Johnny Marr / Instagram: "Back in the same spot 38 years later. Camden Electric Ballroom. 21st May 1983."

Not a usual post from Marr:



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FWD.
 
Yeah, a huge mistake to have 50,000 people singing along with you at a show, getting signed to the major label that dropped Morrissey, having his new single get massive airplay, going on a stadium tour in the US with the Killers...all terrible mistakes, poor Johnny. Whatever will he do? Oh well, I guess he'll stick to playing on the James Bond soundtrack and maybe he'll get some more work in Hollywood.
You proved a point I made by using your very first sentence to compare Johnny to Morrissey. There is no comparison in terms of solo success and overall accomplishments - you most probably know that - Morrissey leads in all aspects. And unlike Johnny, Morrissey never had to accept the indignity of becoming a perpetual opening act to other bands. Johnny's record contract is truly a wasted opportunity if he persists in putting out forgettable work. Also, agree with you that it is really nice composer Hans Zimmer hired Johnny to be a guitarist on the James Bond soundtrack.
 
You proved a point I made by using your very first sentence to compare Johnny to Morrissey. There is no comparison in terms of solo success and overall accomplishments - you most probably know that - Morrissey leads in all aspects. And unlike Johnny, Morrissey never had to accept the indignity of becoming a perpetual opening act to other bands. Johnny's record contract is truly a wasted opportunity if he persists in putting out forgettable work. Also, agree with you that it is really nice composer Hans Zimmer hired Johnny to be a guitarist on the James Bond soundtrack.
These people, eh? Facts mean nothing to them. How old are you? I'm guessing 15 pretending to be 35.
 
It is a sad fact that the great Johnny Marr now plays second fiddle to the Courteeners of all people. Morrissey would indeed never accept that
 
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It is a sad fact that the great Johnny Marr now play second fiddle to the Courteeners of all people. Morrissey would indeed never accept that
It would make zero sense if Morrissey, a man with a 33 year old solo career, lots of hit singles and albums, and a well-known pop cultural icon, would open for a band with less overall success than him. Marr, on the other hand, has spent most of his career in the background, so to speak, playing guitar in bands or with various singers, either as a proper band member or as a hired hand. He launched his solo career in 2013 (25 years later than Moz) and has since enjoyed a fair bit of success - but not as much as either Moz or the Courteeners, which hardly was the point. He is lauded and beloved and endlessly influential, though.

Point is: Your comparison makes no sense and it serves no one.
 
It would make zero sense if Morrissey, a man with a 33 year old solo career, lots of hit singles and albums, and a well-known pop cultural icon, would open for a band with less overall success than him. Marr, on the other hand, has spent most of his career in the background, so to speak, playing guitar in bands or with various singers, either as a proper band member or as a hired hand. He launched his solo career in 2013 (25 years later than Moz) and has since enjoyed a fair bit of success - but not as much as either Moz or the Courteeners, which hardly was the point. He is lauded and beloved and endlessly influential, though.

Point is: Your comparison makes no sense and it serves no one.
It does make sense as Marr is not a new artist starting in 2013. He has been a huge part of one of the greatest bands in history and plays songs of said band. On a late afternoon when everyone is waiting for headliners The Courteeners…

This is sad as both Marr and Moz are still alive and could have been the ones headlining there and all over the world if they hadn’t been so stubborn.
 
It is a sad fact that the great Johnny Marr now plays second fiddle to the Courteeners of all people. Morrissey would indeed never accept that

Ha ha ha, completely missing the fact that 50k people were singing along and heard some of his solo stuff, which all helps to promote his new album.

Apart from Boomslang Marr has only released 3 albums, each one landing in the top 10 and each one charting higher than the previous one.
His management team obviously have a game plan after securing him a new album deal with BMG and the next step is a massive US tour with The Killers which will help promote him is the US.

In reality the Courteeners support was a massive success for Johnny on a number of levels.
 
Yes it was a success and Johnny’s doing well as a solo artist. Not debating that. Just really sad to see him singing the greatest songs in history opening for bands like The Courteeners and the Killers…

A bit like if George Harrison would have sung Beatles songs opening for Shed Seven.
 
It does make sense as Marr is not a new artist starting in 2013. He has been a huge part of one of the greatest bands in history and plays songs of said band. On a late afternoon when everyone is waiting for headliners The Courteeners…

This is sad as both Marr and Moz are still alive and could have been the ones headlining there and all over the world if they hadn’t been so stubborn.

Here’s a video of 50k people bored shitless waiting for Courteeners.

 
Yes saw that, and it is great.
But it should have been the headline act is what I am saying. Always. Just look at that crowd.
 
It does make sense as Marr is not a new artist starting in 2013. He has been a huge part of one of the greatest bands in history and plays songs of said band. On a late afternoon when everyone is waiting for headliners The Courteeners…

This is sad as both Marr and Moz are still alive and could have been the ones headlining there and all over the world if they hadn’t been so stubborn.
I maintain that your comparison does not make sense. Upon launching his solo career, Marr was known as a musician, a band member, a hired hand. Sure, he was an essential part of The Smiths, but Morrissey was the front man, the star. Since then, he has released three solo albums - all of which have been successful, but nowhere near the success of Morrissey or even the Courteeners. Being a musician in a well-known and classic band does not automatically make you a huge headline star.
 
