Johnny Marr in Daily Telegraph (AU)

Pretty nice interview with Johnny in the Telegraph (Australia, subscription required). I find his interviews a pleasure to read. Looks like a solo album in the works for him next year?


Transcript provided by kissmyshadestoo in the comments.

Excerpts:

This year was the 30th anniversary of The Queen is Dead, next year is the 30th anniversary of Strangeways Here We Come. Yet there’s never been anniversary reissues. Is there anything left in the vaults?

There are songs in the vaults, they’ve come out on bootlegs which is a f!@#ed up really. There’s a whole slew of out takes, quite a lot of instrumental tracks that were really decent music in their own right. As a fan, myself, I’m fairly reliable when it comes to quality control. I don’t like when I get a load of crap from my favourite band stuck on the end of the CD. But I’m really happy when I hear great alternative takes and demos that are a good valid listen. I’ve assumed the role in the band of the custodian, I guess, which happened mostly when I remastered all the catalogue. That was a bit of a legal and technical and political battle. I would have been happy to have done a decent job of the remaining tracks, like the original take of There Is a Light (That Never Goes Out) before I put the strings on that really holds up as almost an unplugged version, the instrumental versions of William I Was Really Nothing and Please Please Please (Let Me Get What I Want), those kinds of things. As usual with the Smiths there was a fair amount of bullsh — in the background and people being difficult with the result that it ended up being leaked. Fans got a fairly substandard version of it. It’s a shame but nothing changes very much.

Morrissey said there’s a cover of Elvis’ A Fool Such as I the Smiths recorded in their final days. Does that exist?

Yeah. It’s a good job no one’s heard it. I never liked the song in the first place. I love Elvis, but that really wasn’t one of his better tunes.

What do you think of Morrissey’s solo material?

I’ve really never heard it, that’s the truth. There’s so much music out there. I’m forever playing catch up. I try to avoid being that guy who’s manically trying to keep up to date with every new band who’s around for two months. I’ve always been someone, one way or another, gets to hear the good stuff that’s knocking around. That’s a long way away from sitting down morbidly listening to what my ex partner is doing musically. That seems a little mawkish to me. I don’t really have an opinion on it. I remember years and years ago it sounded like my sound, that was a little weird. I don’t know what has happened in the last 20 years with his sound.
 
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I'm calling bullshit on Marr's claim that he hasn't listened to Morrissey's solo work.

He has been solo for almost 30 years and his ex-bandmate, who he's had a love-hate relationship with since the band split, is claiming he's never listened to any of his songs?

Maybe he just doesn't rate the newer stuff and is too polite to say. I seem to remember him slagging off "Our Frank" back in the day, and maybe I'm imagining it but I think he said in an interview that he liked £The Last of the Famous...".
 

For the same reason it's hard to believe Moz never heard anything of Johnny Marr's music post Smiths?
And both made some more or less negative commends about their music. Not many, but some. How can they do that if they never heard about each other's music?

Johnny Marr more so than Moz but he felt more defensive cause most journalists considered him to be the one responsible for the Smiths split and he knew he was but from his point of view a bit understandable.
And every time the subject was raised again, the more motives were being named.

Why is it so hard to understand that a musical friendship can end due to differences in character and personal development? I know the court case was seen by Moz as a big let down from Johnny but they made up and I do believe he has forgiven him as Johnny has forgiven Moz. If there was anything to forgive at all.

Besides these quite sporadically negative remarks about each other I don't believe there is animosity between them in a way they don't like each other.
But teaming up together and reforming the Smiths?
No way, it's never going to happen.

Maybe in some form composing and working in studio and maybe a one-off concert but nothing more. It would be Morrissey and Marr.
Mind you, that would already be great!
Don't you think if they would work together again they would come up with some brilliant songs and music?
I would, definitely!
 
For the same reason it's hard to believe Moz never heard anything of Johnny Marr's music post Smiths?

Obviously, we all just assume things here. Nobody can know what Marr or Morrissey thinks or feels for sure, we can only suspect by their interviews and songs.
After reading Marr's book, it seems to me - apart from the fact he's a nice and very positive guy - that he can retreat into self-denial. "This is over, i shake myself then I move on to the nex thing". But there are feelings, strong emotions attached well, and I can perfectly understand if he willingly avoided listening to Morrissey's solo stuff.
Similarly as someone posted above: if i'm in a very passionate and devoted relationship, but we eventually split - to be honest, I might move on, find peace, but still I don't want to look at pictures of my ex with her new husband and their kids. I wouldn't want to listen to songs by an ex-partner that are possibly written about me.
 
That was around the same time as the supposed all wank comment right
 
Have all those outtakes really leaked as he suggests? There Is A Light with no strings, William instrumental, etc. I don't think so.
 
