Morrissey Deletes Message Accusing Johnny Marr of ‘Destroying the Legacy of The Smiths’

Morrissey has blasted The Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr in a since-deleted message after learning of an upcoming BBC radio documentary that didn't involve his input and was seemingly only favorable to Marr in the telling of the band's story.

The message initially appeared via Morrissey's website on Monday (June 22). While it was later taken down by the singer, the text was captured and logged and is still viewable via the Morrissey Solo forum.

What Did Morrissey Say About Johnny Marr + the BBC Radio Documentary?

Within his nearly 750-word response, Morrissey revealed that the documentary in question was set to arrive on July 13 and he warned those who may be tuning in that it was "critical in nature" towards him. He also revealed that he was not invited to take part in the documentary and added that he felt that it was just another "souring of the Smiths dream" through the lens of Johnny Marr.

"The outcome is never in doubt — Marr angel; Morrissey executioner," shared Morrissey. "Forty years on, Marr cannot do anything with his life but look back. The truth is always ignored."

Addressing Marr and the documentary, he later added, "This new BBC program already sounds like it is NOT for anyone who knows or cares about The Smiths. Marr has intentionally divided the Smiths audience into Marr or Morrissey factions; he has legally claimed The Smiths trade mark name as his — knowing full well that the name was devised by Morrissey. He has devoted his entire life to killing Morrissey in whatever way available. He embodies precisely what he claims to hate in others. His predatory sport of ‘calling Morrissey names’ is now in full wachine-machine overdrive. Why isn’t he bored of it all yet?"

He then added, "The people who continually shout the loudest are those who look for relevance. Marr, I firmly believe, is destroying the legacy of The Smiths. He plants seeds of doubt everywhere. He’s done it so loudly and so often that he has trapped himself."

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

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Elsewhere Morrissey comments, "Marr has turned his back on The Smiths in order to get the black wax seal from the haters. He has not ever felt the lyrics to 'How Soon is Now'? — which is why he sings them with all of the romantic enchantment of Leslie Crowther. How fantastic life would have been if Marr had chosen four more studio albums with The Smiths instead of joining and then being thrown out of The Pretenders."

He concluded, "Let the pie-fights continue. I shall always be reborn. The only artistic beauty in this world is whatever we bring to it. On the other hand, you have those who obliterate for pay. They have absolutely nothing else to offer."

As stated, the full since-deleted message is still viewable via the Morrissey Solo forum under the title "The Art of Forgery."

More Morrissey Vs. Marr Drama From 2024

This latest jab by Morrissey at Marr over the documentary was not an isolated incident in the divide between the two musicians. Back in late 2024, Morrissey hit out at Marr over essentially using his ownership of the band name to force fans to choose between the two musicians.

When asked by Medium about potential reunion discussions, Morrissey shared, "I agreed [to reunite] 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," Morrissey later continued. “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," concluded Morrissey. "I’ve quietly put up with them for over 30 years.”

Jo Hale, Getty Images

This followed additional drama amongst the two most well-known Smiths members earlier in 2024. Morrissey suggested that Marr had blocked a supposed greatest hits album as well as a 40th anniversary box set of the band's debut album. A few days later, Marr then applied for 100 percent of The Smiths trademark and intellectual property. The singer claimed that Marr made the move without consulting him.

Marr then countered that Morrissey's statements were incorrect, while claiming that in 2018, a third party had attempted to make a claim on the band's name and that his representatives had reached out to Morrissey to work together in protecting the band's name. When Morrissey failed to respond, he registered for the trademark himself.

And as for discussion of the reunion offer, Marr shared, "I didn't ignore the offer — I just said no." He added that he had no intent of touring with a different singer under The Smiths moniker either.

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