Download - Morrissey and Johnny Marr Quotes
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8/13/2019 Morrissey and Johnny Marr Quotes
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About today's Corrie:
"I don't understand how all those people could live in a small street and all those
people could go into a pub every single night and none of them have cars. I mean, can
you name one street on the planet that you can go down now which isn't chock a
block with cars"
Do you need a label to put out an album?
"I'm old fashioned. I want to be institutionalised. I want to be behind the bars.
I don't want to do anything, and I don't want to join a cottage industry and sell
things from the back of a van." (20!
"For the most part products are disposable, but just for that extra one song that changes
your direction in life, the importance of popular music just cannot be stressed enough. Music
is the most important thing in the world.
"But because it's restrained by government or whatever it's passively sold as something
that's not really that important. But it is and everybody nows it is, so we might as well all
admit it!"
" thin there was #uite a trend towards those ideals, but now people are starting to realise
you don't actually get anywhere when you have that attitude.
"$here's been lots of really wonderful people on independent labels who have failed and
disappeared and that's a shame. don't really understand what being an independent group
means. don't feel part of this little thing, whatever it is.
"%othing in the past is important really. was alive. $hat's all. f people really lie $he &miths
and we do have our disciples! don't thin they're interested in whether had a job once or
(ohnny owned a caravan!
")s long as we've been in existence we've used the flowers and it's interesting that in recent
months #uite a few groups have also begun to do exactly what do. *ie +cho and theBunnymen and Big ountry!
"$he songs are personal they're there to be discovered. $he words are basic because
don't want anyone to miss what 'm saying. *yrics that are intellectual or obscure are no use
whatsoever.
)bout middleage-
"$hat's a long time off and something don't thin about. But age shouldn't affect you. t's just
lie the sie of your shoes they don't determine how you live your life! /ou're either
marvellous or you're boring, regardless of your age. )nd 'm sure you now what we are!" 0Morrissey, 1234
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!ow does the new album differ from its predecessors
trangeways perfects every lyrical and musical notion #he miths have ever had. It
isn't dramatically, obsessively different in any way and I'm $uite glad it isn't because
I've been happy with the structure we've had until now. It's far and away the best
record we've ever made.
%hat do you see as the high points
#here are so many I wouldn't know where to start. Anyway & isn't it your ob to work
those out
If trangeways is the perfect miths album, where do the band go from here
I e(pect when the dust has settled after trangeways there will have to be some
degree of rethinking because we can't go on forever in our present form. Inevitably
certain aspects of the band would become tarnished so a slight readustment will have
to be made & I think now is absolutely the right time to do it. %hen something becomes
too easy and it's all laid out for you, one is robbed of the oy of achievement. %hen
there's no need to fight any more, it'll be time to pull up the shutters on #he miths. I
don't think )*I have much to worry about & we're not planning anything drastic or
supernatural & we'll still basically be people. It has crossed my mind to crystallise into
a butterfly now and then but I don't think it's $uite the right time at the moment.
Is it true that every record company in the land was $ueueing up to sign #he miths
And why )*I
As far as I know every record company wanted to #A+ to us, but not really to offer us
anything spectacular. )*I gave us a very concrete offer and at such times, when you
ust want to get the whole thing over with, one tends to lose a certain amount of
rationale and the whole e(perience becomes very draining and emotional. )*I made
us the best offer, so we signed. All this talk of f- million signing&on fees is complete
fabrication & it's a nice idea & in fact it's a )/0 nice idea & but all complete fiction. I
really can't tolerate the trite attitude that's surrounded #he miths signing to )*I & the
concept that it's like getting into bed with !itler is pathetic. #he indie scene in )ngland
is very negative & groups within the indie movement come and go and you never even
hear about them. #hey're never on #, never on daytime radio & half the time I've no
idea why the independent movement bothers to e(ist. #hey seem to regard remaining
isolated from the pop mainstream as being somehow morally virtuous & it's ust so
self&destructive. 1o one even knows about these ethically wonderful songs, made by
these people with tremendous moral strength and willpower, so what's the point I
truly believe that to make any impact at all you have to get into the big, bad world of
maor record companies, ruffle a lot of feathers and kick a lot of bottoms.
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#he record industry regards #he miths as a private concern & we e(ist in our own
world, selling records to "our" fans and no&one else. 2rankly, we've always suspected
the records are simply abandoned as soon as they start dropping down the charts.
As a writer and lyricist I think I improve hourly & a lot of people say the first surge of
miths' records were the best but I really, really disagree. I make sure I writesomething every day and my flat is strewn with the debris of lyrics, finished and
unfinished. I get ideas from almost everywhere but especially supermarket $ueues & I
have a talent for eavesdropping and it's ama3ing what you learn while waiting to pay
for your fruit uice. I go to the supermarket every day of my life and one time I was
choosing some butter when this 3oom lens appeared from nowhere and on the end of
it was a 4apanese tourist behaving like 5avid 6ailey. I nearly died on the spot & it's as
near as I've ever come to chucking it all in and becoming a hermit. Another time I was
shopping for some, shall we say, personal items & no I won't tell you which ones &
when I was sei3ed upon by two fans. 0ou've got to be so careful & you never know who
you might bump into in 6oots.
I often wonder if we shouldn't e(plain ourselves more, especially as an astonishing
number of people completely misunderstand #he miths "humour". #ake "6igmouth"
& I would call it a parody if #!A# sounded less like self&celebration, which it definitely
wasn't. It was ust a really funny song & whenever I heard it on the radio it made me
laugh and the same was true of at least half #he 7ueen Is 5ead. #he miths do tease
people & making them laugh, then making them cry & operating at opposite ends of the
emotional scale. %hat we're ultimately hoping to do is make them laugh and cry at the
same time.
I wore 1! spectacles, which I still do so it wasn't a mantle or a badge & and suddenlyI saw all these people who didn't need to wear spectacles doing so in imitation of #he
miths and bumping into an awful lot of walls. 8ther bands have tours sponsored by
+evi's & maybe we should find a large firm of opticians. It was much the same with the
earplugs & I never needed a hearing aid but recently I caught a serious ear infection
and literally went deaf for about four weeks. 1aturally I took this as retribution for
wearing a hearing aid. It was hellish & four weeks of "pardon" okes at my e(pense.
omeone coined it as disability chic, through which #he miths reached out to certain
parts of the public who never felt they fit the perfect mould of "pop fan". #here are lots
of people who want to be a member of the audience, want to get involved in the music
and the lifestyle but don't feel interested in the constant chase for fashion perfection
that most bands inflict on their audience. 2ashion has gone through periods of being
completely redundant & mainly the fault of fashion maga3ines illustrating the things
you can buy if you're dramatically, overbearingly rich, but are of no use at all to
ordinary people living in humble places. I find with, for e(ample, Comme 5es 9arcons
clothes, their style of being $uite basic but hellishly e(pensive is very interesting.
"2ame, fame, fatal fame, it can play hideous tricks on the brain" & what tricks has it
played on yours
I still find it difficult when people come up to me in public places because I tend to get
approached in lots of different ways and learning how to cope with them is a
nightmare. eople can approach me and be very emotional or openly hostile and
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you're at a distinct disadvantage when they know everything about you and you know
nothing about them & especially when I realise they don't like me very much. It's a very
odd feeling & people come up to me and say the most unpleasant things & I'm not sure
why they do it & the trick is to walk away & backwards and slowly.
%hy don't you write songs for women
I'd always believed, obviously erroneously, that I %A singing and writing for
everybody. 6ut after the thousandth person came up and said, "why don't you write
songs for women" I had to confess I was wrong. I've always felt that I write in a
universal language that's relevant to every se(, race and creed. 8h well, another myth
strikes the dust.
Can you imagine any circumstances under which you might possibly consider
trendsetting
9ood gracious, no. 6ut then again, in doing what I do, it's almost unavoidable. I don'tlike anything new & I'm really not modern to any degree at all. #ake houses & I like old,
dark properties, ictorian or 9eorgian preferably, with very old furniture. I can't stand
maisonettes. It's really nothing to do with coming from the north & southerners always
regard having lived in the north as a strange medical phenomenon or the reason for
having an unusual diet or peculiar haircut. 6ut I was never aware of people in the
north sharing my views on furniture or housing. I do not think taste is something you
automatically ac$uire by virtue of being born south of *ilton eynes. "tyle" is such a
loose word & I tend to find that I'm chained somewhere in the middle of this century.
Almost everything in the art world that appeals to me is not even post&war.
Are you a grim person
;9uffawing with laughter?, people think I'm some
sort of monument from the last century.
0ou seem worried by the general level of bad taste pervading in life, the universe and
everything
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It's something I'm very, very concerned about & but it's such a huge, uncontrollable
monster that I can't imagine tackling it successfully. 2inding people with genuine,
bona&fide taste is such a very rare thing nowadays. I believe that everything went
downhill from the moment the *c5onald's chain was given license to invade )ngland
& don't laugh, I'm serious & to me it was like the outbreak of war and I couldn't
understand why )nglish troops weren't retaliating. #he Americanisation of )ngland issuch a terminal illness & I think )ngland should be )nglish and Americans should go
home and spoil their own country. hopping centres are the worst & they're a boil on
the face of the )arth. I regard modern architecture as more dangerous than nuclear
war & it'll absolutely slaughter the human race. And as for council houses & they can
only be designed for the purpose of eliminating the working classes from the face of
the )arth.
