Was Johnny wrong to leave The Smiths?

[Anonymous]

With the stress he was under, Morrissey taking the piss (especially locking Johnny out!), being asked at his tender age to run a rock band that was touring all over... Not to mention the uncomfortable feelings Moz kept showing (isn't "I Won't Share You" f***ing horrible, if it's directed at you AND YOU'RE MARRIED?).

Just surprised he didn't leave sooner. Morrissey took it too far. He'd see it as his flaws sabotaging something, whereas energetic, capable, nice people like Johnny and Angie just saw f***ing around as f***ing around.

Morrissey showed no loyalty to the Smiths by the end. He's the last person to trust about it.

Musically though, they seemed at a crossroads, I think Johnny was dry of material, and five years was perfect. Strangeways was flawed, too many duff tracks ("Death at One's Elbow", anyone?)

 

[Anonymous]

Yes I've heard the interview with Johnny post-Strangeways where he, clearly, thinks The Smiths have a future. What always amazes me is how one of the reasons for the fall-out was Morrissey refusing to do videos and not have a manager and then as soon as The Smiths split Morrissey starts making videos and gets himself a manager!!

And becomes his own cover star... Yeah, more than a little problem there with the idea Moz wasn't hung up on himself.

Poor Andy, really. A bassist of his calibre should have had a better career. Smoking a bit of smack? So what. Plus he didn't tell Marr HIS band was gonna cover Cilla, unlike the drummer

 

[Anonymous]

Johnny's music was incredible but Morrissey was the odd man out. He was so different than the rest of the band. I think they all kind of fell into each others lap, why they didn't get along, they are all kind of rough. Morrissey belonged in a band with people like Jobriath or James Maker.

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

Johnny's music was incredible but Morrissey was the odd man out. He was so different than the rest of the band. I think they all kind of fell into each others lap, why they didn't get along, they are all kind of rough. Morrissey belonged in a band with people like Jobriath or James Maker.

It was the differences though that made them great: the friction, the musical tastes, drugs, drinks, the unhealthy obsession Morrissey had with Johnny, Johnny trying to cope with Morrissey and everything else just made a wonderful/horrible stew that produced unforgettable music. Of course it was right for Johnny to leave, it was an untenable situation - at the end he said he'd rather be on the dole than deal with the Smiths.

 

[Truth]

He was wrong to leave Electronic.

 

[Amy]

I don’t mind a few Electronic singles, but Johnny’s whole demeanour during the early 90s was grim to me - all that laddish, beery, bitchy drugged-to-the-tits thing, trying desperately to look tough. It makes him seem very chameleon-like – doing the whole beehive’n’books thing when Morrissey was into that, then doing all this execrable lad stuff to appease his mates in New Order/Happy Mondays and whatever else. As he has grown older, he grew out of behaving like that, thank God.