Johnny Marr explains why he gave pre-fame Noel Gallagher a free guitar
Johnny Marr has detailed the reasoning behind why he gave a pre-fame Noel Gallagher a free guitar which he’d previously used on material by The Smiths.
Marr previously handed Gallagher the black 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom before Oasis were signed after seeing the band in an intimate venue in Manchester. After speaking with Noel, he understood Gallagher’s passion and helped him out as he couldn’t afford to buy a new guitar. Marr has a habit of giving away instruments, also handing over a 12-string sunburst Gibson 335 to Bernard Butler.
Explaining his reasoning, Marr, who is set to release his new coffee table book Marr’s Guitars on October 17th, told The Guardian: “It’s just to be nice. As simple as that. Bernard is a good friend and I knew he’d love that guitar. And me giving Noel those guitars has become such a big story over the years, but people don’t realise that at the time he wasn’t who he is now.”
Marr continued: “He was just a kid from Burnage. I had no idea Oasis were going to go on to such big things. I did it because he was in need, because I was lucky and had lots of guitars, and because I wished someone had done it for me.”
Famously, Gallagher smashed the Gibson Les Paul Custom when a stage invader tried to attack his brother Liam during a concert in Newcastle. Cheekily, he asked Marr if he could replace the instrument, and he surprisingly obliged.
Marr, who is now teetotal, said of his decision: “I must confess it’s why I quit drinking. I wasn’t drunk, but the chances are I was very hungover when I agreed to that.”
Meanwhile, Marr recently revealed plans to celebrate the first ten years of his career as a solo artist with the new compilation album Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr. The LP is set for release on November 3rd through BMG.
On the theme of Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr, the guitarist previously explained how he intended to capture a certain theme on the compilation. “It’s a conversation I have from time to time with [Pet Shop Boys’] Chris Lowe, about how much harder it is to write songs that you want to listen to in the daytime,” he said.
The guitarist continued: “It’s easier to do something that’s perceived as cool if it’s a bit moody. But, for me, the mission with these records was to make songs that you could listen to on the way to school, on the way to the gym, on the way back from work – you know, in the way that you had with, say, Blondie.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.