Johnny Marr interview in Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant; mentions Smiths split

‘Bij alles wat ik deed stonden fans en journalisten te luisteren of het wel genoeg op The Smiths leek’ - De Volkskrant

Some interesting comments by Marr on The Smiths split. Please note: these are (amateurish) translations from a (journalists) translation in Dutch.

"The best decision I ever made was running away from The Smiths. I never regretted it, it really was done. Always when somebody calls again: gee, what a shame, I think: dude, you should know. The chemistry between Morrissey and me had worked out. We weren't friends, the only thing that tied us were shared musical preferences. When we could no longer find each other in music, it was done."

"I initially laughed at Morrisseys sarcasm and was touched by his strong anti-macho texts. But after five years of references to Oscar Wilde and sixties films, I was slightly done with it. I myself read J.G. Ballard and William S. Burroughs. I loved dystopian literature. Morrissey was actually more romantic."

"Morrissey and I were different in almost anything. Always. OK, thanks to his lyrics to Meat Is Murder, I stopped eating meat, but otherwise I've never attached much value to his opinions. All I can say is that The Smiths stood up for the rightless and the oppressed, the marginalized ones in our society because of their sexual orientation, race or descent. That is what The Smiths stood for. And we called ourselves leftwing. Morrissey engaging himself with disseminators of hatred is horrible, but I have felt so far away from him for so long that I can't really worry about it. What he does, says or sings, doesn't interest me. And please note: even he can not rewrite our history. I do not recognize anything in him what we once stood for as a band. "

 

[gordyboy9]

johnboy,as unsavoury as a greggs steak bake.this will not be a surprise to M as almost everybody hes worked with has slagged him off at some point.mr marr is protecting his own interests here and is all, look at me you wont see me saying these things,yes because you have got a record out.

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

All of the above needed to be said because you know who his currenty taking a giant shit on his career and if The Smiths aren't going to be flushed down the toilet with it somebody needed to take action. Well done Johnny who like many others has obviously decided enough is enough.

 

[Thewlis]

Now that any chance of a reunion is definitely off Johnny goes full attack-mode, but not in the UK interestingly enough.
Also, at least a month ago this interview was conducted.
He must have regretted what he said there cause he hasn’t repeated these harsh words in any of his UK interviews afterwards.

 

[Anonymous]

if not for morrissey the smiths would have been an average band.

 

[Anonymous]

Morrissey should bitch slap Johnny Marr.

And we should bitch slap morriSSey

 

[DavidK]

Marr re writing history and what really happened is a bit like the jews talking about what really happened in those camps but forgetting to tell us about the football pitches and swimming pools and other recreational spaces built for them.
Marr is a wooden door on a gas chamber, it just doesn't make any sense.

Holy shit!? Are you for real?!?

 

[Peppermint]

Wow. 'I've never attached much value to his opinions... What he does, says or sings, doesn't interest me.' If the tone of the translation is to be trusted, that's pretty brutal. Two things occur to me:

1. He's been asked these same questions repeatedly in the British press lately, but as usual side-stepped them with his well-honed diplomacy. I wonder why he chose to be more explicit in a non-English-language newspaper? Could it be that he's learned a thing or two from Morrissey on being able to blame a shit-storm on translation? This way he gets his true opinion out there but he can still backtrack if it all blows up.

2. I don't begrudge him the right to hit back, but something about this feels a bit revisionist. 'We weren't friends... I never attached much value to his opinions.' Really? Or maybe it's because he's got a record to promote and is worried it's going to be mired in the toxic fallout from Morrissey's verbal incontinence. I sort of sympathise, but at the same time it doesn't feel wholly honest.

 

[Anonymous]

So much truth here but it's still one of the saddest things I've ever read. To think it would end like this.
Some of it is suspect, though - they weren't friends? What a dagger that is. And what bullshit too.

I agree about the friendship aspect, but this kind of "We were just colleagues really" talk is a million miles from Morrissey's perspective, isn't it? I wonder if Marr was telling the truth when he said he'd never read Autobiography. It also sticks in my craw for other reasons, such as his continued fawning over Matt Johnson and others.

As for the last part - huh? The extract is sad precisely because it highlights the situation of their complete estrangement. "Nothing he says/does/sings interests me." Ouch.

You seem to be very knowledgeable and know a lot about what Johnny Marr does. Maybe more than Marr himself ....
You should write a book for us to deliver Johnny Marr's "real" thoughts, right?

 

[Anonymous]

Well said Johnny.

Also, Urban you are utter filth.

 

[Halloway]

I don't begrudge him the right to hit back, but something about this feels a bit revisionist.