Are #he miths the last conscience of )ngland
It's an interesting statement and I suspect if you bullied me I'd agree with it. %e're
always being advised to go abroad for -@ months to avoid all this awful, dreadful,
nasty ta( but I couldn't go anywhere for -@ weeks, let alone -@ months ;which is why
#he miths have never done a world tour
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%hen it comes to ruffling feathers I think I'm doing pretty well, don't you I'm certainly
getting about & in fact there isn't really much left. #hat's another funcion of
songwriting & if people double&cross me, I'll ust sit down and write a nasty song about
them.
5o you miss living in the north
I do, but it's ust not feasible to stay there at this time in my life. 8ld ladies still leave
presents outside my house in *anchester & cards, fruit, flowers, fluffy toys & all of
which are much appreciated. %hy do they do it #hey want to mother me I suppose.
0es, I am ready to be mothered & allcomers are welcome. All they need to do is make
an appointment. #he whole 9racie 2ields, 9eorge 2ormby, 2rank /andall ;a well&
known northern comedian< mentality is one I completely worship. I adore those old
northern troupers and I'd love to be remembered as following in their tradition, but it
seems doubtful I'll be remembered at all. %hen they bury me in church and chuck
earth on my grave, I'd like the words "%ell at least he tried" engraved on my
tombstone.
%hat do you regard as the most upsetting e(perience of your life
I don't drive because I cannot cope with the !ighway Code. I took a test -B years ago
and failed on the !ighway Code & isn't that ludicrous I'd hate anyone to know that...
although it's too late now of course. #hat was definitely the first maor shock I ever
had. %hat was the second one I'll let you know when it happens.
*orrissey, *elody *aker, eptember @D, -=>?
- What are your strongest feelings?
"Music and fashion has become really bland. It doesn't mean anything anymore. Youth has
no movement; everyone is just juming on each other's band!agon. I'd lie to see that
change." #ohnny
- What does the !ord soul mean to you?
"$omething that eole are articularly afraid to e%ose. I don't no! !hy; maybe they'reafraid of intimacy & it's so rivate."
"nd it effects those eole not directly involved( lie house!ives. )hey may see a un in
$ainsburys and tae no notice( !hereas * years ago they'd have freaed out. Music dictates
everything socially( and bands influence eole in that society by !hat they say." #ohnny
- re you ever temted by that o!er?
"We're obviously temted( because it's so o!erful( lie films used to be. It effects eole's
lives so much and it's so temting to change eole's lives. )hat's true o!er because
eole's lives are so isolated in this modern age. I thin the best o!er you could have is to
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get eole to thin about themselves !ith a reflective influence because eole are so
comlacent about everything." Morrissey
"I feel sorry for the unters !ho fall for that stuff. +ie most eole !earing ',%loited' on
their jacet don't even no! !hat the !ord means." #ohnny /012
"I tremble at the o!er !e have( that's ho! I feel about the $miths. It's there and it's going to
haen."
- Your finale tells that "+ove Is #ust 2 Miserable +ie". 3o you believe it( that eole are
totally searate( even from an ultimate state of love?
"Yes. 4nfortunately. 5ut there's an otimism in admitting it... ,%lain? 6h I could tell you of
years of celibacy !hen I just couldn't coe !ith hysical commitment because it al!ays
failed. I suose I'm unnatural in the general scheme of things( because I have these
feelings."
")hese are deserate times. 5ut I don't thin !e should join in !ith the deseration. We
should con7uer it. I'm fed u !ith this deressive attitude eole have."
Morrissey8 ")he 5ritish music ress is an art form."
- 9arry 5ushell?
")here is al!ays an e%cetion to a rule."
"We !ant to mae friends( !e !ant to have eole around us. Isn't that !hat everybody
!ants dee do!n? I'm sure !hen you !ere at school all you really cared about !as being
oular. ll !e really care about is being oular and that's !hy !e try hard to lease."
#ohnny8 Well( !e !ere very conscious !hen !e started of not being reconceived. ,ven that
sounds reconceived: When me and Morrissey got together to !rite a catalogue of songs it
became immediately aarent that the songs !e !ere !riting needed bass and drums to
mae them !or - so the 'conventional' set u !as comleted.
#ohnny8 "You confound eole by using gimmics lie having long unintelligible names and
that's e%actly !hat !e're reacting against.
/02
- More arrogance from the man Morrissey?
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+ooing u from under his mo of hair( #ohnny Marr agrees !ith him. "I'd really hate it if !e
cut off our noses to site our face lie they do. We'd just be closing doors on ourselves( !hen
really !e !ant to be massive. We !ant to attain the highest osition ossible so !e have the
o!er to get our music across( and ollute eole's homes !ith it."
"Well(" says Morrissey( "!hen you see that the money is there( that somebody has to have it(
and that most of the eole !ho do have it are totally brainless( it gives you some incentive
to say( !ell( I'm having the money. 5ut there's this ind of underhanded slur about being a
o figure & that it's embarrassing in some !ay & but I feel that the ind of eole that hold
this osition are entirely shallo! creatures any!ay."
"I thin you can do almost anything in this business and !al a!ay !ith the height of
credibility. If you have enough faith in yourself( and there is enough deth in !hat you are
doing( then nothing should crush you. You could aear on >racerjac every night of the
!ee and still be considered the most intellectual grou imaginable."
s far as the ress see it !hat I do lyrically can almost be interreted as obscene( !hich of
course it never can be. I thin it's a sad reflection on modern journalism that this thing
constantly comes u. )o us it's just lie asing about our veruas or something. $imly to
concentrate on one small distasteful asect really belittles everything else !e do." /02
ll the intervie!s !ere becoming comletely redictable( because everybody !as asing me
the same 7uestions. When it aeared in rint( it seemed as though I !as very boring and
that I could only tal about a limited number of things. )hat !asn't true; it !as just that I !asans!ering the same 7uestions. I needed to ste bac( so I've only done one in the last four
months( !hich for me sho!s great restraint.
- =as all that introsective robing given you a better understanding of yourself( in a vague
and general sense?
In a very vague and general sense... it's difficult to say. )he other night( I !ent out for the first
time in ages and somebody came u to me and said( "3o that funny dance that you do:" I felt
comletely reellent - as if I !as some character off a situation comedy; some stand-u
comic !ith a !ooley hat and a ticling-stic. It seems( at times lie that( as though everything
has got comletely out of hand. >ertainly( in intervie!s( nobody ass me about music - onlyas the soesman for a generation( !hich is 7uite aealing( but 7uite strangulating also. I'm
absolutely resonsible( I !ouldn't deny that. I admit that it has become difficult to confront
these overbearing issues t!enty-four hours a day. 6bviously( though( I'd never go bac.
"We've done a lot of !or this year and achieved a great deal( much more than !e've been
given credit for. It's been a most thrilling year and as four individuals( !e are closer than
ever. lthough everything !ritten in the ress has been strong( it has become 7uite difficult to
live !ith. I've been 7uite a!are for a fe! months that many journalists !ere trying to rise
#ohnny and I aart in some !ay. We've !eathered that and !e've !eathered the most
difficult baclash( !hich occurred in the beginning of the summer. I feel !e're 7uite
imenetrable. or me( almost all the records have been absolutely erfect( but I can't deny
that there are some that haven't aged so gracefully - "What 3ifference 3oes It Mae?" ... I
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regret the roduction on that no!. 5ut that's the only regret( although I might seem lie the
ind of erson that has many regrets."
- =ave you realised that there's a limit to ho! far you can ush the ublic face of Morrissey?
@smilesA ")here are no limits and I intend to mae full use of that fact. +ots of detractors have
suggested that )he $miths have become too 'industry'( too oy. It al!ays seems that(
once you are acceted in artistic terms( then your records have no value. )hat's utter bosh to
me. I no! journalists !ho( one year ago( !ere madly dedicated - no!( they mae the most
absurd( s!eeing criticisms. When you get close to this industry( you see ho! it is
orchestrated by utter aes. When you're a member of the audience( sitting in the stalls( the
!hole idea of maing records is ine%haustibly !onderful. When you get into the thic of it(
you realise that the !hole thing is s!amed by oafs."
")hanfully( )he $miths became familiar through success( but I don't agree that !e !ere
e%hausting any set formula. ,ven if !e !anted to be that !ay( I don't thin !e could(
because that's the tye of eole !e are. )his goes for every single member of the grou(!e are not o stars and !e're not in any traditional mould. I find it imossible to be flattered
by o success but I don't no! !hy. Maybe( I just have very high standards and I don't thin
!e've even begun to reach them( so it doesn't mean a thing to me !hen eole come u and
shout( "
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- What's been your favourite moment this year?
)here's been so many colourful moments and so many disastrous ones - so many
nightmares. I'm ushed to tears very often( usually by our o!n erformances. 6n the last fe!
dates that !e did( the cro!d !ere singing so loud( louder than myself( I !as dro!ned out to
the e%tent that there !as no oint in me singing at all. I !as hysically moved to tearsbecause of that. When eole feel such tremendous( overblo!n emotion that they !ant to
shout the !ords( hurl their bodies for!ard and lea on the stage - to me( that is the height of
human emotion.
- 3o you thin )he $miths( as a band( ush themselves to the limit?
)otally. I see them as very e%treme and in very ositive !ays. We never listen to everyone
else. I thin the only thing to do !ith advice is to ignore it because eole !ill never
understand the real you. )hey' re never there !hen your grou begins - they're never in your
room !hen you're !riting lyrics. $o( I don't resume that they're going to understand my
music and they don't. When eole say erroneous things that are ositive( I don't mind.When they say erroneous things that are negative( I feel very strong about it.
