As far as I can see, 3 major things have contributed to the “Marr hatred” on here.
- The Great Estrangement with Moz, the general froideur between them and the cattiness that some fans seem to be absorbing. That situation should be heartbreaking for Smiths fans, I don’t understand how anyone could possibly enjoy it.
- The bizarre circumstance of JM going solo late in life and suddenly becoming visible / being exalted in the media at a time when Moz’ reputation is at an all-time low. A situation that just highlights and compounds the general misery of #1
- He’s over-exposed now. For an indie guitarist, he is absolutely everywhere and it gets tiresome, he’s even flogging shoes. He can’t particularly sing, he can’t write lyrics, even his fans acknowledge that - and yet he’s become a ‘bulletproof’ figure in the Press, just because The Singer is seen as so awful. It leaves a bad taste.
I don’t think JM created or ever intended this set of circumstances – ultimately he’s not responsible for what another adult says and does, and he has a right to pursue his own career. Even so, it’s hard to look at the current situation and not think that he has benefited
very heavily from the Fall of Moz. Too heavily. And where he could have tried to balance the narrative a bit (‘the one good Smith’ etc etc), he didn’t. He watched M being publicly mauled and eventually, he joined in - knowing just how much it would hurt and doing it just to please idiots on Twitter. I love Johnny but even for me, that's hard to take.