The moment Johnny Marr thought he lost his mojo: “I’ve lost it!”
Few bands have made quite the cultural impact in such a short space of time as The Smiths.
In effect, they existed for just five years and, being probably the only band in modern times to not succumb to the temptation of reuniting, will never extend that lifespan. In those five years, they released four albums and left a cultural footprint that would clearly last forever, influencing a catalogue of musicians and bands who would follow in their wake.
Perhaps more bizarre in the entire conversation of this career was the fact that one of their lead songwriters, Johnny Marr, was just 23 when this came to an end. At that age, he had near enough conquered the musical world only for it to be hastily stripped away, preventing him a chance to mature as a songwriter, through a band who were so globally adored.
In a bizarre twist of fate, Marr was left at a career square one, while simultaneously having the knowledge and reputation of someone who had essentially completed the game, which was a paradox he was confronted with immediately after the band’s end, when his reputation put him into a studio with Talking Heads, a fellow iconic band of the decade.
“That was a fearful situation partly because I was so young,” Marr explained. Adding, “But I think it was a healthy, creative moment of fear, ’cause it was just a bass line and a drum groove, and I think “blank canvas” was the phrase that was used. I was just buzzing about being the lead guitarist on a Talking Heads song.”
But then the realisation of his relative inexperience kicked in, and how warped immediate success in the music industry can make someone. He continued, “So I just froze, right? I was like, ‘Oh shit. Yeah, shit. Shit. I’m not hearing anything. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn,’ and I just went for a walk around the block, and I thought, ‘Oh, man. I’ve lost it. I’ve lost it. It’s finally coming out at the grand old age of 23. I’ve lost my mojo, and then I just kind of just plugged in and decided to just be myself. I was being too respectful in a way. I was being too humble, almost. There’s a lesson for you. Don’t get too humble, folks!”
In 1988, just one year after the dissolution of The Smiths, there is no doubt that the ghosts of his former band’s style would have been haunting him. A muscle memory from all the great Smiths hits ever written, that at the tender age of 23, would have been razor sharp.
But that early session with Talking Heads was no doubt a turning point – a proper formative moment that gave Marr the push he needed to carry on into the later stages of his career as a prolific collaborator, finally shaking off the ghost of bands past. Freed from the toxicity of The Smiths and energised by the challenge of working with others, he went on to carve out a path not just as a top-notch solo artist, but arguably one of the most sought-after session musicians of all time.
