Johnny Marr - Fender (interview and live); independent.ie (on writing autobiography)

Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Thanks for sharing this.
If Johnny released a DVD of something like this - intimate filmed performances with great audio, maybe interview sprinkled in. That's something I might buy. But I didn't have any strong motivation to buy the "Playland" album. And I passed up going to see him live. Personally, this kind of content is what hit the "Johnny Marr is a solo performer with a backing band" button for me.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Great stuff, thanks for sharing.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

I'm still not sold on his lyrics or singing, although I do think the tunes he picks for shows suit his voice ("I Fought The Law", "Bigmouth", etc)....but his music is still great.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

I'm still not sold on his lyrics or singing, although I do think the tunes he picks for shows suit his voice ("I Fought The Law", "Bigmouth", etc)....but his music is still great.

This one doesn't suit his voice ... :(



It's absolutely fascinating for me. Since the beginning of his recent tour he always plays JUST 19 songs (Moz currently plays more). He plays the same songs every single night. He either changes it by one song or doesn't change it at all. He always has the same set of Smiths songs he plays because it has to suit his voice and because the lyrics have to fit (somehow). This website has killed Moz for lesser crimes many times.
 
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Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

This one doesn't suit his voice ... :(



It's absolutely fascinating for me. Since the beginning of his recent tour he always plays JUST 19 songs (Moz currently plays more). He plays the same songs every single night. He either changes it by one song or doesn't change it at all. He always has the same set of Smiths songs he plays because it has to suit his voice and because the lyrics have to fit (somehow). This website has killed Moz for lesser crimes many times.


I still don't think it's that bad.

As far as the songs in his setlist, ok he can vary them.....as for the amount of songs. It's unfair to compare his catalog to Morrissey's. Morrissey has been a solo artist for 28+ years now? He's got his own material PLUS The Smiths catalog......Johnny has 2 albums out now? I can't see him covering The The or Modest Mouse.
 
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Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

I can't see him covering The The or Modest Mouse.

Why? Because the songs are crap? Why shouldn't he sing those songs? He wrote the music and others sang. There's no difference to the Smiths. As for the 19-song set ... he could easily play more than 19 songs. Some people around here expect Moz to play for 3 hours like the Cure. Johnny is fit as a fiddle. What's his excuse. I'm just saying that people seem to be easier on Johnny. And by the way, I love when Johnny sings Bigmouth Strikes Again or Panic. I think his voice is okay on those songs.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

I still don't think it's that bad.

As far as the songs in his setlist, ok he can vary them.....as for the amount of songs. It's unfair to compare his catalog to Morrissey's. Morrissey has been a solo artist for 28+ years now? He's got his own material PLUS The Smiths catalog......Johnny has 2 albums out now? I can't see him covering The The or Modest Mouse.

well he released a couple of albums before as Johnny Marr and the healers, no?
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Since the beginning of his recent tour he always plays JUST 19 songs (Moz currently plays more). He plays the same songs every single night. He either changes it by one song or doesn't change it at all. He always has the same set of Smiths songs he plays because it has to suit his voice and because the lyrics have to fit (somehow). This website has killed Moz for lesser crimes many times.


Marr, like Morrissey, and 99% of other artists don't vary their setlist that much during a tour. One or two song changes along the way, jumbling up the order a bit, but essentially that same from one night to the next.
I'm not sure where this idea that touring bands need to play a completely different setlist every night comes from, as it's completely impractical.

Johnny has gradually varied the Smiths songs he has covered - 'Still Ill' and 'The Headmaster Ritual' were new ones for the Playland tour, he pulled out 'The Queen is Dead' for a couple of special shows, and he's just started doing 'You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby' on this tour.

Ultimately, if you are bored by an artist not changing the setlist enough, that's your fault because you are going to multiple gigs per tour. Stop going to so many, and just do one a year, like normal people.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

well he released a couple of albums before as Johnny Marr and the healers, no?

One album. I don't think he plays any of those songs - someone please correct me if I'm mistaken?
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

One album. I don't think he plays any of those songs - someone please correct me if I'm mistaken?


Johnny hasn't played a single Healers song, and has pretty much written off that whole album as a misfire. Hence 'The Messenger' being touted as his debut solo album, and conveniently forgetting 'Boomslang' ever existed. Which is understandable, as it largely sucks.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Marr, like Morrissey, and 99% of other artists don't vary their setlist that much during a tour. One or two song changes along the way, jumbling up the order a bit, but essentially that same from one night to the next.
I'm not sure where this idea that touring bands need to play a completely different setlist every night comes from, as it's completely impractical.

Johnny has gradually varied the Smiths songs he has covered - 'Still Ill' and 'The Headmaster Ritual' were new ones for the Playland tour, he pulled out 'The Queen is Dead' for a couple of special shows, and he's just started doing 'You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby' on this tour.

