Morrissey Central "OPEN LETTER TO JOHNNY MARR." (January 25, 2022)

This is not a rant or an hysterical bombast. It is a polite and calmly measured request: Would you please stop mentioning my name in your interviews?

Would you please, instead, discuss your own career, your own unstoppable solo achievements and your own music?

If you can, would you please just leave me out of it?

The fact is: you don’t know me. You know nothing of my life, my intentions, my thoughts, my feelings. Yet you talk as if you were my personal psychiatrist with consistent and uninterrupted access to my instincts. We haven’t known each other for 35 years - which is many lifetimes ago. When we met you and I were not successful. We both helped each other become whatever it is we are today. Can you not just leave it at that? Must you persistently, year after year, decade after decade, blame me for everything … from the 2007 Solomon Islands tsunami to the dribble on your grandma’s chin ?

You found me inspirational enough to make music with me for 6 years. If I was, as you claim, such an eyesore monster, where exactly did this leave you? Kidnapped? Mute? Chained? Abducted by cross-eyed extraterrestrials? It was YOU who played guitar on ‘Golden Lights’ - not me.

Yes, we all know that the British press will print anything you say about me as long as it’s cruel and savage. But you’ve done all that. Move on. It’s as if you can’t uncross your own legs without mentioning me. Our period together was many lifetimes ago, and a lot of blood has streamed under the bridge since then. There comes a time when you must take responsibility for your own actions and your own career, with which I wish you good health to enjoy. Just stop using my name as click-bait. I have not ever attacked your solo work or your solo life, and I have openly applauded your genius during the days of ‘Louder than bombs’ and ‘Strangeways, here we come’, yet you have positioned yourself ever-ready as rent-a-quote whenever the press require an ugly slant on something I half-said during the last glacial period as the Colorado River began to carve out the Grand Canyon. Please stop. It is 2022, not 1982.

Morrissey. January 2022.

OPEN LETTER TO JOHNNY MARR. - MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY - MORRISSEY CENTRAL - OPEN LETTER TO JOHNNY MARR.

MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY on MORRISSEY CENTRAL

www.morrisseycentral.com

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Marr, January 26th:


Some related posts moved to this thread: Johnny Marr responds to Morrissey's open letter via Twitter (January 26, 2022)

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Related item:

• Express: "The Smiths split ‘bruised me emotionally, it turned to s*** with Morrissey’ – Johnny Marr" via Uncut Magazine - January 13, 2022

Media items:

• BBC: Morrissey calls on Johnny Marr to 'stop using my name as clickbait' - January 26, 2022
• Daily Mail: There is a fight that never goes out: Morrissey accuses Johnny Marr of 'using my name as click bait' and insists The Smiths bandmate 'knows nothing of my life' in scathing letter - January 26, 2022
• Far Out: Morrissey pens scathing open letter to Johnny Marr: "You don't know me" - January 25, 2022
• Fiona Dodwell: "From Morrissey to Marr: Why THAT Open Letter Was a Long Time Coming" (January 26, 2022)
• Guardian: ‘You don’t know me’: Morrissey accuses Johnny Marr of using him for clickbait - January 26, 2022
• Independent: ‘Move on’: Morrissey tells Johnny Marr to stop talking about him in interviews - January 26, 2022
• MEN: 'Move on. It's as if you can’t uncross your own legs without mentioning me': Morrissey tells Johnny Marr to stop talking about him - January 26, 2022
• NME: Morrissey asks Johnny Marr to stop mentioning him in interviews - January 25, 2022
• Rolling Stone: Still Ill: Morrissey Really Wants Johnny Marr to Stop Talking About Him - January 26, 2022
• Stereogum: Morrissey To Johnny Marr: Keep My Name Out Of Your Mouth - January 25, 2022
• The Telegraph: Why Morrissey and Johnny Marr hate each other (paywalll) - January 27, 2022 (transcript at Yahoo!)

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Just a guess - reunion's off
FWD.

 

[Deleted member 30524]

My take on this is 'How come you've got a deal, and I haven't, you bastard?'

The consequences of one's own words and actions...

And did they not meet in a pub just a few years ago to talk about working together? Since then what has changed for Johnny is very little, and what has changed for Morrissey is everything, and he only has himself to blame.

He is a bitter, sorry old man, and his current adrift status is no one else's fault.