)here !as all that fuss about '$uffer +ittle >hildren' in the ne!saers( all these comments
and oinions from eole !ho ne! nothing about the grou and nothing about music. I felt
very sad and angry about that( so much just being headlines. Bobody had aroached me
and there !ere long( inflated comments( "Morrissey says this..." and "Morrissey !rote it for
this reason...". ll of it !as totally untrue and I couldn't understand !hy nobody had ased
me. t one oint( someone from )he 3aily Mail rang u( giving me the chance to give my
side of the story. 6f course( they !eren't interested that I got on famously !ith the arents of
the victims. $o( they !ouldn't rint the story. Well( that really uset me.
#oining )he $miths !as lie a urging for me - it's been lie a life-raft. 6ther!ise( nobody
!ould have cared !hat I said about anything( !hich is 7uite sad. It means that( if you're an
anonymous erson( and you have very strong vie!s( you're considered insane and you're
closer to an asylum than a nighthood. 5ut !hen you cross over and you become 7uite
famous( everything you say is 7uite interesting to eole( then you're never considered
insane. If I had stood in the middle of a Manchester housing estate and announced( 'I'm
celibate'( I robably !ould have been shot. I find it very difficult to be comlacent. When
somebody says something nauseating( I'm ready to attac - I'm not incaable of violence and
I'm not incaable of being undilomatic. I'm not a delicate bloom by any means. I get angry
!hen )he $miths are taled about in such short-sighted terms( the very fundamental(nonsensical things."
I don't do anything just to surrise eole. I'm not thining( "Bo!( !hat !ill fo% them ne%t?".
It's not a circus and I'm not some traeDe artist. I thin )he $miths are an irregular grou(
regardless of !hat !e do.
- You've taled before though of losing your e%citement for life. I mean... you're still very
young. @I !atch him smile.A
It's lie !hat I mentioned before about things seeming so !onderful from a distance( but
!hen you go to Come( you're bored and you !ant to come straight bac home to$cunthore. It's a bit lie that. When you're doing television rogrammes every day(
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intervie!s every day( being !hised u and do!n the country( you begin to get a headache.
You just !ant to sit at home and do nothing( and you're made to feel that !hen you lose your
Dest for these 'glamorous' activities( there's something !rong.
- =ave you e%hausted most of your ambitions this year?
Bo( because !e still !ant to mae lots of records and ultimately( that's the only thing that
matters. 6ther things !e can do !ithout( they're not imortant.
- 3o you never feel you've given it all a!ay - e%hausted all your assions?
I've given u a lot of my obsessions and some of that comes bac to age( I regret to say.
With almost everyone I've ever met in the music industry( they have music and success( but
they also have their rivate lives - family or !hatever. )hey can s!itch off( do something that
is totally unrelated to music. 5ut I've never done that( for me it's this !ay all the time( it's just
music all the time. 5esides that( I never thin of my limitations( I just can't consider them
because I can't consider failure.
I don't see that )he $miths have to change( it's just not necessary.
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- 3o you regard success as a form of revenge( Morrissey?
"6h absolutely and entirely a form of revenge( yes I do."
- nd is it s!eet?
"Cemarably s!eet. I lie the taste( yes. More( lease:"
- 3id you ever go in for sorts( at all?
"Yes. I !as 7uite classically good. I've got an array of imressive medals for various sorts.
Which is the last thing eole e%ect me to say - they thin I hid in the sho!ers day after
day. Which I certainly considered... I articularly lied running. 5ut then( I had to be a good
runner( for reasons I'll leave unstated: I ran ferociously( every!here."
- Why can't you buy decently-cut men's trousers any!here in the 5ritish Isles?
"It's so difficult. )rousers in ,ngland are a dreadful roblem( I find. It's unfathomable." /0*2
- re )he $miths ast their best?
"Well everybody tells me that )he $miths have eaed. I don't believe it( and I'm the one !ho
no!s. You robably !on't accet this( but really( if I felt there !as a sec of truth in such a
statement I !ould honestly admit it. )here is no oint just forcing your face on the 5ritish
ublic.
"I 7uite sincerely believe that the best is yet to come."
What could you do outside )he $miths?
"It doesn't really matter. )he imortant thing is no!ing !hen your time is u( and getting out.
Eery fe! eole do. I lie to feel that I'll no!. $ome eole !ould say that time is no!
laughs2( but I don't. I'm a mere child( really."
You could go solo( !rite boos( mae films...
"I !ant to do everything eventually( but not at once. $urely it !ould be more than the 5ritish
ublic could stand if I too on another career:
"Bo. >ivilised measures of Morrissey are 7uite enough for anybody..." /0*2
- =o! did the merican cro!d react to the $miths?
"or me to say it !as more fanatical than anything that's haened in ,ngland !ould seem
someho! to decry or loo do!n uon !hat haened here - !hich( of course( I never could.
5ut it !as certainly 7uite dramatic. nd I really don't believe it haens to everyone.
"We !ent over there I thin( !ith 7uite a humble nature and !e didn't e%ect any fanatical
fervour or uncontrollable hysteria. )herefore( !hen it haened I !as rendered seechlessfor months.
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"Meeting the eole there !as an e%traordinary eye oener because one is fed all these
fi%ed imressions of the merican music buying ublic and they didn't turn out to be that !ay.
)hey turned out to be rational( incredibly sensitive oetic human beings." /0*2
- re you !illing to give yourselves over comletely to the industry to attain this mega
success then?
"Well( my belief no! is that because !e have such unusual control over the situation( all
these things can be covered in a very sillful and artistic !ay(" eyes turning heaven!ard2.
"$ee ho! I got out of that one: 6bviously( !e've avoided video for all our career - and it's
aid tremendous dividends and it's been some!hat of a blot on the face of the industry. I
al!ays said that !e could become successful !ithout a video and !e have done( so the
oint has been roved(" ause2. "I'm not leading u to saying !e're about to mae a video."
- If you'd !ritten the song 'Ceasons )o 5e >heerful(
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"I believe that everything !ent do!nhill from the moment the Mc3onalds chain !as given
license to invade ,ngland & don't laugh( I'm serious. )o me it !as lie the outbrea of !ar
and I can't understand !hy ,nglish troos !eren't retaliating. )he mericanisation of
,ngland is such a terminal illness & I thin ,ngland should be ,nglish( and mericans
should go home and soil their o!n country." Morrissey( $etember /0H2
",ven the ,nglish language( I find( has been holessly muced about !ith and everything is
merican or ustralian. It's astonishing but it's so rife. 5ut because Margaret )hatcher is
such a !ea
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)hen I'd dro a nife !ith a metal handle on it( hitting random strings. I used that on "$to
Me If You )hin You've =eard )his 6ne 5efore" @from $trange!ays( =ere We >omeA for the
big "doings" at the start. nd I used it on ")his >harming Man" @from )he $mithsA( buried
beneath about * tracs of guitar. #ohnny Marr( //F2
5ut in the beginning( it !as good to be in a grou that stood for and against certain things.
We !ere against synthesiDers( the >onservative government( grous !ith names lie
"6rchestral Manoeuvers In )he 3ar(" the ,nglish monarchy( coc-roc guitar solos( and the
merican music scene at the time. We stood for the ,nglishness of the Jins( )-Ce%( and
Co%y Music( the arty 7uirs that et those grous from being huge in the 4.$. We !ere into
the Colling $tones( the M>*( the harming( olite( elo7uent and funny( !ith no trace of a >aliforniant!ang( he seas in lyrical Borthern !hisers.
"It's fascinating to !ae u and have no idea !hat's about to haen(" he says. "I can't
imagine standing at a bus sto at F to eight every morning. )ea( boos( a sofa... that's a
great !ay to live." Morrissey( '/H2
"It's the 5ritish !ay to unish eole !ho !on't lay their games. If you're absent from 5ritain
for any length of time( you arrive bac at =eathro! and scan the headlines of all those 5ritish
ne!saers and get the general idea. Morrissey( ///2
What are the advantages of being rich?
Bone really. Which is !hy I find it sad to meet eole !ho are totally geared to!ard finance. I
no! for a fact that it's 7uite meaningless. 6f course( it's easy for me to say that as I lounge
here. 5ut it's true. You may be a billionaire( but if you contract cancer( you may as !ell live in
a bedsit in 5irmingham. Morrissey( '/*2
3o you !or out?
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Bo( not at all. I don't do anything. I'd never feel confident in a gym. I !heel a trolley around
Waitrose. Morrissey( '/*2
9irl afraid - "I had just got bac from Be! Yor and !as obsessed !ith +ittle Cichard. I just
et thining( 'What'd sound lie +ittle Cichard on guitar?'( !hich is ho! I came u !ith it.
"I started to thin about iano melodies. or e%amle( 9irl fraid( !hich is an e%tra trac on
the =eaven Jno!s single; I started off laying 'idgin' iano in the studio one day and
transferred it to guitar. When I !rote the song I !as conscious that it should have a fast Be!
6rleans iano art. It turned into a Jins-style( real GF's erratic drum beat bo( !hich is fine
but it started off as a iano art:" - #ohnny Marr
$till Ill - "+ooing bac on the first album no! I can say that I'm not as madly een on it as I
!as. I thin that a lot of the fire !as missing on it and most of our suorters realise that as
!ell. lthough having said that( '$till Ill' and '$uffer +ittle >hildren' and '=and )hat Cocs' are
all still great songs."
