Johnny Marr

"I think when somethings over, events have a way of conspiring to make you realise that its over. As cryptic as that sounds, its true. Things would happen and Id be like, Am I going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life? And it was a very, very emotional band. Its in the music. The relationship between me and Morrissey was very emotional. It wasnt volatile in that we would row or anything like that, but it was so intense that if rocked slightly it would be a big deal. Was the lack of a manager important? Massively, I think. I was nursemaiding people when I needed nursemaiding myself. And I couldnt see where we were going to go in the near future musically without repeating ourselves and not being as good."

"Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? JM: Never get into a situation you can’t get out of. I really have stuck to it, because it’s good advice for all walks of live."

"When I crashed my BMW and managed to walk away pretty much unscathed, it was a turning point. Id been living the life, and when people see photos of the car wreck, they cant believe I got away with it. It was like a fog had lifted. I stopped drinking a bottle of Tequila before grabbing my car keys. It was time to wise-up and get a haircut."

"Birkenstock desert boots have been a part of pop culture since the beatniks. I made such a fuzz about them being discontinued that the company send me an "lifetime supply", which initially turned out to be seven pairs at two years apiece. They weren’t giving me very long. I think that’s why I gave up smoking."

"About the cover of "The world wont’ listen" It represents the band to me. On the front youve got four guys who look like, if not the band, then Smiths fans. On the back youve got the female side of it - individually they really look like the Smiths: Morrissey on the far right, me on the second right, Andy [Rourke, bass] on the second left and Mike [Joyce, drums] on the far left. To find a picture like that is really clever. We didnt discuss it, but I understood."

"There have been plenty of times when Ive been a total dick like everybody else, you know, I mean I wanted to be a little rocknroller, and I was, and it was great. I had a to-do list of like "Thou shalt wear sunglasses indoors at all times." Done. "Thou shalt take drugs and have a great time." Done. "Thou shalt crash a big car into a wall." Done."

"Ive always believed that any instrumentalist is basically just an accompanist to the singer and the words. Thats born out of being a fan of records before I was a fan of guitar players -- Im interested in melody, lyrics, and the overall song. I dont like to waste notes, not even one. Who was it that said, "The reason why all those guitar players play so many notes is because they cant find the right one"? I like to put the right note in the right place, and my influences have always been those kinds of players. Keith Richards comes to mind, and I really like Nils Lofgrens soloing, because hes so melodic. I love John Lennons rhythm playing, and George Harrison was an incredible guitarist. Theres a lot of guitar culture that I dont like at all. I find the traditional idea of the guitar hero to be really irrelevant to the 1990s. I dont think that young people are that impressed with some guy brandishing Spandex trousers and a hideously shaped guitar, playing that kind of masturbatory, egotistical noise. Being a soloist who wants to just display virtuosity is a dated philosophy, and I dont think theres any room for it in pop music. Its the last stand of late-60s/early-70s rockism, and it should have gone a long time ago."

"I sometimes wonder whether were the last dying breath of that 60s grim working class thing! I often feel like were that one solitary clog left in the middle of the Arndale Centre! The idea of taking that spirit of optimism and of possible change and trying to use it in 84 I dont see anything wrong with at all. But more important than that are the images we grew up with: smokey chimneys, backstreets, the impressions I get from Morrisseys lyrics. It isnt just nostalgia, its a Northern spirit, a working mans spirit - and here Im trying to not sound like Gary Kemp doing the working class bit. But were more about the working class values in the 60s than Rickenbackers and Brian Jones haircuts... Certainly we dont feel restrained musically in any way by the period. What Im saying is we do not confuse roots with formula. The formula were prepared to slash away at, musically try things weve never done before. But the roots are the reason why were here. Thats something Ill never get away from. Im always aware of why we started and I think thats a good thing. Those reasons are still valid."