Which is a bit ironic considering:

even he can not rewrite our history.

Because Marr does seem to have done just that, albeit over his and Morrissey's relationship, rather than The Smiths as a whole. I'm going to have to dig out Marr's autobiography and re-read the 1982-7 section.

 

[Anonymous]

Marr re writing history and what really happened is a bit like the jews talking about what really happened in those camps but forgetting to tell us about the football pitches and swimming pools and other recreational spaces built for them.
Marr is a wooden door on a gas chamber, it just doesn't make any sense.

Here we go again....
That's the kind of person who defends tooth and nail morriSSey.
Not only do they stupidly repeat what their "spiritual leader" says, but also show their true face: racist, revisionist, etc. .....

That did not hurt your ass too much, when did morriSSey play in Israel?

It's still unfortunate that registrants on this forum (who does not even hide anymore) can write such things, without any sanctions or banishment.

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

Wow. 'I've never attached much value to his opinions... What he does, says or sings, doesn't interest me.' If the tone of the translation is to be trusted, that's pretty brutal. Two things occur to me:

1. He's been asked these same questions repeatedly in the British press lately, but as usual side-stepped them with his well-honed diplomacy. I wonder why he chose to be more explicit in a non-English-language newspaper? Could it be that he's learned a thing or two from Morrissey on being able to blame a shit-storm on translation? This way he gets his true opinion out there but he can still backtrack if it all blows up.

2. I don't begrudge him the right to hit back, but something about this feels a bit revisionist. 'We weren't friends... I never attached much value to his opinions.' Really? Or maybe it's because he's got a record to promote and is worried it's going to be mired in the toxic fallout from Morrissey's verbal incontinence. I sort of sympathise, but at the same time it doesn't feel wholly honest.

I read his comments as how he felt in the final stages of The Smiths rather than throughout. For example, in this quote he's talking about Oscar Wilde while in others it was Cilla Black but the sentiment remained the same. 'The chemistry between me and Morrissey had worked out' says to me they were friends but at that stage no more.

 

[Anonymous]

2. I don't begrudge him the right to hit back, but something about this feels a bit revisionist. 'We weren't friends... I never attached much value to his opinions.' Really? Or maybe it's because he's got a record to promote and is worried it's going to be mired in the toxic fallout from Morrissey's verbal incontinence. I sort of sympathise, but at the same time it doesn't feel wholly honest.

You are very funny guys (not only you Peppermint).
'Cause, when I read you, I have the impression that you was there, with the band at that time and that you was in the Marr's head..... Very funny.... indeed...

 

[Peppermint]

I read his comments as how he felt in the final stages of The Smiths rather than throughout. For example, in this quote he's talking about Oscar Wilde while in others it was Cilla Black but the sentiment remained the same. 'The chemistry between me and Morrissey had worked out' says to me they were friends but at that stage no more.

Yes, it could be the finer details are getting lost in translation. But when he said, 'We weren't friends, the only thing that tied us were shared musical preferences,' to me that suggests he was talking about the whole time they were together. But it's always going to be a bit muddy in a foreign language paper.

 

[g23]

Morrissey should bitch slap Johnny Marr.

I think Johnny beat him to it.

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

Yes, it could be the finer details are getting lost in translation. But when he said, 'We weren't friends, the only thing that tied us were shared musical preferences,' to me that suggests he was talking about the whole time they were together. But it's always going to be a bit muddy in a foreign language paper.

Maybe, I still think he's just talking about the final stages of The Smiths. Obviously things had become strained as it led to them splitting up and as Johnny has always asserted he wanted to go in a different direction musically and the final straw was making f***ing Cilla Black covers it all ties in. I just think he's talking about how it all went sour and latterly his discomfort at what his old band mate turned into.

 

[William Blake's Seven]

If only Marr's literary influences would manifest in his writing, he might actually pen some worthwhile lyrics.

 

[Charlie Cheswick]

Johnny Marr is a little boy.

I'd guess about five foot six.

 

[Anonymous]

and latterly his discomfort at what his old band mate turned into.

They weren't mates, the only thing that tied them were shared musical preferences.

 

[Surface]

Now that any chance of a reunion is definitely off Johnny goes full attack-mode, but not in the UK interestingly enough.
Also, at least a month ago this interview was conducted.
He must have regretted what he said there cause he hasn’t repeated these harsh words in any of his UK interviews afterwards.

Why have you marked David K as a troll? He is asking that arsehole Ubanus if he is for real regarding his comment about Jewish people forgetting to tell us about the football pitches and swimming pools and other recreational spaces built for them. Or do you not like Jewish people either?