The Smiths fans will most likely never give up on hopes that this legendary British band might reunite at some point, but everything is working against that. Although there are numerous other reasons, just the fact that guitarist Johnny Marr and vocalist Morrissey have been on bad terms for almost 30 years makes the reunion borderline impossible.
Marr recently talked with The Independent, and once again confirmed that he and Morrissey haven’t worked out their issues, which led to The Smiths’ split.
Johnny Marr was asked if his public comments on The Smiths’ breakup and Morrissey were because of the fact that he and Morrissey were still mates.
“I wouldn’t say that no. No, no, no. Haha, no we’re not mates,” responded Marr. “We’re just very different. But we always were very different people. But everyone knows that! Everyone knows everything there is to know.”
Johnny Marr and Morrissey formed The Smiths in 1982, later being joined by bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. They released their first self-titled album in 1984, with three more following until 1987.
They established themselves as critics’ favorites while developing a cult following among music fans. Despite the band’s continued success and growing popularity, Marr decided to take a break from the band in June 1987, citing exhaustion as the main reason. This wasn’t received positively by the rest of the band, who recruited Ivor Perry to fill in for Marr. Although the band recorded some demo tapes with Perry, the experiment didn’t work out for the best. The Smiths officially disbanded in September 1987.
According to later statements, both Marr and Morrissey had their own reasons for why their relationship took the wrong turn. Morrissey wasn’t pleased with the fact that Marr worked with other musicians, while Marr hated Morrissey’s “musical inflexibility” and his obsession with covering 1960s pop artists.
After The Smiths split, both Johnny Marr and Morrissey went on to have successful solo careers.
