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"20 questions with… Laura Dean"
Which artist has had the biggest impact on your life?
Johnny Marr. I’ve been listening to him since I was about 14/15, when my Uncle gave me a copy of The Queen is Dead by the Smiths, followed by a tonne of guitar magazines about his work in Electronic. Everybody has their favourite artists, but I do think it’s quite rare to find an artist where you genuinely like everything they’ve done – it’s interesting to think about really as I’m 32 now, so associate different parts of my life with what he was up to career-wise at the time.
Aside from the above and the fact that I’ve met a lot of my friends at his shows, I’d say that his lyrics have also contributed to him having a big impact on my life. There have been several occasions where he’s released a track that I’ve instantly connected with – whether they’ve reminded me of somebody close to me, or they’ve just perfectly synced up with what’s going on in my life at the time.
What’s the most disappointing show that you’ve attended?
I went to see Morrissey in 2009 at what’s now the M&S Bank Arena. After one song, somebody in the crowd threw a pint at him – he walked off and didn’t come back. We did get a full refund though, so technically we heard ‘This Charming Man’ for free.
Which artist have you seen the most?
Johnny Marr – his recent show in Wrexham was my sixtieth time seeing him, but every show feels like my first.
Do you have a favourite collaboration?
I love New York Dolls and caught them live a few times when Steve Conte was with them. Steve’s one of my favourite guitarists and I’ve followed him ever since, so I was delighted when he released a track titled ‘Gimme Gimme Rockaway’ – featuring Clem Burke and the late great, Andy Rourke. A triple whammy of greatness! It deserved greater recognition than it got.
Have you met any musicians? If so, what was your favourite encounter?
I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a fair few musicians that I admire over the years. I can’t pinpoint a favourite encounter, but I can certainly pinpoint a favourite person – and that’s Johnny Marr, who I met for the first time when he launched his solo career in 2013. I’ve lost count of the amount of times that I’ve met him since, which I certainly don’t take for granted. A genuinely lovely person who has a lot of time for his fans, he’s everything you hope your hero would be.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of God is in the TV, we thought it’d be nice to put our writers in the spotlight to chat about their favourite albums, memorable shows and more.
www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk
FWD.