Express: "The Smiths split ‘bruised me emotionally, it turned to s*** with Morrissey’ – Johnny Marr" via Uncut Magazine (January 13, 2022)

the-smith-Morrissey-johnny-marr-1549398~2.jpg

By George Simpson.

"JOHNNY MARR has been brutally honest about his painful memories from The Smiths break-up and shared how he talks to everyone from his incredible career except for Morrissey."


Excerpt:

Speaking in a new interview with Uncut, the 58-year-old said: “[The Smiths are] one of the things I’m proudest of. One of the things that I must be proud about – not only myself but the whole group, because that was our MO. Whatever s*** was going on, nothing got in the way of what was coming out of speakers – and there’s a lot to get in the way.

“It’s a simplistic way of putting it, but one of the reasons I’ve been in so many bands was because I wanted to be loyal to them. It won’t come as any surprise when I say that I’m really close with everyone I’ve worked with – except for the obvious one. And that isn’t that much of a surprise because we’re so different, me and Morrissey. But all of these different musicians, I can pick up the phone to anyone, and just pick up from where we left off.

“Everyone I’ve worked with has been great. The only thing that turned to s*** was The Smiths. Which is a shame, but s*** happens. I hate talking about the group I formed in those terms, the group I loved. But, y’know, let’s get some perspective.”



This story was picked up from March's Uncut Magazine interview - here in full:

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(* page 94 was adverts - omitted)

Note: the Express article appeared prior to having access to the Uncut article - so, the 'media item' became the thread title.
Regards,
FWD.
 
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What's your perspective? (just curious)
My view is that Johnny and Morrissey really found each other in their ambitions, sense of urgency, vision on what they wanted to achiev and ideal. They also seemed to be very comfortable to share their creativity and thoughts with each other. So there was a feeling of closeness at the time. I find it hard to explain the broader rang, depth and intensity of their compositions as a creature of 2 persons that barely cared for each other.

The sad thing is that they were both naive and very idealisti. They both made mistake. And extreme pressures could not hold them together anymore. I am sure that Johnny (and Morrissey) havé gone over the story’s of The Smiths in their heads many times. It is a very natural and human thing to do. That can lead to various reinterpretation.s. At the same time, the early emotions and sensations fade away with time. Johnny’s current perspective on The Smiths or hiis relationship with Morrissey is not necessarily a reflection of what he felt or thought 30 years ago. I do not hate him or blame him for that.

Finally, I also notice a certain eagerness to please the press when talking about Morrissey now. I find his comments more negative now than say 5 years ago,while they haven’t been close friends anymore for over 30 years. And the reason is of course that Morrissey has become a toxic brand with whichJM no longer wants to be associatedm
 
My view is that Johnny and Morrissey really found each other in their ambitions, sense of urgency, vision on what they wanted to achiev and ideal. They also seemed to be very comfortable to share their creativity and thoughts with each other. So there was a feeling of closeness at the time. I find it hard to explain the broader rang, depth and intensity of their compositions as a creature of 2 persons that barely cared for each other.

The sad thing is that they were both naive and very idealisti. They both made mistake. And extreme pressures could not hold them together anymore. I am sure that Johnny (and Morrissey) havé gone over the story’s of The Smiths in their heads many times. It is a very natural and human thing to do. That can lead to various reinterpretation.s. At the same time, the early emotions and sensations fade away with time. Johnny’s current perspective on The Smiths or hiis relationship with Morrissey is not necessarily a reflection of what he felt or thought 30 years ago. I do not hate him or blame him for that.

Finally, I also notice a certain eagerness to please the press when talking about Morrissey now. I find his comments more negative now than say 5 years ago,while they haven’t been close friends anymore for over 30 years. And the reason is of course that Morrissey has become a toxic brand with whichJM no longer wants to be associatedm.

Yes, and that's awful.

I don't blame JM for leaving The Smiths either, but it seems that he keeps returning to it over and over again, which is a typical behaviour in people who act impulsively when dealing with important and decisive matters in their lives. By returning to it there's always a chance to think it through and heal, or not, if the process lacks honesty.

Morrissey, on the other hand, suffered a lot from The Smiths' break-up and got over it, which is what happens when someone goes deep into things and elaborate on them. Nowadays, whenever Moz speaks about the band it appears to be from a place of love, gratitude and coolness with things as they are.
 
Yes, and that's awful.

I don't blame JM for leaving The Smiths either, but it seems that he keeps returning to it over and over again, which is a typical behaviour in people who act impulsively when dealing with important and decisive matters in their lives. By returning to it there's always a chance to think it through and heal, or not, if the process lacks honesty.