I maintain that your comparison does not make sense. Upon launching his solo career, Marr was known as a musician, a band member, a hired hand. Sure, he was an essential part of The Smiths, but Morrissey was the front man, the star. Since then, he has released three solo albums - all of which have been successful, but nowhere near the success of Morrissey or even the Courteeners. Being a musician in a well-known and classic band does not automatically make you a huge headline star.
It doesn’t and had he sung only solo-songs it would even make sense. But singing these classic songs as an opening act makes no sense to me. Can you imagine him singing There Is a Light during the Killers-Tour as an opening act? The horror.

Even The Killers, as huge Morrissey and Smiths-fans must find this humiliating.
 
It doesn’t and had he sung only solo-songs it would even make sense. But singing these classic songs as an opening act makes no sense to me. Can you imagine him singing There Is a Light during the Killers-Tour as an opening act? The horror.

Even The Killers, as huge Morrissey and Smiths-fans must find this humiliating.

It was Manchester the home of The Smiths, hence loaded with Smiths songs to give a whole new audience a flavour of how great The Smiths were. Face facts Thewlis, you have always been bitter towards Johnny, remember when you laughed after his album dropped to number 47 after a week in the charts and you commented not even Morrissey could achieve that, unfortunately Morrissey's next album dropped completely out of the charts after one week.
 
It was Manchester the home of The Smiths, hence loaded with Smiths songs to give a whole new audience a flavour of how great The Smiths were. Face facts Thewlis, you have always been bitter towards Johnny, remember when you laughed after his album dropped to number 47 after a week in the charts and you commented not even Morrissey could achieve that, unfortunately Morrissey's next album dropped completely out of the charts after one week.
I love Johnny and saw him perform solo a good few times. He always plays Smiths-songs and gets the crowd going and singing along. Which is great, but doesn’t really help highlighting his own solo songs. Moz in his first years as a solo artist would never perform Smiths-songs, and certainly not when he opened for Bowie in 1995.
 
It doesn’t and had he sung only solo-songs it would even make sense. But singing these classic songs as an opening act makes no sense to me. Can you imagine him singing There Is a Light during the Killers-Tour as an opening act? The horror.

Even The Killers, as huge Morrissey and Smiths-fans must find this humiliating.

I think you completely over-estimate the popularity of the Smiths in America. Even a re-united Smiths could not sell out the stadiums that the Killers will play in this country. Maybe on the coasts and Chicago. Let's face it, Morrissey didn't sell out one night in his Las Vegas residency.

Take it from me, there will be no singalongs to "There Is a Light" in Kansas City or Pittsburgh. Johnny will get a lot of new fans by supporting the Killers and boost the music of the Smiths as well. Nothing wrong with that!
 
The Smiths are huge everywhere. 250 million plus listeners to There is a Light or This Charming Man. Only last week voted by Rolling Stone in their 500 greatest songs of all time. No Killers in sight.

Commercially definitely a good move for Johnny but artistically not quite so. And as Amy said earlier in this thread, it could all have been so much better.
 
Johnny Marr, being the icon and the gracious guy that he is, probably also thinks it's good fun to open for bands like The Killers and The Courteeners, bands that are hugely influenced by both him and The Smiths and bands that have sang The Smiths' praises time and again.

And I don't think Marr's art is affected by him opening for The Courteeners one way or the other.
 
The Smiths are huge everywhere. 250 million plus listeners to There is a Light or This Charming Man. Only last week voted by Rolling Stone in their 500 greatest songs of all time. No Killers in sight.

Commercially definitely a good move for Johnny but artistically not quite so. And as Amy said earlier in this thread, it could all have been so much better.

I'm in the middle of the US. Trust me, the Smiths are NOT big everywhere, they never were in the US. They were primarily a college band with followings in the big cities. Who reads Rolling Stone anymore? You don't have to tell me how great they are. As far as musical matches go, the Killers are indeed a good move for Johnny who can handle a stadium audience just as well as a club show. There's no downside to getting his music in front of a big audience of rock'n'roll fans.
 
I'm in the middle of the US. Trust me, the Smiths are NOT big everywhere, they never were in the US. They were primarily a college band with followings in the big cities. Who reads Rolling Stone anymore? You don't have to tell me how great they are. As far as musical matches go, the Killers are indeed a good move for Johnny who can handle a stadium audience just as well as a club show. There's no downside to getting his music in front of a big audience of rock'n'roll fans.
The only downside being his music getting in front of an audience who will be over at the bar or getting their coats locked up, or just about arriving at the stadium at all.
 
The only downside being his music getting in front of an audience who will be over at the bar or getting their coats locked up, or just about arriving at the stadium at all.

Jesus, you're such a pessimist. lets wait and see, i'm sure there will be thousands of people watching Johnny at those venues.

I do find it interesting that you don't post for weeks and then jump on thread trying hard to put Johnny down. His career is going well, he has just signed to BMG, has a new album due out, played to a massive crowd last weekend, will be playing to huge crowds in the US next year and the James Bond film is out this week which he has contributed to.
 
I love Johnny and saw him perform solo a good few times. He always plays Smiths-songs and gets the crowd going and singing along. Which is great, but doesn’t really help highlighting his own solo songs. Moz in his first years as a solo artist would never perform Smiths-songs, and certainly not when he opened for Bowie in 1995.

Sorry but that's bullshit, his solo songs go down a storm at his solo gigs. Where did you see him?
 
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