"'$till Ill' came to me on the train bac from +ondon to Manchester around the time of =and In
9love's release." - #ohnny Marr
=and In 9love - "When !e did '=and In 9love(' that !as brilliant because it !as a fantastic
iece of vinyl. 5ut there !as never a time !hen I ut my feet u and said( 'h( I'm hay.'"
")hat song came about !hen I !as round my arents' house one $unday evening. I started
laying this riff on a cray guitar I et there. ngie - !ho's no! my !ife - !as !ith me and
she et saying( ')hat's really good:' I !as anicing because I had nothing to record it on(
so !e decided to drive to Morrissey's( because he had a tae recorder. I sat in the bac of
the car laying the riff over and over so I !ouldn't forget it. 6n the !ay( as is her !ant( ngie
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et saying( 'Mae it sound more lie Iggy'. I !as just hoing Morrissey !ould be in. Well( I
ne! he !ould be( he !as al!ays in. When !e got there he !as a bit taen abac( it hadn't
been arranged and it !as a $unday night-unheard of: =e let me in and I layed the riff and
he said( ')hat's very good'. bout five days later !e !ere rehearsing and Morrissey !anted
to lay the song. When !e heard the vocals to that !e !ere all lie(!o!... rom then on it
!as al!ays going to be the first single." - #ohnny Marr
What 3ifference 3oes It Mae? - "It !as all right. I didn't thin it !as a articularly strong one.
lot of eole lied it and it got to Bo. F. It follo!ed ')his >harming Man' and !as art of
that ea. It !as all right. It !ent do!n great live( and that's !hen I lied it.
,very song has to be !orth doing every single night. )here !as one stage !here I !as
laying 'What 3ifference 3oes It Mae?' seven or eight gigs on the trot and I didn't lie the
feeling. I ne! that this !as not !hy I had got involved in a band in the first lace." - #ohnny
Marr
"What 'William It Was Ceally Bothing' is about is... it occurred to me that !ithin oular music
if ever there !ere any records that discussed marriage they !ere al!ays from the female's
standoint - female singers singing to !omen8 !henever there !ere any songs saying 'do not
marry( stay single( self-reservation( etc'. I thought it !as about time there !as a male voice
seaing directly to another male saying that marriage !as a !aste of time... that( in fact( it
!as 'absolutely nothing'." - Morrissey
"$ome @tracsA may have been sed u. I don't no! !hether 'Wiliiam' !as though; I didn't
thin so( just because it !as so fast !hen !e layed it( !e can't have !anted it even faster:
)his >harming Man
"6f all our singles I thin I lie ')his >harming Man' best( just because the rhythms are so
infectious. $miths music really moves me." - ndy Coure
" coule of days before I !rote ')his >harming Man' I'd heard 'Wal 6ut )o Winter' by
Dtec >amera2 on Cadio ( and I felt a little jealous. My cometitive urges iced in. I felt that
!e needed something u-beat and in a major ey for Cough )rade to get behind. )hat's !hy
I !rote it in the ey of 9( !hich to this day I rarely do. I ne! that ')his >harming Man' !ould
be our ne%t single. I did the !hole thing in one go into this ),> 1-trac tae recorder that I
used to !rite on. I came u !ith the basic chords and immediately overdubbed the to line
and intro riff."
"I !rote )his >harming Man for a #ohn amera's Coddy rame !as getting on the radio and !e !eren't. )hat's !hy it's got
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"'=o! $oon Is Bo!' !as in L tuning. I !anted a very s!amy sound( a modern bayou song.
It's a straight , riff( follo!ed by oen 9 and LmH. )he chorus uses oen 5( ( and 3 shaes
!ith the to t!o strings ringing out. )he vibrato sound is fucing incredible( and it too a long
time. I ut do!n the rhythm trac on an ,ihone >asino through a ender )!in Ceverb
!ithout vibrato. )hen !e layed the trac bac through four old )!ins( one on each side. We
had to ee all the ams vibratoing in time to the trac and each other( so !e had to eestoing and starting the trac( recording it in F-second bursts. I !ish I could remember
e%actly ho! !e did the slide art -- not !riting it do!n is one of the banes of my life: We did it
in three asses through a harmoniDer( set to some !eird interval( lie a si%th. )here !as a
different harmoniDation for each ass. or the line in harmonics( I retuned the guitar so that I
could lay it all at the Kth fret !ith natural harmonics. It's doubled several times."
"In =o! $oon Is Bo!N the harmonic lic is from +ovebug $tarsi8 that !as me getting one u
on the journalists( utting a lic from a hi-ho record into a $miths song. "
"If you !ere to lay '=o! $oon Is Bo!?' on iano or acoustic guitar( it !ouldn't have the
same imact as the finished article O the o!er of the record has a lot to do !ith the sound
and the instrumentation and not necessarily the !ords and the chords. )hat's very satisfying
for me because '=o! $oon Is Bo!?' is built on the guitar O unlie oetry( sound is something
that's beyond intellectual ideas( it's rimal and other!orldly. 5ut I !as ecstatic !hen the
!ords came on to of the music. )hey are actually 7uite brilliant. )he contrast bet!een the
t!o !orlds that Morrissey and I lived in !ored esecially !ell on '=o! $oon Is Bo!?'. )hat's
!hat made our song!riting artnershi so interesting; the intellectual( self-conscious
analysis( and the street!ise druggy e%uberance."
"s a id I !as fascinated by =amilton 5ohannon's '3isco $tom' and 'Be! Yor 9roove' by
=ello( and I !anted to mae something !ith that stom. )he first decent am I got !as theender )!in because the
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ccet Yourself - ")he fundamental re7uest of $mithdom. $imly accet yourself( be
yourself( rela%( don't !orry about anything as there's no oint." O Morrissey
5ac to the 6ld =ouse - "5ac )o )he 6ld =ouseN I !rote !ith my !ife in mind." - #ohnny
Marr
Ceel round )he ountain - "'Ceel round )he ountain' !as my interretation of #immy
#ones' version of '=andy Man'. It came from one of mine and #oe Moss' marathon CP5
record sessions one morning at >raDy ace. We !ent from listening to )he ure if it hadn't
been for #oy 3ivision." -#ohnny Marr
)he =eadmaster Citual - )he nuts and bolts of )he =eadmaster Citual came together during
the first album( and I just carried on laying around !ith it. It started off as a very sublime sort
of #oni Mitchell-es7ue chord figure; I layed it to Morrissey but !e never too it further. )hen(as my life got more and more intense( so did the song. )he bridge and the chorus art !ere
originally for another song( but I ut them together !ith the first art. )hat !as unusual for
me; normally I just hammer a!ay at an idea until I've got a song. It's in oen 3 turning( !ith a
cao at the second fret. gain( it !as heavily overdubbed. It !as a very e%citing eriod for
me - realising I could hijac G tracs all for myself.
I !rote ')he =eadmaster Citual' on acoustic. It's in an oen-3 tuning !ith a cao at the Knd
fret. I fancied the idea of a strange #oni Mitchell tuning( and the actual rogression is lie
!hat she !ould have done had she been an M>* fan or a un rocer. I ne! retty much
!hat every guitar trac !ould be before !e started. )here are t!o tracs of Martin 3-K0( and
the main riff is t!o tracs of Cicenbacer. I !asn't thining secifically of the 5eatles' '3ay)rier' -- even though it sounds lie it -- but I did thin of it as a 9eorge =arrison art. )he
Cicenbacer belonged to oronet !ith one icu( and I string it !ith the high strings from a K-
string set. It's a really Dingy( trebly guitar. I used that on a lot of things that eole thin are
K-string( lie the end of ')he =eadmaster Citual'.
or my art( ')he =eadmaster Citual' came together over the longest eriod of time I've ever
sent on a song. I first layed the riff to Morrissey !hen !e !ere !oring on the demos for
our first album !ith )roy )ate. I nailed the rest of it !hen !e moved to ,arls >ourt.
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')he =eadmaster Citual is one of my favorite guitar tracs.I !rote it over a eriod of t!o
years( al!ays looing for the ne%t section I needed. I sa! the Cadiohead version( yeah. I
sho!ed ,d 6'5rien the chords( but maybe he !as looing out the !indo!: - #ohnny Marr
Cusholme Cuffians - "Cusholme Cuffians came about because my arents used to lay
'Marie's )he Bame' by ,lvis
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"I remember the start of the record because I moved bac to Manchester very deliberately- to
get the atmoshere right for the instrumental tracs I !as !riting. nd that !ored out
immediately because 'Well I Wonder' came out of that( !ith the rain and everything. When
!e did it I ne! it !ould be oular because it had that real sense of yearning in it."
"I thin @the outroA is an minor shae cao'd( I'd have to listen to it." -#ohnny Marr
Meat Is Murder - ")hat !as a riff I'd been laying around !ith for a fe! days before. Ceally
nasty( in oen 3. I didn't no! the lyrics but I ne! the song !as gonna be called 'Meat Is
Murder' so it all just came together in the tae."
"I thin 'Meat Is Murder' is in oen 9 tuning(or oen 3(it might have a cao on the second
fret."- #ohnny Marr
5arbarism 5egins t =ome - "I came u !ith the riff the day that )roy )ate came u to
Manchester to meet !ith us. It !as almost because our first roer roducer !as about to
arrive that I thought !e needed a ne! song( maybe( and it !as a sunny afternoon. We
layed it in the daytime( !hich !as unusual because there !ere these machinists !oring
do!nstairs on the floor belo!( and !e !ouldn't !ant to be !oring stuff out at high volume.
