Morrissey recently disclosed that he was fully prepared to accept a “lucrative” offer to reunite The Smiths this year, but guitarist Johnny Marr apparently didn’t give it much attention.
While fans are still buzzing over the shocking news that Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher are putting aside their differences for a 2025 stadium tour, many began to wonder if another iconic Manchester band might follow suit.
Earlier this week, Marr seemed to dismiss the idea when he responded to a fan’s post on X. The fan suggested that if Oasis could reunite, so could The Smiths. Marr’s reply was a bit cheeky, sharing a picture of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, seemingly a nod to Morrissey’s more recent political leanings.
However, Morrissey soon took to his website to claim that both he and Marr had been approached with an offer for a reunion, and that Marr had simply ignored it. Morrissey also couldn’t resist throwing a jab at Marr, hinting that his own solo career was currently outshining his former bandmate’s efforts.
Morrissey’s website post read: “In June 2024, AEG Entertainment Group made a generous offer to both Morrissey and Marr to tour worldwide as ‘The Smiths’ throughout 2025.
“I was ready to say Yes to the offer; Marr, on the other hand, ignored it. I’ll be heading on a largely sold-out tour across the USA in November.
“Marr, meanwhile, continues touring as a special guest for New Order.”
The tension between Marr and Morrissey has been no secret since their split in 1987, which led to The Smiths disbanding.
Back in 2022, Morrissey posted an ‘open letter’ to Marr on his website, asking, “Could you please stop mentioning my name in your interviews?
“The truth is: you don’t really know me. You know nothing about my life, my intentions, my thoughts, or my feelings. Yet you speak as if you’ve been my personal therapist with direct and constant access to my innermost thoughts.
“We haven’t been in each other’s lives for 35 years – that’s multiple lifetimes ago. When we met, neither of us was successful. We both played a part in making each other who we are today. Can’t we just leave it at that?”
Marr had responded to Morrissey’s post with, “An ‘open letter’ hasn’t really been a thing since 1953. It’s all about ‘social media’ now. Even Donald J. Trump figured that out. And this fake news stuff… isn’t that a bit 2021?” He then added the hashtag ‘makingindiegreatagain’.
