Johnny Marr, the former guitarist with the iconic band of the '80s, The Smiths, looks set to follow the same path as his enigmatic ex-writing partner Morrissey, with the news that he is set to publish his own memoirs next year. Marr was a fundamental part of the group's success, through his abilities as a songwriter in partnership with their frontman, Morrissey and has gone on to produce a wealth of other material since the group split up. It seems that he believes that now is the right time to tell his own version of events over a colourful career in the Music industry, through the medium of his autobiography.
Marr is currently hard at work producing his own material, with the release of a limited edition 7" single imminent on April 18th called "I Feel You". The b-side is to be an old Smiths' track, "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want", which was recorded live at the Manchester Apollo in October of last year. A digital version of the new single will be released the day after. His latest Indie rock album entitled "Playland" was released last October on New Voodoo Records and debuted at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. "Playland" was his second studio album, following on from "The Messenger" in 2013.
51-year-old Marr expects his autobiography to be out in the autumn of 2016 and when asked why he has chosen now, he replied with a short statement: "For the past few years as I've been out on tour promoting my solo work fans and journalists have been asking me when I'll write my book.
I'm very happy to say that the time has come to tell my story." The new hardback book will be published by Century, with a paperback version expected to be available in 2017. The publishers believe that the early material that Marr has written for the book augers well for an interesting read for Smiths' fans, as they seek to gain further insight into the group's 'glorious' past.
His old song-writing partner Morrissey released his memoirs back in 2013, entitled quite simply as "Autobiography", which were generally well-received. The book was not entirely glowing about the band's days in Manchester and also included some rather derogatory observations and thoughts about the band's drummer, Mike Joyce, who became involved in a dispute over alleged unpaid earnings.
Such comments have not boded well for a potential re-union of the group, any time in the near future. Smiths' fans will no doubt be keen to hear Marr's own take on those days and his feelings towards the other band members.
Following the break-up of The Smiths in 1987, Morrissey pursued a solo career which has yielded some success, while Marr initially performed with a number of other bands, such as Modest Mouse and The The, before his own solo career took off over the last few years.
