For some, they're the band that produced songs that were literally life-saving. The Smiths' brief lifespan from 1982 to 1987 produced just four studio albums (along with a glut of beloved singles, B-sides and live albums). But, while both Morrissey and Marr's solo careers have found them new fans, the demand for the pair to re-unite - especially in the wake of Oasis' recent unlikely comeback - has been huge.
Recently it was revealed that Morrissey and Marr had been offered the opportunity to tour once again as The Smiths (the band's bassist, Andy Rourke, sadly passed away in 2023, and drummer Mike Joyce doesn't exactly see eye-to-eye with the pair, following a now-legendary court case).
But a war of words online between the two seems to have put paid to that. Ostensibly triggered over confusion around trademarking the band's name to prevent copyright infringement, the back-and-forth resulted in Marr admitting that he actively turned down the offer to reunite (as opposed to ignoring it, as Morrissey had assumed). This widened the division between the once solid creative partnership.
In a new lengthy interview with Medium, Morrissey spoke to journalist Fiona Dodwell, and explained why the fractious relationship with Johnny Marr is preventing the comeback, which he personally felt would have been a positive thing to do.
"I agreed [to the reunion] because it felt like the last time such a thing would be possible," Morrissey says, "We’ve all begun to grow old. I thought the tour that was offered would be a good way of saying thank you for those who have listened for what suddenly feels like a lifetime. It wasn’t because I had any emotional attachment to Marr. I have absolutely none.”
Dodwell presses Morrissey further on this relationship - which was a central dynamic of The Smiths' creative room. “He seems to me to be just as insecure and fearful as he was during the 1980s. But he gains more press adoration by pretending to be The Smiths' gatekeeper and custodian in isolation," Morrissey explains to the journalist.
Morrissey continues, "as long as he is sitting in a corner complaining about me he has a pedestal which would disappear in the event of a reunion. He claims to find me completely indigestible, but whenever he walks onto a stage he sings my lyrics, my vocal melodies and my song titles. Is this hypocrisy or self-deception? He has forced people to choose between Morrissey and Marr, and I’ve had just about enough of his bitchslap comments. I’ve quietly put up with them for over thirty years."
The interview also covers Morrissey's fading critical and cultural perception following several right-wing leaning statements made over recent years, and indicates that as far as Morrissey is concerned, the current cultural landscape is dominated by what he deems 'Idiot Culture'.
He says, “I believe Idiot Culture will pass, and we’ll all taste cultural freedom once again. It will be too late for me, but… bones are immortal. I will lie in Pere Lachaise and give the spiritual thumbs up."
Click here to read the full interview, and to read Johnny Marr's statement about the use of The Smiths' trademark, and his rejection of the touring offer, read here
