The Smiths are reuniting

Hahah. Hey, it worked for Ian Astbury.

And so do I, now. A fiver. Whee.

that sucks, i wrote that... should be in the next issue!

http://www.productshopnyc.com

just the idea of a smiths reunion blows my mind.

Radiohead to record "happy songs"
Guardian - 11 hours ago
Critically -acclaimed rock miserablists Radiohead are to release an album of covers of happy songs from the Eighties. Songs will include “Happy Talk”, “The Birdie Song”, and a duet with Cliff Richard on a startling re-interpretation of his 1988 Christmas smash “Mistletoe & Wine”
The Smiths to reform Reuters

Jonathan King?

"Just had dinner at Daniel (NY) with some work friends, when I noticed an older and wiser Johnny Marr of The Smiths coming in as we were going out. I stopped to gawk because, well, that's what you do.

As he went to his table, he shook his dining partner's hand - it was a greying Morrissey. Smiths reunion, anyone?"

Morrissey fan sites are rubbishing these claims, but my money is on 'something' happening for Manchester vs Cancer, a charity concert at the MEN arena in Jan 2006. Maybe.

I'm sure that would be a lot of people's opinion - but I'm not at all sure I agree.

I still tend to think that Johnny joining Morrissey on stage for a couple of numbers is far more likely to happen than any sort of actual reunion.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"[Post photo of Stewart here]"

-- k/l (lauter...), November 15th, 2005 8:00 PM. (later)

I'm not too sure to be honest. I'm certainly not amongst those who are against all reunions on some sort of principle (in my experience for every Page and Plant there's a Damned or a Bauhaus or a Buzzcocks or a Buzzkunst or a Penetration or a Pixies....); however there was something so essentially.... adolescent.... about so much of The Smiths material, that it's hard to imagine how a bunch of 40-somethings would be able to either recapture that or compensate for its absence.

That was the first Coachella festival. No reunion happened, obv.

most otm post ever

OTM. I mean, id go see morrissey anytime, but i find it hard to believe that the essence of the smiths would be anything but betrayed by a reunion.

A few of the reunions I've seen recent years, Mission of Burma, Pixies, Bauhaus, Gang of Four, Buzzcocks, were all pretty great, actually.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001659262

http://www.manchestervcancer.co.uk/

http://www.manchestervcancer.co.uk/tickets.asp

Statement from Mike Joyce with reference to Classically Smiths . It is with much regret that I have to announce that I will not be taking part in the show (s) Classically Smiths. I entered into agreement in good faith to perform these shows with Andy Rourke and Craig Gannon. Unfortunately it became apparent very late that Andy would not be taking part. I agreed with Andy that I would take part in the press conference and inform people that he would not be taking part. Unfortunately on the morning of the press conference I was informed I would not be able to say this. I therefore agreed to take part in the press interviews but did so without discussing Andy’s participation in the venture at any point during all tv, radio and print interviews. After much deliberation and soul searching I have decided that without Andy, an integral part of why I agreed to take part in the first place, I have come to this difficult decision. I still believe the shows and concept to be a fantastic idea and wish them all the success they deserve.

so they made up fake quotes to pretend Andy was playing. then Joyce finds out Andy didn't actually agree to it and the two of them decide to tell the press. then before he can set the record straight he finds out he can't is not allowed to discuss it. do i have this right? what the fuck

Rubber Ring Cycle

If it hadn't already been done to death, I'd have launched a Smiths website. But too many already. So I decided instead to launch a website around the music of two other great songwriters - Cathal Coughlan and Sean O'Hagan, who I was thrilled to see lead Microdisney into a reunion period in 2018 and 2019. On https://coughlanohagan.com/, I think I'm building up something worthwhile. Hope you enjoy it.

"six figures per band member" - how adorable 2005 was.

What would Coachella pay for a Smiths reunion in 2021, $10 million?

What has Microdisney got to do with The Smiths?

At least we have Rick Astley and Blossoms to fall back on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XluAp8yEhZ8

Oops

Well, I met The Blossoms a few weeks ago and they elected to not mention it. Nice.

— Johnny Marr (@Johnny_Marr) September 17, 2021

lmao at salty Johnny Marr

didn't they realise he was the perfect guitarist to be in The Smiths with a better singer? :-(

Someone start an ILX Go Fund Me to buy The Smiths name and reform with Rick Astley on vocals.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/sep/03/morrissey-puts-his-business-interests-in-the-smiths-up-for-sale-to-any-interested-party

Are there examples of this happening before? From one half of a songwriting partnership I mean..

I look askance at that listed email.

Morrissey shares 50% of the rights to the Smiths with Marr. Whether the brand retains its value to investors without Morrissey as an active participant to help market it remains to be seen.

i am not a rational consumer, but isn’t there a good chance the brand would increase in value once people know Morrissey’s not making money off of it?

honestly i love the smiths and i still put them on, occasionally, but far less than i would if i didn’t have to think “goddamn morrissey’s a fucking asshole” as i did it, or feel the need to mutter something about how i know ‘morrissey sucks, but’ if i want to play them in the company of someone else (who would be people who like the smiths but hate morrissey)

That Morrissey statement reads like something that has been machine translated.

Wasn't there a rift between Hall and Oates a while back about something similar? Daryl Hall was upset that John Oates wanted to sell his half of the band's publishing company (which I learn is called Whole Oats Enterprises, or WOE for short):
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/30/the-ultimate-betrayal-more-details-emerge-in-hall-oates-lawsuit

Oates counter-argument was that Daryl Hall had gone out of his way to portray the band as two individuals rather than a team, which gave him the right to sell his stake independently.

Of course it could be that Morrissey is having a fit, or his internet has been hacked.

Why does he write like English is his second language?

(xxp) Snap!

Hall and Oates rift; officially healed btw

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/aug/12/hall-oates-lawsuit-settlement

The Guardian has contacted representatives for Marr and Joyce for comment.

Johnny Marr must love getting phonecalls on the regular about Morrissey's bullshit.

(xxp) Snap!

Pretty sure they’re still broken up

The Guardian has contacted representatives for Marr and Joyce for comment.

What does Andy Rourke not count or something?

At first I was like "say it isn't so," but

Hall and Oates rift; officially healed btw

This makes my dreams come true

M-E-T-H-O-D-O-F-L-A-W

xxp Rourke died last year

I know but does Morrissey?

haha fair point!

Pretty sure he doesn't care.

Haha that Guardian article linked to another piece describing how Morrissey apparently wrote an anti-woke screed so bad that even Nick Cave wouldn't sing on it. My life flashed before my eyes trying to even imagine it

Let's crowdfund a cagematch between Morrissey, Nick Cave and Jonny Greenwood over who can espouse the most old man shouts at clouds anti-woke diatribe on the interwebs