"Johnny Marr says The Smiths had a “blind spot” of being obsessed with media and notoriety" - NME (July 5, 2021)

shoplifterromo sends the link:

Johnny Marr says The Smiths had a "blind spot" of being obsessed with media and notoriety

Johnny Marr has reflected on his time in The Smiths, admitting the seminal band had a "blind spot" of being obsessed with media and notoriety

www.nme.com

"Particularly one certain member of the group"

Excerpt:

Speaking to Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for the new BBC Radio 4 series The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Marr said that the band could have done with “less” coverage at the height of their 1980s fame.

Discussing how it became their blind spot, Marr said: “I was in a very very big ‘music press’ band, which now I’m older I think we could’ve done with less of that.

“I wouldn’t say it was our downfall but I think it was a blind spot of The Smiths, being so occupied with the media and notoriety – particularly one certain member of the group. I think that could’ve been dialled down a bit and would’ve helped the group out.”

---

Related item:

• Radio 4: Johnny Marr to guest on 'The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed' (episode airs July 3, 2021)

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

"Particularly one certain member of the group"

could be Johnny a little jealous that the music press wasn’t breaking down his door to
pick his brain and heart ?



“I wouldn’t say it was our downfall but I think it was a blind spot of The Smiths, being so occupied with the media and notoriety – particularly one certain member of the group.

I think that could’ve been dialled down a bit and would’ve helped the group out.”

Does Johnny elaborate on how he thinks it would have helped?

 

[Mr David smith]

"Particularly one certain member of the group"

could be Johnny a little jealous that the music press wasn’t breaking down his door to
pick his brain and heart ?



“I wouldn’t say it was our downfall but I think it was a blind spot of The Smiths, being so occupied with the media and notoriety – particularly one certain member of the group.

I think that could’ve been dialled down a bit and would’ve helped the group out.”

Does Johnny elaborate on how he thinks it would have helped?

Very well said ...very well put ..

 

[T. H. Auden]

Yes, it could have given them more time to focus on the music and the creative process.

 

[GirlAfraidWillNeverLearn]

Lol.

The 'image' Morrissey created for The Smiths, along with their aesthetic and the message he conveyed in interviews and lyrics are the main reason The Smiths are still relevant today and still appeal to younger people.

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

Yes, it could have given them more time to focus on the music and the creative process.

can’t tell if this is sarcasm.


Anyway, if the press was taking up anyone’s time, then it was Morrissey’s.
Marr and company were freed up even more to be as creative as they wanted.

So why is Marr complaining? Maybe because it was making them too popular, and this added more stress to the duties that wrongfully fell in Marr’s hands?

It is Morrissey that took up the burden and pleasure of promoting the band where Rough Trade’s wasn’t much in comparison.

 

[Tranny Rex]

shoplifterromo sends the link:

Johnny Marr says The Smiths had a "blind spot" of being obsessed with media and notoriety

Johnny Marr has reflected on his time in The Smiths, admitting the seminal band had a "blind spot" of being obsessed with media and notoriety

www.nme.com

"Particularly one certain member of the group"

Excerpt:

Speaking to Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for the new BBC Radio 4 series The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Marr said that the band could have done with “less” coverage at the height of their 1980s fame.

Discussing how it became their blind spot, Marr said: “I was in a very very big ‘music press’ band, which now I’m older I think we could’ve done with less of that.

“I wouldn’t say it was our downfall but I think it was a blind spot of The Smiths, being so occupied with the media and notoriety – particularly one certain member of the group. I think that could’ve been dialled down a bit and would’ve helped the group out.”

---

Related item:

• Radio 4: Johnny Marr to guest on 'The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed' (episode airs July 3, 2021)

Johnny "I'll throw stones 'cause M doesn wont work with me" Marr

If not for M , the smiths would have just been a run of the mill , Noel G type indie band ,.