Ultimately, if you are bored by an artist not changing the setlist enough, that's your fault because you are going to multiple gigs per tour. Stop going to so many, and just do one a year, like normal people.

You didn't get what I was saying. I don't complain about Johnny's setlist at all. I just tried to point out that gets away with things Moz gets criticized for. Regarding the Smiths songs: Yeah, as I said. He has the same set of Smiths songs for years and makes his choices from that set of songs. As does Moz.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Morrissey gets criticised for including too many Smiths songs in his set? Does he actually?
 
The fact that The Cure do play 3 hours makes it worth it to invest the time and money. Depeche Mode still crank out upwards of 25 of 40 songs they have ready for a given tour not to mention the 2-4 surprises by Martin Gore every show.
The Cure have been known to rehearse 90-100 songs for a tour.
I've seen Morrissey unenthusiastically get on stage and crap out an abysmal effort for the last time.
 
The fact that The Cure do play 3 hours makes it worth it to invest the time and money. Depeche Mode still crank out upwards of 25 of 40 songs they have ready for a given tour not to mention the 2-4 surprises by Martin Gore every show.
The Cure have been known to rehearse 90-100 songs for a tour.
I've seen Morrissey unenthusiastically get on stage and crap out an abysmal effort for the last time.

God, you must have already been fed up with the Smiths then. Congratulations for enduring it as long as.you did.
 
The fact that The Cure do play 3 hours makes it worth it to invest the time and money. Depeche Mode still crank out upwards of 25 of 40 songs they have ready for a given tour not to mention the 2-4 surprises by Martin Gore every show.
The Cure have been known to rehearse 90-100 songs for a tour.
I've seen Morrissey unenthusiastically get on stage and crap out an abysmal effort for the last time.

Even back in the day The Cure did an amazing concert. I first saw them in 1989 Prayer Tour in Dublin, and have seen them many times since. They play for two, three, sometimes four hours. Moz playing for an hour and ten minutes is a joke and always has been. If he really loved it he would stay longer on stage. I've been to many Moz concerts and they have always been short and over in a flash. They've been great but way too short considering the cash outlay, the mileage, and the pain of travelling long distance to queue in the rain. I suspect he doesn't give a damn as long as he enjoys the night.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Morrissey gets criticised for including too many Smiths songs in his set? Does he actually?

On this site? Yes.

He also gets criticized for not including enough.
 
Re: Johnny Marr - Love from Hospital Club London (interview and live)

Why? Because the songs are crap? Why shouldn't he sing those songs? He wrote the music and others sang. There's no difference to the Smiths. As for the 19-song set ... he could easily play more than 19 songs. Some people around here expect Moz to play for 3 hours like the Cure. Johnny is fit as a fiddle. What's his excuse. I'm just saying that people seem to be easier on Johnny. And by the way, I love when Johnny sings Bigmouth Strikes Again or Panic. I think his voice is okay on those songs.

I get people don't give him as much static as Moz.....as for why he doesn't play The The or Modest Mouse, I can't tell you that. His prerogative I guess. I know it would be difficult playing MM for the sheer fact that there are only 4 people in his band vs. the 6+(?) at times in MM. As for The The tunes, I think would be interesting to hear him play some of those but perhaps they don't fit the "flow" of his current setlist of songs. I think he only plays X amount because he wants to showcase his new stuff. To go over 19 tunes, he'd have to play let's say 12-15 Smiths tunes, 12 or so of his solo stuff and then "others". I get the sense he is like Morrissey like that, he didn't play those songs at first and even of late, it seems that Morrissey is reverting back to less Smiths songs.

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Johnny hasn't played a single Healers song, and has pretty much written off that whole album as a misfire. Hence 'The Messenger' being touted as his debut solo album, and conveniently forgetting 'Boomslang' ever existed. Which is understandable, as it largely sucks.

That's right, "Boomslang" is considered his first solo album. So it sort of strikes me as "off" that he says his first album was "The Messenger". And I agree, "Boomslang" is not that good, dare I say "$ucks"?
 
still ill, hear that Jesse and Boz!

no one can play the Smiths song as the one who composed them.

bit annoying is you expect to hear Morrissey, but it's about 30 years on,
his own songs he can sing, but please Johnny you're one of last Legendary guitarplayers, leave singin to another/others, it's not bad, but you're no singer

guitar playing is as better than any guitarist has/d in Morrissey's band though little Barrie who
just had a few days when Alain stepped back in the 2004 tour, that bloke could/can play,
than Jesse came quickly, let's end

Johnny Marr 10 points [out of 10]

ps Alain came close
 
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