Do you really think The Smiths tried to oust Morrissey early on?

butley

Well-Known Member
When I read Autobiography I found the claim by Morrissey that the band considered replacing him after being together for a fair while, in fact when they first played New York in early '84, really wild but fascinating. Nobody has ever refuted quite a big claim, in fact nobody seems to have noticed what, I myself, thought was a very interesting revelation.
 
When I read Autobiography I found the claim by Morrissey that the band considered replacing him after being together for a fair while, in fact when they first played New York in early '84, really wild but fascinating. Nobody has ever refuted quite a big claim, in fact nobody seems to have noticed what, I myself, thought was a very interesting revelation.

It's lies. That's the only reason it isn't noticed. It is true people thought Johnny could do better but Johnny knew what he had in morrissey. Morrissey pushed him to the brink, played too many games.That's the only reason Johnny walked
 
Agreed. What Morrissey is claiming here is absurd. The very idea that, just after the success of This Charming Man, the Smiths would be contemplating ousting moz, let alone replacing him with a local businessman with no discernable musical talent and the wrong side of 35 is so ridiculous it doesn't even merit speculation.

From other sources, we know that Joe Moss made the decision to quit as manager just before the New York trip (on Boxing Day according to Simon Goddard). So, if there was any "plotting" going on, it was undoubtedly about trying to get him to reconsider. That would have needed to be done without Morrissey's involvement, because he was keen for the band not to have a proper manager taking a percentage.
 
That entire passage of the book is pretty outrageous and I'm surprised it's barely been discussed, given the magnitude of Morrissey's claim.

Morrissey often seems convinced that someone, somewhere is plotting against him, whether it's record company executives, the British judicial system, his own bandmates, etc. I don't doubt he's made some enemies over the years who have worked against him out of spite, but the man has a serious persecution complex and it's difficult to believe that this supposed Smiths cabal colluding toward Morrissey's downfall is anything other than fantasy.
 
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I don't doubt he's made some enemies over the years who have worked against him out of spite, but the man has a serious persecution complex and it's difficult to believe that this supposed Smiths cabal colluding toward Morrissey's downfall is anything other than fantasy.

I'm pretty sure it's all fantasy but I'm glad it's in the book. Fantasy or not, it affected Moz at the time. We shouldn't make fun of such issues. It can't be easy to live with that. I wonder if anyone actually tried to help him at the time or if they looked the other way. I don't know.
 
It's lies. That's the only reason it isn't noticed. It is true people thought Johnny could do better but Johnny knew what he had in morrissey. Morrissey pushed him to the brink, played too many games.That's the only reason Johnny walked

exactly!!!! (waiting for moz delusional fans to blame Johnny for everything and saying that Moz is right and the other three smiths wanted him out of the band)
 
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