is ready to wipe the slate clean. The guitarist’s guitarist, he’s played on some of British music’s defining records of the past forty years, but he’s never wanted to be weighed down by the past. New album ‘The Age Of Everything’ for example, is perhaps the strongest yet of his late career arc, blending his instantly recognisable sound with fresh elements.
So he’s moving on in the most distinct way possible – he’s selling off some of his precious guitars, instruments used on iconic recordings by , , THE THE, , and more.”I am looking forward to to putting a lot of that stuff in the rearview mirror,” he tells CLASH.
We’re seated in the Camden offices of his management company, and he’s completely at ease. The bulk of his new album was penned in London, and recent shows have included a landmark solo evening at Manchester’s huge Castlefield Bowl.
The recent auction, it seems, has opened up spaces in Marr’s imagination that he never knew were there. “It is a freeing up, yeah. I don’t want to be a museum,” he says. “I’m very grateful to have had those guitars. Back in the early Smiths days, every bit of money I made, I’d just buy a guitar, a pair of sunglasses, and a big bag of pot!”
“Since I’m a working class Mancunian kid, I’d set myself the task of writing a new single on it, or a new song, to justify buying that guitar. Plus, they weren’t ‘vintage’ guitars back then – they were just old, beat-up guitars,” he laughs.
That working class sense of commitment to the cause has never left him. Gradually growing into the role of solo artist, Johnny Marr’s current run of solo shows are the biggest of his career, while ‘The Age Of Everything’ ranks as his most confident and assured vocal performance to date. “A lot of that is to just with just playing and singing at hundreds of gigs,” he notes. “I know it’s obvious, but that does make you a better singer.”
“Another thing on this album as well is that I really worked on the melodies and reworked and reworked them. I wanted every second of it to be correct.”
‘The Age Of Everything’ was honed on the road, with the songwriter dropping new material into his mammoth career-spanning setlists. “The main thing that makes this record different from the others is that I played almost every song on tour for months beforehand. Everybody knows that makes your songs better, it makes your arrangement better.”
“Once I decided that I was going to do that on this album, that’s what I did. It meant that when me and the band came to record the record, we recorded all the tracks as a band playing in the room together… how’s that for a concept?”
He adds with a shrug: “It really is the sound of me and my band playing in a room… without being held up with too many bells and whistles.”
Ever the gentleman, Johnny Marr’s current press run has triggered a wave of acclaim on social media, with fans remarking at his confident, easy-going, and frequently funny nature. That’s him at ease, however – Johnny Marr in the studio, in his creative element, is another story entirely.
“There’s a job to be done and they take it seriously when I’m in there,” he nod. “I guess from the outside it looks very driven and very disciplined. Although I draw the line and any sort of mania!”
“Being a band leader is a very specific job. There’s certain responsibilities. There’s a discipline to it,” he says. “There’s a difference between wearing yourself down and burning yourself out. I start getting bored if things are just too slow.”
“I’m passionate about it, and I know when I’m onto something,” Johnny continues. “I think purposeful is probably the word. I went into that record with a sense of purpose, not necessarily a hard deadline. But I have a sort of internal clock that says… time to write a new record.”
And it’s a tremendous record. ‘The Age Of Everything’ can be punchy at times, and subversive at others; Johnny Marr can wear his heart on his sleeve as a lyricist, but it’s never cloying. Years spent in the company of Morrissey and Matt Johnson undoubtedly leaves its impact, when it comes to using words as an instrument.
“With all my words, I tend to make the presumption that most of my audience are kind of feeling along the same lines as I am, really. One of the interesting things about pop music – as I refer to it – is that you can get these serious concerns all wrapped up in what is seemingly quite a trite little four-minute listen.”
As a musician, Johnny Marr has never stood still. Whether it’s working on a Bond theme with Hans Zimmer and Billie Eilish or his role on the recent album, he’s built up perhaps the broadest CV in British music.
“I’ve been so fortunate over all the years to work with the people that I’ve worked with,” he notes. “That’s always been a real privilege… to be invited to make your mark and bring your voice to something. Maturity has helped me to understand what it is people want me to bring to it now that there’s less youthful static running around my brain.”
“Damon Albarn is always chasing excellence,” he adds. “And the concept of the new Gorillaz record – Eastern philosophy, Eastern life and culture – is very close to my heart. It’s so inspiring to be around people who are doing that; who are pushing themselves and trying to do something.”
The past still lingers, however. Later this year a Rough Trade box set will be released, celebrating the label’s crucial 80s run. The Smiths – naturally – are included, with ‘The Headmaster Ritual’, previously only available as a seven inch in the Netherlands, given its first ever UK issue, with artwork handled by Morrissey and some warm words from Johnny Marr.
“To me it was a no-brainer. I just wanted to show respect to Rough Trade and join in out of respect to the label and out of respect to the legacy of the band. I wanted us to be included.”
“As more and more time goes on, I think that the ethos of not only Rough Trade but Factory and Mute and Cherry Red and all the independent record labels of that time are more and more noble and admirable to look back on.”
“I’m so pleased that my early days of making records and my apprenticeship, if you like, was part of the Rough Trade family. Being on that label is perfect.”
Looking back, Johnny Marr’s shock departure from The Smiths in 1987 is simply the first in a number of artistic pivots and about-turns – he’s never been one to sit still, whether that’s his work alongside The Pretenders and Modest Mouse, or his superb solo run.
“It’s really artistic impulse,” he says. “As a musician, I’ve been in a lot of bands. And on one level, it looks like a serial leaver of bands… well, for a start, I’m a serial of bands. So let’s get that right!”
“It’s never a career thing,” he says. “It’s never a business decision. It’s a sort of creative instinct. The idea of being in the same group for 40 years… I see the value in that, but I just can’t imagine it. I just can’t see myself doing that!”
‘The Age Of Everything’ is out now. Johnny Marr will play OVO Wembley Arena on October 24th.