I enjoyed the read but I'm not sure I agree with this bit:
In court, Morrissey and Marr produced a number of documents showing them as having signed any/all contracts and often them being witnessed by Mike Joyce. His defence was that he didn't understand what he was signing. Also, Andy was friends with Johnny since school days, I find it a little hard to accept that he didn't know the deal either.
I don't mean to say I think 40/40/10/10 was right because my idealized view is them all living in a house together like The Monkees and being BFFs but I do think it's more likely they were aware of the situation than not.
I agree. The split was unjust, but I can't believe that it took years and years for the rhythm section to discover this. More likely knowing that as long as the band is rolling they could hold their tongue (to be a good team player, fear of being replaced), but once it was over, self-interest manifests in a different way.
As an aside, shouldn't it have gone 20/20/20/20/20 when Craig Gannon joined if the deal was an equal split?
It's not a widely acknowledged principle, but the world rejects the idea of people named Craig getting an equal cut of anything.
Dr. Medulla goes into full on Brosette mode.
Have I been insulted or complimented? I have a horrible feeling it's the former.
I agree. The split was unjust, but I can't believe that it took years and years for the rhythm section to discover this. More likely knowing that as long as the band is rolling they could hold their tongue (to be a good team player, fear of being replaced), but once it was over, self-interest manifests in a different way.
It's not a widely acknowledged principle, but the world rejects the idea of people named Craig getting an equal cut of anything.
Dr. Medulla goes into full on Brosette mode.
Have I been insulted or complimented? I have a horrible feeling it's the former.
I've always found it interesting that early on in his solo days... Morrissey didn't immediately cut ties with his former bandmates.
Take a look at who is backing him on this video:
I see Rourke, Joyce, and Gannon.
Andy Rourke even threw his hat in the ring as a potential songwriting partner.
Probably not that surprising given that it was Marr who jumped ship, not Morrissey, and the latter was, perhaps, uncertain about how viable a career without Marr would be, so early on he kept close those he knew. Working with Vini Reilly, tho, is still the strangest, boldest partnership he's pursued.
"What we have here is a failure to communicate." - Richard Nixon to Linda Lovelace, chance meeting in 1983
Probably not that surprising given that it was Marr who jumped ship, not Morrissey, and the latter was, perhaps, uncertain about how viable a career without Marr would be, so early on he kept close those he knew. Working with Vini Reilly, tho, is still the strangest, boldest partnership he's pursued.
VR was brought in by Stephen Street (as was Andrew Paresi on drums) but no doubt he'd have been out if Morrissey took any kind of dislike.
Andy's co-write on "Girl Least Likely To" is one of my favourite Moz songs (ignoring that's it totally borrowed from The Cookies 'Only to Other People')
Putting a little stick about. Putting the frighteners on flash little twerps
Probably not that surprising given that it was Marr who jumped ship, not Morrissey, and the latter was, perhaps, uncertain about how viable a career without Marr would be, so early on he kept close those he knew. Working with Vini Reilly, tho, is still the strangest, boldest partnership he's pursued.
VR was brought in by Stephen Street (as was Andrew Paresi on drums) but no doubt he'd have been out if Morrissey took any kind of dislike.
At that point, I'm not sure Morrissey would have been willing to overrule Street, who wrote the music. Was he used to overruling musicians in the Smiths? And his footing at that point would have been uncertain. So, yeah, my use of "pursued" is inapt. Without Street, he's probably as likely to bring back the other Smiths for his first album.
"What we have here is a failure to communicate." - Richard Nixon to Linda Lovelace, chance meeting in 1983
Probably not that surprising given that it was Marr who jumped ship, not Morrissey, and the latter was, perhaps, uncertain about how viable a career without Marr would be, so early on he kept close those he knew. Working with Vini Reilly, tho, is still the strangest, boldest partnership he's pursued.
VR was brought in by Stephen Street (as was Andrew Paresi on drums) but no doubt he'd have been out if Morrissey took any kind of dislike.
At that point, I'm not sure Morrissey would have been willing to overrule Street, who wrote the music. Was he used to overruling musicians in the Smiths? And his footing at that point would have been uncertain. So, yeah, my use of "pursued" is inapt. Without Street, he's probably as likely to bring back the other Smiths for his first album.
I think it was less that he overruled musicians in the Smiths than that he would simply not write the lyrics for a song he didn't care for.
On the Reilly tip, he's on record as disagreeing strongly with Street over songwriting credits on Viva Hate.
Probably not that surprising given that it was Marr who jumped ship, not Morrissey, and the latter was, perhaps, uncertain about how viable a career without Marr would be, so early on he kept close those he knew. Working with Vini Reilly, tho, is still the strangest, boldest partnership he's pursued.
VR was brought in by Stephen Street (as was Andrew Paresi on drums) but no doubt he'd have been out if Morrissey took any kind of dislike.
At that point, I'm not sure Morrissey would have been willing to overrule Street, who wrote the music. Was he used to overruling musicians in the Smiths? And his footing at that point would have been uncertain. So, yeah, my use of "pursued" is inapt. Without Street, he's probably as likely to bring back the other Smiths for his first album.
I think it was less that he overruled musicians in the Smiths than that he would simply not write the lyrics for a song he didn't care for.
On the Reilly tip, he's on record as disagreeing strongly with Street over songwriting credits on Viva Hate.
According to Street, Reilly has now retracted those claims.
Putting a little stick about. Putting the frighteners on flash little twerps
On the Reilly tip, he's on record as disagreeing strongly with Street over songwriting credits on Viva Hate.
While it's clearly VR's style of playing—as distinctive a guitarist I can think of—there's nothing in The Durutti Column's catalogue that sounds as "conventional" as Viva Hate. How much he altered Street's original ideas, I haven't a clue, but I don't doubt for a second that Street brought the bulk of the music to the table. Still, VR's such an obvious sound should mean a co-writing credit.
"What we have here is a failure to communicate." - Richard Nixon to Linda Lovelace, chance meeting in 1983
