Morrissey writes an open letter to Johnny Marr

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by fdsfd, Jan 27, 2022.

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  1. Cool Chemist

    Cool Chemist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bath, England
    Morrissey won the moral high ground here.
    Easy too.

    A bit sad, all of it.
     
  2. lordcat

    lordcat Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    lol, yes..amazing isn't it!
     
  3. friendofafriend

    friendofafriend Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jordan, UT
    This sort of mild contention is most likely beneficial to both of their careers. The Smiths were great because of the talents of all four members, but Morrissey did write his very best stuff to Marr’s guitar tracks, and those tracks were the best stuff Marr has ever created, so it was definitely a fruitful collaboration.

    Since the breakup, Morrissey has proven over and over that he still has the talent to write great melodies and fun lyrics to many other collaborators tracks, while Marr, at least in my opinion, hasn’t created anything of real interest or value except when he collaborated with The Cribs.
     
  4. MagneticNorthpaw

    MagneticNorthpaw Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    I've long come to the conclusion that it's overly hyperbolic to say Johnny "abandoned" Morrissey and the Smiths. He was put in an untenable position after years of having to play the de facto manager and cleaning up after Morrissey's various strops in public - on top of being a chief songwriter, the band leader, guitar player, producer, et al. If I remember correctly, Morrissey was not happy - quelle surprise - with the last manager they hired, Ken Friedman, and, per usual, wanted Johnny to play the hatchet man. He said enough was enough to Morrissey and that he wasn't going to fire Friedman alone, which is more than fair considering he was often hiring transport and arranging other touring logistics on his own from very early on in their run. This doesn't even touch on the fact that Johnny wanted badly to broaden the musical palette of the Smiths - and, around the same time as feelings were frayed, Morrissey called an ill-judged B-side session where, in part, they covered a Cilla Black tune. To Johnny, that must have felt like being stuck in reverse.

    In short, Morrissey had to have had blinders on to not see the gauges flashing red with Johnny by mid-1987. He could have taken steps to reduce the stress that Johnny was enduring on his behalf. But the saga sounds better if he claims that Johnny suddenly and with no prior discouraging word left him holding the bag.
     
  5. Amnion

    Amnion Forum Occupant

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Always disliked "open letters". Kind of "I'm writing you a letter, but as I can't count on you publicizing my brilliant insights/ripostes etc., so I'll do it in advance for you".

    Back OT for Moz vs. Marr. Sorry, I don't care for any of these online slugfests.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2022
  6. 7solqs4iago

    7solqs4iago Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    he built a small army with this... even got away with the claim of asexuality for many years, which made him more admirable in a way... :D
     
  7. Great Face For Radio

    Great Face For Radio Sing Hosanna, the jazz snobs are all going home.

    Location:
    London N13
    This rather unseemly spat has been widely reported in the British press today. The best headline award goes to The Guardian for:

    There Is A Fight And It Never Goes Out.
     
  8. 7solqs4iago

    7solqs4iago Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto

    they rose from nothing, made a splash on the indy scene, a little dent on the charts,

    got some $$$, got self-entitled and didn't have to do things they didn't want to do (see the Get Back 8-hours for this process at its largest)

    hit a point where they got intolerably fed up with each other and split, announced the forthcoming Strangeways was a swan song

    i never saw it more than it ran its course, i liked the band way better than the solos work combined
     
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  9. jasonfoote303

    jasonfoote303 I'm a very magic tripper

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I get all the news I need from the weather report
     
    Etienne Hanratty and 7solqs4iago like this.
  10. fallbreaks

    fallbreaks Forum Resident

    Marr shouldn’t have responded. And when a reporter questions him about it, say ‘Sorry, I’m too busy to monitor posts on Morrissey’s fan sites….’ Or something. Just take all the power away from Morrissey, like he did back in 87.

    Morrissey and Marr were great together, and their combined talents lifted them both. But Marr has always been the boss of that band.
     
    MagneticNorthpaw likes this.
  11. 7solqs4iago

    7solqs4iago Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    Isn't the entire existence of the UK press, apart from serious things, to stir up silliness and rivalries and controvery (heavy accent on the second syllable_?

    living in Canada i get to cherry pick what I want from my country, the UK and USA, all 3 regions very very different and helpful into my 6th decade.
     
    Ian S likes this.
  12. CrawdaddySim1

    CrawdaddySim1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    To be fair, Moz was the wordSmith.