)here !as no drums there( it !as just me and ndy jamming lie !e used to !hen !e !ere
or *. I no! a lot of fuss has been made and ndy is( 7uite rightly( roud of that
bassline( but( ersonally( harmonically I don't thin it comes any!here near ndy's other
stuff. 'Bo!here ast'( ')hat #oe Isn't unny nymore'( ')he =eadmaster Citual'( all to!er
above it. It !as one of those things !here it !as a good idea at the time( but later( as !e
layed it( I didn't thin it really reresented the band. )he overall thing( all of it( !as a little bit
corny."
"5arbarism 5egins t =ome is a bit naff. I don't lie the tune - there's no emotion in it."
"With '5arbarism 5egins t =ome(' a lot's been made of the funy asect of the bassline( but
that trac hars bac to !hat I !as doing !ith ndy before )he $miths. I guess it came out of
this love of retro ind of #ames 5ro!n records( and things lie Ci Cig P
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or the frenDied !ah-!ah section on ')he Queen Is 3ead(' I !as thining 'GFs 3etroit( lie the
M>* and the $tooges.
)he album's title trac !as artly insired by )he M>* and )he Eelvet 4nderground.
Eelvets outtaes album called E.4. had just come out( and I loved 'I >an't $tand It'( mostly
because it had this s!inging CP5 guitar. I'd !anted to do something bombastic lie that for a
!hile( and ')he Queen Is 3ead' !as the right lace to dro it.
I had )he Queen Is 3ead( the trac( in my mind for a long time. I ne! the song had the title(
and I ne! that !as !hat the album !as going to be called. )o me( it !as the M>* laying 'I
>an't $tand It'. I'd al!ays felt let do!n by the M>*. When I !as younger( eole !ere going
'6h( the 3olls( the M>*( the $tooges' -but !hen I first heard the M>*( it felt a little too gung-
ho( too ind of testosterone-mad for me. I !anted to deliver !hat I imagined the M>* to be -energy( coolness.
It !as Morrissey's idea to include ')ae Me 5ac )o 3ear 6ld 5lighty' and he said( 'I !ant
this on the trac'. 5ut he !asn't to no! that I !as going to lead into the feedbac and drum
rolls. It !as just a iece of magic. I got the drum riff going and ndy got the bass line( !hich
!as one of his best ever and one that bass layers still haven't matched. I !ent in there !ith
all the lads !atching and did the tae and they just !ent( 'Wo!'. I came out and I !as
shaing. When I suggested doing it again( they just said( 'Bo !ay: Bo !ay:' What haened
!ith the feedbac !as I !as setting my guitar u for the trac and I ut it onto a stand and it
!as really loud. Where it hit the stand( it made that note of feedbac. I did the guitar trac(
ut the guitar on the stand( and !hile !e !ere taling( it !as lie( 'Wo!( that sounded good'.$o I said( 'Cight - record that:' It !as going through a !ah-!ah from the revious tae( so I
just started moving the !ah-!ah and it !as getting all these different intervals( and it
definitely added a real tension.
I loved Morrissey's singing on that( and the !ords. 5ut it !as very M>*. Morrissey has a real
love for that music as !ell. I remember him laying the Camones as much as he layed
$andie $ha!.
)he record comany !ant to ut out some rarities( so !eNve soen about the longer
versions of )he Queen is 3ead8 the eight-minute one and another one !here !e layed for
K minutes. It sounds lie >an or something.
)he song ')he Queen Is 3ead' I really lie. I used to lie the M>* and )he $tooges and it's
as good if not better than anything )he $tooges ever did. It's got energy and aggression in
that ind of garagey !ay. O #ohnny Marr
I Jno! It's 6ver - "I'll never forget !hen @MorrisseyA did that. It's one of the highlights of my
life. It !as that good( that strong. ,very line he !as hinting at !here he !as going to go. I
!as thining( 'Is he going to go there? Yes( he is:' It !as just brilliant." - #ohnny Marr
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Bever =ad Bo 6ne ,ver
"6n )he Queen Is 3ead( 'Bever =ad Bo 6ne ,ver'( there's a line that goes 'When you !al
!ithout easeon thesethe very streets !here you !ere raisedI had a really bad dreamit
lasted KF years( seven months and KH daysBever had no one ever'. It !as the frustration
that I felt at the age of KF !hen I still didn't feel easy !aling around the streets on !hich I'dbeen born( !here all my family had lived - they're originally from Ireland but had been here
since the ifties. It !as a constant confusion to me !hy I never really felt ')his is my atch.
)his is my home. I no! these eole. I can do !hat I lie( because this is mine.' It never
!as. I could never !al easily." - Morrissey
"I can never divorce that song from the emotion that insired it( !hich is totally ersonal. It
goes bac to !hat I !as saying before about !here the sadness comes from. It's me( being
in my bedroom( living on a housing estate( on a dar night( surrounded by all that concrete
and trying to find some beauty through Ca!
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right. I have a version of that tae !ith just the three instruments and the voice on it O it
absolutely holds u as a beautiful moment in time. )he $miths !ere all in love !ith the sound
that !e !ere maing. We loved it as much as everyone else( but !e !ere lucy enough to be
the ones laying it."
"I didn't realise that ')here Is +ight' !as going to be an anthem but !hen !e first layed it Ithought it !as the best song I'd ever heard. )here's a little in-joe in there just to illustrate
ho! intellectual I !as getting. t the time everyone !as into the Eelvet 4nderground and
they stole the intro to ')here $he 9oes' - da da da-da( da da-da-da( 3ah 3ah: - from the
Colling $tones version of '=itchhie(' the Marvin 9aye song. I just !anted to ut that in to see
!hether the ress !ould say( 6h it's the Eelvet 4nderground: >os I ne! that I !as smarter
than that. I !as listening to !hat )he Eelvet 4nderground !as listening to." -#ohnny Marr
$ome 9irls re 5igger )han 6thers - ")he song( as it !as( just faded in( so i thought !e had
to do something a bit more interesting. 5asically( I ut all the reverb on the drums u so itsounded lie it !as coming in from some large hall( then faded it do!n really 7uicly. )hen I
too all the reverb bac off and faded it u again. )he effect !as suosed to be lie the
musics in a hall some!here( it goes a!ay( then it comes bac and it's nice and clean and
dry. bit lie oening a door( closing it( then oening it again and !aling in."-$tehen $treet
"6ther times( I'd dro off a cassette of some music at Morrissey's house. =e lived about t!o
miles a!ay( and I'd ride round there on my Yamaha 3) H* and ost them through his
letterbo%. '$ome 9irls re 5igger )han 6thers' !as done that !ay. ll the music for that
came in one !ave !hile I !as !atching telly !ith the sound do!n."
"$ome things just dro out of the heavens( and '$ome 9irls...' !as one of them. It's abeautiful iece of music."- #ohnny Marr
9irlfriend In >oma - "ctually( @$trange!aysA is my favourite $miths album. We slit after
!e recorded it and they !ere good sessions. 6ne or t!o of the songs are acoustic-led( !hich
I really lied - no! that !as an organic record."
"6ver the last fe! years I've heard '9irlfriend In >oma' in shos and eole's cars( and I'm
al!ays surrised by ho! good it sounds." - #ohnny Marr
$to Me If You )hin You've =eard )his 6ne 5efore - "I find a blue note !henever I can. I try
to find the oignancy in any ind of lic. Bot to get too oetic here( but I find a distinct lac of
oignancy in most guitar laying I hear. It's as if eole feel that by virtue of being a guitar
layer( they have to have this s!ashbucling( gung-ho aroach to music( an overblo!n(
vulgar aroach. I'd refer a fe! notes layed in the right lace on one string. or e%amle( I
lied the melody at the end of "$to Me If You've =eard )his 6ne 5efore(" but it just felt a
little too accomlished. I !anted it to sound lie a un layer !ho couldn't lay( so I fingered
it on one string( right u and do!n the nec. I could have layed it !ith harmonics or my
teeth( or something clever( but the oignancy !ould have gone out of the melody."
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")he stuff that !asn't acoustic !as mainly led by my 1** K-string; in fact( a lot of the songs -
I $tarted $omething...(
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"lso( you can leave @a !ah edalA on( oened slightly !ithout even touching it -- that gives
you a comletely different tonal range. )he '$holifters' brea !as the
first time that I really discovered that. nd if the filter is oen in just the right lace( you can
get a harmonic to sing lie a bird." -#ohnny Marr
=alf
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- Morrissey
"Morrissey !as very( very reluctant to use synthesiDers or anything electronic. )he only !ay
#ohnny and I could get around that !as by traing guitar notes into these e%tended infinite
reverbs that !ould hold for a long( long time then use the fader to bring it in at the right
moment. It sounds lie a string-tye effect but really it's just guitar notes. )hat's the !ay
'6scillate Wildly' !as built u. #ohnny !as still !oring !ith guitars but !e !ere trying to
stretch the ossibilities and sounds of !hat !e could do !ith it."- $tehen $treet
")here !as never any lan for it to have lyrics. It !as al!ays going to be an instrumental and
Morrissey encouraged me all the !ay."
"We did it really 7uicly in just one evening( but it came together so beautifully."
"'slee' !as another one !ored out on the uright I inherited !hen I moved into to the
house in 5o!don( the same iano I !rote '6scillate Wildly' on. It had a leasingly eerie
7uality about it. You could only lay certain things on it. Weird( doomy music( !hich suited us
fine."
"'
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Were you good at sort?
