Johnny Marr interview - NewStatesman

Hi, I recently interviewed Johnny Marr. Thanks to those of you who helped me when I just had the idea to do it - it took me 3 months to pin him down.

Here's the link and please share!

Johnny Marr: "Everyone should get a fair shout, and no one can tell me that the Conservative Party have ever been about that" - NewStatesman

Excerpt:

For many Smiths fans, the idea of a reformation is not something they even consider. It seems to me that there was no unfinished business, and the band have left behind a very strong legacy, so why is there this obsession from the media about putting The Smiths back together, despite you and Morrissey categorically ruling it out?

On the one hand, it's the Princess Diana syndrome, where everybody just gets caught up in some game of words without really caring about the end result. It seems that just the question being asked is the whole point, really. I think half the people asking the question wouldn't even bother to buy a ticket. Also - and most journalists are surprised when I tell them this - I don't get asked about it by anyone other than journalists. People in the street and fans don't ask me because they're clued up enough to have bought a Cribs record, and an Electronic record, and know what they're talking about. But then, from a humanitarian point of view, maybe it's just that people get carried away with a happy ending. I like to see the good in people, and I like to think that a lot of it is just a desire from some people to see a happy ending, but that's a massive assumption that we're not happy, because we're absolutely fine. I think both me and Morrissey are about as proud as anyone can be about those records. I'm proud of everything the band did, and I'm proud of the relationship, and I'm proud of the friendship. I don't have any feud going on. I support what Andy's doing, and I don't know what Morrissey's doing but I'm behind it.
 
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New Town Velocity is beautiful... The rest of it is exactly what I thought it would be: Please stop singing.

I'm a huge Johnny Marr guitar fan. I cannot get behind his singing...as much as I want to.

New Town Velocity is fantastic, however. Worth the $1.29, for sure.
 
I love Johnny to death for what he's provided us and for the person he seems to be, but I hate comments like this... "and I don't know what Morrissey's doing but I'm behind it." It rings of that Mitt Romney quote from during the election run... "I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was."

I can appreciate the sentiment in that he supports Moz in general, but it just sounds insincere when stated in that manner. Yeah, I know... reading too much into it.
 
It was a joy to read. I liked how you asked questions that normally don't get brought up ......... political angle, Talking Heads track . Also it was nice to hear which guitar he favored on the album and story behind European Me song.

Dewdrop I agree with the like of New Town Velocity track ..... top notch work !
I , however, like his style of singing . Yes, he does not sound like Moz but that is not a sin . After I buying the CD I gave it a quick listen, picking my favorite songs . But what I found myself doing was singing various bits of songs so I would have to go back and listen again to see what song went with what bit I remembered. Funny but I ended up likeing nearly all of the songs . They just kept circling round in my mind...... still do !
 
New Town Velocity is beautiful... The rest of it is exactly what I thought it would be: Please stop singing.

I'm a huge Johnny Marr guitar fan. I cannot get behind his singing...as much as I want to.

New Town Velocity is fantastic, however. Worth the $1.29, for sure.

There is nothing wrong with Johnny's voice at all. It may be generic but that is the worst you can say about it. It isn't as nasally as the Stone Roses or fey as Bernard Sumner.

If you want flat, off-key, singing listen to "I Want The One I Can't Have" and "What She Said" off of Meat Is Murder.
 
Kudos to you, singmetosleep - very engaging interview. Johnny really seemed up for the questions given his expansive responses. Nice to hear mention of Nothing But Flowers, a really great track already that rises to a higher level due to JM's guitar work.
 
I love Johnny to death for what he's provided us and for the person he seems to be, but I hate comments like this... "and I don't know what Morrissey's doing but I'm behind it." It rings of that Mitt Romney quote from during the election run... "I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was."

I can appreciate the sentiment in that he supports Moz in general, but it just sounds insincere when stated in that manner. Yeah, I know... reading too much into it.

agree totally.
of course he knows what moz is up to, just doesn't want to look like he cares, no need for it.
 
There is nothing wrong with Johnny's voice at all. It may be generic but that is the worst you can say about it. It isn't as nasally as the Stone Roses or fey as Bernard Sumner.

If you want flat, off-key, singing listen to "I Want The One I Can't Have" and "What She Said" off of Meat Is Murder.

johnnys a fantastic guitarist, a fantastic songwriter and a wonderful human being...... but he cant sing.
(the MiM dig is contemptible.)
 
Just listened to 4 songs...European Me, The Messenger, New Town Velocity, and Upstarts. I like his voice. The interview was very well-done and a good read. Nice :thumb:
 
EVERYONE here including me would burn their mother in bonfire for the reunion just admit the facts.
 
I love Johnny to death for what he's provided us and for the person he seems to be, but I hate comments like this... "and I don't know what Morrissey's doing but I'm behind it." It rings of that Mitt Romney quote from during the election run... "I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was."

I can appreciate the sentiment in that he supports Moz in general, but it just sounds insincere when stated in that manner. Yeah, I know... reading too much into it.

It sounds familiarly like Sting back in the day after the Police broke up and he was doing his own thing. Someone asked him if the Police were ever getting back together and he replied something like: "If I could remember their phone numbers."
 
Wow - that's how it should be played:
http://youtu.be/yRJDMaaUVrw

Im in agreement with Johnny about fans accepting that they may never reform and and kind of feeling there's no point in it anymore. ....but then I heard this ! Nice guitars; needs Morrissey's voice. Now I'm entertaining the idea again of how great a Morrissey /Marr collaboration could be.
Sigh
 
I love Johnny to death for what he's provided us and for the person he seems to be, but I hate comments like this... "and I don't know what Morrissey's doing but I'm behind it." It rings of that Mitt Romney quote from during the election run... "I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was."

I can appreciate the sentiment in that he supports Moz in general, but it just sounds insincere when stated in that manner. Yeah, I know... reading too much into it.

well done for acknowledging that it shows you care about the subject and how you're expressing it.
 
Thanks Uncleskinny and Anonymouse for posting tracks and song of recent Marr concert. GREAT rendition of "Stop Me" !!!!! Funny he didn't play 'European Me' .
 

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