Johnny Marr interview by Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian; extract from memoir

It's a big, wide-ranging interview and the book extract is revealing. Tons of stuff to interest folk here. Should have it up within an hour or two, when I get back.

**EDIT** Here we go. Don't say I never give you anything. I find the last page the most revealing and interesting.

**FURTHER EDIT** - weblink here...

Johnny Marr: ‘The conversation about re-forming the Smiths came out of the blue' - The Guardian
By Simon Hattenstone
It’s 29 years since the Smiths split up, and founding member Johnny Marr isn’t angry any more. So what happened when he and Morrissey met for a drink?

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Media coverage:

• Johnny Marr reveals he met with Morrissey to discuss reforming The Smiths - Manchester Evening News. Link posted by Famous when dead.
• Johnny Marr opens up about the reasons behind The Smiths’ split - NME. Link from Rene.
• Marr: The Smiths almost re-formed in 2008 - BBC News
  
• Johnny Marr Reveals Morrissey Talked Smiths Reunion in 2008 - Rolling Stone
  

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[Anonymous]

Spot on ! If Steve and Johnny ever agree to reform The Smiths they're gonna have to grow a pair of bollocks because if there's no Joyce it's not The Smiths.

Benny-the-British-Butcher

90% The Smiths without Joyce

 

[Anonymous]

Morrissey and Johnny still look good. Andy and Mike look sooo old. Who wants to see two old guys on stage? Shirtless hot guy on drums and bass.

 

[Anonymous]

Spot on ! If Steve and Johnny ever agree to reform The Smiths they're gonna have to grow a pair of bollocks because if there's no Joyce it's not The Smiths.

Benny-the-British-Butcher

No-one really gives a shit whether Joyce Michael is there or not. The promoters said all they need is for Mo and Marr to be signed up. It doesn't even have to be called the Smiths. 'Morrissey' is more of a household name these days than the Smiths, anyway (Morrissey = 17 million search results on Google, The Smiths = 7 million).

 

[Cornflakes]

Not sure if it would fly legally or not, but "90% of The Smiths" would be a decent band name to put on the posters.

 

[Anonymous]

No-one really gives a shit whether Joyce Michael is there or not. The promoters said all they need is for Mo and Marr to be signed up. It doesn't even have to be called the Smiths. 'Morrissey' is more of a household name these days than the Smiths, anyway (Morrissey = 17 million search results on Google, The Smiths = 7 million).

So just replace Jesse Tobias with Johnny Marr, problem solved !

 

[Anonymous]

Am I the only one who wouldn't want a Smiths reunion?

I wouldn't want them to become some sort of nostalgia act, and I'm afraid if they recorded new material together that it would turn out anticlimactic - like when Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler got back together and made the underwhelming "Here Come the Tears". Either way, I think I would be disappointed.

I want to remember The Smiths the way they were.

Also, what a decent, likeable person Johnny Marr is.

NO, you are not. I share the same view. I mean, all groups have an expiration date.

 

[countthree]

Johnny made it sound like replacing Joyce wouldn't be to difficult either.

In fact, Morrissey replaced all of them.

 

[Quando quando quando]

Not sure if it would fly legally or not, but "90% of The Smiths" would be a decent band name to put on the posters.

Yes. But hasn't legally and jurisdictionally and oh so democratically been decided by Judge Weeks that it should be 75 % ?
In that case I'd rather have 25 % of that figure, that 25% being Moz.
He could use that name: 25 % Smiths.
Or Morrissey and the lawnmowers.
Wouldn't make any difference to me.
Would go to his concerts and buying his albums.

 

[Anonymous]

Good God, 8 years have passed since then. Many bad things have happened. Besides, maybe Marr took all this reunion talk in the pub too serious. How do we know? Maybe Moz lived with the thought for a few days before saying "What the hell was I thinking?" Maybe 2008 wasn't a good year for him. Jerry Finn died, Alain Whyte contributed his last songs, Mikey Farrell was gone ("Mikey complicated my thoughts for a long way to come"), first health problems occured. We will never know.

I agree with my mate ,
"8 years have passed and what's Morrissey achieved , He has all but ruined his own legacy. He has released one "Alright " LP which the wider world doesn't care about. . He's been used by various people including Jessie Burrito, Grandma Kristeen, Toenail Viscunti his ex PA , even now his Gary Barlow lookalike nephew San Etsy Nowhere. What does blob boorer do? Nothing have a beer uncaring , desperately holding on to his meal ticket
Johnny wouldn't have let ttus happen . Too smart . Too with it
If johnny would have been on board , there would have been possibly two studio lps , maybe a live one. Morrissey would have at last had music to excite him . Music to make the concepts remarkable . In stead we are stuck with another year , another Going through the motions tour .
Well done on Marr for mentioning the booze. Probably marr is worried . He knows the score . Morrissey's band just let him get drunk and mock him.
With marr Morrissey had an equal not a bunch of runts
The only real people to ever care about him were his mum , Linder, Johnny , Angie ..
Maybe, just maybe Morrissey is reluctant because he knows he will be challenged, because he can't deal with the emotions of wasted love .
It's a shame , a sham" .

 

[Anonymous]

No-one really gives a shit whether Joyce Michael is there or not. The promoters said all they need is for Mo and Marr to be signed up. It doesn't even have to be called the Smiths. 'Morrissey' is more of a household name these days than the Smiths, anyway (Morrissey = 17 million search results on Google, The Smiths = 7 million).

