When Happy Mondays attempted to kidnap Johnny Marr
In Manchester’s music history, there are few names more revered than The Smiths and Happy Mondays. Led by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, the former blended the jangly with the melancholic to forge indie staples that would last for decades. Meanwhile, Happy Mondays would represent Manchester’s more chaotic, optimistic side, promoting 24-hour partying at Factory Records.
The two bands have become essential parts of the Manchester musical canon, each iconic in their own right. Between the jubilant ‘Step On’ and the dismal ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’, their discographies collectively represent the pessimism and pride integral to the city.
There’s a marked difference between Morrissey’s nasal laments and Shaun Ryder’s spoken vocals, between Marr’s arpeggios and Happy Mondays’ Madchester soundscapes. Still, that didn’t stop the latter from trying to force a collaboration with The Smiths guitarist, attempting to whisk him away to Barbados.
Hoping to curb Ryder’s heroin addiction, Factory Records planned for Happy Mondays to record their fourth record, Yes Please!, in the Caribbean – a decision that would not serve them well financially. Alongside their issues with drug abuse, Happy Mondays were also tasked with replacing guitarist Mark Day. Enter Johnny Marr.
Marr once recalled the experience in an interview, which he began with the words, “I got kidnapped by Happy Mondays one time”. According to The Smiths guitarist, Ryder left him a number of voicemails asking him to meet. When they did, Marr was met with the entire band, except Day.
In a near-perfect impression of the famed frontman, Marr recalled: “Basically, they told me about this plan to go out to Barbados… to do their album. ‘Right, John. We’re going to go to Barbados. What do you think of that?’ I was like, ‘That sounds really good, nice one. Good for you.’”
Wondering how this plan concerned Marr, he asked the question, to which they responded, “Well, the thing is, Mark’s left. His head’s gone. His head’s gone. He’s gone to be a postman, and he’s found the Lord, and we’ve got no guitarist, got no guitarist.” Marr initially thought they wanted recommendations for a new guitarist, but instead, they encouraged him to “get [his] swimming trunks on”.
Unfortunately for Happy Mondays and for any fans hoping for a Manchester supergroup, Marr immediately turned the request down. “I was like, ‘Alright, let me just have a bit of a think about that… no,’” he recalled, but Happy Mondays were insistent, “They were like, ‘Don’t be like that! Don’t be like that! We’re going, all of us, all the lads are all going, all the lads.’” He suggested that the idea of accompanying them was “absolutely terrifying”.
Eventually, Marr’s concerns about potential kidnappings were quelled as Day reunited with the band for the trip. Though they may not have secured Marr, the record did boast some equally impressive credits, including Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth on production. For those still hoping for a melancholic Madchester mashup, we can only imagine how Yes Please! might have sounded with Marr’s guitars.
Revisit Yes Please! below.
