There is a well-trodden line about assessing the trustworthiness of online bargains: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. It comes to mind when looking at the extremely unusual way in which Morrissey is apparently seeking to offload his business interests in the Smiths. This is not like the forensic and formal processes behind huge catalogue sales in recent years such as Sting, Bob Dylan, Queen, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd or Paul Simon.
A post on Morrissey Central – the outlet for all official Morrissey communiques – says the singer has “no choice but to offer for sale all of his business interests in ‘the Smiths’ to any interested party/investor” and that he wants out. Maybe psychologically this is the closure he needs – the band will never reform, given bassist Andy Rourke’s death in 2023 and Morrissey’s clear personal and political differences with guitarist Johnny Marr – but, in straight business terms, this is shockingly cavalier.
