There is a light that never goes out.. really does apply when the name is Johnny Marr.
With a versatile music career as a guitarist, songwriter, and producer; the collaborator extraordinaire shows no sign of slowing or stopping for that matter. A musical force, the multi-faceted artist seems more inspired, more energised than previously, and his latest solo project, double album ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’ represents the most extensive, ambitious album he has released yet.
Keen to convey a universal sound, Johnny Marr’s fourth effort brings together some of his favourite music over time. Incorporating influences from black American music, electro, new wave, pop and more, Marr puts to rest doubts as to whether guitar music has a future through an elaborately formulated response. Guitar music has a vibrant future, and the Manchester-born creative has a big part to play in it.
Clash caught up with the legendary musician…
– – –
– – –
Congratulations on ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’. It is a splendid and expansive record. Talk me through the concept behind it?
I had this idea.. The title Fever Dreams came right at the start, which isn't always the way, and the parts 1-4 had a good ring to it. I did have an idea for the concept about it being in parts, I just liked the sound of ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’.
I was using poetic licence to find out how I could put it out and almost immediately, at the same time, that suggested a double album to me. So, I think that's probably why I went into it thinking, it should be a bit more expansive.
As always your songs show ambition and perspective. And like you say, the double album carries references to poetry, what other influences or styles are represented?
So there is slightly more acoustics on there, and stuff that makes it a little bit more cinematic in sounds like ‘Rubicon’, ‘Human’, and ‘Ariel’ maybe, and knowing that it was a double in my mind gave me this idea it would be more ambitious.
In what way did past studio experiences inform or inspire the recording process?
My years of being a studio writer and being a producer, pulling microphones out of drawers and experimenting with sound and all that definitely came back, probably because of the pandemic, but it has a more expansive sound to it. How we went was that I started, I had the title and the concept for the double album, and I knew that I wanted the first single, if I could possibly manage it, to be an electro banger, which sounds like very clever planning all of that, but it doesn't always work that way.
Was just about to ask you about ‘Spirit Power and Soul’. It’s such an empowering track, tell me how it came together?
I crafted ‘Spirit Power and Soul’ almost like an exercise, really, because I was determined for it to be electro, but I also wanted it to be a song. It started out just really sounding like Cabaret Voltaire, which I loved, but isn't great to play guitar on. Then quite soon into the writing of it I got the call to work on the Bond film, which was unexpected, so that got interrupted.
This is all before the pandemic, so for the album the writing got interrupted for a bit. But as you can probably imagine, there's a lot of downtime on film, and I was able to write a couple of things when I was in this flat, this apartment in Soho, working on the movie.
So once your work on the film was complete, it was time to fully focus on the album again…
I came up with ‘Lightning People’ and the lyrics for that track. When the Bond film finished, the pandemic happened. But the point is that I already have the tail for the record. And then because the world went into this weird science fiction and nervous breakdown, I could then take the title and everything else and continue.
The way the world was fed into this idea of ‘Fever Dreams’, I deliberately wanted to make the point of saying every day is a fever dream, so it's not all about night time, every day did seem like a fever dream.
– – –
– – –
This album project offers a range of female perspectives, it takes inspiration from female writers and some of the collaborators are female. Did that just come naturally?
It was pointed out to me that there were some songs on there with a feminine feel about them, and that made absolute sense to me. The song ‘Ariel’ is definitely me singing some imaginary female quotes based on relationships. Though in many areas of my life, but mostly me thinking about Sylvia Plath, there are also a lot of women who I know that come to the shows, and I get to see a real mix.
That’s fascinating, and it makes sense to explore the female voice in different ways. I guess, with that comes reflections that relate to existence, which you seem to embrace on this record.
Yes, I was wondering about how we are all living our lives. I think there was a lot sitting in houses late at night around the world. Wondering what tomorrow was going to bring for our businesses, our careers, and our families. So, there's quite a lot of that feeling. A song like ‘Hideaway Girl’ deals with some of it. But I didn't go into it with any of that in mind, it just so happened that quite often I was thinking about the female energy that I have in my life.
