GAVIN MARTIN
Ghis ringing melodies and inspirational riffs, not Morrissey’s self-pitying whinges, that made The Smiths 80s icons.
So with his most famous musical partner now a cranky right-winger, does 55-year-old Mancunian Marr feel obliged to keep the Smiths outsider spirit alive?
“I don’t really feel that,” he says. “Because I’d be playing some of the old songs no matter what, because, after all, I did write them.
“And, beyond that, I’ve no interest in anyone or anything that has anything to do with the right wing. That’s nothing to do with my world.”
Since The Smiths, Marr’s impeccable musicality, as collaborator, front and
sideman, has shone in many manifestations including with Bryan Ferry, The The, The Cribs and Modest Mouse.
His work with film-making maestro Hans Zimmer and a full orchestra for the 2010 Inception movie soundtrack, performed in concert and on record, was easily as influential as The Smiths.
“After it, every advert on television and every TV drama had thunderous synths and symphonies with guitar on top of it,” says Marr.
“That guitar hadn’t been used in soundtracks for 30 years. It definitely brought a new dimension into the way I think of myself as a musician and gave me a few more options.
“I wouldn’t have had the experience
– or the right mindset or the FAME With Morrissey in The Smiths
skills – to have done that when I was younger. Standing in front of an orchestra to play solo is gratifying. It makes me think that I’m making some sort of progress.”
His next studio project will be with actress Maxine Peake, left.
“She is a fascinating person, and because she comes from a different discipline to me, it is always interesting when I go in the studio. I never really know what I’m going to get, I just know it’s going to be intense.”
First Johnny and his cracking band hit the summer festival circuit, trailing last year’s brilliant Call The Comet album and selected career highlights.
A masterclass in celebratory and cerebral rock is assured.
“In some ways, I’m probably a throwback,” he muses.
“There’s not many people doing what I do, which is being a singer and being a lead guitarist.
“Maybe I’m a throwback to the old way of doing things, like Chuck Berry or something, but a more cosmic, Mancunian version.”
Roll over Mr Morrissey, tell everybody the news.
■ Call the Comet is out now and Johnny appears at various UK festivals this summer, including Glastonbury and Truck On their fifth album, the California Indie rockers easily locate their comfort zone and predictable array of sonic postures, ably abetted by Teflon-coated producer Butch Vig. Among the real-life challenges tackled, parried and faced up to in these earnest, dazed and dive-bombing (Freakazoid), jagged and self-confronting (Strawman) songs are parental bereavement and, that old standby of bands getting to grips with their career long-term – rehab and recovery.
I’m probably a throwback. There’s not many doing what I do