Miraculous. It !as the only thing I !as good at and I used to love it comletely. )he FF
metres !as my raison d'etre. Yes( I !on everything. I !as a terrible bore !hen it came to
athletics. I !as just the tye of erson everyone desises so I've carried on in that tradition. -
/0*
re you in love?
If I said no( that !ould seem too star. I have to be. I thin everybody has to be other!ise
!here do you get the energy from to go on( in life( and strive for certain things? )he things
that stir me are schools and buildings and I'm 7uite immersed in the ast and in the history of
this country and ho! things have evolved and I get 7uite assionate about certain eole in
deserate situations.
*. re you frightened of gro!ing old?
Bo( not to any degree. I !as never hay !hen I !as young so I don't e7uate gro!ing old
!ith being hysterically unhay. )o me old age doesn't mean doom( desair and defeat.
)here are lots of eole I no! in considerably advanced years that I find fascinating.
Why did you join the $miths?
+ie Morrissey( I feel that my life !as leading u to '=and In 9love(' and from then on things
began to haen. My life began. )hat record set the standard. When #ohnny layed me their
first demo tae( I thought it !as the best thing I'd ever heard( both musically and lyrically. It
!as a once in a lifetime oortunity and too good to miss( so I leat at it as 7uicly as
ossible.M# '0
=o! good do you thin the $miths are?
We are the best band in the !orld( there's nobody better. We have otentially vast amounts
of status and !e're getting better all the time. We are all very good at !hat !e do. I've been
lyaing guitar since I !as nine( but !hen #ohnny started getting good on it( I s!itched to
bass and no! I'm very good indeed. )he $miths are follo!ing their natural ath... O C( /0
We have a very traditional line-u. It's nothing secial but it's very secial. We are four
individuals; !e just simly oen our hearts and oen our mouths. If that isn't enough( !e
might as !ell go home. We don't have any metahysical lan - there is nothing gimmicy that
!e !ant to roe eole in !ith. We are four individuals( naed before the !orld - eole !illeither react( or not. - /0
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"I am 7uite leased that !e have become successful !ith Cough )rade( though( rather than
any major record comany -- it seems to increase the value of snubbing the industry. 5y not
doing videos( by not aying for album romotion( by not taing advertising sace... all that's
rather uni7ue." - /0
With all these intervie!s and media attention( do you feel you've been overe%osed?
"It seems I've been e%tremely overe%osed because of the nature of the intervie!s. )hey get
very ersonal( even if you do just one big intervie! !here it gets embarrassingly ersonal(
you seem entirely overe%osed. It's a dilemma( I don't no! 7uite !hat to do."
"I al!ays found young eole to be uncommonly satisfied and lacid. If I ever got angry and
dissatisfied as a child it !as because there !as never any angst from anybody.
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I thin !e're mismanaged in many !ays. We haven't had much record comany assistance.
We're not really in the traditional mold( and I thin they find us slghtly roblematical.
,verything !e've achieved !e've done by ourselves.
")he $andie roject !as a tremendous success. I felt( at that time( that !hat !e !ere doing
!as the absolute envy of the entire industry. It !as )he $miths( these relative ne!comers(
and $andie $ha! at the other e%treme. #ust the !ay !e came together( the combination !as
almost erfect; it had virtually never been done before in the history of music. I no! that( if it
had failed( the failure of the idea !ould have been given massive ublicity( but it didn't fail.
or that reason( I'm leased." - /0
You told me( last time( that you never !anted )he $miths to mil a formula dry. Weren't
"=eaven" and "William" just ridiculously familiar?
"I don't thin the format of the songs became too familiar. )hanfully( )he $miths became
familiar through success( but I don't agree that !e !ere e%hausting any set formula. ,ven if
!e !anted to be that !ay( I don't thin !e could( because that's the tye of eole !e are.
)his goes for every single member of the grou( !e are not o stars and !e're not in any
traditional mould. I find it imossible to be flattered by o success but I don't no! !hy.
Maybe( I just have very high standards and I don't thin !e've even begun to reach them( so
it doesn't mean a thing to me !hen eole come u and shout( "
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"It !as more of a restoration rather than remastering( as such(" Marr tells Colling $tone(
e%laining that he didn't add anything that didn't already e%ist O he just brought it all out. "I
ne! there !as a lot of music hiding in there(" says Marr. ll eight remastered $miths >3s
have just been released by Chino Cecords( including the first 4.$. >3 release of the band's
/0H 4.J. comilation( )he World Won't +isten.
Marr accets resonsibility for disbanding the $miths( but O erhas surrisingly O it aears
he's not entirely oosed to reuniting !ith his former bandmates( including lead singer
Morrissey. In an intervie! !ith Colling $tone( the guitarist loos bac fondly on the $miths'
celebrated career.
s you listened to the catalog for this roject( did any ne! favorite songs emerge? 3id any
articular album surrise you in any !ay?
$ince I've !ored in the 4nited $tates( in the last si% or seven years( I've iced u on the
fact that Meat is Murder !as the record that !as the introduction to the $miths for a lot of
eole. +iving in
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)he .E. >lub8 )he $miths albums have been rereleased before( but never in a acage
7uite lie this. =o! does it feel to have this music that you created !hen you !ere so young
reserved in such a restige format?
#ohnny Marr8 Well( this is the first time since the records !ere made that they sound right.
)here !as one comilation that I lied a fe! years bac called )he $ound 6f )he $miths(
but u until then( and !hen theyNd been ut out in the N/Fs articularly( theyNd been messed
!ith and sounded terrible. It !as a real source of frustration for me. ,very time I !ould hear a
>3 in a store or something( I !ould start thining( RWhoa( INm sure it didnNt 7uite sound this
thin(S or RWhy is everything so bright and hay-sounding?S I fought a real battle for 7uite a
fe! years to be able to get the oortunity to fi% it( and !hat I did !asnNt so much
remastering as&in my mind&restoring. 5ecause I really didnNt ut a lot of stuff on; I just too
off all of the silly stuff that !as ut on during the N/Fs.
$o from that oint of vie!( itNs been very( very gratifying. )he rocess !as a lot of !or and
!as more concentrated than I e%ected( but it !as !orth it because thereNs not one erson
thatNs said it doesnNt sound lie the old records. I didnNt ut the music on steroids( so to
sea. I didnNt jac anything u; I didnNt try to mae it the loudest record on i)unes or
anything lie that. I just !anted it to sound lie I remember it sounding in the studio. )he facts
are that !hen I got the original taes and ut them ut them u on the machine( they really
didnNt need very much done to them at all( so I ne! I !asnNt that craDy. @+aughs.A
8 Were there any discussions at any oint of resenting the music in any other !ay than
in the form of the original albums? +ie( say( a R>omlete $mithsS !ith all the songs in
chronological order or anything lie that?
#M8 Bo( because the !hole oint !as to be faithful. )o reresent the body of !or !ith
integrity. INve had no roblem !ith shouting out and comlaining for years about my right to
have my records sound the !ay I made them( and !hen I started sitting there !ith ran
r!right( the mastering engineer( to go through the songs( the realiDation came to me
clearly that I mustnNt mess this u. @+aughs.A It !as 7uite a tas( because I felt a resonsibility
to the other $miths members( and a resonsibility to the eole !ho love the music.
>ome to thin of it( that !as a lot lie my e%erience of being in the band( and being !ho I
am any!ay8 feeling a resonsibility to the other members of the band( rimarily( and then a
resonsibility to eole !ho already love the music. bout three or four songs in( I remember
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thining to myself( RWo!( youNve got to mae every song right( and you canNt mess this thing
u or else youNre be in big trouble.S My head !as on the choing bloc from all corners(
really. $o INm suer-leased everybody seems to lie it and understand !hy I !anted to do it.
E>8 )hose first $miths albums sounded very different from anything else coming from your
art of the !orld at the time( and yet at least from !hat !e heard about here in the 4.$.( theband seemed to be retty !ell acceted from the beginning. 3id you meet any resistance to
your sound !hen you !ere first starting out?
#M8 6h yeah( sure. )he first eight or nine months of the grouNs life !ere just Morrissey and
myself trying to find the right other t!o&!hich !e did( eventually&and trying to find laces
to ractice( and trying to find eole !ho might no! someone at a record comany( and
trying to get some demo time. 5ecause !e !ere really broe( and just had each other( and
my then-girlfriend( !ho is no! my !ife. 6h( and also our manager( !ho is still my manager to
this day. )he fe! resources !e had( !e tried to !or !ith( but as I say( !e !ere retty sint.5ecause the !ord in Manchester !as that !e !ere just too !eird. @+aughs.A 6ur very early
songs( lie R$uffer +ittle >hildren(S R)he =and )hat Cocs )he >radle(S and RYouNve 9ot
,verything Bo!(S !hich !ere reresented on the first record( eventually( !ere retty !eird
songs to start out !ith.
$o yeah( there !as some resistance. We didnNt have to battle for years lie some grous do(
though( because eole sa! the good in us essentially 7uite 7uicly&say( after a year of
erforming. Which couldNve been !orse. What really haened !as that our first set of songs
!ent into an aborted version of our first record that never came out&!hich actually is a morefaithful document of !here the band really !as. )hey !ere !hat !e laying( and !hat !ere
eoleNs introduction to us( in terms of eole on the street and the eole that !ould come
see us oening u for other grous and all that. 5ut !hen !e signed to Cough )rade and got
some suort from eole lie #ohn 8 You mentioned #ohn
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!asnNt so much of a surrise on our subse7uent sessions. We just layed !hat !e !ere
laying live.
