Johnny Marr, the guitarist for The Smiths, has indicated that he plans to prevent Donald Trump’s presidential campaign from utilizing the band’s music during his rallies.
Marr replied to X following a user’s post of a video from a 2023 Trump rally in South Dakota. The video captured the crowd waiting for the former president to take the stage while the Smiths’ song “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” played.
“Ahh…right…OK,” Marr wrote in reply to the video. “I never in a million years would’ve thought this could come to pass. Consider this shit shut right down right now.”
According to reports, Trump rallies have featured songs by The Smiths, with their music being played at the recent rally in Laconia, New Hampshire on Monday.
Several artists, such as Adele, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Pharrell Williams, and the estates of Prince and David Bowie, have previously raised concerns about the use of their music by Trump and his team during public gatherings.
Certain performers, such as Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones, have taken action to stop Trump’s campaign from using their music. Despite making promises not to use the music of the Rolling Stones and Prince, Trump’s campaign has still used it at times.
The Guardian reached out to Marr’s spokesperson to clarify potential actions he may take to prevent Trump from using Smiths music.
In 1984, Marr collaborated with Morrissey, the lead singer of the Smiths, to write “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.” While Morrissey has publicly supported Brexit and the far-right political party For Britain, Marr has voiced his opposition to right-wing politics and politicians who share a similar viewpoint to the Smiths.
For a long time, the previous UK leader David Cameron had praised Marr, even selecting “This Charming Man” as one of his preferred songs on BBC’s Desert Island Discs. However, Marr later stated, “Don’t claim to like The Smiths – you actually don’t. I prohibit you from liking it.”
Marr wrote in his memoir, “Any fan would be aware that we opposed everything he and his party represented.”
Source: theguardian.com
