Pretty nice interview with Johnny in the Telegraph (Australia, subscription required). I find his interviews a pleasure to read. Looks like a solo album in the works for him next year?
Transcript provided by kissmyshadestoo in the comments.
Excerpts:
This year was the 30th anniversary of The Queen is Dead, next year is the 30th anniversary of Strangeways Here We Come. Yet there’s never been anniversary reissues. Is there anything left in the vaults?
There are songs in the vaults, they’ve come out on bootlegs which is a f!@#ed up really. There’s a whole slew of out takes, quite a lot of instrumental tracks that were really decent music in their own right. As a fan, myself, I’m fairly reliable when it comes to quality control. I don’t like when I get a load of crap from my favourite band stuck on the end of the CD. But I’m really happy when I hear great alternative takes and demos that are a good valid listen. I’ve assumed the role in the band of the custodian, I guess, which happened mostly when I remastered all the catalogue. That was a bit of a legal and technical and political battle. I would have been happy to have done a decent job of the remaining tracks, like the original take of There Is a Light (That Never Goes Out) before I put the strings on that really holds up as almost an unplugged version, the instrumental versions of William I Was Really Nothing and Please Please Please (Let Me Get What I Want), those kinds of things. As usual with the Smiths there was a fair amount of bullsh — in the background and people being difficult with the result that it ended up being leaked. Fans got a fairly substandard version of it. It’s a shame but nothing changes very much.
Morrissey said there’s a cover of Elvis’ A Fool Such as I the Smiths recorded in their final days. Does that exist?
Yeah. It’s a good job no one’s heard it. I never liked the song in the first place. I love Elvis, but that really wasn’t one of his better tunes.
What do you think of Morrissey’s solo material?
I’ve really never heard it, that’s the truth. There’s so much music out there. I’m forever playing catch up. I try to avoid being that guy who’s manically trying to keep up to date with every new band who’s around for two months. I’ve always been someone, one way or another, gets to hear the good stuff that’s knocking around. That’s a long way away from sitting down morbidly listening to what my ex partner is doing musically. That seems a little mawkish to me. I don’t really have an opinion on it. I remember years and years ago it sounded like my sound, that was a little weird. I don’t know what has happened in the last 20 years with his sound.
Transcript provided by kissmyshadestoo in the comments.
Excerpts:
This year was the 30th anniversary of The Queen is Dead, next year is the 30th anniversary of Strangeways Here We Come. Yet there’s never been anniversary reissues. Is there anything left in the vaults?
There are songs in the vaults, they’ve come out on bootlegs which is a f!@#ed up really. There’s a whole slew of out takes, quite a lot of instrumental tracks that were really decent music in their own right. As a fan, myself, I’m fairly reliable when it comes to quality control. I don’t like when I get a load of crap from my favourite band stuck on the end of the CD. But I’m really happy when I hear great alternative takes and demos that are a good valid listen. I’ve assumed the role in the band of the custodian, I guess, which happened mostly when I remastered all the catalogue. That was a bit of a legal and technical and political battle. I would have been happy to have done a decent job of the remaining tracks, like the original take of There Is a Light (That Never Goes Out) before I put the strings on that really holds up as almost an unplugged version, the instrumental versions of William I Was Really Nothing and Please Please Please (Let Me Get What I Want), those kinds of things. As usual with the Smiths there was a fair amount of bullsh — in the background and people being difficult with the result that it ended up being leaked. Fans got a fairly substandard version of it. It’s a shame but nothing changes very much.
Morrissey said there’s a cover of Elvis’ A Fool Such as I the Smiths recorded in their final days. Does that exist?
Yeah. It’s a good job no one’s heard it. I never liked the song in the first place. I love Elvis, but that really wasn’t one of his better tunes.
What do you think of Morrissey’s solo material?
I’ve really never heard it, that’s the truth. There’s so much music out there. I’m forever playing catch up. I try to avoid being that guy who’s manically trying to keep up to date with every new band who’s around for two months. I’ve always been someone, one way or another, gets to hear the good stuff that’s knocking around. That’s a long way away from sitting down morbidly listening to what my ex partner is doing musically. That seems a little mawkish to me. I don’t really have an opinion on it. I remember years and years ago it sounded like my sound, that was a little weird. I don’t know what has happened in the last 20 years with his sound.
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