Johnny Marr responds to Morrissey's open letter via Twitter (January 26, 2022)

Dear @officialmoz. An ‘open letter’ hasn’t really been a thing since 1953, It’s all ‘social media’ now. Even Donald J Trump had that one down. Also, this fake news business…a bit 2021 yeah ? #makingindiegreatagain

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Related item:

• "OPEN LETTER TO JOHNNY MARR." (January 25, 2022)

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Media item:

• Radio X: Johnny Marr hits back after Morrissey asks him to stop mentioning him in interviews - January 26, 2022

 

[Surface]

It really depends what you regard as success. Marr has followed his muse and made the music he has wanted to make, whatever that is, until relatively recently in a band environment either as a member or as a guest (Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, etc.). And he's been able to make a good living out of it. That's success by any standard.

Morrissey's been able to do mostly the same, though his commercial viability is shot to pieces : he can't get a record deal, is playing smaller venues than he has done in 20 years, and is uninsurable from a tour perspective. That's not really success in my opinion.

Heck, you could call some of his shows 'record breaking' for having the largest number of unsold tickets for the venue without cancelling, if you want to put it that way.

He certainly made a good living from Electronic, their debut sold over a million copies when CD's were a tenner a time, it was also released on Factory where contract terms were very favourable to the artist.

 

[SuedeMoz]

Why? It was hardly a long, demanding tour, and frankly an hour on stage isn't that difficult to do.

Sounds like it was the clash of egos with Bowie but we only ever heard Morrissey's side of things... I don't think Bowie ever spoke about it publicly. BTW, this idea that a support slot for other bands especially for large shows is somehow menial is rather dumb. Are you ever an audience member at shows? Isn't it nice when the opener is someone you'd actually like to see? I saw Johnny open for New Order back in 2013 and it was a great, fun show... it was like a double-bill.

CORRECTION: Bowie discussed Morrissey leaving the Outside tour. Of course, it was already discussed here. Now that I saw it again, I do remember the clip... my memory is not what it used to be...

 

[Janice]

Why? It was hardly a long, demanding tour, and frankly an hour on stage isn't that difficult to do.

Metaphorically, not literally:
Maybe even sarcasm.

He didn’t like it.

 

[Surface]

Sounds like it was the clash of egos with Bowie but we only ever heard Morrissey's side of things... I don't think Bowie ever spoke about it publicly. BTW, this idea that a support slot for other bands especially for large shows is somehow menial is rather dumb. Are you ever an audience member at shows? Isn't it nice when the opener is someone you'd actually like to see? I saw Johnny open for New Order back in 2013 and it was a great, fun show... it was almost like a double-bill.

So did I at Jodrell Bank, great day out!

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

It really depends what you regard as success.

Exactly.

Marr has followed his muse and made the music he has wanted to make, whatever that is, until relatively recently in a band environment either as a member or as a guest (Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, etc.). And he's been able to make a good living out of it.

That's success by any standard.

It’s one form of success, or can be looked at as success. For, a majority do believe that ‘making a good living’ money/security = success. Maybe in the same way they would say that having a family = success.

Morrissey's been able to do mostly the same, though his commercial viability is shot to pieces :

I never saw Morrissey ever as being commercially viable. Yes, he’s had some hits, and depending on the times, those ‘hits’ claimed varying positions on the charts. With his views and voice, it surprises me that he gets or has gotten airplay at all on certain stations, or even when I hear him in a store, always strange.

he can't get a record deal, is playing smaller venues than he has done in 20 years, and is uninsurable from a tour perspective. That's not really success in my opinion.

Ok.

Heck, you could call some of his shows 'record breaking' for having the largest number of unsold tickets for the venue without cancelling, if you want to put it that way.

Sure.


Overall, artistic success is the only true success that matters to me. Not that money from your talent is bad either, if it comes.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Metaphorically, not literally:
Maybe even sarcasm.

He didn’t like it.

believe Jo said he was sick/depressed at the time.


To SuedeMoz, yes Bowie has talked about it briefly in interviews.

 

[Barking]

I'm concluding that this letter is
13% Morrissey being genuinely hurt (but not being straightforward about it)
68% Morrissey promoting a new album that might or might not be released any minute now
37% Morrissey purposelessly trying to get attention.

The thing is, now that he's more clearly forcing Smiths fans to choose, I wonder whether he fully realizes not everybody will pick him...or his album ?

 

[MoneyChangesEverything]

He certainly made a good living from Electronic, their debut sold over a million copies when CD's were a tenner a time, it was also released on Factory where contract terms were very favourable to the artist.

Factory's terrible financial mismanagement resulted in a huge chunk of Electronic's royalty payments not making their way to the band, which is why Electronic signed to EMI and reissued the album on a label that would actually pay them.

 

[Janice]

believe Jo said he was sick/depressed at the time.


To SuedeMoz, yes Bowie has talked about it briefly in interviews.

Which adds credence to my original post which our friend kind of dismissed.

 

[Janice]

He certainly made a good living from Electronic, their debut sold over a million copies when CD's were a tenner a time, it was also released on Factory where contract terms were very favourable to the artist.

Buy the reissue, support the artist(s)

 

[Lost and found]

Now I am just sick of Marr.

 

[Janice]

Now I am just sick of Marr.

View attachment 79042

Why?

 

[Lost and found]

Why?

Because he approved the insulting comment and changed his profile picture to this.

 

[CrazyFaceGenes]

The Simpson's pic is pretty funny, he looks like Bill Wyman.
You gotta let old friends duke it out sometimes.

 

[NealCassidy]

Everyone's kicking Marr and calling him names and stating he's some kind of failure because he's a artistically, financially and reputationally successful musician - who doesn't need a day job - tours to healthy crowds, and sells good numbers, and has done for 40 years. And the fact he's supporting other bigger artists is apparently something to be lambasted for, and thus he's a failure.

Yet Morrissey who's also had very similar success on a slightly larger scale and is financially secure, but hasn't supported anyone for a while, whilst his sales are plummeting, isn't a failure? By the metric of how many T shirts he sold in Vegas, or something.

It's hypocritical. If Marr's tours had shrunk from 9 arena shows to 2 half-sold arena shows in 2 years, the usual suspects would be calling him names and laughing at him. But when the immaculate Morrissey does it, our Moz is still untouchably perfect in every way. It's nonsense.

You should have been in Mexico City.

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

Because he approved the insulting comment and changed his profile picture to this.

Thanks for pointing that out the profile picture - that is actually very funny! Especially as it's something the press can't really use without explanation.

 

[Surface]

Because he approved the insulting comment and changed his profile picture to this.

Have you missed the 2nd part about making new music, maybe he was thanking them for saying that.

 

[Lost and found]

Have you missed the 2nd part about making new music, maybe he was thanking them for saying that.

There are many people on Twitter who praise his music without slagging off M. But he chose this comment.

 

[Dingoatemybabby]

There are many people on Twitter who praise his music without slagging off M. But he chose this comment.

Maybe he doesn't have time to go through every comment, as you seem to do.

 

[Lost and found]

Maybe he doesn't have time to go through every comment, as you seem to do.

Well, maybe. But he obviously can read, and he liked what was written in that particular comment.