Johnny Marr on why he turned down “eye-watering” The Smiths reunion offer: “I’m not an idiot, the vibe’s not right”

Johnny Marr has spoken out about why he turned down an “eye-watering” amount of money for a Smiths reunion tour – saying he did so because the “vibe” wasn’t right.

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The songwriter, guitarist and solo star opened up about the decision during a new appearance on Stick to Football, both looking back at his time forming the band as a teenager and his decision to walk away from the group.

Recalling how he formed the group intentionally as a teenager, he explained how he was given the role of manager and struggled to navigate the heavy responsibilities placed on him when the band hit it big and he was in his early 20s.

“We were all dead young,” he said. “We weren’t a bunch of mates from school… I wanted to put a band together, so I went and found the members. We learned to love each other very quickly and we became really tight, but we didn’t really know each other.”

“Five years later, when we’re playing to 10,000 people […] I was 23! I’m sitting in a meeting with accountants being told tax laws that I didn’t understand,” he added. “I was having a great time until I wasn’t. 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.”

He continued, sharing that while he now realises it was “ballsy” to leave the band at aged 24, he doesn’t regret the decision as it allowed him to work with bands like The Pretenders, The Cribs and The The, and also taught him about how to navigate the band setting more maturely.

“It was an emotional decision, [but] it wasn’t an impulsive decision. I looked at it for quite a long time and I was really heartbroken about it,” he said, before being asked if he would ever consider rejoining his Smiths bandmates for a reunion tour.

“We got made an offer recently, but I said no,” he explained. “It was a little bit about principles, but I’m not an idiot, I just think the vibe’s not right.

“It was an eye-watering amount of money, but also, I really like what I’m doing now which makes it a lot easier. 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.”

The reference to the offer for a comeback is likely referring to the statement the frontman, Morrissey, shared last summer amid the news of an Oasis reunion – claiming that AEG Entertainment group offered surviving The Smiths’ members “a lucrative offer” to organise a worldwide tour. This, the singer claimed, was something he was interested in pursuing, but ultimately fell through as “Marr ignored the offer”.

He would later claim that the guitarist had blocked a greatest hits album and acquired the trademark rights to The Smiths without informing him. Marr would later respond to these claims by saying that they were “incorrect” and actually done in a bid to “prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name”.

He also acknowledged claims that he “ignored” the offer for a reunion, telling fans that he outright “said no” to the proposal.

Towards the end of that year, Morrissey would speak out again and say that he was open to the idea of a Smiths comeback, but not because he has “any emotional attachment” with Marr.

“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.”

Shortly before then, the band’s former drummer Mike Joyce spoke to NME about the shared thoughts on the “unsavoury” recent spat between Morrissey and Marr. He opened up about ending his own decades-long feud with the guitarist after reuniting with him at bassist Andy Rourke‘s funeral.

“It wasn’t tough when I saw him, it was just unusual, as I hadn’t spoken properly to Johnny for years and years. But we had a good chat there,” he said.

When asked if a reunion was on the cards, he said: “Other people will have other ideas but, as far as I’m concerned, with Andy not being here, it’s impossible to have a reunion of The Smiths.”

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