John Porter, Producer of The Smiths’ Debut Album: “I Don’t Believe I Liked Morrissey”

Producer’s Reflection on Morrissey

John Porter, the producer of the debut album of the same name by The Smiths, confessed that he did not hold a favorable opinion of Morrissey.

• Read more: The Smiths: Each song is ranked in degree of greatness

In a recent interview with Musical Radar, Porter looked back on his contributions to the successful 1984 album and described how he guided the band in musical production.

Morrissey and Marr’s Dissonance

Porter noted that while Johnny Marr was “immediately interested” in his explanations of the production process, Morrissey’s “enthusiasm faded.”

“I genuinely enjoyed collaborating with The Smiths, but working with Morrissey was always a challenge,” he recalled. “At our first meeting, he was quite cordial and even sent me postcards expressing his appreciation. This soon shifted to complete indifference. I don’t think I liked Morrissey, nor do I believe he appreciated my friendship with Johnny.”

The producer, who has collaborated with artists including Ryan Adams, Elvis Costello, and Carlos Santana, recounted how Jeff Travis, the founder of The Smiths’ label Rough Trade Records, ultimately dismissed him over disagreements regarding his work on the track “How Soon Is Now?”.

“Jeff deemed me ‘too fun’ for The Smiths’ style,” he said. “After my dismissal, Johnny wanted me to continue, and I ended up returning to record a few more singles with them before they fully committed to working with Stephen Street.”

“It did hurt a bit. As you know, you develop relationships with the band. I felt we were just beginning to accomplish something meaningful.”

Currently, Porter is auctioning several original test pressings, acetates, and original mixes from those earlier sessions that have been dormant since the 1980s. Bidding will start tomorrow (January 24) at 14:00 in Greenwich. Check it out here.

Morrissey’s Touring Aspirations

In related news, last year Morrissey expressed his desire for The Smiths to reunite for a live tour, claiming it had nothing to do with any emotional ties to former bandmate Johnny Marr, despite the ongoing tension between them.

During the summer, the former frontman mentioned his interest in a “profitable” Smiths tour in 2025, but asserted that Marr “ignored” this proposition.

Later, a representative from Marr’s management labeled Morrissey’s remarks as “incorrect” on X/Twitter, with Marr clarifying, “I did not ignore the proposal – I said no” in his own statement.