Johnny Marr has spoken out after former bandmate Morrissey’s latest claims about him.
Last week, the former The Smiths frontman referenced Marr in a series of posts on his official website.
He wrote in one that the guitarist (who he referred to as simply “J Marr”) had “blocked” the release of a new The Smiths greatest hits release to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group’s first album.
In a separate post titled “The Plot Thickens”, the Grammy nominee accused Marr of “successfully appl[ying] for 100% trademark rights” and “intellectual property ownership” of the name “The Smiths”.
Referring to himself in the third person, Morrissey – who pointed out he came up with the name The Smiths in the early 1980s – wrote: “This action was done without any consultation to Morrissey, and without allowing Morrissey the standard opportunity of ‘objection’.
“Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood.”
However, Marr has now set the record straight via his management team.
“In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use the Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting the Smiths’ name,” a spokesperson said. “A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself.
“It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey and Marr. As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.”
While Marr went on to confirm that he had, in fact, put the brakes on a new Smiths hits collection “given the number already in existence”, he also turned his attention to claims made by Morrissey earlier this month that he had “ignored” a “lucrative” offer for the group to reunite earlier this year.
“To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates. As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no,” he insisted.
Marr had previously remained tight-lipped about Morrissey’s claims, but did respond to one X user’s calls for The Smiths to reunite earlier this month with a simple photo of a grinning Nigel Farage.
In recent history, Morrissey has come under fire on numerous occasions for his remarks about politics both in the UK and abroad, and his apparent endorsement of far-right groups and parties.
In 2022, Morrissey called out his former friend in another post on his website, imploring him to stop “mentioning my name” in interviews.