Red Mosquito

Ello Sailor wrote:This guy sucks. Thank you, that will be all.

Jorge wrote:One of those "separate the art from the artist" guys for me. An insufferable asshole but I really love his singing

J Marr has successfully applied for 100% trademark rights / Intellectual Property ownership of The Smiths name. His application has been accepted on whatever oaths or proclamations he has put forward. This action was done without any consultation to Morrissey, and without allowing Morrissey the standard opportunity of 'objection'. Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood.

Morrissey alone created the musical unit name 'The Smiths' in May 1982.

A statement from Johnny Marr's management:

Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of
The Smiths' name are incorrect.

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.

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.

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.

In the interests of accuracy and clarity regarding the trademark, and to answer
recent reports that Marr ignored a promoter's offer to tour as The Smiths, Marr says:

"To prevent third parties from profiting from the band's name, it was left to me
to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former
bandmates."

"As for the offer to tour, I didn't ignore the offer - I said no."

Additionally, speculation about Johnny Marr touring with a different singer as
The Smiths is not true. There are no such plans.

Johnny Marr also confirms that he declined a suggestion for another greatest hits
compilation from Warner Music Group given the number already in existence.

I agreed because it felt like the last time such a thing would be possible. We’ve all begun to grow old. I thought the tour that was offered would be a good way of saying thank you for those who have listened for what suddenly feels like a lifetime. It wasn’t because I had any emotional attachment to Marr. I have absolutely none.

He seems to me to be just as insecure and fearful as he was during the 1980s. But he gains more press adoration by pretending to be the Smiths gatekeeper and custodian in isolation, and as long as he is sitting in a corner complaining about me he has a pedestal which would disappear in the event of a reunion. He claims to find me completely indigestible, but whenever he walks onto a stage he sings my lyrics, my vocal melodies and my song titles. Is this hypocrisy or self-deception? He has forced people to choose between Morrissey and Marr, and I’ve had just about enough of his bitchslap comments. I’ve quietly put up with them for over 30 years.

To be cancelled is the modern version of lynching, isn’t it? And behind the scenes, your livelihood, your ability to survive, your relationships with whomever you work with, are all quietly attacked so that you can no longer function. There hasn’t ever been a proper study of the extent of cancel culture and how deeply and viciously it goes. It is not a dramatic exaggeration to say that people who are cancelled are privately pushed to the point of suicide. And for what? In the hope that the entire country loves the same music, the same books, the same comedy, the same politics, the same films? This can never happen! Bonfire Of Teenagers is the modern version of The Queen Is Dead, but the fact that no label will release it is an indication of how childlike and frightened the music industry has become.