Morrissey, on the other hand, suffered a lot from The Smiths' break-up and got over it, which is what happens when someone goes deep into things and elaborate on them. Nowadays, whenever Moz speaks about the band it appears to be from a place of love, gratitude and coolness with things as they are.

An insightful take on how Johnny vs Morrissey processed the split. With Johnny being all of 24 at the time... I would not be at all surprised if he has regrets about how he handled things. For example, did he really want to permanently end The Smiths, or was he really just seeking a much-needed break from the band and the many duties he shouldered? I've never been 100% clear on that one.

The Smiths splitting was inevitable, I have no doubt about that... but could it have been done in a less fractious way? A way where Morrissey & Marr as solo artists could have appeared on each other's albums... occasionally joined each other on stage... etc.? I'd like to think so... but maybe not...
 
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My view is that Johnny and Morrissey really found each other in their ambitions, sense of urgency, vision on what they wanted to achiev and ideal. They also seemed to be very comfortable to share their creativity and thoughts with each other. So there was a feeling of closeness at the time. I find it hard to explain the broader rang, depth and intensity of their compositions as a creature of 2 persons that barely cared for each other.

The sad thing is that they were both naive and very idealisti. They both made mistake. And extreme pressures could not hold them together anymore. I am sure that Johnny (and Morrissey) havé gone over the story’s of The Smiths in their heads many times. It is a very natural and human thing to do. That can lead to various reinterpretation.s. At the same time, the early emotions and sensations fade away with time. Johnny’s current perspective on The Smiths or hiis relationship with Morrissey is not necessarily a reflection of what he felt or thought 30 years ago. I do not hate him or blame him for that.

Finally, I also notice a certain eagerness to please the press when talking about Morrissey now. I find his comments more negative now than say 5 years ago,while they haven’t been close friends anymore for over 30 years. And the reason is of course that Morrissey has become a toxic brand with whichJM no longer wants to be associatedm
:crazy:

WTF? doesnt want to be associated with Moz?:lbf:
all he does is talk about Moz you dont see anyone asking about
'the messenger' or the ridiculous comet album:lbf:

its Moz who doesnt want any association with the twat by uniformly
ignoring him(y):hammer:
 
An insightful take on how Johnny vs Morrissey processed the split. With Johnny being all of 24 at the time... I would not be at all surprised if he has regrets about how he handled things. For example, did he really want to permanently end The Smiths, or was he really just seeking a much-needed break from the band and the many duties he shouldered? I've never been 100% clear on that one.

The Smiths splitting was inevitable, I have no doubt about that... but could it have been done in a less fractious way? A way where Morrissey & Marr as solo artists could have appeared on each other's albums... occasionally joined each other on stage... etc.? I'd like to think so... but maybe not...

That split was deeply personal. Why else would Johnny not talk to Morrissey for years after leaving? He was actually only 23 at the time, a baby. He had to decide between leaving this band that musically surpassed all his dreams and saving his sanity.
 
Finally, I also notice a certain eagerness to please the press when talking about Morrissey now. I find his comments more negative now than say 5 years ago,while they haven’t been close friends anymore for over 30 years. And the reason is of course that Morrissey has become a toxic brand with whichJM no longer wants to be associatedm


Are you certain of this?

Perhaps something else has happened in the last five years that we can't know about . . . ?

I am not really sure Marr's motivations can simply be reduced to wanting to appear "woke".
 
How refreshing it is to see Johnny acknowledging that this "standoff" upsets him, rather than just glossing over it by praising everyone else.

It's about time. He sounds so hurt, angry and disappointed - whilst also encouraging Moz to pick up the phone. Come on lads, life is too short for this bitterness to be the closing chapter.

Lol. Where on earth anywhere in that article, or any of the other articles he has written, is there any indication whatsoever that he wants to speak to Morrissey? I would say the complete opposite.
 
Marr is a woke pussy jumping on the woke pussy bandwagon, bashing the person it's fun and popular to bash, blah blah blah. Making sure EVERYONE KNOWS he's distanced himself from Morrissey.

Unoriginal, cowardly, opportunistic c***. Gotta make sure nobody thinks he is still pals with Morrissey so that his record and ticket sales remain maximally unfettered. Hasn't written a good song since Electronic and even that music could have been SO MUCH BETTER if Morrissey, and not Sumner, was in charge.

Talk about pussy bandwagons. The lazy commentary and use of the word woke which is completely irrelevant to anything in this piece.

Morrissey being involved in an electronic collaboration. Sure. That would really have worked. That would be like asking Pavarotti to do Hip Hop.
 
