Johnny Marr has revealed the "brilliant answer" he received from Sir Paul McCartney when they discussed the break-up of music bands. The guitarist, 62, was part of The Smiths alongside Morrissey, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce before the band split in 1987 after five years of releasing tracks such as How Soon Is Now? and This Charming Man.
Marr recalled meeting McCartney, 84, and his then-wife Linda around the time of The Smiths' breakup. He told MOJO: "Linda was so generous as a person, she was asking me all about my life. And he was sat there so I just told him about the break-up of the band. I looked to him and waited, and he just said, ‘That’s bands for you.’ It’s such a brilliant answer coming from him. Over the years, I’ve been asked to give advice. There is just a time to say, ‘That’s bands for you.'"
Career After The Smiths
Johnny, who has released four solo albums and is due to release The Age of Everything in October, thanked those who helped him after The Smiths. He said: "I just have to give credit to the people I was working with – [The The’s] Matt Johnson is one of my closest friends to this day. Bernard Sumner and Chrissie Hynde – that collection of people. Because I get very tight with people, you know. If you’re looking at it like a CV it seems to be flitting around a lot, but I know when I’ve got a good job – playing with Bryan Ferry and turning up on his records. There’s a time to not look too deeply at stuff."
As part of The Smiths, Marr was a pioneer of British indie rock in the 1980s. The band released four critically acclaimed studio albums — The Smiths (1984), Meat Is Murder (1985), The Queen Is Dead (1986), and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) — before breaking up in 1987. They achieved three UK top 10 singles and were best known for songs such as How Soon Is Now?, This Charming Man and Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. Marr launched his solo career with the 2013 album The Messenger, with all of his solo albums charting in the UK top 10.
Guitar Auction
Earlier this year, Johnny announced he would auction off 80 guitars, including ones he used to write classic songs. The instruments will go under the hammer at Christie's in a sale called Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection on September 17. They include a Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo featured on the cover of Oasis's debut single Supersonic, as well as guitars used by Marr to write legendary songs by The Smiths and on his upcoming solo album The Age Of Everything.
Marr said: "I have loved guitars for as long as I can remember, since the first one I got at the age of five. Each guitar I have acquired over the past 50 years or so has helped me evolve as a musician, bringing new songs, new sounds and techniques. Writing Marr's Guitars in 2023 gave me the perfect excuse to bring all of these instruments together, to tell their stories, revisit the songs, shows and unforgettable moments they've brought me, and that I've shared with remarkable people in studios and on stages around the world. The book turned out to be a cathartic experience and when it was time for these beautiful instruments to go back into storage, I couldn't imagine them being put away and left unplayed."
He added: "It's bittersweet to be parting with these guitars but I want them to go to new homes and new people who will love them as much as I have. I hope they bring as much joy, inspiration and fun - and new songs - as they have given me."
The sale will also include his 1960 Cherry Red Gibson ES-355, which inspired him to write Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, and his recognisable 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo, used throughout the recording of The Smiths' debut album and early tours. The Gibson ES-355 was purchased for him in 1983 by Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, after Marr joked The Smiths would sign to the label if Stein bought him a new guitar, and is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000.
The Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo can be heard on songs such as What Difference Does It Make? and This Charming Man, and is expected to fetch between £60,000 and £80,000. It also featured on the cover of Oasis's debut single Supersonic after Marr lent the guitar to Noel Gallagher during early recording sessions for Definitely Maybe. Also included is Marr's Cherry 1984 Gibson Les Paul Standard, bought for The Smiths' second album Meat Is Murder (1985) and used on the 1985 tour and the final song of their last ever concert in December 1986.
