I wonder what happened.
I wonder what happened.
I think Marr had enough of Morrissey's hissy fits. The story of him refusing to open the door and Johnny saying he was done comes to mind. Aren't they on speaking terms now, though?
The story of the Smiths split is old hat by now, surely. I think Marr only brings it up to indulge journalists, particularly after Autobiography when we've finally heard both sides of the story.
General consensus: Morrissey drove Johnny away with his musical jealousy and diva fits, systematically hiring and firing managers, producers, etc ("monogamous me, polygamous he") and expecting Marr to run the band whilst "the star" hid away in Kensington like a spoiled child.
Morrissey's version: Johnny wanted more of the fame and limelight and had surrounded himself with "undesirables" intent on tearing The Smiths apart and initiating him into the evil arts of electronica. Morrissey's ideas on this are paranoid to the point of delusion, as Autobiography makes clear ("Morrissey is a bad smell in the attic", "Morrissey is evil and should be stuffed") and of course Johnny defected to the beery bosom of Madchester eventually and the rest is history. Morrissey f***ed up the whole thing and he knows it.
Or she could be referring to accounts from Joe Moss, Grant Showbiz, Stephen Street, and others who worked closely with The Smiths which all suggest that mounting pressure on Marr due to Morrissey's difficult behavior and unwillingness to be managed lead to Marr's decision to abandon the band.By "general consensus" you obviously mean the Usual Suspects on here (which doesn't amount to many people). There was Morrissey's perception and there was Marr's perception - and both were "right" because both believed they had legitimate grievances and that the band wasn't developing in the way each of them wanted it to - although by that time, each of their artistic ambitions were no longer shared by the other. But, as the partnership that created The Smiths, each of their ambitions and viewpoints were/are equally valid. To suggest that there is some kind of favoured objective consensus whereby one person's perception was somehow more valid than the other is nonsense, that's just schoolyard side-taking.
Or she could be referring to accounts from Joe Moss, Grant Showbiz, Stephen Street, and others who worked closely with The Smiths which all suggest that mounting pressure on Johnny due to Morrissey's difficult behavior and unwillingness to be managed lead to Marr's decision to abandon the band.
I agree that the demise of The Smiths is not as black and white as some people paint it, and Marr himself has admitted he could have handled matters more gracefully, but a consistent narrative has definitely developed from the accounts of numerous parties involved, and Morrissey's version of events deviates significantly from the others.
maybe with the future means the friendship but i didnt see any problems with strangeways as i love it to death. i do agree about the bohemianism though and the pot being good for the ears and music which hes said before (mentions the spliff in this one) and the admiration for the unconventional growing up his kids took part in (really weird to think there in there early twenties). i had the same in many ways and am grateful for it. i at least get the boys get straight shirt song title now. hes a very cool guy and his comments about modern fiction were great (am now working my way through my palahniuk novels then on to welsh and amis blah blah). monder how much he made in the smiths even to this day. the boxset probably sold a bunch but i wonder when morrissey made all his money during his solo career. vauxhall im guessing
I wonder what happened.
Let's not forget that part of this "future" he was liking less and less included having to cover obscure and bland b-side fodder such as "Work Is A Four Letter Word". That session was the killing point (after all the other issues named above), was it not?
I've always suspected Morrissey & Marr are not as proud of Strangeways as they've let on in interviews. It's a good record, but certainly not their best. Perhaps they've felt a need to praise it as the best simply because it was the last? As someone very sad that they split, from this vantage point, I have a hard time imaging how they would have proceeded. As the 80's ended the music scene that embraced The Smiths was rapidly changing. Marr would have wanted to evolve with the times and Morrissey would have fought it. I could see them making one, maybe two more albums ... but beyond that ... I just don't see it. Their creative differences/tension was just too great to allow it.
Agree/disagree?
It's a harmless B side. It was hardly a sign of things to come. A little perspective goes a long way.