Johnny Marr turned down ‘eye-watering' Smiths reunion offer because the ‘vibe' wasn't right
The indie band, fronted by Morrissey, formed in Manchester in 1982 with Marr as the guitarist, Andy Rourke on bass and Mike Joyce on drums. Rourke died in May 2023, aged 59, following a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
The group produced several critically acclaimed albums including Meat is Murder (1985) and The Queen is Dead (1986) but split in 1987, with Marr and Morrissey at loggerheads ever since.
In a recent appearance on the Stick to Football YouTube show, which is presented by former England and Manchester United player Gary Neville, Marr said the group had been made an offer to reform in 2024.
Marr said: 'We got made an offer really recently, in fact, but yeah, I said no. It was a little bit about principles, but I'm not an idiot, I just think the vibe's not right.'
He added: 'It was an eye-watering amount of money, but also, I really like what I'm doing now which makes it a lot easier. I like where I'm at. I still want to write the best song I've ever written. I want to be a better performer.'
News of a potential reunion was made public at the time thanks to Morrissey, with the singer announcing on his website: '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 undertakes a largely sold out tour of the USA in November. Marr continues to tour as a special guest to New Order.'
The feud continued between the pair with Morrissey claiming in September 2024 that Marr had applied for copyright of The Smiths name 'without any consultation' with him, and without giving him a chance to object. In a statement, Marr's representatives denied the claims and explainied that he'd offered a joint ownership document to the singer following a third-party attempt to use the band's name.
In 2022, Marr said there was 'zero chance' he'd ever work with Morrissey again. Speaking to the late Steve Wright on BBC Radio Two, Marr said it had been '18 or maybe 15' years since he had last spoken to Morrissey in person.
At the time the pair were involved in a fresh spat after Morrissey wrote an open letter to Marr asking him to stop bringing him up in interviews.
Marr responded to his former bandmate on Instagram, writing: 'An 'open letter' hasn't really been a thing since 1953, It's all 'social media' now. Even Donald J Trump had that one down. Also, this fake news business… a bit 2021 yeah?'
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