Johnny Marr has revealed that he rejected a recent proposal offering "an eye-watering amount of money" for The Smiths to reform, and that he has no regrets about doing so.
The former Smiths guitarist shared his thoughts during an interview on football podcast The Overlap, hosted by former Manchester United captain Gary Neville, with ex-pros Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Jill Scott and Jamie Carragher.
Reflecting back on his time in the band he formed as a 19-year-old, Marr states that he considered The Smiths "the best band in the world at the time", but adds, “I was having a great time... until I wasn’t."
"I got miserable." he confesses.
In 1987, the guitarist decided that he no longer wished to be a part of the band, who were one of the most adored British artists of the decade.
"It was horrible," he admits. “It was untenable really. It was an emotional decision, [but] it wasn’t an impulsive decision either. I looked at it for quite a long time and I was really heartbroken about it, really. It was certainly not a career decision."
Marr goes on to say that he doesn't regret his decision at all, and says that, looking back on the move now, aged 61, he considers his stance "ballsy", adding, "It was hard, it was definitely hard."
Neville then brings up the fact that other bands have reformed and are now making "absolute tons of money", and questions why Marr has rejected all offers for a reunion with his former bandmates.
“Yeah, we got made an offer really recently, in fact," Marr confirms, "but yeah, I said No. I’m not an idiot, I just think the vibe’s not right. Bad vibe. 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 have to work at my craft, I still want to write the best song I’ve ever written.”
Last year, Morrissey revealed that he was ready to sign on for a "lucrative" deal to reunite The Smiths and claimed Marr ignored the offer.
The acrimony between the two musicians has rarely been hidden. In 2022, Morrissey posted an 'open letter' to Marr on his website asking, “Would you please stop mentioning my name in your interviews?
He wrote: “The fact is: you don’t know me. You know nothing of my life, my intentions, my thoughts, my feelings. Yet you talk as if you were my personal psychiatrist with consistent and uninterrupted access to my instincts.
“We haven’t known each other for 35 years – which is many lifetimes ago. When we met you and I were not successful. We both helped each other become whatever it is we are today. Can you not just leave it at that?”
Watch Marr's appearance on The Overlap below.