This missive, which could have been private but is not, is nothing more than an attempt to tell the world "I'm still here"

Who is bitter, Peter ?
Please remind us all .

 

[Phranc & Open]

Everybody chill out!

 

[SuedeMoz]

Having glossed over it more, it appears the “Golden Lights” and “unstoppable solo career” quotes I missed (somehow) and I know see Morrissey’s post is actually a lot more barbish than I initially thought.
I don’t mind in one sense, it’s his nature and always has been to have waspish snaps in his thoughts, plus they are quite funny.

But I am feeling quite sad looking at it now, because even thought Marr mentions often that he and Morrissey have nothing in common, aren’t friends, aren’t in contact, and that he’s interested in moving forward - I never truly believed him 100%.
I did often envision that there would be a surprise picture posted or something, of Moz and Marr sat, perhaps in the studio, both grinning smugly at the knowing behemoth of pandemonium bound to spark among balding 40 somethings that would unfold at the sight of their reconciliation.
Alas, this confirms it’s unlikelihood to be nigh on impossible, and that just aches a little.

It's actually pretty over the top, Johnny has said plenty of kind things about Morrissey over the years and hasn't shown anywhere near the vitriol Morrissey's comments suggest.

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

Everybody chill out!

Johnny's perfect response!

 

[skull]

Man, I love you Morrissey.

 

[gordyboy9]

You don't think that BMG dropping Morrissey and then turning around and signing Marr irks Moz? And here, more than a year later, Moz has not found a new label. For someone as sensitive as Moz, I'd think that every push and promotion that Marr gets from BMG would annoy him - the livecast, the videos, podcasts, the tours, the articles, the magazine cover. You know he's thinking "That should have been me!"

you must have some crystal ball,best iv ever seen.

 

[anonamouse]

It's kind of funny that we are talking about Johnny's sly digs, because Craig Gannon said that is what caused him to quit the band, Johnny was very cruel to him when no one else could hear what he was saying. Other people thought Morrissey was to blame and even said to Johnny they thought Craig would be leaving soon (due to Morrissey) and Johnny said he felt Craig's "days were numbered", knowing what he had been doing to him. This is how he operates, he is passive aggressive and dishonest.

This is exactly right. He is passive aggressive. I'm all for free speech but what Marr does constantly is to take the moral high ground and continue to analyse a person that he has had no contact with for 35 years.

 

[gordyboy9]

I found the letter sadly shrill and unfunny...

who said it was meant to be funny,what were you expecting,a two ronnies sketch.

 

[gordyboy9]

marr the lyrical genius who gave us ---he got get got get got he get got get.

will this be a 500 posts thread,you bet it is,will check in tonight after the tic game to see how its going and to see if skinny has managed to free one hand out of his straight jacket and bash some words on his laptop.

 

[Innes]

This is horrible
Nasty
What a monster Morrissey now is

 

[MozzersBigHair]

I still say, they get back together/reform/reunite BEFORE Moz retires. You dangle enough $$$ in front of someone(& we all know Moz loves $$$), hatred for one another changes. You don't have to like me, nor me you, but for the right amount of $$$, I can surely stand next to you during a 1-2 hr show on a tour.

 

[Amy]

Morrissey has mentioned it before - in 2012 to GQ.

I'm sure you think too much has been made of that—of the Johnny Marr-Morrissey thing, that it was like some divorce, but it sounds like it felt like that.

Yes. And I felt the music really had its place. And it shouldn't be destroyed or curtailed. I thought the Smiths would still exist and would be on our thirtieth album. I think with time he realized he had made an awful decision. So the only way that he could substantiate that decision was to maintain that I was a monster. So that became depressing, and the aftermath of the group's existence became enormously depressing.

Yep, and before that as well.

"He defends it (his decision to leave) simply now by saying that Morrissey is evil and The Smiths was a terrible experience. That's how he defends his terrible decision." - interview with Dave Fanning, 2002

And that's the root of all of this. When Johnny is asked about The Smiths, he's often compelled to justify his reasons for leaving. And every time he does, he blames Morrissey completely - for firing managers and producers, for making him record cover versions, for showing no interest in "new ideas", for not turning up to the Wogan show, for being possessive, etc. And Johnny might have every reason to say those things in 1987 but he's said them over and over, year and year, and has never let it go.