Some older interviews with marr from around 89 91 and 92 with Bernard about electronics and his split fronm the smiths. He does really say a lot of different stuff about the smiths split and weirdly a lot of different interviews with electronic bring up the traveling wilburys but I guess it was different times in popular music. Seems to be johnnys laddish period or maybe Bernard just brings it out in him. In one he talks briefly about hearing international playboys and a few other songs. Also the interview with rogan seems odd now that's he's come out as calling him a liar but whatever it was good

http://johnnymarrvellous.com/marrchives/1988-1992.php
 
You just know that both Moz & Marr have secretly read each other's books and play none the wiser to the press. They both listen to each other's solo albums too. They aren't fooling anyone
 
sad son,

Johnny Marr liked "Everyday Is Like Sunday".

we'll let you know.

hHYs2Et.jpg


Have you not got a little too much time on your hands dude? Going back to posts over a month old to click troll just to troll me? I'm really not worth your time and effort.
 
bacon go f*** yourself with the biggest cucumber they sell
 
in Tesco ya lowlife,
 
Johnny Marr said he listened to the whole of Viva Hate once, liked The Last of the Famous International Playboys (and sent a postcard to Morrissey congratulating him) and took the piss out of Our Frank renaming it Alf Wank. I read all this before I gave up reading Johnny Marr interviews in 1991.
 
Johnny Marr said he listened to the whole of Viva Hate once, liked The Last of the Famous International Playboys (and sent a postcard to Morrissey congratulating him) and took the piss out of Our Frank renaming it Alf Wank. I read all this before I gave up reading Johnny Marr interviews in 1991.

Ha, Alf Wank. :D
I thought it was the Manchestar way of saying, I dig it. :)

I liked Our Frank and also King Leer a lot cause it was silly and funny and kind of vaudeville and so much in contrast with the heavy, bleak melancholy of The Smiths, or so as they were portrayed. Also Roy's Keane had that lighter touch. The lyrics of those songs were hilarious and funny.
I miss that silly but funny side of Moz a bit in later years but I guess he had other things on his mind. o_O
 
Johnny Marr said he listened to the whole of Viva Hate once, liked The Last of the Famous International Playboys (and sent a postcard to Morrissey congratulating him) and took the piss out of Our Frank renaming it Alf Wank. I read all this before I gave up reading Johnny Marr interviews in 1991.

Reading some of those interviews around 91 are kinda difficult. He seems to be trying really hard to shake the image of himself from the smiths with his black eyes and talk of fighting roadies
 
Agree. It's very hard to believe he never heard Morrissey's solo stuff, and that statement stains with lack of credibility the rest of his words and maybe the book he is intending to promote in all these interviews around the world.
If he does not want to give an opinion about Morrissey's material he shoud say so, like "I don't want to comment about that topic" or something similar. Of course you need bullocks and personality to say that to an interviewer when you are promoting something through the press. That's why people lie: they don't want to face consequences. Then they end up trapped in a web of lies.
Huge fan of the Smiths and Moz solo,,, but Marr doing the Smiths live is FAR better than when maps does them live. The guitar is in tune and skillfully played, even if the voice isn't there. Morrissey's modern day voice while Jesse massacres the music? Not good. And let's not pretend Jesse Tobias or Boz are in the same stratosphere as Johnny Marr.
 
i read on here years ago that jonboy said to alan whyte that he liked ouija board.the more interviews I read the more I'm disliking him,hes broke cover to promote his book and will disappear again into the music wilderness again.
 
For the same reason it's hard to believe Moz never heard anything of Johnny Marr's music post Smiths?
And both made some more or less negative commends about their music. Not many, but some. How can they do that if they never heard about each other's music?

Johnny Marr more so than Moz but he felt more defensive cause most journalists considered him to be the one responsible for the Smiths split and he knew he was but from his point of view a bit understandable.
And every time the subject was raised again, the more motives were being named.

Why is it so hard to understand that a musical friendship can end due to differences in character and personal development? I know the court case was seen by Moz as a big let down from Johnny but they made up and I do believe he has forgiven him as Johnny has forgiven Moz. If there was anything to forgive at all.

Besides these quite sporadically negative remarks about each other I don't believe there is animosity between them in a way they don't like each other.
But teaming up together and reforming the Smiths?
No way, it's never going to happen.

Maybe in some form composing and working in studio and maybe a one-off concert but nothing more. It would be Morrissey and Marr.
Mind you, that would already be great!
Don't you think if they would work together again they would come up with some brilliant songs and music?
I would, definitely!
Yah you're right. Marr needs to face the fact that Moz solo music is FAR superior to everything Marr has done with the possible exception of Slow Emotion Replay which was probably written by Matt Johnson anyway. Ok some of the Electronic songs were great but how much did he write and how much did Bernard Sumner write?
 
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I'd take 'Generate! Generate!' over 'Tony the Pony' any day of the week. Maybe I am just strange?
 

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