Johnny Marr interview by Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian; extract from memoir

It's a big, wide-ranging interview and the book extract is revealing. Tons of stuff to interest folk here. Should have it up within an hour or two, when I get back.

**EDIT** Here we go. Don't say I never give you anything. I find the last page the most revealing and interesting.

**FURTHER EDIT** - weblink here...

Johnny Marr: ‘The conversation about re-forming the Smiths came out of the blue' - The Guardian
By Simon Hattenstone
It’s 29 years since the Smiths split up, and founding member Johnny Marr isn’t angry any more. So what happened when he and Morrissey met for a drink?

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Media coverage:

• Johnny Marr reveals he met with Morrissey to discuss reforming The Smiths - Manchester Evening News. Link posted by Famous when dead.
• Johnny Marr opens up about the reasons behind The Smiths’ split - NME. Link from Rene.
• Marr: The Smiths almost re-formed in 2008 - BBC News
  
• Johnny Marr Reveals Morrissey Talked Smiths Reunion in 2008 - Rolling Stone
  

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[Anonymous]

Thanks for the find. His channel has many smiths songs done so you can see how all the instruments are played without vocals. I thought they were very interesting to watch.

Watching this one in seperate guitar parts played and then together. What a gifted musician Marr is. Andy did great bass


But yes, the singing morrissey laid was equally as gifted.

Edit- like 10+ guitar parts. Wonderful

Thats one of the more difficult ones imo and I can see why it came in the Gannon period. At least I think it did. even if someone wrote the same words but sang it differently I don't think it would have been as good as Morrissey's melody or delivery. Not even close. he can turn a song with just simple lyrics into something great. I mean almost everyone hates the words to Roy's keen but the vocal is super catchy

 

[King Leer]

Been saying for yonks on here that if The Smiths ever did reform, Morrissey would never, ever share a stage with Joyce. Confirmed.

 

[Anonymous]

Been saying for yonks on here that if The Smiths ever did reform, Morrissey would never, ever share a stage with Joyce. Confirmed.

Johnny made it sound like replacing Joyce wouldn't be to difficult either.

 

[celibate]

like I always said, and many diagreed...but now Johnny Marr writes is,...the Smiths were uncontrolable, how could 23 year old guitarist manage a band [after Morrissey fired Ken Friedman]

So, anyway , wonderfull read, down to earth, Johnny's. biography, a must buy, for me...but to go on, Johnny was a point that he needed to take break, making music with others...the NME smell blood and printed the Smiths split, and the rest we all know, or gonna read

5 year constantly making music, touring , no real manager, Morrissey
the control freak...about PR, singles and releases, sleeves...and Johnny had to control all the payments, studio, vans, roadie's..., it was an escape of Johnny ... exhausted, doing more things than composing songs and being in the studio...who led to the end of the Smiths...good to read the last lines, Morrissey was positive about Marr's picture, and talked for an hour...

why aren't Smiths fans not going to Marr's house were he lived at the time the Smiths began, like Morrissey's Kings Road?...

 

[celibate]

'he [Morrissey] was knocking back pints'...

 

[Musician]

Popular music is very much a young person's game, by which I mean that you tend to be hungrier artistically as a younger person, and I just can't see either man having the stomach to match or top what they did together thirty years ago - so in that case, why bother?

It isn't the same thing. Output from a 2010s Smiths would always be compared to the output of a 1980s Smiths, because the timeline was broken in 1987. And nostalgia always wins the day.

Morrissey has been solo continuously since 1987 and his output in this time is seen as one continuing body of work. "Vauxhall and I" is clearly a better album than "World Peace..." but the two albums are never compared in the way that a reformed Smiths' work would be compared to their 1980s' work.

Generally i would agree, but: as Acton pointed put many times, the latest New Order record is fantastic, loved by critics and fans alike. Bernard Sumner is 3 years older than Morrissey. "Chaos and Creation In The Backyard" by McCartney is easily as good as anything he's done since The Beatles. He was 63 then. Bowie's last two albums were also applauded, though personally i don't care much for "The Next Day" (as an album). He was 66 and 69 atthe time of these records.

I could carry on. Obviously a 2010s Smiths record would (have) sound(ed) different, but, in my personal opinion, that may would have been even better, as, let's face it, we can praise the songs as much as we want, the records soundrubbish production-wise. I actually feel sorry for Marr having his genius compositions and guitars recorded in awful 80s production.

 

[marred]

Last one is the best

That is a load of soppy shit alright.

 

[Surface]

like I always said, and many diagreed...but now Johnny Marr writes is,...the Smiths were uncontrolable, how could 23 year old guitarist manage a band [after Morrissey fired Ken Friedman]

So, anyway , wonderfull read, down to earth, Johnny's. biography, a must buy, for me...but to go on, Johnny was a point that he needed to take break, making music with others...the NME smell blood and printed the Smiths split, and the rest we all know, or gonna read

5 year constantly making music, touring , no real manager, Morrissey
the control freak...about PR, singles and releases, sleeves...and Johnny had to control all the payments, studio, vans, roadie's..., it was an escape of Johnny ... exhausted, doing more things than composing songs and being in the studio...who led to the end of the Smiths...good to read the last lines, Morrissey was positive about Marr's picture, and talked for an hour...

why aren't Smiths fans not going to Marr's house were he lived at the time the Smiths began, like Morrissey's Kings Road?...