Every time the topic comes up, he says something else to suggest that The Smiths ended because he couldn't bear M for another second, and he looks bitter. In Autobio, Moz mentions numerous instances of this - right down to memorising headlines that the papers printed - so there is NO way on earth JM doesn't know that those comments wound him. At one point he even writes, "If the headline is wrong, Johnny does nothing to correct it."

And in the time he's spent "not correcting" the crap that the papers print, Johnny has been praising his other collaborators to the skies - even though most of those projects were glorified session work. We're all brothers, we're all best mates, X bloke is the best I've ever worked with, Y is the best band I've been in, etc. He knew those comments would hit home.

I really hope JM gets in touch privately now.

 

[Janice]

Ok, nobody will ask him about 'unstoppable solo career' good point. even when promoting the unstoppable solo career.

ps chances are 100 percent that LePew doesnt have Moz phone number

Then he needs to get on here and ask you, doesn’t here.
There’s a thought.

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

you must have some crystal ball,best iv ever seen.

Thank you!

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

Yep, and before that as well.

"He defends it (his decision to leave) simply now by saying that Morrissey is evil and The Smiths was a terrible experience. That's how he defends his terrible decision." - interview with Dave Fanning, 2002

And that's the root of all of this. When Johnny is asked about The Smiths, he's often compelled to justify his reasons for leaving. And every time he does, he blames Morrissey completely - for firing managers and producers, for making him record cover versions, for showing no interest in "new ideas", for not turning up to the Wogan show, for being possessive, etc. And Johnny might have every reason to say those things in 1987 but he's said them over and over, year and year, and has never let it go.

Every time the topic comes up, he says something else to suggest that The Smiths ended because he couldn't bear M for another second, and he looks bitter. In Autobio, Moz mentions numerous instances of this - right down to memorising headlines that the papers printed - so there is NO way on earth JM doesn't know that those comments wound him. At one point he even writes, "If the headline is wrong, Johnny does nothing to correct it."

And in the time he's spent "not correcting" the crap that the papers print, Johnny has been praising his other collaborators to the skies - even though most of those projects were glorified session work. We're all brothers, we're all best mates, X bloke is the best I've ever worked with, Y is the best band I've been in, etc. He knew those comments would hit home.

I really hope JM gets in touch privately now.

But why else would Marr leave a band he loved, writing all this great music, unless he found Morrissey unbearable to work with?

 

[MozzersBigHair]

This is exactly right. He is passive aggressive. I'm all for free speech but what Marr does constantly is to take the moral high ground and continue to analyse a person that he has had no contact with for 35 years.

How has he "no had contact with him for 35 years", when it's a FACT they met up @ a pub a few years back, to discuss a possible Smiths reunion and possibly work together again?

 

[MozzersBigHair]

At this point in his career, Morrissey should be thankful anyone is talking about him at all. Let’s face it, it’ll be the Smiths he’ll be remembered for and not his solo work… well, certainly not anything he’s done in the past 20 years.

Wonder what would happen if the Smiths eventually get into the RNRHOF? They'll somehow have to co-exist, at least for that night(that is, if they all show up). Then the next question is: Do the 4 play that night?

 

[MozzersBigHair]

Jesse Tobias needs to keep his f'ing mouth shut and not get involved. It is He who has been a scourge on Morrissey's music for far too long. Jesse has detracted from Morrissey's music. At least Johnny added it to it for a brief time.

I'll be blunt, Jesse sucks and it's a shame Morrissey fans are stuck with that f***er.

Fraid I have to agree a bit on Jesse. I don't think he's the songwriter both Johnny, nor Alain are.

 

[Phranc & Open]

For 35 years both are asked in every single interview about The Smiths and the respective protagonist. Sure, I don't have every interview of Johnny Marr in my head and I can't do anything with his solo records either, but I feel that he reacts against Morrissey only latently derisively since his statements about "For Britain (Smiths reunion with Nigel Farage on the guitar etc.) It's also not true that they were completely distant from each other for 35 years. They did meet in the mid-nineties for talks and walks (Vauxhall period) and in 2009 they both agreed for a second about a The Smiths reunion. Morrissey's career is currently in ruins and Marr's solo career is manageable (at best), however Marr seems to be the more content person.

 

[Amy]

But why else would Marr leave a band he loved, writing all this great music, unless he found Morrissey unbearable to work with?

Maybe he did. But when your say that stuff over and over for years, you can't expect the other bloke to be sending you Christmas cards.