I thin the ans!er is that !e !ere al!ays !oring and al!ays !riting ne! songs( so !e
layed !hatever ne! songs !e had at that time. +ucily for us( !e seemed to al!ays have
ne! ones. 5ut in the case of R)his >harming Man(S !e had a #ohn amera( !ho !ere also our labelmates at Cough )rade( !ere starting to get on the
radio( and I !anted to get on the radio too( or at least give it a try. +ucily( I !as feeling retty
chier that day( and the sun !as coming through the !indo! at 81F a.m. or !hatever time
it !as( and I just ut that riff do!n. 5ut essentially( !e needed a certain ind of song for the
#ohn 8 What about the acaging of the band? Your records had a very distinctive loo. Was
that something you all agreed on as !ell?
#M8 $ame as !ith the above. We !ere all fans of !hat !e !ere doing. Morrissey did all the
art!or( and it !as al!ays a surrise( and a great sense of anticiation of !hat !as going to
haen ne%t. I loved the sleeves( and I still do. 6bviously you have your favorites or some
you lie over others( but I lie them all. )hat !as there from day one as !ell. ,ven !hen !e
!ere maing little cassettes( Morrissey !ould do little hotocoied ideas on the cassettes.
#ust lie the music( itNs lie( R)his is !hat !eNre going to do today( and here it is.S )here
!asnNt stuff laying around on the cutting room floor( musically or aesthetically. We didnNt try
stuff that didnNt !or. ,verything !e did( !e ut out. ,very song( every sleeve.
E>8 You mentioned the early version of the first album that you scraed. 3id you consider
including that in the bo% set? 6r any other ind of rarities( lie live tracs or alternate taes?
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#M8 I !ouldNve lied to( but the labelNs got some ind of legal issue there that I never !ant to
tal about( so thatNs unfortunate. )here are monitor mi%es and instrumental versions and
slightly different versions of songs. When I said that nothing ended u on the cutting-room
floor and nothing ever didnNt come out( I meant songs. )here arenNt any songs that didnNt
come out. )here !ere versions of the songs( though( !here I ut eyboards on it( or before
some strings !ent on( or e%tra guitars. I !ent through everything( and there !ere a lot of nicethings( lie unlugged inds of things( that are valid and do have integrity and that I !ould
lie( at some oint( to see the light of day. I thin theyNve come out on some bootlegs over
the last fe! years( and fans really lie them and theyNre good. 5ut I canNt say !hy they !onNt
go out.
E>8 You mentioned earlier that radio ind of had to lay you because you !ere already
oular. Was there any hesitation( do you thin( in the mainstream culture because of
MorrisseyNs se%uality? Was there sort of a homohobia of some ind( maybe?
#M8 6h( I !ouldnNt no! about that. I thin !e just !erenNt )ears or ears or ine Young
>annibals.
E>8 You taled about your Cough )rade labelmates Dtec >amera. )he 4J o scene has
a reutation for bands being very cometitive( much lie you mentioned. 3id you have
colleagues in the scene that you !ere friends !ith? 6r !as it all sort of every man for
himself?
#M8 Well( I layed on 5illy 5raggNs records( and he came on tour !ith us and !e had a
resect for 5illy( because he !as a great song!riter and he !as olitically aligned !ith us.
)here !as Jirsty Mac>oll of course( !ho I !ent on to !rite some songs !ith and had a very
strong friendshi !ith. We resected Jirsty. I ersonally lied a number of things that Be!
6rder did( even before )he $miths. )hey !ere lie the ne! band around !hen I !as a id( or
in my teens any!ay( in Manchester. $o I had a resect for Be! 6rder( and 5ernard $umner(
!hich I guess !as the main reason !hy I !ent on to !or !ith him all through the N/Fs.
)here !as a band called #ames that !e too out on the road !ith us. ,verything 5ut )he 9irl!ere around. I thought the 5unnymen made some good records. 5ut I can only sea for
myself.
We detected a slight feeling of resentment from )he all !hen !e started getting oular( I
guess because !e made the label very busy. @+aughs.A 5ut you no!( !hatNs ne!? Mar ,.
$mith has ind of made a career out of being resentful( so it didnNt bother us too much. It !as
a little bit of a shame for me because I !as a fan of )he all !hen I !as a id( so that ind of
disaointed me at the time( I remember. 5ut I donNt thin there !as too much cometition.
You no!( !e !ere buming into bands on )E sho!s( and I lied just !hoever !as mainggood music. )here !ere lenty of bands that !ere ind of dominating the air!aves and M)E
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!ho !e didnNt lie. )he usual culrits( you no!&the ind of major label( very( very straight
grous.
E>8 What has been your tae on the bands that have come after )he $miths that are very
lainly insired by )he $miths( lie )he Wedding 8 You mentioned the albums versus the singles( and you recorded lots of singles that
!ere not ever released on a roer album( only on anthologies. =o! did you decide that(
say( R)he 5oy With )he )horn In =is $ideS !ould go on )he Queen Is 3ead( but
R$haeseareNs $isterS !ould be a single?
#M8 We !ere fans of the *( and !e al!ays thought lie fans. It didnNt occur to us that it
!ould be much more rofitable and business-savvy to !ait to record these songs !hen !e
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had another nine songs to sell off the bac of it. It !as really !hen !e got to merica that the
label had to deal in those terms( because the * culture !as even less in the $tates than it
!as even in ,ngland at that time&and it !as fairly non-e%istent in ,ngland. When !e got
over there( they didnNt really no! ho! to deal !ith us( because !e had these very strong
tracs that !ere very oular( but they just e%isted in isolation. nd this !as at the start of
video culture( and the idea !as you send massive amounts of money on the one lead songthat then sells your album. Well( !e didnNt !ant to mae videos( and !e had these songs that
!erenNt even attached to the albums. @+aughs.A We just thought the * !as really valid. It
!as just being led by our love of the culture( and being fans( and an acute disregard for
business.
E>8 )hereNs a documentary about )he >lash( made !hen #oe $trummer !as alive( in
!hich he tals about all the little things that led to the breau of )he >lash( and ho! he
!ishes he could go bac to that erson he !as in his KFs and say( RBone of this matters. )he
addictions donNt matter. )he ersonality conflicts donNt matter. You are in one of the greatest
bands of all time. 3onNt fuc it u.S 3o have a similar feeling about the end of )he $miths?
WhatNs your tae on ho! and !hy everything fell aart?
#M8 Well( I donNt thin anything !as fuced u. I donNt have that ind of ersective at all. I
thin itNs sad that four guys !ho !ere so tight !ent through such bitterness( that !as
encouraged by the behavior of some members of the band. 6bviously( it !as very emotional.
)he band !as incredibly dramatic( and INm hilosohical about that because I thin !ithout
that dramatic element( some of the music !ouldnNt sound the !ay it does. Bot all( but some. I
thin the only regrettable thing is that as adults( only ndy and myself get together and give
each other a hug and mae fun of each other and lie seeing each other. )o be honest( itNs
unfortunate that )he $miths donNt have the relationshi !here they can sit around and even
get comlaints out( or hilosohiDe. )hatNs unfortunate for four adults !ho are al!ays going
to have a tie to each other. nd unfortunately lots of !aterNs gone under the bridge( you
no!? 5ut I can only sea for myself( and say that I donNt have any negative thoughts about
the times bac then or the times no!( or the eole in it. I just ersonally feel a sense of
ride( and an incredible degree of luc. ll I !ant to say about that( on behalf of the other
three members of the grou( is that !e !ored very( very hard and !e really( really cared.
E>8 6nce the band !as over( you !ored on a lot of different rojects8 ,lectronic( )he )he(
)he
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!as musical. Who !ants to be ut in a bo% at K* years of age? )hroughout my career( INve
had an agenda not to rely on a Rsignature sound(S and to try not to reeat myself.
)hings change some!hat !hen you get older. You get a slightly different ersective. 5y
some !eirdness( INve found myself in situations !here INve layed a $miths song in front of
an audience. )hatNs artly because lenty of other eole have done it( and because the
songs are mine. nd as a more mature erson( INve had the realiDation that !hen I lay these
songs in front of an audience( thereNs a great feeling in the hall. )hings have become much
more simle( really. I donNt loo at it any more deely than that. If I lay R)here Is +ight
)hat Bever 9oes 6ut(S and itNs a song that I feel oay singing( thereNs a fantastic feeling in
the room. )hatNs it.
5ut as a musician( I !ouldnNt change a note that INve layed( because INd hate to thin of justyears and years of laying the same !ay. ll I can say ersonally is that I feel lie INm a
better musician through everything INve done. ItNs been hard-fought( but !orth it. nd I thin
after a !hile( eole started to understand !hat my motivation !as and go !ith me on it. $o
eole no! no! that I change !hen I do something lie Incetion( or !hen I lay !ith a
band lie Modest Mouse. nd then INll do something else. 5ut really I !as that !ay before I
formed )he $miths any!ay.
E>8 3o you have a favorite from the non-solo( non-$miths rojects that youNve !ored on?
#M8 I really had a great time !oring !ith Modest Mouse( just because of the eole. I loved
!riting songs !ith Isaac 5roc( and #eremiah 9reen is robably my favorite musician that
INve !ored !ith. $o that !as really fantastic. nd being in )he )he !as a really( really great
time in my life. I have a very close friendshi !ith 5ernard $umner; heNs the coolest erson
INve ever met. nd !hat INve just done !ith )he >ribs has been a reconnection !ith the
erson I !as( and !anted to be !hen I !as 0 or /( that is to say8 laying in a 4J street
grou( maing a run of singles. $o I feel very fortunate.
