Johnny Marr a real guitar man
Former Smiths guitarist is back out on the road, plays B. C. dates this weekend
I guess records have really marked out my life — whether it’s Dusk by The The or the first Electronic record — and that’s not a bad way to live. JOHNNY MARR FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE SMITHS
Johnny Marr With Hooded Fang Dec. 7, 8 p. m. Commodore Ballroom Tickets: $ 32.50 plus charges at Ticketmaster and Red Cat
He has provided or contributed to the soundtrack for millions of Gen- X lives, as a founding member of pioneering British band The Smiths and later with acts ranging from The The and Electronic to Modest Mouse and The Cribs.
His guitar style is among, if not the most, influential of the past 30 years, consistently showing up on any best of all- time list, and consistently making him an in- demand session player, most recently with artists such as Bryan Ferry and Noel Gallagher.
And he is probably one of the most unassuming, inconspicuous and likable superstars pop music has ever produced.
He is John Maher, better known as Johnny Marr.
The Manchester- born musician brings his tour to the Vancouver area in support of his second recent solo recording Playland — which was released in October — but with a show that will also feature music from his storied past.
He is at the Suger Nightclub Dec. 6 in Victoria and at Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on Dec. 7.
Marr, 51, spoke about his songs, his style, his collaborations and his legacy.
On what made him embark on a solo career in 2013 with the release of The Messenger ( the only other rock project bearing his name was a 2003 release as Johnny Marr and The Healers):
“The need to do it came because of Inception ... Doing ( work on the soundtrack for) Inception made me not do what I’d done before. And after I had opportunities to join other bands and produce projects and all of that kind of stuff but two things had happened.
“The main thing was that all the travelling that I’d done with Modest Mouse and The Cribs had given me a lot of ideas for lyrics and it made me want to play more shows and want to be in a band, but I didn’t really want to work for someone else’s vision or someone else’s schedule ... I knew that I wanted to be in my own band again.
“And the second thing was that I wanted to be in a band where the frontman played guitar. I didn’t want to be in a band where the lead singer just stood there with a microphone. Those aren’t the sort of bands that I’m interested in right now.”
One his many collaborations and the different projects he’s worked on since his days in The Smiths, who were nominated this year for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
“I’ve been very lucky ... I’ve never really just followed the obvious, I don’t think. I feel like I’ve had to fight for the right to earn that. When ( I was) younger, I was kind of wilful and there were a lot of people out there who got what I was doing.
“Let’s put it this way, when I was in The The there was a lot of resistance from particularly the British music press — and I understand that, that’s OK. I don’t expect people to be mind readers. But at the same time, I put my faith in people who I felt were kind of like me and who liked the same kind of stuff that I liked and who got it, you know?”
On his trademark guitar style and sound that continues to influence legions of indie acts around the globe:
“I’m totally cool with having a sound. That’s something that happened towards the end of my 30s. I think it’s a healthy thing to kick against the typecast or the stereotypes, that’s absolutely fine and that’s the prerogative of a young musician, but I’ve tried all sorts of different things and that’s kind of gone into the way I play now.
“When you get older, if people are saying that they know you have a sound then, man, you’re pretty lucky. As a kid, I knew that Chet Atkins had that … I knew it was the same guy playing on those records all the time. And then when you hear people, whether it’s Johnny Thunders or Nile Rodgers or Rory Gallagher, all of those guys, have a signature sound. Man, that was the goal … It’s a real compliment whenever anyone says that to me, and I’m very grateful for it.”
On having almost his entire life’s journey captured in album- form ( he started The Smiths with enigmatic frontman Morrissey when he was 19) for all the world to hear and dissect:
“I guess records have really marked out my life — whether it’s Dusk by The The or the first Electronic record — and that’s not a bad way to live. I feel very lucky to have done that.”
On being a major part of the soundtrack to many music lovers’ lives:
“It’s a privilege to be part of people’s musical lives. I feel a little like, it’s kind of corny, but I feel a little bit like my audience relate to me like that half- brother who went off to fight the indie wars in the ’ 80s.
“They come out singing and I get to play to people who’ve stuck with me through their college years and through jobs and kids and all of that, and that’s really an amazing thing.
“And in the U. K., at least, there are a lot of kids who come out to see me now because of The Cribs and they’re getting turned onto The Smiths for the first time. I have a real wide audience.
“But I love that people have grown up with me, that’s just such an honour.”
On still having to play some of those old songs even now as he’s promoting something new:
“If I wasn’t secure that the new stuff was going down really well I’d maybe have a little bit of an issue with that. But because right out of the bat The Messenger was very popular live and now Playland is adding a new dimension to our existing live set — we’ve got all of these new songs — then you bust out one of the old songs, whether it’s The Smiths or Electronic, at the moment, it just feels like a celebration.