It turns out Rick Astley sounds surprisingly great singing the Smiths songs. But when he announced two Smiths tribute shows with the indie-pop band Blossoms next month, Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr responded negatively, describing their “This Charming Man” cover as “funny and horrible at the same time.”

“I met The Blossoms a few weeks ago and they elected to not mention it. Nice,” Marr tweeted at the time, adding, “I’ve got no problem with tribute bands or with anyone doing anyone’s songs good or bad. I’ve got no problem with Rick Astley. There’s a back story. That’s that.”

Although he still hasn’t elaborated on that backstory, Marr tells NME that the beef has been squashed. “I didn’t ask for that, but sometimes stuff like that happens when you’re in the public eye,” he says. “There was an M.O. there that just wasn’t very cool — but I’ve dealt with it. I think I’m a pretty reasonable person, and I’ve dealt with it.”

Tomorrow, Marr and Blossoms will share a bill supporting Courteneers in Manchester. Although Morrissey hasn’t directly addressed the Rick Astley thing, his Morrissey Central website did share an opinion piece about it: “Maybe Rick Astley will perform well in the upcoming shows, and perhaps they will be successful and enjoyed by fans — but make no mistake, no other artist can bring to the table what Morrissey can.”