It was also a nice surprise to hear that Meredith Sheldon and Simone Marie Butler were involved.
I have Meredith Sheldon singing on pretty much every track. I know her from this band from a few years ago called Family Of The Year, she's amazing, and she’s a really important part of it. Then I also brought in Simone Marie Butler from Primal Scream, who is great. So I had this, I wish there was a better way of putting it – sister energy – going on.
– – –
– —
When it comes to the production side of things, did you work with James Doviak again?
Yes, Doviak produces all of the records with me. It's great to have a very talented pal, and he's a very unusual musician. So, that's right up the band’s spirit. It was always my intention to have a really tight and impressive band, when we started releasing records. They are all such good musicians, and it worked straight away.
The band really reminded me of when I worked with Beck in terms of how they are. They could play with anybody, but they back him up really well, and I think my band share the same function.
Being so used to collaborating and working together, you must know each other very well now. When it comes to coproducing, what’s the chemistry that makes it work?
Doviak is a complete studio Jedi. We're very different people. He has an exceptionally scientific and enquiring mind, he is much more patient than me, which is very handy in the studio. I tend to be very decisive, possibly impatient, so that is a good combination to have.
If you have got the other side covered, that’s good. I'm very decisive, which is helpful when he may be trying to go down the path that I don't think we need to go down. But then other times, I will put ideas down, then he will stay a couple of hours, and really take them to another place.
You have already alluded to the impact of the pandemic. Having been unable to play live for a long time, how much did you enjoy the tour dates last autumn?
It was amazing, for all the obvious reasons. Getting out and having that communal experience is something I’m always grateful for, particularly after what we've been through. It’s that feeling of human contact. I know that some people get it from sport etc., but there's a thing that happens when a lot of people are together, grooving, and singing along in a way that I can't imagine people do at football matches, and there’s so much grooving about.
So that was great. My job is to literally plug in to some electricity, and then make really, very melodic noise with electricity at very high volume in front of people, who I think, are really curious.
– – –
– – –
Curious is a good way to describe your fans. You have a remarkable base of people who have been following you for a long time. Aware that you put a lot into connecting with them. Is it possible to put into words how you see that relationship?
I think my audience are there, and because some have been with me from when I was 19 years of age, it is a trip. If I think about it, they have got interested in me along the way. And it feels like that I'm on some path of discovery. Without sounding too pretentious about it, that’s because here I am, and they want to come along with me really to see what we find.
So it feels like this communal experience. For example, they know that I'm really inspired by Joan Didion, I might tell them I'm trying to sneak that into my songs or interviews or that all my enthusiasm goes into my work. So, I drag them along with me, whether they like it or not.
Returning to the James Bond film, you worked with Hans Zimmer again, and this time the work extended to Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell. Tell me about the experience and the approach you took?
For the James Bond song with Billie Eilish, we tried it a couple of different ways, but I always knew that less was more. Because it was a Bond film we had to explore that song with lots of big strings on, the guitars being loud, and Hans Zimmer having a big presence in it, orchestrally, and I’m having a big presence on a guitar-wise.
I thought it might be cool. But really, it was weird, it diminished the power of the song. I had done enough to know that if I wanted it to sound like a Billie Eilish record, and that usually means being a bit more minimalist.
I can see how and why this awareness was key. How did that understanding influence the rest of the work?
I was absolutely fine with two approaches. We would say, let's make it, less is more, let's take the orchestra out. Let's leave more space around Billie's voice, and then when the guitar does come in, it's haunting. I just reacted to what I heard straight away rather than overthinking it, it was quite spaced out, really.
– – –
– – –
Johnny Marr's new double album 'Fever Dreams Pts 1-4' is out now via BMG. Marr will tour UK arenas with Blondie beginning in April 2022.
Words: Susan Hansen
Photo Credit: Andy Cotterill
– – –
