Johnny Marr and Morrissey’s Political Differences May Doom a Smiths Reunion

Whatever glimmer of hope there might have been for a Smiths reunion in 2008, it seems to be thoroughly extinguished now — and as far as guitarist Johnny Marr is concerned, that's probably all for the best.

Marr, who recently made headlines with the revelation that he and singer Morrissey briefly discussed potentially getting the band back together nearly a decade ago, seems to see the reunion's failure as less of a missed opportunity than a dodged bullet — partly because he doesn't "feel like it’s necessary at all really," and partly because he understands he and his former partner no longer have enough in common to make it work.

Their differences were highlighted by Morrissey's response to Britain's controversial decision to withdraw from the European Union, which he referred to as "magnificent." To put it mildly, Marr disagrees.

Calling Morrissey's comments proof that they "probably don’t have much ideologically in common anymore," Marr added, "I always forget about that. That’s just stuff that I hear second hand. If it is the case ... then there would be a slight drawback in that I think, as anyone can imagine."

If the band is solidly behind Marr, that doesn't mean his focus on the future will keep him from revisiting his past. "I really like moving forward. Myself and [former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke] play together when I’m over in New York," he pointed out. "He plays a couple of songs with me and that’s always really nice, but that’s really as far as it needs to go, I think."

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