From a promoter's point-of-view, the economic difference between reforming the Smiths and sort-of-nearly reforming the Smiths is going to be pretty massive.

 

[Anonymous]

You can say all the shit you want but at the end of the day if Mike Joyce is not in the line up I'm sorry but it's NOT THE 4ckinq SMITHS !
Call it what you want but it can't be called The Smiths you stupid thick as 4ck bot Mother4ckin 4ck tard 4ckin half-wits !
"90% The Smiths" ! Do me a favour and rest your head on a high speed rail line and let's hope the trains are running on time !

Benny-the-British-Butcher

 

[countthree]

Two great photos that I, for one, had never seen before...

As for The Smiths reuniting...very nice, very nice, but maybe in the next world.

In these and other photos of M&M there is so much body language expressing something nobody dares to say. Except, maybe, some lyrics. The silence is amazingly weird when those untold words could explain what happened then and what is the real thing now. Nothing out of this human world.

 

[Quando quando quando]

In these and other photos of M&M there is so much body language expressing something nobody dares to say. Except, maybe, some lyrics. The silence is amazingly weird when those untold words could explain what happened then and what is the real thing now. Nothing out of this human world.

M&M 's? Hmmm, but without the green ones, of course!

 

[Anonymous]

You can say all the shit you want but at the end of the day if Mike Joyce is not in the line up I'm sorry but it's NOT THE 4ckinq SMITHS !
Call it what you want but it can't be called The Smiths you stupid thick as 4ck bot Mother4ckin 4ck tard 4ckin half-wits !
"90% The Smiths" ! Do me a favour and rest your head on a high speed rail line and let's hope the trains are running on time !

Benny-the-British-Butcher

Mike could form a new band 10% Smiths

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with my mate ,
"8 years have passed and what's Morrissey achieved , He has all but ruined his own legacy. He has released one "Alright " LP which the wider world doesn't care about. . He's been used by various people including Jessie Burrito, Grandma Kristeen, Toenail Viscunti his ex PA , even now his Gary Barlow lookalike nephew San Etsy Nowhere. What does blob boorer do? Nothing have a beer uncaring , desperately holding on to his meal ticket
Johnny wouldn't have let ttus happen . Too smart . Too with it
If johnny would have been on board , there would have been possibly two studio lps , maybe a live one. Morrissey would have at last had music to excite him . Music to make the concepts remarkable . In stead we are stuck with another year , another Going through the motions tour .
Well done on Marr for mentioning the booze. Probably marr is worried . He knows the score . Morrissey's band just let him get drunk and mock him.
With marr Morrissey had an equal not a bunch of runts
The only real people to ever care about him were his mum , Linder, Johnny , Angie ..
Maybe, just maybe Morrissey is reluctant because he knows he will be challenged, because he can't deal with the emotions of wasted love .
It's a shame , a sham" .

Seems silly. Didn't world peace, with all of that drama surrounding it, chart higher than the messenger. If that album is hardly known and alright is the messenger then obscure

 

[tyronepowebottom]

In these and other photos of M&M there is so much body language expressing something nobody dares to say. Except, maybe, some lyrics. The silence is amazingly weird when those untold words could explain what happened then and what is the real thing now. Nothing out of this human world.

what do you mean? i'm just curious, that's all

 

[Anonymous]

In 2006, Morrissey declared, "I would rather eat my own testicles than reform the Smiths, and that's saying something for a vegetarian."

He must have been talking bollocks if 2 years later he was considering a reunion.

 

[Quando quando quando]

It's a big, wide-ranging interview and the book extract is revealing. Tons of stuff to interest folk here. Should have it up within an hour or two, when I get back.

**EDIT** Here we go. Don't say I never give you anything. I find the last page the most revealing and interesting.

**FURTHER EDIT** - weblink here...

Johnny Marr: ‘The conversation about re-forming the Smiths came out of the blue' - The Guardian
By Simon Hattenstone
It’s 29 years since the Smiths split up, and founding member Johnny Marr isn’t angry any more. So what happened when he and Morrissey met for a drink?

---

Media coverage:

• Johnny Marr reveals he met with Morrissey to discuss reforming The Smiths - Manchester Evening News. Link posted by Famous when dead.
• Johnny Marr opens up about the reasons behind The Smiths’ split - NME. Link from Rene.
• Marr: The Smiths almost re-formed in 2008 - BBC News
  
• Johnny Marr Reveals Morrissey Talked Smiths Reunion in 2008 - Rolling Stone

---

The term being used as headline here is memoir.
Is that the correct name for an autobiography of a person still alive?
I thought memoir was being used for autobiographies of persons deceased. Not sure though.
English is not my first language.

 

[Quando quando quando]

In 2006, Morrissey declared, "I would rather eat my own testicles than reform the Smiths, and that's saying something for a vegetarian."

He must have been talking bollocks if 2 years later he was considering a reunion.

Which isn't completely unlikely of course.
I don't blame him.
Everybody has the right to talk bollocks and Moz too.
Funny though, talking bollocks about his own testicles.
And he would be eating meat!

 

[Anonymous]

Well done on Marr for mentioning the booze. Probably marr is worried . He knows the score . Morrissey's band just let him get drunk and mock him.

Morrissey being drunk all the time might well explain why he thinks 'World Peace' is superior to the entire output of The Smiths.