Johnny Marr, the guitarist for The Smiths, has indicated that he plans to prevent Donald Trump’s presidential campaign from playing the band’s music at his rallies.
After a user posted a video of a Trump rally in South Dakota in 2023, Marr replied on X to the footage. The video showed the crowd waiting for the former president to appear on stage while the Smiths song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” played.
“Wow, I see. Alright,” responded Marr to the video. “I never would have imagined this happening. Let’s shut this down immediately.”
There have been reports of The Smiths’ music being played at several recent Trump rallies, such as at his rally in Laconia, New Hampshire on Monday.
Popular artists such as Adele, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pharrell Williams, and the late Prince and David Bowie have expressed disapproval towards Trump and his team using their music at public gatherings.
Certain artists, such as Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones, have sent legal orders to stop Trump’s campaign from using their music. Despite promising not to use the music of the Rolling Stones and Prince, Trump’s campaign has at times continued to do so.
I have reached out to Marr’s representative to confirm the actions he could take to prevent Trump from using Smiths music.
In 1984, Marr collaborated with Morrissey, lead singer of the Smiths, on the song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.” While Morrissey has shown support for Brexit and the far-right party For Britain, Marr has publicly denounced right-wing ideologies and politicians who share a love for the Smiths.
Reworded: Following years of commendation from ex-UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who even selected “This Charming Man” as one of his top picks on BBC’s Desert Island Discs, Marr stated: “Please stop claiming that you enjoy The Smiths, because you don’t. I forbid you from liking it.”
In his memoir, Marr stated that any loyal followers would be aware of our opposition to everything that he and the Conservative party represented.
Source: theguardian.com