Probably because it's rough as f*** around there. At one time it was the largest council estate in Europe covering something like 10 square miles.

 

[Anonymous]

There is one positive aspect in the Smiths not having reformed. Can you imagine how expensive the tickets would have been, and how many weeks you'd have to queue up to get on the barrier?

 

[Surface]

If you ever bump into Bernard make sure to compliment the last New Order album. It's on full volume in my car whenever I'm in it. Best album by anyobe in years. I'm buying his autobiography as a present to myself for Xmas.

He was really pleased with how it was received. Might not see him until December now as they are rehearsing for their South American tour. Have you bought the remix of Music Complete, its called Complete Music and some of the tracks, for example Academic are even better on this album in my opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

'he [Morrissey] was knocking back pints'...

And so I drank one
It became four
And when I fell on the floor
I drank more

Loot wine, "Be mine, and
Then let's stay out for the night"

Oh, give us a drink
And make it quick

So, drink, drink, drink
And be ill tonight

And the air hangs heavy like a dulling wine

I tried to surprise you
with Vodka
or, Tizer

I have been smashed again

As Anthony said to Cleopatra
As he opened a crate of ale

And the drunkards keep on drinking

I will be in the bar with my head on the bar

I burst into public bars
and I throw my weight around

Bought on stolen wine
A nod was the first step

Oh the alcoholic afternoons
when we sat in your room
they meant more to me than any
than any living thing on earth

Past the pub who saps your body

Have a go
When the pubs all close
And have a go when they open

Drank too much
And I said too much
And there's nowhere to go - but down

I was happy in the haze of a drunken hour
But heaven knows I'm miserable now

 

[Thewlis]

Of course one has to look beyond what Johnny is saying and fill in what he is not saying.
Moz would have been open to a reunion under the right conditions, NOT under the conditions Johnny was apparantly suggesting: Moz, Johnny, Andy with a three-way-split of the revenue.
And quite rightly so he didn't agree.

 

[Musician]

Of course one has to look beyond what Johnny is saying and fill in what he is not saying.
Moz would have been open to a reunion under the right conditions, NOT under the conditions Johnny was apparantly suggesting: Moz, Johnny, Andy with a three-way-split of the revenue.
And quite rightly so he didn't agree.

And what exactly suggests this assumption?

 

[Flibberty]

This is a really good article and one that should hopefully help sales of the book.

As for the chosen excerpt, it is very comfortably the most newsworthy part of the book and so was an obviously choice for the newspaper.

 

[Thewlis]

And what exactly suggests this assumption?

That Johnny is only telling half the story here, just as Moz did in his side of the story.
Truth is they'd both been up for a reunion under the right conditions and what they were in need of was a good mediator/motivator to make it happen.

 

[Cat's eyes]

Morrissey emails.

Wide to receive.

Why does everyone view Moz as a technophobe just because a fax machine
was mentioned in the past ?
I think he likes to keep people at arm's length which is more to the point.

I am sure he has a laptop and possibly a mobile phone !

 

[Anonymous]

Why does everyone view Moz as a technophobe just because a fax machine
was mentioned in the past ?
I think he likes to keep people at arm's length which is more to the point.

I am sure he has a laptop and possibly a mobile phone !

It's just hard for some people to imagine living unplugged like this guy.

 

[ACTON]

'he [Morrissey] was knocking back pints'...

He was probably nervous. Besides, what else would you do in a pub? Beer is lovely. Good to see Moz can enjoy himself instead of opting for still water just to extend his life by a few minutes. I like people who know how to live. Over Xmas I'll be snarfing chocolate and watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the 100th time on tv while more healthy people hasten heart attacks road running through sleet.

 

[Uncleskinny]

He was probably nervous. Besides, what else would you do in a pub? Beer is lovely. Good to see Moz can enjoy himself instead of opting for still water just to extend his life by a few minutes. I like people who know how to live. Over Xmas I'll be snarfing chocolate and watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark for the 100th time on tv while more healthy people hasten heart attacks road running through sleet.

I was saying the same to Mrs F this morning. There was a report out on IFLS saying vegetarians live longer, but what's the point? We're only going to use more resources. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

 

[ACTON]

Why does everyone view Moz as a technophobe just because a fax machine
was mentioned in the past ?
I think he likes to keep people at arm's length which is more to the point.

I am sure he has a laptop and possibly a mobile phone !

Mobile phones are a curse in the wrong hands. Train and bus journeys destroyed by loud mouths. Concerts marred by malignant misanthropes mooning over overpriced phones bigger than dinner plates. Nonsense badly spelt texts that say nothing. Dark cinema lit up by attention deficit dickheads who think their lives are worth commenting on.