The group’s frontman says the programme adopts a negative stance towards him and was produced without his participation.
In a since-deleted post on his website Morrissey Central, the 67-year-old singer wrote: “A BBC radio program supposedly tracking the story of the Smiths will be aired on July 13. The BBC has warned that it is critical in nature towards Morrissey.”
He accused guitarist Johnny Marr – who he has been at loggerheads with for decades – of taking “centre stage” and being presented as an “angel” and himself as the “executioner”.
Morrissey said he had not been approached to contribute.
The statement continued: “Morrissey was not invited to take part in this timeworn story – which has seen at least five identical documentaries wherein Marr grabs center stage as the unchanging face of discord … and Bigmarr Strikes Again. The souring of the Smiths dream unravels once again through Marr’s mechanical paces, which are by now totally predictable plot development. The outcome is never in doubt – Marr angel; Morrissey executioner.”
Reflecting on long-running disputes over the band’s history, he continued: “Forty years on, Marr cannot do anything with his life but look back. The truth is always ignored. The tired lie that I left a note on Andy Rourke’s car saying ‘you are fired’ lives on with sly determination. Yes, I imagine there was a note, and yes, I imagine my name was scribbled across it mischievously – by someone unknown to the BBC. But I hadn’t hired Andy Rourke and I would have no place nor right to fire him.”
Morrissey went on to describe his creative role in the group, writing: “The Smiths was my voice, my lyrics, my song-titles, my album titles, my single and album artwork, my vision, my vocal melodies, my emotions – nobody else’s.”
He also criticised media coverage of his career, saying: “When The Guardian say that they love the Smiths but hate Morrissey, it is like saying ‘we hate David Bowie but we love the Spiders From Mars’. It’s all so staged, isn’t it?”
Morrissey accused Johnny of causing division within their fanbase: “Marr has intentionally divided the Smiths audience into Marr or Morrissey factions; he has legally claimed the Smiths trade mark name as his – knowing full well that the name was devised by Morrissey. He has devoted his entire life to killing Morrissey in whatever way available.”
He also expressed disappointment at comments reportedly made by producer Grant Showbiz in the programme, saying: “They are slanderous, and even worse – they come from someone whom I always held solidly in the highest regard – until now. Even Soviet Statues crumble.”
Morrissey concluded by reflecting on the band’s legacy and his own resilience: “Marr, I firmly believe, is destroying the legacy of the Smiths. He plants seeds of doubt everywhere. He’s done it so loudly and so often that he has trapped himself.”
He concluded: “Let the pie-fights continue. I shall always be reborn. The only artistic beauty in this world is whatever we bring to it. On the other hand, you have those who obliterate for pay.”
Morrissey claims the documentary – the title for which he did not disclose – is set to air on July 13.
