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Johnny Marr Is Not Morrissey: Get Over It
Whenever Johnny Marr plays Smiths songs, you know the Morrissey comparisons will come thick and fast - but Marr is more than able to go it alone.
Johnny Marr plays ‘Bigmouth’ on Jools Holland [BBC2, 10pm, 4/6/13].
I bet Morrissey watched Jools Holland last night with a cup of his favourite Ceylon on his knee and thought: fair play to Johnny, that was grand.
I thought the same. I really enjoyed how he played Bigmouth, and some other fans on Twitter agreed with me. It was Marr power, for a short while, until the predictable emergence of the terminally dissatisfied: ‘He sounds good but he’s no Morrissey, his singing voice is not ‘lovely’ enough, etc, etc’. The ‘chat’ rolled on, grew ugly legs and spread over into criticism surrounding Morrissey’s guitarist playing Smiths songs composed by Johnny… and so on and so on.
Boring.
When will Morrissey or Marr ever be able to perform a Smiths song without being compared to each other or without the absence of the other being noted? They both wrote the songs of the Smiths, and, as artists in their own right, are both entitled to perform them when and how they want to.
There’s not going to be a Smiths reunion. They’re not going to write together again. Why would they? The new Johnny Marr album (The Messenger - http://www.johnny-marr.com) is a triumph. His guitar playing is fast fingered and fantastic. He has his own distinctive look and sound, his gigs sold out because they were a riot, he sounded great on Jools and he doesn’t need to prove himself - he’s Johnny Fuckin Marr.
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Johnny Marr Live: A True British Great Who Will Not Go Quietly
When he sings the songs that he wrote with Morrissey 25-30 years ago, he doesn’t sound like Morrissey. His voice is different to Morrissey’s. That’s because he’s not Morrissey. On his recent tour, Marr chose Smiths songs that really suit his voice, Stop Me and There Is a Light in particular. The gig that I attended at Shepherds Bush only enhanced his new album tracks, nit picking fingers as precise, crisp, detailed, sharp and fast as he’s known for. His new album sounds unbelievable in the car, loud and loved.
Similarly, Morrissey has been performing Smiths songs beautifully for years. He’s settled with his band, his voice remains as unique and perfect as ever and his long serving co-writer and guitarist, Boz Boorer does a fine job of How Soon Is Now live. He’s not Johnny Marr. He’s not trying to be Johnny Marr. He’s Boz Boorer. Just trying to do justice to the sound of The Smiths by accompanying the singing voice of an icon, and for that he should be respected. After all, he is the Morrissey co-writer that gave us The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I get, an example of post Smiths work as formidable any track on those first four albums.
The Smiths were perfect, but they have been split up for over twenty-five years. We don’t have to let go, they left a legacy of four studio albums, three compilations and a live album from just a five year period. Rejoice and press play at any time. Listen to the band that gave us a singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer that are legendary; whom together will be remembered as the sound that changed a generation.
But it’s time the tale were told of how Morrissey and Marr were respected individually for performing (in addition to their own body of work) Smiths songs, without the tiresome references and comparisons to the shadow of the other. They wrote and composed them, this is their right, together or apart. Let them get what they want.
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COMMENTS
Here, here, Julie! Johnny was absolutely brilliant when I saw him at Manchester Ritz a few months ago & The Smiths songs he played moved me to tears. Actually, more so than hearing Morrissey sing them. It was so special to hear him play his guitar in his unique way. The music is absolutely as important as the lyrics in The Smiths songs - something I was thinking about the other day when I was listening to The Queen is Dead the other day. As an aside, the layers in the music continue to astound me no matter how much I hear the albums - rock-funk, bass-drums - all so very important to the overall sound of the songs. Johnny 'owns' those songs every bit as much as Morrissey!!!
Great article. Saw Johnny at Shepherds Bush, seen Morrissey tonnes of times. Both very different. But both very excellent in their own way - just like this article in fact. Julie really nailed it for me. Nice work.
maybe everybody should just shut up. the hyper-involvement of fans in the lives of marr and morrissey is pathetc.
Great piece, well balanced and i 100% agree.
Loads of good points and nicely put too. Well done Julie, a great conversation piece. Had a little chuckle at the use of 'terminally dissatisfied'...loved it. x
Hamill's writing is always thought provoking. Love her interviews.
Well said! I am sick of the toxic combo of nostalgia and dissatisfaction whenever Marr or Morrissey dare to do anything novel, or in fact revisit the old having dared to mature a bit in the meantime. Preserving either the music or the artists in aspic is an anathema to creativity. Get over it!
Great piece. I agree. Moz and Marr are brilliant together or apart.
Great piece, Moz and Marr are great together or apart, Well done Julie.
Well written piece. Don't underestimate two things with regards to a reunion. One is legacy, the natural inclination to top and tail a story, two; the filthy lucre. The Smiths could play 20 stadium or headline festivals across the summer from Japan to Glasto and make millions per show. Oh how vulgar.
Concise well written piece but never say never!
I agree with what you said in regards to the "If you can't play like Johnny Marr don't bother!" comments that litter every single youtube video of Morrissey doing a Smiths song. It's old and boring and his band are actually very good a playing Smiths songs. If they sound different it might be because they want to. As for Johnny Marr, well I can't comment much as I've only seen the one song on Jools. Whereas the guitar work was fantastic I found his singing rather subpar (maybe Morrissey's band's guitar work is submarr?) it seemed to lack any real passion and just wasn't enjoyable. If it was anyone else singing that song that way a lot more people would have complained it was crap. I'm not saying this because he's singing a Morrissey song, I love some cover's of The Smiths songs (my favourite been Dream Academy's Please, Please, Please which I sometimes prefer to the original depending on my mood) I say it because that's what I think, he's not that good of a singer. Maybe it was just that song and maybe I should listen to more Marr....
Good article with much truth in it. I don't want to sound like I'm criticising Morrissey but I have to say when I watched Johnny Marr play Bigmouth last week I was completely blown away in a manner that I have never been when I have heard Morrissey perform it with his band. It was just incredible to hear the song played with the same power and vitality as it was in 1986. Incredible. That's not to say Morrissey doesn't do a decent version but Marr's version was simply awesome. And I never thought I would think it could be done better than to be sung by Morrissey. Really they need to get back together, then it would be perfect. We all know it makes sense.
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