This is quite sad seeing Johnny Marr just playing with these bands. He only supported Blondie cos Blondie supported Morrissey...trust me it's what jealous ex-friends "do." He says he just wants to move forward...what by playing with Britney Spears or Taylor Swift next? He should have pushed Morrissey for a Smiths reunion before Andy died...and made everyone happy, and himself cos I do think he's in it for the money, even though everyone says that's Morrissey. Marr really does really know it's over, yet still he clings...
'Just playing with these bands'
Underneath the skinny jeans and indie blazers, Marr is an old-school 60s guitarist. They liked being out on the road,
playing guitar. Often with other artists, whenever the opportunity arose. Many preferred that lifestyle to being in a traditional band.
And they weren't snobby about it, either. If they got a call inviting them to a soundcheck next Thursday, then why not? At worst you have a fun night jamming in front of a new audience, at best you've just made a new collaborator.
Johnny's from the school of traveller players, happy to join everyone from young 'uns (Cribs) to cult icons (J Masics, Bert Jansch) to commercial pop stars (Killers, Blondie) and legends like Nile Rogers.
It's also great publicity, as you pointed out. It raises Marr's profile and introduces new listeners to the Smiths, which indirectly benefits Morrissey too, as much as he loves to moan about it. So win-win. Money, publicity, exposure and having fun with your tuning knobs. Music is the business of selling 'art'.
What do you want Marr to do? Retire and spend his days fussing over Farrow and Ball paint samples? If he wants to dodge unwise reunions and instead caterwaul his way through Morrissey's vocal lines every night, why can't he? (I'd personally pay good money to see Keith Richards sing The Stones.)
At the end of the day, the Smiths were an 80s pop band. A cut above all other pop musicians, sure, but nevertheless a pop band. Both Marr and Morrissey were as in it for the money as every other group who ever agreed to appear on Top of the Pops.
You and many others on this site are holding his feet to the flames of a bizarre standard that few other working guitarist-songwriters of his era are held to. Musicians are allowed to make credible art *and* be money hungry with good business acumen at the same time. Nobody goes into the music biz to be a commercial failure!
