Johnny Marr has said in a new interview that The Smiths‘ break-up was “mostly a personal thing”.
Speaking to MusicRadar, the musician reflected on how the Morrissey-fronted band parted ways back in 1987 following the release of their fourth and final studio album, ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’.
- READ MORE: The Smiths – rank the albums
“It was mostly a personal thing,” Marr told the outlet. “We were working at such a breakneck pace – 50-odd tracks in four years – that I thought I was going to end up repeating myself.”
He continued: “Also, I was frustrated with what people expected me to come up with. By creating your own rules, the influences and methods of songwriting that you allow yourself to use, you end up boxing yourself into a corner of musical politics.”
Marr went on to elaborate on his desire to be able to express himself creatively, despite pressure from fans to make a certain type of music. “If you step out of that corner, it’s immediately called ’sell-out’,” he said.
“Some ‘fans’ – for want of a better word – just wanted me to jingle-jangle on my Rickenbacker till I died. But if I have to forsake fame, fortune, and popularity for the experience of being able to play exactly what I want when I want, I’d do it again.”
Additionally, the soloist opened up about some of the controversies that surrounded The Smiths when they were together. He said they “went through every conceivable rock and roll tragedy: drug busts, police harassment, controversy”.
Marr added: “We had everything but a death, thank God. That was avoided by us splitting up. We were smarter than some. Some groups actually start believing they’re the Rolling Stones, and that’s how they do themselves in.”
The guitarist departed The Smiths in July 1987, and was briefly replaced by former Easterhouse member Ivor Perry. However, Perry failed to gel with Morrissey and by the time ‘Strangeways…’ was released in September, the group were effectively finished.
Early last year Marr spoke out about his recent spat with Morrissey, saying that he felt he had to “defend [himself]”.
It came after the former Smiths frontman asked Marr to stop mentioning him when giving interviews, in reference to a conversation the latter participated in with Uncut magazine where he talked about Morrissey.
Marr shared the reason why he’s not “close” with Morrissey in the interview, claiming that it’s because they’re “so different”.
Johnny Marr released his fourth and latest solo album, the 16-track ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’, in February 2022.
Meanwhile, Morrissey has recently claimed that the CEO of Capitol Records is trying to derail his career.
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