Morrissey’s recent accusations weren’t something Johnny Marr was willing to let go of.
And the guitarist, 60, has moved to try to set the record straight, from his perspective at least. Morrissey, 65, had claimed Marr had successfully applied or 100 per cent of the trademark on the name of their band, The Smiths. The singer also criticized Marr for refusing to negotiate for the naming rights at a rumored reunion, before claiming that the band had turned down an invitation to go on tour once more.
This also means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths while Morrissey can use the singer of his choice, Morrissey had claimed, and it also prevents Morrissey from using the name while also denying him a significant financial support.
However, Marr was quick to shut down the claims and said they simply weren’t true. Marr wrote in a statement of his own that “Morrissey’s recent statements regarding the Smiths’ name trademark are incorrect.” Marr claimed Morrissey had refused to share their trademark after discovering the band didn’t own it, and the statement continued to include “facts.”
Marr added: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This was done for both my former bandmates and myself. As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no”. The guitar guru also blasted rumors that he would be performing with a different singer as “not true,” adding: “There are no such plans.”
More than three decades after the band’s bitter split in 1987, the band’s latest back-and-forth is. At the time, the pair’s strained relationship was given as part of the reason behind the band’s fracture. In 2022, Marr claimed there was “zero chance” he’d ever work with Morrissey again, telling BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright that he hadn’t spoken to Morrissey in person in “18 or maybe 15 years”.
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