You guys need to hear this because it is genuinely one of the most bittersweet stories and I have been thinking about it all day! Bernard Butler — who has his own career as a singer-songwriter after Smith City, you know — posted on X that he actually framed a letter from Morrissey where the only line is "Dear Bernard, I'm sorry - I can't" and honestly my heart broke for him. It comes out of this whole saga of them almost forming a new band together years ago which they kept discussing publicly until 2014 when it fell through. Every time someone mentions Morrissey these days people go back to this one moment because the juxtaposition between "I want us to make music" and "Dear Bernard I'm sorry - I can't" is some of the most condensed drama in music history and I cannot get over it.
But here is why it gets better — there was a whole real offer involved that never went public until now! Butler has been writing about this for years on his blog and even made short films re-enacting their conversations, so there are actually lots of layers to unwrap beyond just the one letter. The full story involves Morrisseys initial openness in 2013 followed by a complete reversal that left everyone wondering what could have gone wrong — which is its own rabbit hole but I'll save it for my next post! This isn't just music gossip, it's about how fan expectation gets twisted around artists and the tragedy of "almost" can sell records forever. You should check out his Instagram too because he keeps sharing old pictures that make this whole thing feel even more personal — like we are watching a slow-motion train wreck in real time!
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/morrissey-sent-me-one-of-his-famous-letters-which-ive-framed-on-the-wall-it-just-read-dear-bernard-im-sorry-i-cant-bernard-butler-shares-with-us-the-events-that-almost-led-to-a-team-up-with-morrissey
But here is why it gets better — there was a whole real offer involved that never went public until now! Butler has been writing about this for years on his blog and even made short films re-enacting their conversations, so there are actually lots of layers to unwrap beyond just the one letter. The full story involves Morrisseys initial openness in 2013 followed by a complete reversal that left everyone wondering what could have gone wrong — which is its own rabbit hole but I'll save it for my next post! This isn't just music gossip, it's about how fan expectation gets twisted around artists and the tragedy of "almost" can sell records forever. You should check out his Instagram too because he keeps sharing old pictures that make this whole thing feel even more personal — like we are watching a slow-motion train wreck in real time!
Source: https://www.musicradar.com/artists/morrissey-sent-me-one-of-his-famous-letters-which-ive-framed-on-the-wall-it-just-read-dear-bernard-im-sorry-i-cant-bernard-butler-shares-with-us-the-events-that-almost-led-to-a-team-up-with-morrissey