Morrissey Says Johnny Marr Has Acquired The Smiths Trademark, Can Replace Him As Bands Vocalist

In retrospect, it’s amazing that Morrissey and Johnny Marr were ever able to be in a band together.These days, those guys simply do not like one another.

They haven’t liked each other for a long time, but lately Morrissey has gone public with some of his gripes about Marr.Last month, Morrissey claimed that the Smiths had received a huge offer for a reunion tour and that he was willing to do it but that his former bandmate Marr “ignored the offer.” Last week, Morrissey further claimed that Marr was blocking the release of a Smiths greatest-hits album.

Now, Morrissey says that Marr has acquired the rights to the Smiths name.In a statement posted on Morrissey’s website last night, someone representing Morrissey wrote that Marr’s trademark application for “the Smiths” had been accepted and that this could theoretically lead to Marr and another lineup touring as the Smiths.

Here’s the statement: This statement comes a few statements after Gene Simmons, of all people, addressed the Morrissey/Marr situation in a Forbes interview.For whatever reason, the interview turns to Morrissey’s recent woes.

Simmons says that he’s “exchanged pleasantries” with Morrissey and that it’s “lunacy” to turn down such a huge reunion offer.Simmons goes on to advise Morrissey to “get rid of the guitar player and get someone else”: Of Morrissey, Simmons also says, “He’ll be okay [laughs].

His rent is covered and he’s got food in his belly.He’ll figure it out.” To Simmons’ point, it’s possible that Johnny Marr locked up the Smiths trademark just to keep Morrissey from putting together a different version of the band, but that’s pure speculation on my part.

Earlier in the evening, Morrissey’s site also posted that he’d threatened a lawsuit over a former collaborator referring to him as “racist.” Kathy Burke, an actress who appeared in Morrissey’s “Ouija Board, Ouija Board” video in 1989, reportedly appeared on an epis...