Morrissey fires management after Johnny Marr refuted his claims regarding The Smiths
After weeks of indirect contact and sly insults, the ongoing conflict between former Smiths bandmates Johnny Marr and Morrissey has reached a new milestone, as Morrissey sacks his management team. This news comes shortly after Marr and his team responded to the various claims levelled against the guitarist by Morrissey.
Last month, the reunification of Oasis breathed new life into reunion rumours for various other bands, including The Smiths. The iconic Manchester indie band broke up all the way back in 1987, due to ever-rising tensions between Marr and Morrissey, and the pair have regularly refuted claims that the band might reunite ever since. However, Morrissey recently revealed that a deal had been floated to get the band back together for a 2025 tour.
Although this was met with a great deal of scepticism by fans of the band, particularly given that Smiths bassist Andy Rourke died last year, the offer was accepted by Morrissey. Marr, on the other hand, rejected the opportunity, though Morrissey and his management team claimed that the guitarist had “ignored” the offer.
This seemed to fuel the conflict between the two musicians even further, with Morrissey making multiple claims against Marr and insulting him publicly. So much so that Marr, who, like Morrissey, has enjoyed an incredibly successful solo career in the years following the breakup of The Smiths, was forced to respond to these claims.
Perhaps the most interesting piece of information revealed in Marr’s response was that “I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.” Sadly, for hopeful fans, this seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for ideas of a Smiths reunion. Nevertheless, the fact that Marr was able to disprove virtually everything levelled against him by his former bandmate must have been somewhat embarrassing for Morrissey.
So, in response, Morrissey shared to his website a short statement that simply read, “Morrissey has severed all connections with Red Light Management/Pete Galli Management.” It seems inevitable that this decision comes in light of the handling of Smiths reunion rumours and the playground arguments between the two Mancunian musicians.
What did Morrissey say about Johnny Marr?
Morrissey has raised countless insults and claims against his former songwriting partner over the years. During this most recent period of conflict, some of the most egregious claims included the idea that Marr had attempted to trademark The Smiths’ name, presumably to exploit the name for financial gain. Well, that claim was not entirely accurate.
Responding, a spokesperson for the guitarist shared a statement, reading, “Here are the facts: 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.”
Continuing in the explanation, the statement shared, “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 & Marr.”
Reportedly, Marr even offered an opportunity for joint ownership of the name earlier this year, although this was apparently ignored by Morrissey: “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.”
Aside from the trademark debacle, Morrissey’s website also made claims about the possibility of a Smiths reunion. “In June 2024 AEG Entertainment Group made a lucrative offer to both Morrissey and Marr to tour worldwide as ‘The Smiths’ throughout 2025. Morrissey said Yes to the offer; Marr ignored the offer,” Morrissey’s team wrote.
The company also took a dig at the guitarist’s solo career, writing, “Morrissey undertakes a largely sold-out tour of the USA in November. Marr continues to tour as a special guest to New Order.” To which Marr responded, “As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.”
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