Music

Johnny Marr isn’t worried about Morrissey tainting The Smiths’ legacy


Johnny doesn’t think their legacy can be touched (Picture: Clare Muller/Redferns)

Morrissey’s classic works with The Smiths may have made him a British musical icon, but his current views have many dumping their Morrissey fan membership cards.

The Bigmouth Strikes Again singer has seen his albums being banned from record stores and his posters taken down in rail stations due to his support of the far-right, anti-Islam For Britain party.

But his former bandmate Johnny Marr isn’t worried about the affect Morrissey’s political leanings will have on The Smiths’ legacy.

The guitarist and songwriter told NME: ‘I don’t think you can change history. I’ve said that before. I’m not worried. It’s got nothing to do with my world or my life. The songs are out there for people to judge, relate to and hear. I think that’s all going to be forgotten in a few weeks, as these things inevitably are – for better or worse. It’s always been that way.

‘I understand the issue, but I’m used to stuff coming and going. I don’t worry about people missing out on the culture. That would be like saying to a teenage me, “Are you worried about you and your mates missing out on The Velvet Underground?” That was never going to happen. I know the way things go. Things come and go.’

However, Morrissey’s downfall isn’t exactly recent – Shut Up Morrissey merch was selling like hotcakes after the singer claimed Adolf Hitler was a ‘lefty’, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan ‘can’t speak properly’ and that halal meat is ‘evil’.

Morrissey wore a For Britain badge on Jimmy Fallon (Picture: NBC)

And in a separate interview, the 60-year-old claimed that Kevin Spacey had been ‘needlessly attacked’ and that Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims were ‘simply disappointed’.

The backlash against Morrissey ramped up again earlier this month when during a performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the singer wore a For Britain badge.

Party founder Anne Marie Waters then directly thanked Morrissey in a video message, claiming his support boosted numbers in the group’s membership.

This led to Liverpool’s public transport network removing posters for Morrissey’s new album California Son, following complaints.

Morrissey told Music News: ‘It’s very Third Reich, isn’t it? And it proves how only the feelings of the most narrow-minded can be considered within the British Arts. We are not free to debate, and this in itself is the ultimate rejection of diversity … I am afraid we are living through The Age of Stupid, and we must pray that it passes soon.

‘I’m only surprised that Mary Whitehouse isn’t on the ten pound note. But, no, I’m not about to go into combat with Mersey Rail … could life get any more mediocre?’

Morrissey first showed support for For Britain last year, saying in an interview with Tremr: ‘It is the first time in my life that I will vote for a political party. Finally I have hope. I find the Tory-Labour-Tory-Labour constant switching to be pointless.

‘For Britain has received no media support and have even been dismissed with the usual childish ‘racist’ accusation. I don’t think the word “racist” has any meaning any more, other than to say “you don’t agree with me, so you’re a racist”. People can be utterly, utterly stupid.’



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