Johnny Marr released a collection of his solo work, ‘Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr,’ on November 3. In a recent interview with The Standard, he talked about the album and his solo career, sharing his thoughts about rock music.
The singer revealed what made him step away from working in a band and create his solo debut, ‘The Messenger,’ in 2013:
“In 2013, when I did the first solo album, the reason I’m singing about architecture so much is because I used it as a device to write songs that I wanted to sing. Everyone seemed to be singing about this adversity that we’re all going through. And I know we are going through adversity; I get it. But I got really tired of rock music.”
Commenting on the themes used in rock, he went on:
“The currency of rock music being this faux sentimentality. I thought, well, Siouxsie Sioux [Siouxsie And The Banshees] wasn’t singing about her feelings. She was singing about Arabian Knights, and Spellbound, and Happy House.”
After ‘The Messenger,’ Marr released three more solo albums, with the latest, ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4,’ arriving in 2022.
Being In A Band Vs. Going Solo
Although the singer’s first solo work came out five years after his last album as a band member, he started to write solo material while still a part of The Cribs.
During the chat, Marr mentioned coming up to his bandmates with new song ideas while touring and said he later realized it was ‘very annoying.’ He explained:
“Because now, as someone who now has to write 15 lots of lyrics every time I make a new album when you’re at the end of a 12-month tour to have your guitar player saying, ‘I’ve got three songs, I’ve got three songs, write the lyrics,’ you just want to go home, sleep and get your head together.”
This notion led the singer to focus more on his solo music:
“But part of having me in your band is I just go, ‘I’ve got a riff! I’ve got a riff!’ I’m really annoying. So with The Cribs, I kept that to myself, and I started writing for myself.”
The Singer’s Upcoming Tour
Marr is set to tour in 2024 to support his new compilation album. The Spirit Power Tour starts in the UK on April 2, visiting cities including Brighton, London, Liverpool, and Newcastle. Additionally, the singer will perform A Night With The Johnny Marr Orchestra on December 7 and 8 at Aviva Studios, Factory International, Manchester.
