.. nutty.. to say the least. Nobody is perfect, and Morrissey sure isn't, but some people here just don't seem to be fans of his at ALL. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the freedom of speech and I enjoy reading the duality, but I'm also just confused as to why some get on here just to absolutely rail on him, call him names, etc. It pulls at me.
Maybe they like his music still, but not the man he is. Which is fine. Everyone should be able to separate the two.
The name calling, for some reason, hurts me a little bit. I don't know why. I guess I'm a bit of an empath. I also get annoyed by grown adults acting like teens.
The fact that people immediately believe what Johnny's managers claim and at the same time they immediately call Morrissey a liar, is sad. They both could be lying...
Because
Everyone lies, everyone lies....

I both love Moz as a person AND see him as a liar.
The whole "der spiegel" and "capitol" sagas and other claims.
Marr seems more honest, though he isn't as interesting and his music isn't as exciting.