    How soon is now?

    And let's not forget that Marr was all of 23 years old at the time!

    I remember an interview with Moz circa 2002 in Mojo, where he shot down the inevitable reunion rumor, with "besides, [Marr] and I don't even like each other," or something to that effect. That was 20 years ago... I've never thought that a reunion was even remotely in the cards. Then again, I never thought The Pixies would reform, either, so don't take my word for it...
     
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  13. Orson Swells

    Orson Swells Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    Though Marr can't like it too much - he dyes his hair black and tries to dress like a teenager.
     
  14. Diego Lucas

    Diego Lucas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brazil
    This is normal to happen, even with huge success in 70's with Wings, McCartney was always ask about Beatles and Lennon, of course.
     
  15. CrawdaddySim1

    CrawdaddySim1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    Peaking early is no fun... ask your avatar.
     
  16. Orson Swells

    Orson Swells Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    It did nearly happen about 15 years ago after they met in a pub. Morrissey was the one who decided not to go ahead with it.
     
  17. StevenC

    StevenC SUEDE > Both Oasis AND Blur.

    LOL!
    Morrissey is so full of .....

    I realize he has a devout following but Marr doesn't speak ill of Morrissey. I went to a 2 hour book tour session where Marr was promoting his book. In his book, Marr was way too tame.
    In the Q&A at that event, people asked Marr question after question about Morrissey and not a single thing was negative. In the book tour interview, these are the questions he was asked:

    "What would happen if you were at a music event?"

    Response: "I'd say hello to my old friend."

    "Were there songs you wrote where you were surprised by Morrissey's lyrics to your music?"

    Picks up his guitar, starts playing "Some girls are bigger than others". Then says "The song is beautiful and I was surprised by the theme. I think, though, he must have been on to something because people seem to love The Queen Is Dead."

    "What do you think of Morrissey's solo work?"

    "I've heard some in passing but I haven't heard it all but he's seen a lot of success for decades more than The Smiths were together so I think that says something."

    I think Morrissey is embellishing quite a bit. I follow Marr closely. He's so polite , he doesn't even mention how awfully Jesse Tobias plays some of the songs Marr wrote.
    The only thing I ever heard Marr ever say was when he was asked if he agreed with Morrissey's political stances and he said "No. I don't really know him like that anymore." Which is the EXACT thing Morrissey is saying.
     
  18. Orson Swells

    Orson Swells Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manchester
    I started at the top and worked my way down.
     
    ARK, Pop_Zeus and CrawdaddySim1 like this.
  19. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Expect a reunion anyday. :)
     
    Doggiedogma likes this.
  20. JohnJ

    JohnJ Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    we don’t want him, I’d someone else wants to claim him, they are welcome to him!

    Being a complete tool doesn’t mean you are eccentric.
     
    Silverwolf, Vangro and eddiel like this.
  21. He’s certainly a capricious diva, and if he wasn’t maybe the Smiths wouldn’t’ve broken up so abruptly.
     
    Pavol Stromcek likes this.
  22. mr.datsun

    mr.datsun Incompletist

    Location:
    London
    What the matter with Morrisey? Has he lost Marr’s address? Or can’t he afford a stamp?

    This public bullying tactic is pathetic. Why shouldn’t Marr talk about Morrisey and the Smiths - it was a part of his life, too.
     
  23. Vox78

    Vox78 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cork
    To be fair , Morrissey flourished while Marr floundered after the break up.

    Morrissey released a series of brilliant albums ( Kill Uncle aside) between 88 - 94. In fact, apart from two or three weak albums, Morrissey’s solo output has been very impressive.

    I could easily make a superb 40 track , 3 hr Morrissey compilation….can the same be said of Marr?
     
  24. Bucks

    Bucks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norway
    Of course not.
     
    phillyal1 likes this.
  25. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Ken Friedman pretty much pushed himself into the picture, befriending Marr, sleeping on the couch and whatever it took to insert himself into management for a band he'd taken a shine to. Predictably, especially given the band dynamics, it worked but only for a very short amount of time.

    That said, the stories that Friedman broke up the Smiths are off point. Friedman DEFINITELY poured salt on an already open wound with his approach to getting inside, but the wound was open and if it hadn't been Friedman, something else would have ultimately been the final straw.
     
    Doggiedogma likes this.
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