Johnny Marr slams Morrissey claims about The Smiths trademark and tour with blunt confession

Johnny Marr wasn't prepared to let former bandmate Morrissey away with his recent accusations.

And the guitarist, 60, has moved to try to set the record straight, from his perspective at least. Morrissey, 65, had claimed Marr had successfully applied or 100 per cent of the trademark on the name of their band, The Smiths. The singer also hit out at an apparent reunion and said Marr had applied for the naming rights "without any consultation" with him, before saying Marr had ignored an offer to tour as a band once more.

“Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood,” Morrissey had claimed.

However, Marr was quick to shut down the claims and said they simply weren't true. In a statement of his own, Marr shared on Instagram: "Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of The Smiths' name are incorrect." The statement continued to share "facts," including Marr saying Morrissey had failed to respond to his request to share their trademark after he discovered the band didn't own it.

Marr added: "To prevent third parties from profiting from the band's name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates. As for the offer to tour, I didn't ignore the offer - I said no." The guitar guru also poured cold water over speculation he would be touring with a different singer, labelling the claims as "not true," adding: "There are no such plans."

The latest back and forth comes over three decades after the band's bitter split in 1987. At the time, the pair's strained relationship was given as part of the reason behind the band's fracture. In 2022, Marr claimed there was "zero chance" he'd ever work with Morrissey again, telling BBC Radio 2's Steve Wright that he hadn't spoken to Morrissey in person in "18 or maybe 15 years".

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , and Threads