Video Stills - Gavin Bush
The
same ...only different.
Matt Johnson &
Johnny Marr in conversation . . .
Part
1.
In the winter of 1981 I was, as usual, hanging
out at my friend's house listening to music and
trying to stay out of the Manchester rain. I was
17, played guitar and wrote songs. My friend had
just returned from London with an album by a guy
he'd met on a street in Soho in the early hours
one morning when asking for directions. I was
immediately impressed that someone who was not
much older than me had got it together to make
his own solo album, but when I actually heard
Burning Blue Soul by Matt Johnson I loved it.
The following week Matt came up to Manchester
to visit my friend and as we sat face to face,
passing my guitar back and forth to show each
other riffs and songs, we knew we had an amazing
connection and thought that one day we might be
in a band together. Now, more than 20 years later
we find ourselves at Matt's house on one of the
Spanish Islands. Neither of us can really believe
that so much time has now passed. We've both managed
to make music for a living and make names for
ourselves, which was our dream, and from 1988-93
we did get to be in a band together when I played
guitar in TheThe. What follows is a conversation
about TheThe between two friends, who still feel
the same ... only different.
J: Well, I've got to ask you this
very obvious question right from the start, so
let’s just get this one out of the way. What
were the earliest musical and lyrical influences
that you think were important to you when you
decided to become a musician?
M: I refuse to answer that question
(laughs)
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45rpm
vol 1 is in the shops from Monday May 20th
and includes the extra 12" CD for a
limited period only.
Get
out and buy! |
Tickets
are now on sale for TheThe's special one-off summer
performance at The Queen Elizabeth Hall on June
25th as part of David Bowie's Meltdown
2002.
Expect
an unorthodox show though as, in the spirit of
the festival, TheThe melt themselves down to their
original format as an electronic group. More details
to follow soon.
