Morrissey claims Johnny Marr ignored provide to reunite The Smiths

Morrissey has mentioned he agreed to a “profitable” The Smiths reunion tour subsequent yr, however claimed that Johnny Marr “ignored” the provide.

An announcement posted to the singer’s official Morrissey Central web site right now (August 29) reads: “In June 2024 AEG Leisure Group made a profitable provide to each Morrissey and Marr to tour worldwide as ‘The Smiths’ all through 2025.”

• READ MORE: The Smiths: each track ranked so as of greatness

The replace continued: “Morrissey mentioned Sure to the provide; Marr ignored the provide.

“Morrissey undertakes a largely bought out tour of the USA in November. Marr continues to tour as a particular visitor to New Order.”

NME has contacted Marr’s representatives for remark. See a screenshot of Morrissey’s message within the submit beneath.

Holy moly! Morrissey was up for a reunion with Johnny Marr, however Johnny mentioned no. That is fairly astounding. Assertion from Moz hooked up. pic.twitter.com/5PHKbzycJh

— The Morrissey Mercury (@MorrisseyMerc) August 29, 2024

Morrissey’s assertion comes after Marr responded to a fan’s name for The Smiths to return amid the massive Oasis reunion information this week.

The Smiths shaped again in 1982 and launched 4 studio albums: 1984’s ‘The Smiths’, 1985’s ‘Meat Is Homicide’, 1986’s ‘The Queen Is Lifeless’ and 1987’s ‘Strangeways, Right here We Come’.

Earlier this month, Morrissey mentioned his former band’s recognition had not waned because it was all about “a refusal to give up to enemy propaganda”. “The Smiths don’t finish,” the ex-frontman wrote.

In January, the soloist claimed that he had been “deleted” from the “essence” and historical past of The Smiths.

“However this can’t work as a result of I invented the group identify, the song-titles, the album titles, the art work, the vocal melodies, and all the lyrical sentiments got here from my coronary heart,” he continued.

“And so it’s a bit like saying Mick Jagger had nothing to do with the Stones.”

In early 2022, Marr opened up about his spat with Morrissey, saying that he felt he needed to “defend [himself]”. It got here after Morrissey requested the guitarist to cease mentioning him when giving interviews.

Writing in his 2016 memoir Set The Boy Free, Marr spoke a few assembly with Morrissey in 2008 the place the pair mentioned the potential of reuniting The Smiths. “I used to be completely happy to see him – it was 10 years or extra since we’d final met,” he recalled. “We caught up with private information and household and reminisced a bit.”

Marr went on to recollect how the “dialog turned to deeper issues”, including: “All of the sudden we have been speaking about the potential of the band reforming, and in that second it appeared that with the proper intention it might truly be carried out and may even be nice.

“I might nonetheless work with the Cribs on our album, and Morrissey additionally had an album due out. We frolicked for some time longer, and after much more orange juice (for me) and much more beer (for him) we hugged and mentioned our goodbyes.”

He continued: “For 4 days it was a really actual prospect. We must get somebody new on drums [original drummer Mike Joyce sued Morrissey and Marr over royalties in 1996], but when The Smiths wished to re-form it will make a hell of lots of people very completely happy, and with all our expertise we would even be higher than earlier than.”

However Marr revealed that “communication ended” between the 2, and “issues went again to how they have been and the way I anticipate they all the time might be”.

Moreover, Marr responded to Morrissey’s remarks about being pro-Brexit and being in favour of Nigel Farage in 2016 – including that his political views have been but one more reason why a reunion of The Smiths was unlikely.

Following the EU Referendum, Morrissey confronted backlash from lots of his followers when he hailed the consequence as ‘magnificent’ – and called Farage a “liberal educator”. Marr subsequently sought to distance himself from his former bandmate’s beliefs.

Final Might noticed Morrissey pay tribute to former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke following the information of his demise.