Guy Raz YT: "Why The Smiths' legend Johnny Marr still practices every day" (October 17, 2023)

 

[Juan Dulces]

Johnny must have the patience of a saint. He's still being asked about his relationship with Morrissey even though they haven't been friends for 36 years.

They were in a band for five years. They made some of the greatest songs of all time, but then they fell out and the band came to an end. No, there has been no resumption of the friendship. And no, there is no possibility of them working together again.

This has been covered time and time and time again. If I was interviewing Johnny, I simply wouldn't ask him any of these things. We know the answers already.

If Lennon was still alive, they would ask Paul about things like that all the time. Also, Johnny was the one who left the group first.

It doesn't quite shine the proper light on what the man is doing musically NOW if someone always brings up The Smiths/Morrissey in those same ways. So, I can see both sides of it. And in this interview, it was about Morrissey in a personal way. Maybe they could've asked more about Marr's buddy Andy, if you want to get 'personal'.

 

[TheSmiths_1985]

The interviewer was bloody awful.

 

[Juan Dulces]

Marr is great! A very special musician.

 

[Surface]

Yep, and there's plenty of articles just this month about Marr.

He's also been on Times Radio today, he's on Jools Holland this Saturday night and on the Radio 2 A list for airplay.

 

[Les Tameside]

If Lennon was still alive, they would ask Paul about things like that all the time. Also, Johnny was the one who left the group first.

It doesn't quite shine the proper light on what the man is doing musically NOW if someone always brings up The Smiths/Morrissey in those same ways. So, I can see both sides of it. And in this interview, it was about Morrissey in a personal way. Maybe they could've asked more about Marr's buddy Andy, if you want to get 'personal'.

Johnny didn’t leave the group, as such. He informed the band he was in need of a break. An ‘insider’ then told the press Marr had left the group; the news was reported back to Marr who (likely) felt this to be more of the exhausting problem—and so he took his cue, and agreed.

That’s how I understood the story.

 

[Juan Dulces]

Johnny didn’t leave the group, as such. He informed the band he was in need of a break. An ‘insider’ then told the press Marr had left the group; the news was reported back to Marr who (likely) felt this to be more of the exhausting problem—and so he took his cue, and agreed.

That’s how I understood the story.

Sure, but Johnny certainly left the group. Remember Ivor Perry?

If either Johnny or Morrissey had left the band they couldn't have continued The Smiths. That's what ended up happening.

 

[Les Tameside]

Sure, but Johnny certainly left the group. Remember Ivor Perry?

Well yes. But someone made the decision for him—it’s not entirely correct to identify him as culpable. Let’s say, after years of being the adult in the room, someone had seized an opportunity to make him look volatile. He then did the only thing an adult could.

 

[Anonymous]

Johnny must have the patience of a saint. He's still being asked about his relationship with Morrissey even though they haven't been friends for 36 years.

Yeah, I don't think the 'it doesn't matter' comment was a dig, just the fact that Johnny has had 36 years to psychologically get over the split, and I think both of them must - by now - surely be over it.

If people kept bringing up an old girlfriend I'd split with 36 years ago and asking if I wanted to get back together with them I'd say the same thing.