It seems to me that much of Johnny’s resentment and sniping is about the money. A reunited Smiths could make £millions for playing concerts and Morrissey is denying him & the others this money. The son knows that some of this money would eventually come his way, hence his sniping also. Morrissey is wealthy enough not to need to do a Smiths reunion, plus he has no children to leave it to.
That said, neither of them come out of this looking good. Marr’s regular sniping looks petulant and disloyal. Morrissey comes across as grudge-bearing, incapable of letting things go and dismissive of the Smiths as a band. They both seem to lack the maturity to bury the hatchet. Other songwriting partners are very different people yet manage to work together. Elton John and Bernie Taupin spring to mind. However Morrissey and Marr just seem like perpetually resentful. More like Simon and Garfunkel.

It was 35yrs ago, why would he have any obligation to be "loyal". The two obviously don't get on and that is it basically. Neither wants a reunion and why would they if they can't actually even talk to each other.

As for money, Johnny is worth around 15 million so I am pretty sure he is perfectly ok financially for a 58 yr old.
 
The only Electronic good songs are the ones with Neil Tennant, everything else from Marr after the Smiths is just a big flop.
Obviusly he has to mention Morrissey, how do you expect people reading his interviews if he doesn't mention Morrissey at least once.
And I guess you are dismissing all the film music work he has one including for No Time to Die, Spiderman.

90% of what Morrissey has done since You Are The Quarry is also shite
 
I doubt that Morrissey has been derogative about Marr in recent interviews, simply because Morrissey interviews have become a rarity over the last 5 to 10 years. We would have to go back to the times when Morrissey enjoyed a lot of exposure and was seen as the main person keeping the myth of the Smiths alive. I have no clear recollection of derogatory statements, but others here may know better.
and maybe that is because there is nothing bad he could say rather than any misguided sense of loyalty.

I think a lot of people on here have just read the title of the article rather than reading the whole article because that title isn't even in the piece.

He isn't attacking Morrissey at all in any way.

He has just said they are very different and that he doesnt have the kind of relationship where he can pick up the phone and speak to him unlike all the other people he has worked with.

If someone asked me if I ever speak to such and such and I said no we haven't spoken in decades because we didn't get on it wouldn't be a derogatory thing to say.

People on here are so easy to jump on the defensive bandwagon of obsession when he hasn't said anything that would lead any sane person to become defensive.
 
And I guess you are dismissing all the film music work he has one including for No Time to Die, Spiderman.

90% of what Morrissey has done since You Are The Quarry is also shite

he didnt write any of the film music, he talked pony as if he had turned out he didnt he just added his suco :guitar: for a mini payment
just like he has no sold out shows or vinyl singles :)

any song Moz has made since quarry is better than all suco :handpointright::guardsman::handpointleft:
songs put together FFS:hearnoevil:

Jr tbh the only thing i find comparable to LePew sucy songs is
the fredo incoherent 'woe is me for the rent boys 🍻'poetry':hammer:
 
he didnt write any of the film music, he talked pony as if he had turned out he didnt he just added his suco :guitar: for a mini payment
just like he has no sold out shows or vinyl singles :)

any song Moz has made since quarry is better than all suco :handpointright::guardsman::handpointleft:
songs put together FFS:hearnoevil:

Jr tbh the only thing i find comparable to LePew sucy songs is
the fredo incoherent 'woe is me for the rent boys 🍻'poetry':hammer:

I think you may need to do a little bit more research and who said "writing", that is your words. Morrissey hasn't ever written any music by the way.
 
It was 35yrs ago, why would he have any obligation to be "loyal". The two obviously don't get on and that is it basically. Neither wants a reunion and why would they if they can't actually even talk to each other.

As for money, Johnny is worth around 15 million so I am pretty sure he is perfectly ok financially for a 58 yr old.
Johnny Marr has been extremely disloyal ever since the Smiths split. Sniping, sly digs and general grumbling which seems to suggest more than a degree of resentment at his lack of solo success compared to Morrissey. Yes he may be wealthy, however it is often the case that wealthy people simply want more and more. He could be far wealthier if a Smiths reunion took place, which clearly bothers him. Especially given that the Smiths split was almost entirely his fault; he flounced off in a fit of pique after Morrissey wanted to cover a Cilla Black song and then was suspected by Marr of releasing a false story to the music press that Marr’s holiday was him leaving the band. I mean this is primary school level behaviour.
That said, Morrissey sounds like he treats his current musicians as hired hands and was reportedly extremely rude to Spencer Cobrin, so I think that both of them need to reflect on their behaviour.
 
