How Johnny Marr changed guitar playing forever
Classic rock guitarists are the most prominent in the instrument’s history, with names like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page discussed in god-like terms when considering the holy work of the guitar. However, it was following the arrival of punk, a movement which shifted the cultural conversation, that the guitar started to veer away from noodling solos and off in as many different directions as possible, becoming more compelling than ever before. One of the most influential figures of this new breed was Johnny Marr of The Smiths.
A true innovator, Marr is a fascinating guitarist. He embodied the best of his inspirations whilst adding something completely new, elements underpinned by an unwavering ethos of creativity that has fuelled every release. Arriving with The Smiths in the early 1980s, Marr fused a punk philosophy with artistic cues taken from Neil Young, James Williamson of The Stooges, post-punk pioneer John McGeoch, and classic rock boundary-pushers like Rory Gallagher and Hendrix.
These names are just the tip of the iceberg, too. Marr has also cited Nile Rodgers of Chic as another artist who had a tremendous impact on him. This myriad of influences, from choppy punk to piercing disco rhythm, is what laid the foundations of Marr’s dynamic and foolproof style. Though Morrissey would often take the spotlight during the rise of The Smiths, it was Marr’s unique styling that would underpin the group’s ability to pierce the cultural fabric in such a profound way.
Discussing his journey through music, Marr once outlined the broad reach of his taste and what he looks for in a guitarist, a standard he would famously hold himself to: “I try to think about the guitar along the spectrum of James Williamson, who was in the Stooges during the Raw Power era, on the one hand to John McLaughlin and his solo record, My Goal’s Beyond,” he said. “I like all the spectrum in between, and that might be – and is – Richard Lloyd of Television, John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees, Nile Rodgers. To me, these people are magicians and artists.”
While influences are what naturally weave themselves into the fabric of a creative soul, it was Marr’s decision to try and make something entirely new that would provide the most sonic nourishment for a plethora of new bands to grow in. Internally denouncing those who had come before him and refusing to lean on inspiration from the past, much like the punk guitarists who had originally inspired him, the Mancunian would allow his natural ingenuity to flourish.
“Long solos were out, distortion was out really, rockism that was the real (hisses), you don’t wanna do anything rockist,” Marr explained. “Your sound is almost political, really. I was trying to write just as melodically as I could but not use big rock-chugging chord changes. I wanted to make a big sound. It was this constant arpeggioing to fill out the sound.”
With this ethos, an uncompromisable attitude and natural ability, Marr changed the face of modern rock guitar playing, delivering a new sound that relied on melody over everything else. With it, Marr became both a manifestation and culmination of influence and a fountain of originality. This devotion would provide successive generations with the tools with which to approach the instrument and continually strive to push themselves. In avoiding clichés and lengthy solos but not reducing the instrument to three chords of anger, Marr established the blueprint for indie and alternative rock players. His impact is heard across the broad spectrum of modern music as it continues propelling into the future.
Speaking to the Irish Independent in 2007, the former Smiths man further elucidated: “100% of my focus was on providing interesting guitar hooks and putting some kind of space-age twist on the guitarist’s role. The pop guitarist crossed with the mad professor. That’s how I thought of myself.”
With a dexterity that fuses jangly arpeggios, shimmering melodies, and a hint of post-punk edge, Marr crafted a sound that changed the course of contemporary music. Characterised by its distinctive elements, Marr delicately fingerpicked patterns throughout his compositions, lending them an instantly recognisable, melodic quality.
Marr’s guitar style exudes a sense of tempo that is both infectious and unconventional. His knack for rhythm and phrasing is manifest in his staccato, chime-like strumming patterns. This rhythmic approach, combined with his ardent use of tremolo and vibrato techniques, creates a distinctive, shimmering aura that elevates his compositions to a different plane entirely.
It only takes a brief mention of some of his finest moments with The Smiths to note how momentous Marr was at the time. From the sliding open chimes of ‘This Charming Man’ to the ominous Raw Power-esque ‘What Difference Does It Make?’, it is truly remarkable the mammoth impact of Marr within just five years at the core of the Manchester band. What’s even more astounding is that across four albums, Marr delivered an extensive list of astounding flourishes.
Providing another concise account of his style is one of Marr’s most prominent disciples and former bandmate in The Cribs, Ryan Jarman. Speaking as part of the 2014 BBC documentary The Joy of the Guitar Riff, Jarman said: “He’s like the master of the clean tone. Not many guitar players can make a riff sound heavy without distortion; he did that really, really well. The riffs have so much drama… they’re quite pregnant riffs; you don’t really know where they’re going, but you know they’re going somewhere.”
Other notable indie adherents of his work include John Squire of The Stone Roses, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Blur’s Graham Coxon and former Suede man Bernard Butler, four of the most essential British guitarists to rise in his wake. Following on, even Radiohead credited The Smiths as an inspiration for their early work. In truth, you can hear Marr’s work across modern rock outside this immediate environment of indie players fond of a cleaner tone. The first generation of Britpop, shoegaze and many other sub-genres are particularly indebted to the guitarist.
It reflects just how far Johnny Marr’s reach stretches that alternative metal pioneers Deftones are lifelong fans of The Smiths, with their fondness for melody as a counterbalance to punishing chords and dynamics, largely extrapolated from 1980s indie and post-punk. They’re such big fans of The Smiths that they even delivered a cover of ‘Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want’. Stephen Carpenter’s echo-heavy playing on the Koi No Yokan tracks ‘Rosemary’ and ‘Entombed’ are straight out of the Johnny Marr handbook. What is the significance of this? The Sacramento band are ostensibly a metal outfit, a genre that Marr was philosophically and musically opposed to when establishing his style. His guitar playing was so powerful it crossed the divide.
Outside of these established acts, in recent times, Marr’s influence is still as prominent as ever. From Fontaines D.C., to one of the most exciting talents to emerge from the hardcore scene, Drug Church’s Nick Cogan, the new generation of talent at the forefront of contemporary rock music is still looking to Marr’s style for inspiration and repurposing it for our times. That is the sign of a true hero of the fretboard.
A powerhouse performer, a blessed innovator and a unique musician in the most earnest sense of the word, it’s true what they say: the classics never go out of style.
