“Live by the guitar die by the guitar”: Johnny Marr explains why he still loves the “purity” and “integrity” of Rory Gallagher’s guitar playing
Johnny Marr has spoken of his adoration of late guitar legend Rory Gallagher, particularly of the “purity” and “integrity” of his playing.
In a new interview with the Irish Mirror, the Smiths guitarist reveals he’s just added a new decorative item to his studio: a poster of Gallagher performing at the Rainbow Theatre in March 1973.
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“It’s a sweet picture,” Marr says of the poster, as he commemorates the month of Gallagher’s death 30 years ago, when he passed away at just 47.
Marr notes how the Irish guitarist has long been a big inspiration of his, noting his “integrity” and “purity” as a player. “It’s all very well doing that with lasers and banks of keyboards, but when you’re doing it with a really beat-up old guitar and beat-up amps in jeans and sneakers, without all the bells and whistles, it’s pretty powerful,” he says.
Marr says “as an idealistic young musician that was really alluring” and that this fed his desire to become a professional musician at an early age, well before he founded The Smiths. “I was such a big fan of him as a teenager. Not only did I enjoy his music and loved his shows, but I kinda clocked him in a way of carrying yourself as a musician.”
“There was more to him than just show business”, Marr goes on, “It was almost something religious. You knew there was a vocation there.” It was a “live by the guitar die by the guitar sort of philosophy, which turned out to be quite prophetic.”
It was Gallagher’s vocation that would later become Marr’s own when he founded The Smiths with Morrissey, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce in 1982.
In other news, earlier this year, a statue commemorating Rory Gallagher was unveiled in Belfast, but many fans weren’t exactly happy with how it looked.
One user on Instagram compared the statue’s appearance to comedic actor “Weird Al” Yankovic, while others criticised the appearance of the Tele, suggesting it looks as though it has six low E strings. Another comment on X read, “nice tribute, poorly executed”. One Facebook commenter wrote: “Great talent. Brilliant performer. Bloody awful statue!”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
