Johnny Marr

All men have secrets and here is mine rings out of Brixton
academy in late 1986 and you think that The Smiths could last
forever. With the combination of Marrs guitar and Morrisseys
vocals, the Manchester band captured a whole nations imagination
and revolutionised post-punk music forever. However, a few months
on, Morrissey and co found themselves separated in what was a
public spat and an even more public backlash from fans, and so
started a rift in the Smiths camp that would survive two decades
and still be evident today.
You wondered what would become of Johnny Marr; the man who
brought you There is A Light That Never Goes Out and How Soon
Is Now? For Marr, a new musical collaboration couldnt come
sooner.
From what seemed like a period of mass depression and tough times
for Johnny Marr, emerged a song in 1991 that made you feel like the
guitarist was still in a state of post-smiths blues. I dont know
where to begin, living in sin, how can we talk? Look where youve
been could be seen as a shot at fellow Smith Morrissey and his solo
career, while it could also be a self-assessment that Marr doesnt
know what to do musically and cant see a future for The Smiths,
ands from what we know now, the latter maybe nearer to the truth.
The lyrics come from Marrs post Smiths band, Electronic and their
song Get The Message. However, at the same time, you feel as if
Marr was making some of his best music. Electronics debut album
went straight to number two in the UK charts and further success
followed for Marr and band mate, former New Order and Joy division
member, Bernard Sumner. An 8th chart position for 1996 album
Raise The Pressure and a 9th chart position for Twisted Tenderness
three years later was proof enough that Marr was now free of The
Smiths shackles he had been bound with for over four years of his
music career.
Marr, the man who had co-written Heaven Knows Im Miserable
Now was far from that and as we know now, was only getting
started on his music career. 10 years on from Electronics natural
end and collaborations with Oasis, Brian ferry and Beck to name a
few, Marr was embarking on a new musical venture with US band
Modest Mouse.
A change of scenery, a change of studios and a change of
personnel, not forgetting a change in musical style since Marr had
last featured in a proper structured band. However, you always got
the sense that Marr himself had never changed and Dashboard on
Modest Mouses 2007 album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even
Sank reinforced that theory. From the opening line of Well, it

would've been, could've been worse than you would ever know you
get the sense that Marr is still speaking about The Smiths and
Morrissey and how there is still a part of him in that band, but in a
contradictory fashion, you also feel like Marr is referring to a period
that could have potentially existed if he wouldnt have broken up
the band in early 1987. From most lyrics, you can give them context
and you can interpret them in lots of different ways, but with Marrs,
they are very direct and can only mean a few things. Some lyrics are
about generalised events or events that havent happened, but give
Marrs history, you could bet on the fact that the Manchester
guitarist is talking from past events.
Self-evaluation and escapism; two things that Marr says his music is
about is evident in his lyrics. From the lyrics of The Boy With The
Thorn In His Side to the desperation of Please, Please, Please, Let
Me Get What I Want you start to realise it always was about
escapism, the sense that Marr wanted to be someone or somewhere
else and used music to vent these frustrations. Even when he had
moved out of the slum infested wasteland of Ardwick and moved to
London, Marr still wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere better.
After the collaboration with Modest Mouse, it was no surprise that he
would collaborate with another band, but the question remained,
who? There were talks of collaborations with some of the biggest
bands in the country t the moment, but he plumped for a band who
werent successful or well known, instead, Marr went for Wakefield
Indie-Rock band, The Cribs. The Yorkshire band had a chance
meeting with The Smiths star while he was on tour with Modest
Mouse, and after becoming great friends; The Cribs had a new
member for their new album Ignore The Ignorant. This venture was
to be a totally different experience for the guitar maestro, who
wrote one track for The Cribs during his time with them. Housewife
a song about the desire of been a housewife is different to work that
has been done by Marr before, yet is so much like The Smiths at the
same time. This is what you asked for, so go on steal the show,
would you like to speak to someone? You just don't know... has a
dark message like most Smiths songs but strangely, doesnt sound
like Marr even wrote the lyrics at all.
Many could have said that Marr was out of his depth by taking on
this project, but I think the problem lies with how Marr fitted in with
the Wakefield band. With years of experience as a pop and rock
group member, trying to fit into a new-age indie band was never
going to be easy for Marr. Even though Marr has succeeded with
genre changing in previous projects, you get the feeling that even
the skilled guitarist has bitten off more than he can chew on this
occasion and thats why I certainly wouldnt class this musical
collaboration as a success, while also thinking that this
miscalculation prompted Marr to move to a solo career in 2012.

25th February 2013, the exact day that we got to listen to the
eagerly anticipated debut solo album by Johnny Marr. My first
thought? Its very Johnny Marr; big riffs, simple guitar patterns
played to perfection and monumentally loud guitar solos. Lyrics
were never a big part of Johnny Marrs musical toolbox but this
album helps re-write the guitarists history completely. However, the
lyric that stands out on the album out of any other and helps to tell
the story of Marrs whole career in a line, a line that shows another
example of Marrs self-evaluation, a line that can sum up his whole
career and yet its just one lyric from one song that Marr has worked
on. It turned out like I said it would, can I get the world right here?
suggests that Johnny Marr hasnt had any regrets in his career, while
assuring the doubters that he knows what hes doing.
Johnny Marr has never been a cynic of any kind, but you get the
feeling he enjoyed writing that one.