The modern band Johnny Marr named as his “favourite”
For the past 40 years, Johnny Marr has continued to inspire each generation of guitarists who have risen through the ranks. The founding member of The Smiths created his unique style, which combined his broad taste, mixing elements of everything from Burt Jansch to Nile Rodgers, creating an entirely new sound.
Unlike many of his generation, Marr has continued to be inspired by new artists throughout his career. The Mancunian’s long-standing obsession with music was born at an early age, and it’s played a pivotal role in his life at every stage. It’s why he joined Modest Mouse and later became an honorary Jarman brother with The Cribs.
After leaving The Smiths, Marr has taken an unconventional path as he floated around the music scene. Even though he’s now established himself as a solo star, Marr still succumbs to temptation when the opportunity to work with younger artists such as Billie Eilish arises.
During an interview in 2018 with The Guardian, Marr revealed his love of New York indie favourites Yeah Yeah Yeahs, stating: “My favourite guitarist is Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I know they’ve been around a while, but I like everything Nick does.”
Zinner, who has also worked with Liam Gallagher and Phoebe Bridgers, has become a friend of Marr’s, with The Smiths guitarist telling in NME in 2013 that they’d been “hanging out” and “I’d like to do something with him” in the future.
Although they’ve never been able to collaborate, Marr’s love for Yeah Yeah Yeahs knows no bounds. It’s not only Zinner’s majestic work on the guitar which he finds appealing about their dynamic sound but every aspect of their artistry, especially singer Karen O.
Speaking at a live event with Radio X in 2018, Marr discussed his current music tastes, noticing a dominating trend in his listening habits: “When I’m doing interviews and stuff when I’m asked about what I’m listening to, there just happens to be a lot of girls in there. I don’t know whether there’s any big sociological reason for it, I just think it’s a thing that’s kind of happening. I had Lonelady open up for me a couple of years ago, and She Drew The Gun, from Liverpool, they’re pretty good.”
He continued: “My favourite band for years has been Yeah Yeah Yeahs because everything they do, I really like. Again, girl singer. I’ve worked with a lot of girls over the years, as everyone knows. That’s another good thing about writing the book; when you see it all written down, you see these patterns.”
To further highlight his love of the New Yorkers, when asked by Stereogum about the wider cultural context his songs with The Smiths have adopted, such as appearing in film soundtracks, Marr explained why it doesn’t infiltrate his mind, and instead, he prefers to “focus on how much I like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs remains among the few collaborations left on his bucket list. However, hopefully, this changes in the near future as the thought of their magnetic minds combining is a mouth-watering prospect.