Johnny Marr has been extremely disloyal ever since the Smiths split. Sniping, sly digs and general grumbling which seems to suggest more than a degree of resentment at his lack of solo success compared to Morrissey. Yes he may be wealthy, however it is often the case that wealthy people simply want more and more. He could be far wealthier if a Smiths reunion took place, which clearly bothers him. Especially given that the Smiths split was almost entirely his fault; he flounced off in a fit of pique after Morrissey wanted to cover a Cilla Black song and then was suspected by Marr of releasing a false story to the music press that Marr’s holiday was him leaving the band. I mean this is primary school level behaviour.
That said, Morrissey sounds like he treats his current musicians as hired hands and was reportedly extremely rude to Spencer Cobrin, so I think that both of them need to reflect on their behaviour.
The vast majority of what you have just said is purely your opinion.

There is no evidence that Marr is at all jealous of Morrissey in any way whatsoever.

Also you opinion that that is driven by Marr's desire to be wealthier than he already is is quite frankly nonsense.

There is no "clearly bothers him" in anything that he has said.

Just because he has made these comments and other previous comments doesn't indicate what you are saying at all. That is in your mind.

It is incredible that all the people on hear claim to know the reasons for things without even knowing either party. Morrissey says this because...... Morrissey means this..... Marr clearly is this.... blah blah blah

The only two people who have ever known each other in this scenario are Marr and Morrissey. No one on here knows either of them and never has so any commentary on these things is just opinionated conjecture.
 
I think you may need to do a little bit more research and who said "writing", that is your words. Morrissey hasn't ever written any music by the way.


:crazy:

why doesnt :handpointright::guardsman::handpointleft: just go out and claim to have 200 grammys:lbf::hammer:
:handpointdown:

attachment-Untitled-design-2021-06-25T171822.796.jpg
 
The vast majority of what you have just said is purely your opinion.

There is no evidence that Marr is at all jealous of Morrissey in any way whatsoever.

Also you opinion that that is driven by Marr's desire to be wealthier than he already is is quite frankly nonsense.

There is no "clearly bothers him" in anything that he has said.

Just because he has made these comments and other previous comments doesn't indicate what you are saying at all. That is in your mind.

It is incredible that all the people on hear claim to know the reasons for things without even knowing either party. Morrissey says this because...... Morrissey means this..... Marr clearly is this.... blah blah blah

The only two people who have ever known each other in this scenario are Marr and Morrissey. No one on here knows either of them and never has so any commentary on these things is just opinionated conjecture.

o no, DramaJ is not jealous of Moz:lbf:

according to the entry on the internet, written up by, who else,
:handpointright::guardsman::handpointleft:, he has 15 million:clapping:

if you believe that there is a vintage fiat punto pinto you may
be interested in.:hammer:
(vintage=dented all around)
 
The vast majority of what you have just said is purely your opinion.

There is no evidence that Marr is at all jealous of Morrissey in any way whatsoever.

Also you opinion that that is driven by Marr's desire to be wealthier than he already is is quite frankly nonsense.

There is no "clearly bothers him" in anything that he has said.

Just because he has made these comments and other previous comments doesn't indicate what you are saying at all. That is in your mind.

It is incredible that all the people on hear claim to know the reasons for things without even knowing either party. Morrissey says this because...... Morrissey means this..... Marr clearly is this.... blah blah blah

The only two people who have ever known each other in this scenario are Marr and Morrissey. No one on here knows either of them and never has so any commentary on these things is just opinionated conjecture.
Of course what I said is my opinion. Anyone saying anything is expressing an opinion. Your post is an opinion. My opinion happens to be based on reading the interviews and watching the documentaries ie research. Johnny Marr is clearly jealous of Morrissey and desperate for a quick windfall of cash. For example, shortly after a large music festival reputedly offered the Smiths millions to reunite and play a set there, Marr gave an interview suggesting the time might be right for a reunion. Also Marr gave a filmed interview where he called Morrissey, 'so and so' and made thinly disguised accusations that Morrissey kept sacking managers for getting too close to Marr and was too lazy to get out of bed one morning. In his autobiography, Morrissey made clear that it is the other way round and he has worked hard since the split while the other Smiths have not. Marr is clearly resentful of Morrissey's large canon of solo albums, hence his current desire to throw out umpteen boring solo releases no one wants to buy because the lyrics are dull.
All of that said, I do accept that there is also empirical evidence that Morrissey has also behaved badly towards colleagues. However it must be very hurtful to him to have to read Marr's constant digs and disloyal statements.
 
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