Johnny Marr

photograph by Jon Shard

Name
Johnny Marr

Where are you from?
Manchester, England.

What do you do?
Musician, guitar player.

Describe your style in three words?
New Wave Rocker.

How should your music be listened to?
Standing up.

What do you miss about home when you’re on tour?
My dog called Riff.

What British music icons inspire your sound today?
Buzzcocks, Kinks, Magazine, The Animals.

Johnny Marr’s career spans four decades, rising to fame as the guitarist in the iconic Manchester band of the early 1980s, The Smiths.

After the demise of The Smiths, Johnny Marr went on to pursue varied projects that have included solo work, and involvement with other bands including Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, and Johnny Marr and the Healers.

Having exerted a huge influence on both music and style, the young guitarist took his cues from the Manchester subculture of Perry Boys and Perry Girls back in the early 80s.

Listen to Johnny Marr reading about his style influences in an extract from his new book, ‘Set The Boy Free’, below. Find out how you can win a signed copy of his new book - here.