Johnny Marr: Half and Half

Johnny Marr has rightfully earned his reputation as one of the most influential British guitarists of the last three decades. After a storied career that kicked off with revered British rock band The Smiths and continued with stints in the The, Electronica, Modest Mouse and the Cribs, Marr continues to push boundaries. The guitarist has tried his hand at producing, worked as a studio musician for artists like Beck, Oasis and Talking Heads, collaborated on soundtracks for Inception and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and designed a signature Fender Jaguar. Last year, he released The Messenger, his first solo album, which he quickly followed up with 2014’s Playland. We chatted with Marr about working as a solo artist for the first time, his own musical heroes and his most cherished guitars.

Tell us about Playland. How is it different from the other stuff you’ve released?

Playland is the follow-up to the first solo record I did about a year ago, The Messenger. I think both of those records are from the same kind of inspiration, which is exactly what I wanted to do on the second record. I didn’t think it was necessary to completely re-invent myself or go off on some crazy tangent. The Messenger was a new thing for a lot of people, with me singing and playing with new musicians. We have our own sound. I think I’ve developed it. What I’m doing now with my solo band is half everything I’ve done with the The and Modest Mouse and The Smiths and half my own thing. At least I hope that’s how it comes across.

What do you hope to accomplish with your solo work that you may not have been able to accomplish in your group projects?

I think it’s completely different because I’m writing all the lyrics, so I’m expressing myself very differently. Everyone has their own lyrical style, and my titles aren’t like any of The Smiths titles or Modest Mouse titles or anything like that, so that’s pretty satisfying for me. They’re my words and my concepts. And I’ve got a band who are really, really good and I don’t think we sound like anybody else around at the moment. I wanted to be a great live band so people have a great time when they come out to see us. It’s something to be proud of and be ambitious about. I’ve been around a while. It’s nice to have some ambitions!

Do you do any co-writing these days or are you mostly working on material by yourself?

On my solo stuff, I write it all. I do work with my co-producer, who I take out in the band with me. You can’t do everything yourself in the studio. It would be pretty boring. I’ve been a collaborator for years now. I’ve written songs with Billy Bragg and Matt Johnson and people outside of The Smiths and the other bands that I’ve been in. I wrote a few songs with Pharrell Williams last year. I’ve been working on a couple of movie soundtracks in the last few years, and I’ve been working with Hans Zimmer, who is an incredible musician. I’ve always been fortunate enough to be invited to work with people who I’m a fan of.

Which guitars are you playing on the road right now?

I’m pretty much exclusively playing my own signature Fender Jaguar. To be able to design your own custom guitar for Fender that has your name on it is an incredible honor. I put three or four years of real obsession and dedication into it. The guitar’s been really popular, so that’s been amazing, but it’s also very handy. It’s the perfect guitar for me. It’s right for my sound and my style. I wouldn’t change a thing on it. It’s pretty hardworking. Nothing is falling off or breaking, which is one of the things that I wanted to fix about the original Jaguar. Making my Jaguar robust and making sure it does a decent job on the road was a big part of the original idea for it. Normally I’d have to take several other guitars out on the road to get the same thing I get out of my Jag, so that’s great.

Do you think your style has changed as you’ve played different guitars over the years, even though your tone has stayed pretty consistent?

I think I’m doing new things that I haven’t done before, but I think what people know me for is still there with me. When I joined the The, my guitar playing was bumped several levels because I was being challenged to do different things. That was probably the most unique experience for me as a guitar player. I think I got my technique really honed to a certain point when I was in Modest Mouse because I had a lot of things I could draw on.

However, if I ever got to the place in my life where I felt like I wasn’t progressing or learning new stuff I would actually stop performing and just practice all the time. I look at the guitar and my relationship with the guitar as where I came into this life. I would hate if that got boring. There are always new things to learn and I am always inspired by different guitar players, past and present.

Did Morrissey ever micro-manage your guitar work or your tone when you were in The Smiths, or were you allowed to do your own thing?

The demarcation from day one was that I did the music and Morrissey did the words, and we always admired what each other did. It was a good arrangement. I never got in his words and he never got in my guitar.

Do you listen to a lot of different genres of music to pick up techniques?

I listen to a lot of different genres of music anyway, although over the last few years I’ve been a bit burnt out on slow music. If it’s slow, it has to be really tense. Working on movie soundtracks has given me a chance to play some really dramatic music. I like music that’s high tempo and has some adrenaline in it. I don’t know if that’s a phase or not, but that’s what I’m listening to right now.

When I think of my favorite guitar players, they’re all pretty diverse. That reminds me that there are always new places to go. I’ve always loved James Williamson of The Stooges. I love Nile Rodgers from Chic and the guys from Fugazi. I also like Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Do you have any guitars that you’re sentimental about?

The Rickenbacker that I bought with my first publishing check is really special to me. I wrote a lot of songs on it and I’ve really got an affection for it. There’s a red Gibson ES-355 that I played back in the day, too, that a lot of people really like. I get asked about that one a lot. I also have a Les Paul Standard that I used on loads of Smiths records. It was a big part of the sound. Those guitars have a lot of value to me. I played a ’60s Martin D-28 and a D-35, and both of those guitars have got amazing stories. I’ve had guitars since I was a little boy, little toy ones, and they’ve changed my life. They’ve given me a life. They’re kind of beyond mystical to me. At the same time, I like that I still recognize that they’re a machine to make something with.