<\/p>\n
Morrissey said on Wednesday that he was putting his financial stake in the Smiths up for sale because he had been \u201cburned out by any and all connections\u201d to his onetime bandmates.<\/p>\n
The singer, whose full name is Steven Patrick Morrissey, wrote on his website<\/a> that he had \u201cno choice\u201d but to offer his interests \u2014 including full and exclusive rights to the music and lyrics of all songs and recordings by the Smiths \u2014 to anyone who would buy them. The British rock band was known as one of the most influential of the 1980s before a bitter breakup in 1987.<\/p>\n \u201cI have had enough of malicious associations,\u201d Morrissey, 66, wrote in a post titled, \u201cA Soul for Sale.\u201d \u201cWith my entire life I have paid my rightful dues to these songs and these images. I would now like to live disassociated from those who wish me nothing but ill-will and destruction, and this is the only resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A sale, he indicated, would be good for his health, and he included a Gmail address for prospective buyers to write to. (An email sent by The New York Times to that address bounced back.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Smiths split up over disagreements between Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the band\u2019s guitarist and his co-composer. Morrissey went on to have a solo career and release 13 albums.<\/p>\n Morrissey is known for his artful vulnerability, dark humor and melancholic vocal style. He sang about unrequited love, betrayal and pain, with lyrics including, \u201cWhy do I give valuable time \/ To people who don\u2019t care if I live or die?\u201d and \u201cWhen you try to break my spirit, it won\u2019t work \/ Because there\u2019s nothing left to break.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrissey\u2019s early work for the Smiths was seen as resolutely anti-monarchist and contemptuous of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher\u2019s Britain. In more recent years, some fans expressed discomfort with Morrissey\u2019s political views, which seemed to have shifted. He made statements in support of For Britain, a small far-right party that folded in 2022, and in 2019 he performed on \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon\u201d wearing a For Britain button<\/a>.<\/p>\n