In a recent blog entry titled ‘Cancel Culture Begins At Home‘ on his website, Morrissey expressed concern about what he considers as efforts to downplay his involvement in the Smiths’ history.
Morrissey compared his situation to diminishing Mick Jagger’s influence in the Rolling Stones, writing:
“There is an obvious media shift to remove me from being the central essence of The Smiths, but this cannot work because I invented the group name, song titles, album titles, artwork, vocal melodies, and all of the lyrical sentiments came from my heart…” So it’s like saying Mick Jagger had nothing to do with the Stones.
He then contradicted recent media reports regarding the encounter at Rough Trade Records:
“Several news sites now say that the initial meeting at Rough Trade Records was with ‘Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke,‘ even though Andy was not even a committed band member at the time. The encounter, of course, was between Morrissey and Marr.”
Before ending his remarks, Morrisey recounted a conversation with Geoff Travis to clarify the air regarding misconceptions:
“Even Geoff Travis has now suddenly decided that he ‘can’t remember who was with Johnny,’ even though Geoff looked me squarely in the eye on that very day and said, ‘We’d like to release ‘Hand In Glove‘ immediately,’ and, more importantly, that his name was Geoff with a G, not Jeff with a J. The dogs are snapping!
Hand in glove, I make my claim! “I’ll fight until the last breath!”
Morrissey and The Smiths Continue to Have an Influence
Despite these charges, Morrissey’s effect on The Smiths is obvious from their success, particularly among Generation Z audiences. Despite its disbandment in the late 1980s, the band continues to draw millions of monthly listeners via various digital streaming services. You may find our thoughts on The Smiths’ influence here.
In other recent events, Morrissey paid tribute to Mike Hinc, The Smiths’ late live booking agent. His tour commemorating 40 years of his career had significant setbacks, including the abrupt cancellation of the first event in Perth.
Following the postponement of his album ‘Bonfire Of Teenagers,’ Morrissey plans to release a new album titled ‘Without Music, The World Dies.’ This album was announced in December 2022 and will be recorded in early 2023. Distribution partners are now being sought.
