The guitarist also refutes Morrissey’s claims that he acquired the Smiths trademark to use on his own behalf Johnny Marr (left) and Morrissey of the group The Smiths posed with their arms around a tree trunk in London in 1983. Clare Muller/Redferns/Getty Images Last month, dropped the rather stunning news that he accepted a “lucrative offer” from AEG Entertainment Group to reform alongside Johnny Marr. “Marr ignored the offer,” Morrissey wrote before referring to himself in the third person.
“Morrissey undertakes a largely sold out tour of the USA in November. Marr continues to tour as a special guest to New Order.” In a new public statement, Marr says his former bandmate didn’t accurately convey what happened.
“I didn’t ignore the offer,” he wrote. “I said no.” The news comes a little over a year after Smith bassist Andy Rourke, who was one of Marr’s closest friends since childhood, making any proper reunion of the Smiths impossible.
Drummer Mike Joyce has been estranged from Morrissey and Marr since a 1996 lawsuit over the Smiths royalties that grew extremely contentious. Morrissey also made a recent claim that Marr acquired the Smiths trademark and now has the power to replace him as the group’s lead singer. “This action was done without any consultation to Morrissey, and without allowing Morrissey the standard opportunity of ‘objection,” Morrisey wrote.
“It prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey consider.