Johnny Marr reveals that he turned down an “eye-watering amount of money” for a Smiths reunion – despite Morrissey agreeing to it
Johnny Marr has always made his stance on a Smiths reunion crystal clear. In his own words, there’s “zero chance” of one ever happening – and no amount of money could change his mind.
In a recent appearance on Stick To Football, Marr admits that the group were promised an “eye-watering amount of money” for a reunion, but it didn’t tempt him. “We got made an offer recently, but I said no,” he reveals. “It was a little bit about principles, but I’m not an idiot. I just think the vibe’s not right.”
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Frontman Morrissey alluded to the “eye-watering” deal last summer on his official website. “In June 2024 AEG Entertainment Group made a lucrative offer to both Morrissey and Marr to tour worldwide as The Smiths throughout 2025,” an update explained. “Morrissey said yes to the offer; Marr ignored the offer.”
The update goes on to take a dig at Marr; “Morrissey undertakes a largely sold out tour of the USA in November. Marr continues to tour as a special guest to New Order.”
To add insult to injury, Morrissey later posted another update on his website titled ‘The Plot Thickens’, claiming Marr had acquired “100%” of the The Smiths trademark rights without informing him.
However, Marr responded on Twitter/X in September, clarifying that he “didn’t ignore the offer – [he] said no,” and that he had only acquired the rights to The Smiths’ name to “prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name”.
Marr’s statement also claimed that Morrissey “failed to respond” when Marr attempted to contact him in regards to registering The Smiths’ trademark.
“In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use The Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting The Smiths’ name,” the statement said.
Marr allegedly attempted to assign joint ownership to Morrissey in January 2025 as a “gesture of goodwill”. However, “execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign,” and no update has come to light just yet.
pic.twitter.com/78kD509vqZ
— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) September 17, 2024
Right now, Marr’s priority is his own music. While The Smiths played a huge role in his life, he’s happy to keep focusing on improving as a solo artist. “I really like what I’m doing now, which makes it a lot easier,” he explains on the Stick To Football podcast. “I like where I’m at. I still want to write the best song I’ve ever written. I want to be a better performer.”
Regardless of the circumstances, Marr doesn’t regret his time with The Smiths. “We were all dead young,” he reminisces. “We weren’t a bunch of mates from school… I wanted to put a band together, so I went and found the members… Five years later, when we’re playing to 10,000 people […] I was 23.”
“I was having a great time until I wasn’t,” he says. “I got miserable. I thought The Smiths were the best band in the world at the time. I was so proud of us and I loved the music we were making. I love the guys, but relationships break down and that’s life.”
In December, Morrissey told Medium he would have gladly embarked on a reunion tour. “I agreed because it felt like the last time such a thing would be possible,” he said. “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.”
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