 

[Famous when dead]

At the time: beads, quiffs, gladioli & NHS specs were in far more demand than Brian Jones / Stu Sutcliffe / Byrds haircuts - that's about it really.
The rest came from the music itself IMHO.
I read the press religiously, but the connection I felt on hearing albums & live performances is what fueled my following them - not lots of witty ripostes in magazines / on TV.
Not forgetting they were actually quite prolific tourers and the albums were great - what exactly would have been the 'help' the group gained if things were "dialed down"?
FWD.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, The Smiths would have been so much better if Morrissey hadn't been Morrissey.

This guy is almost as self-delusional as Brian May. The next thing we know, him and Andy will be going out on tour with Adam Lambert.

 

[BookishBoy]

This bit struck me as bizarre when I listened to the Armitage interview, right away. Just such a weird thing for Marr to say, that it would have "helped the group out" if Morrissey hadn't been so outspoken and charismatic. I can understand the urge for Marr to want to re-write history, given how toxic Morrissey's brand is nowadays for a lot of people, but Johnny could quietly turn that to his advantage - if he wanted to - without resorting to this kind of bollocks.

 

[Trans]

Yeah marr didnt do that many interviews so I don’t know what exactly it’s taking out of him unless he just felt boxed in and his image out of his control maybe. He even stated in an interview around the time of the messenger that he had new appreciation for Morrisseys interview skills and endurance after he started doing his own for promotion. Feels like he’s saying it would’ve been better for morrissey and his ego which would’ve been better for the group

 

[Moz Fan]

Lol.

The 'image' Morrissey created for The Smiths, along with their aesthetic and the message he conveyed in interviews and lyrics are the main reason The Smiths are still relevant today and still appeal to younger people.

Exactly.

And JM knows it.

But, of course, he has to keep on blaming Moz for "making" things so hard for him that he had no alternative but to quit the band.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, it could have given them more time to focus on the music and the creative process.

I think that is what he is saying. There was too much energy put towards doing press and creating controversies that took away from the band. The blowback that came from some of what Morrissey said in the press affected the whole band.

 

[Anonymous]

Exactly.

And JM knows it.

But, of course, he has to keep on blaming Moz for "making" things so hard for him that he had no alternative but to quit the band.

Why else would someone quit a band at the height of their fame unless it was unbearable?

 

[Vegan. Cro. Spirit. 444]

the media is hounding
who gives snoozefest interviews to every mediocre blog in existence

>

 

[Trans]

I think that is what he is saying. There was too much energy put towards doing press and creating controversies that took away from the band. The blowback that came from some of what Morrissey said in the press affected the whole band.

wasn’t marr trying to work with other artists around the time of the split. Weird if he was and at the same time concerned about bad interviews taking away and creative time

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

I think that is what he is saying. There was too much energy put towards doing press and creating controversies that took away from the band.

But it’s Morrissey putting energy towards press, not the band. They were free of it.

The blowback that came from some of what Morrissey said in the press affected the whole band.

What blowback? More popularity?
More money ?

 

[Vegan. Cro. Spirit. 444]

the only good part of
interview is when he picks up the
and plays a moz song completely out
of tune wrong chords, and the dumb blogger gets all impressed

 

[Sister I'm a Poet]

Why all the Johnny bashing?! The Smiths were Morrissey and Marr. A perfect partnership. The reason the band broke up is all the stress that Marr was in trying to be in charge of the music AND the management of the Smiths. If they worried less about the press and trying to manage themselves, and if Morrissey wasn't complaining all the time about promotion and chart position, they would have been happier and might have stayed together to record another album or two.

 

[Anonymous]

Why all the Johnny bashing?! The Smiths were Morrissey and Marr. A perfect partnership. The reason the band broke up is all the stress that Marr was in trying to be in charge of the music AND the management of the Smiths. If they worried less about the press and trying to manage themselves, and if Morrissey wasn't complaining all the time about promotion and chart position, they would have been happier and might have stayed together to record another album or two.

Yes, exactly! And Morrissey kept firing all the managers, because they got too close to Johnny? Because they weren't worth the 10%? Well that was a serious miscalculation.