Johnny Marr is "not worried" about The Smiths' legacy after Morrissey controversy

30 May 2019, 19:15

The former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Picture: Press

The former Smiths frontman has responded to the controversy surrounding Morrissey's music after his support for For Britain.

Johnny Marr has revealed whether he's concerned about the recent controversy surrounding Morrissey's recent behaviour will effect younger generations listening to The Smiths music.

The former Smiths guitarist was interviewed about his former bandmate and the fact that some record stores have chosen to ban his music following his support for For Britain.

Asked by NME if he was concerned a generation of people will miss out on The Smiths music, the rocker replied: "No. I don’t think you can change history. I’ve said that before. I’m not worried. It’s got nothing to do with my world or my life.

"The songs are out there for people to judge, relate to and hear. I think that’s all going to be forgotten in a few weeks, as these things inevitably are – for better or worse."

He added: "It’s always been that way. I understand the issue, but I’m used to stuff coming and going. I don’t worry about people missing out on the culture. That would be like saying to a teenage me ‘Are you worried about you and your mates missing out on The Velvet Underground?’ That was never going to happen. I know the way things go. Things come and go.”

Morrissey recently came under fire for wearing a For Britain badge during a performance on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon.

See a snippet of his performance here:

Since the controversial performance, Morrissey music has been removed from record stores and the posters for his new covers album California Son were removed from Mersey Rail train stations.

For Britain leader Anne Marie Waters sent a video post thanking Morrissey for his support, and in a new interview with music-news.com Morrissey compared Mersey Rail's decision to Nazi Germany.

Asked if he had a message for the rail company, the Panic singer told the outlet: "It's very Third Reich, isn't it? And it proves how only the feelings of the most narrow-minded can be considered within the British Arts. We are not free to debate, and this in itself is the ultimate rejection of diversity."

Watch Johnny Marr reveal how he came up with the riff for How Soon Is Now: