Johnny Marr to release his autobiography in autumn 2016 at Century

An anonymous person posted the link:

Johnny Marr autobiography to Century - The Bookseller
Published March 23, 2015. By Joshua Farrington

Century has acquired, in a “hotly contested auction”, the autobiography of Johnny Marr, co-founder of The Smiths.

Marr founded The Smiths alongside Morrissey, before going on to create super-group Electronic with Bernard Sumner of New Order.

He worked in bands including The Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs, and has had a solo career. In 2014 he released his second album Playland.

Marr said: “For the past few years as I’ve been out on tour promoting my solo work fans and journalists have been asking me when I’ll write my book. I’m very happy to say that the time has come to tell my story.”

Publishing director Ben Dunn bought world rights to the book from Kevin Conroy Scott at Tibor Jones & Associates on behalf of Joe Moss at First Third Ltd.

Dunn said: “It’s the book Smiths’ fans have been waiting their whole lives and the early material that Johnny has written is utterly breath-taking. I’m delighted that Johnny has chosen Century to be his publisher.”

Century will publish in hardback and e-book in autumn 2016 with an Arrow paperback the following year.



Original press release from Penguin Random House UK attached (.doc format)
 

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i'll probably torrent the e-book and stop reading when it gets to roughly 1987, i reckon.
 
this should be interesting and kinda weird though putting it out now will only help sales. wonder if anything will contrast with mozs though i highly doubt it. curious to see what he has to say
 
Whats the title? 'thats not how it happend Morrissey!!!!!'
 
Smells faintly of 'if Moz can do it then so can I', when in reality Moz has proved himself countless times since the demise of The Smiths....and Johnny has proven himself only once or twice (with Kirsty McColl and with The The, and that was nearly 20 years ago).
 
Smells faintly of 'if Moz can do it then so can I', when in reality Moz has proved himself countless times since the demise of The Smiths....and Johnny has proven himself only once or twice (with Kirsty McColl and with The The, and that was nearly 20 years ago).

I agree. Moz is much more interesting than Marr in every way, IMO. Marr can't escape "Dad-Rock", his last couple solo albums were tripe, and surely he couldn't write his way out of a paper bag. I.e, Soldier of Fortune written for Bryan Ferry, Ferry made Marr's words at least sensible; if his lyrics are any indication I won't read it. Marr should just stay with Gallagher, both untalented.
 
I'm looking forward to it. I'm not expecting a hugely interesting literary work, but Morrissey is so bitter about the Smiths he glossed over the whole of the band in his autobiography in a few not very revealing pages, spending most of them bitching about Geoff Travis and Rough Trade, and then spending about 50 pages bitching about the court case.

From Johnny, I am actually expecting some information as to how those albums were recorded and written, rather than pages of bitching and moaning about chart positions, so the two books should hopefully complement each other nicely.
 
Something tells me (well, Marr's comments after Morrissey's book came out tells me) that the Smiths chapters -- if we get more than one -- will be slim and dismissive.

Still, it could be interesting in a wider scope of the music industry. There'll be no "dirt" as they say. I don't think Marr's ever really given up the tatty truth.

What I'm REALLY waiting for is Andy and Mike's tome. Even if they print it with an indie publishing house (or go the self-published route, they could set many records straight and earn a nice little payday. Would love to hear the story from their perspective.
 
This book is already written. I'm quite sure it was already written when Morrissey's book was released. The publishing process takes a while and Marr surely will let it be proofread and edited properly by someone. So I think his remark, that the book will be no answer to anything or anyone makes sense (unless he adds some tidbits, of course).
 
Something tells me (well, Marr's comments after Morrissey's book came out tells me) that the Smiths chapters -- if we get more than one -- will be slim and dismissive.

Still, it could be interesting in a wider scope of the music industry. There'll be no "dirt" as they say. I don't think Marr's ever really given up the tatty truth.

What I'm REALLY waiting for is Andy and Mike's tome. Even if they print it with an indie publishing house (or go the self-published route, they could set many records straight and earn a nice little payday. Would love to hear the story from their perspective.

I've always felt Andy's rendition of events would probably run closest alongside the actual facts, more so than the other three -- and he was the one on drugs! So yeah, I'm waiting for that one as well.
 
I've always felt Andy's rendition of events would probably run closest alongside the actual facts, more so than the other three -- and he was the one on drugs! So yeah, I'm waiting for that one as well.

Of course Andy and Mike can give their side of things, as everybody can, but they can NEVER provide the closest picture of the Smiths because, for the most part, they weren't involved in most of the stuff as much as Morrissey and Johnny were. I don't mean it badly, it's just a fact. Also, I don't think Morrissey ever sat down and poured his heart out to Andy or Mike and vice versa they wouldn't have done that to him. The truth is difficult to grasp and therefore every autobiography inevitably is just the truth of the writer himself but not necessarily of everyone else. And, guess what, it's neither a bad thing nor something to bother one's head about because it actually happens exactly the same way every single day among people when they give their take on events.
 
I'm glad he didn't write about in 2002 when I almost ran him over on PCH while he was jogging in the street.
 
also Penguin

I'm in doubt if I gonna buy it though Johnny is pretty down to earth lad, I'm only interested in his Smiths time and the years after, till the court case, how
Johnny and Morrissey had contact.

'and they say he's mental'....he is a guitar Legend, so...
 
I know most people are a bit annoyed and frustrated with Moz' autobiography but for me there are so many little things in it which are priceless, especially his descriptions. And I constantly discover things I hadn't recognized before. If Johnny's memoirs have any of that it would be great.

Examples:

"...expertly folding me away like a winter bedspread."
" I choke, finally ready for the taxidermist."
"A heavy bandage is worn with pride for months to come teaching me all I shall ever need to know about attention and style."
"...so smarty-face says, having lived since the time of Socrates."
" Even Mr Tappley, who lives alone under his flat cap, creeps out to watch, determined to be unimpressed."
" If only those hawks at Stretford Road Clinic knew, but surely they are all toast by now?"
" The next day there are apparently dead bodies across the island, but the toads remain."
"... and pondering on how even Billie Holiday had sex."
"... and the ice wind blows both of our spectacles off."
"I cannot think of anything to say on the subject of bluebottle protectionism, so I watch Mick splat, splat, splat."
 
Can't wait for the chapter on the court case. I hope it makes up the bulk of the book.

Can't wait for the chapter on how Morrissey tracked him down for the first time and visited his house, pushing his nose up against the window like a kid from Dickens. And how Moz knew it was fate when he bumped into a huge cardboard cut out of Robert Smith in Marr's bedroom.
 
Can't wait for the chapter on how Morrissey tracked him down for the first time and visited his house, pushing his nose up against the window like a kid from Dickens. And how Moz knew it was fate when he bumped into a huge cardboard cut out of Robert Smith in Marr's bedroom.

i thought that the other way round with marr tracking moz down and visiting his house
 

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