E>8 =ave you et u !ith MorrisseyNs solo career at all?
#M8 Bot really( but I donNt really ee u !ith anyone secific any!ay. $o the ans!erNs Rno(S
but itNs not really that big of a deal.
E>8 6ne last 7uestion( and I donNt no! if this is something you care about( but !ould you
lie to see )he $miths in the Coc nd Coll =all 6f ame?
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#M8 4hT @E
"6ne thing I !asn't e%ecting !ere the leeches diving in.
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us. We !ere going into the studio for a lengthy sell for the first time and !e !ere a bit
!orried about !hat might haen to our sound.
")he ne! songs !e've got are just as good as the old ones but I don't !ant the ne%t album
to be the first album art t!o( I !ant it to be une%ected.
=e's not even hased !hen I suggest that the idea of being successful is erhas too
e%ected for the $miths and maybe they should do something about that?
"We !ant to be universally successful but !hat's more imortant to me - and I realise it more
as !e get more oular - is that !e are the eole !ho have to live !ith our records. I'm into
a Muddy Waters tri( !hich sounds really corny( but I !ant to be influential over the ne%t fe!
generations. .com intervie!( KFFG
"Well I still believe #ohnny Marr is the greatest guitar layer of our generation( of our time... I
thin heNs still burninN. It still burns in him in a very rofound !ay( and INm glad that heNs
follo!ing his o!n muse. =eNs not out there( doing $miths-lite lie Morrissey( you no!? $o I
resect that."
--5illy 5ragg( KFFG
"@#ansch's musicA really sounded lie a challenge to me. It !as a yardstic for me by !hich to
raise my game as a layer... 5ertNs stuff !as the only music by a secific guitar layer that I
!ould try and !or out. nd lie a lot of things !hen youNre influenced by eole( you find
your o!n !ay of doing it and itNs normally !rong but it hels you along your o!n road. nd I
ended u being lucy enough to lay !ith 5ert a fe! times and last year he and I !ere
laying in my itchen and !hen heNs t!o feet a!ay from you( laying guitar( itNs more
confusing !hen youNre looing at his fingers than listening to the records. =aving layed !ith
him( INm more confused than I ever !as."
--#ohnny Marr( =ar MagaDine( KFFK
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!hat I realiDed retty 7uicly !as that eole !ere asing me about other stuff rather than
singing( so I too that as being a really good thing. hristmas time !hen I !asa id( I'd listen to it in the dar !ith headhones on and our >hristmas tree all lit u. It !as
lie magic. +ie an acid tri before you even ne! !hat acid !as.
Wo!( it's incredible isn't it? )hat ind of obsession and being dra!n into that !orld( !hether
that !as even intended by the eole !ho made the records( it !as so imortant to me( and
eole !ho are lie me. It's something you can't get from anything else. You can't get it from
religion( you can't get it from drugs and you can't get it from se%. You can get all sorts of
other things from that stuff( but that escaism and that ind of visit to a ind of lace that's
mysterious( but yet familiar( can only haen through those inds of records and those inds
of e%eriences( for me. )hat's !hat I'm trying to do myself( !hen I lay( rimarily( because
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ultimately no! I no! that !hen I had those moments @!hich areA rare in your o!n stuff( they
do translate and eole ic u on it and have the same sort of e%eriences.
)he $miths' song that !ould have had that ind of effect on me !ould be "=o! $oon Is
Bo!." rom the very first bit of the staccato guitar feedbac through to the very last !ords
Morrissey sings( that !hole song just taes you on a ind of journey. It's just brilliant.
)hat song !as ind of a bit of insired luc( really. lthough I no! #ohn reedence @>lear!ater CevivalA !as suosed to be about @laughsA(
hence the !oring title of "$!am." It had that ind of s!amy feel. $o( I !ould argue !ith
#ohn( because I no! he said recently that he'd suggested that !e mae it sound lie ")hat's
lright( Mama." If that !as the case then !hy does it sound nothing lie it @laughsA? 5ut it
!as very much a team effort and it !as a magical night. )here !as myself and #ohn
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Yeah( they're totally nuts.
)he $miths career really too off right on the cus of the comact disc's first introduction to
the maretlace( so most of your recordings !ere also initially released on vinyl( but the first
album and =atful of =ollo! and )he Queen is 3ead !ere some of the first comact discs
ever manufactured. 3o you no! if there are any $miths records that are eseciallycollectible because they are only available on vinyl?
6ver the years( I've found 7uite a lot of romo things that I didn't even no! e%isted. )here
are things lie vinyl versions of ")he =eadmaster Citual(" !hich !as a ,uroean single( not a
5ritish single. It !as lie a ,uroean 5enelu% single -- you no! 5enelu%( they !ere
distributors. nd there's a really rare romo single of "$till Ill(" !hich I imagine has never
made it officially to >3. 6f course the lines get very blurred no!( !ith eole being able to
burn their o!n >3s. It's become a bit of a grey area. )here are eole !ho are far more
7ualified to tal about $miths' rarities than I am. I don't even o!n all of our records @laughsA.
)here !as this icture disc( some sort of horrendous rench thing that !as an intervie!
intersersed !ith little bits and ieces from radio sessions( I thin. I do seem to remember
that( but I don't no! if it !as a hotograh of just Morrissey( or Morrissey and myself. $o it
!as either really horrendous or... just horrendous.
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6rlando PA 3a!n and the 6smonds -- ">raDy =orses" aside( !hich of course is a !or of
genius laughs2.
)he charts !ere redominantly for K year olds( and K year olds !ith retty bad taste( to
boot. )he function of the charts and the radio is robably not that much different( essentially(
@than bac thenA e%cet that( it being in line !ith the modern !orld -- and the modern !orldbeing even more cororate these days( !ith advertising rules -- everything is comlete baby
food. 5ut it al!ays !as that !ay( to an e%tent. ll I no! is that if I tal to someone about
9odseed You 5lac ,meror( most eole no! !ho they are. nd a lot of eole no!
!ho $igur Cos are -- and their last album didn't even have song titles: Maybe I can't be
objective( but all I'm saying is it's the journalists and the musicians !ho are asing the
rhetorical 7uestions. I'm almost laying 3evil's dvocate. We all no! about $igur Cos and
9odseed You 5lac ,meror and 5oards of >anada( so it can't be that bad. If anything( it
goes bac to maing a difference. nother !ay of looing at it is that the underground is
underground and the overground is !ay overground. )hat's better than the stuff !e love
being @slis into merican accentA hijaced by ")he Man."
I'll never forget seeing nthra% lay a small club in BY> about ten years ago and the singer
saying "Cemember that the underground is the best lace to be."
Cight( it's a beautiful thing !hen the underground infiltrates oular culture( there is nothing
better. Whether it's )he Colling $tones or Co%y Music or )he $miths or Be! 6rder or obain
obviously comes to mind. )hey've got to have a good !ay !ith a tune and some charisma(
though( to do it.
It does haen( obviously( but !hen you're inundated !ith so much drec( it's harder to see.
Interestingly enough( I don't thin I'm that untyical or dissimilar from a lot of eole !ho are
into !hat I do. ll I no! is that I urosefully set out a fe! years ago to create my o!n sortof filter. You start off !ith ignoring certain television ne!s and then certain magaDines --
because !e are totally inundated. I thin that overload of information( and essentially feeling
lie a target and art of a demograhic -- !hich is !hat my album and a lot of my lyrics are
about -- results in building u a certain ind of filter( if you lie. Mine's becoming more and
more reliable no!. If I go into a ne!s agent( my eyes go to one lace( and if I go into a to!n(
there's a certain record store that I'm looing for. 6n the Internet( there's a certain thing I'm
looing for. ll the other stuff( I just avoid. 4ltimately( the good stuff just floats to the to. It's
just riding that !ave of technology and the things that you can do and !hether that be the
sounds that eole mae in the studio or the inds of !ebsites they go to or the !ay they use
comuters( or !hatever journeys they're on. You ind of go( "lright( this ne! thing is only
good for this." I thin the same can be said for a lot of magaDines. It's just media overload
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no!( so I just don't even bother reading most of it. If I !ant to no! about the ne!s I just find
out !hat Boam >homsy's u to at the moment.
@Warning8 second !ave of blatant ass-issing aroachingA I hate to be such a fanatic but I
really !ant you to get ho! imortant your music is and ho! significant it has been in the lives
of so many fans( and ho! imortant 5oomslang is to eole !ho really love !hat you(
secifically( do.
>oming over here( I've been looing out for that message( and that's made the !hole thing
!orth it( 9ail. I really mean it( because it !ould be ind of easy for me to go out on stage and
really have the comments that certain albeit-!ell-meaning journalists !ho have intervie!ed
me ringing in my ears( hearing( "3o you thin $miths fans are going to lie it? 3o you thin
$miths fans are going to lie it? re your old fans going to lie it?" )hese eole are actually
taling about themselves. I've started no! to as them( !hen that comment's made( to
e%lain e%actly !ho are these eole that they're describing !ho are afraid of a major chordchange? Who are( at this moment( as !e sea( standing on a bridge !ith their ocets full
of rocs and clutching their journal( and ready to jum? )hey don't e%ist. )hey're taling
about themselves. 5ecause eole !ho are into me( and !hat I do and interested in !hat I
do( I assume are big enough and oen-minded enough to lie all inds of music( and to have
really gotten t