Noel Gallagher reveals the “best bit of advice I’ve ever been given” from Johnny Marr about buying guitars
According to Noel Gallagher, Johnny Marr is somewhat of a Guitar Guru. Simply touching a guitar owned by the ex-Smiths guitarist is enough to inspire Gallagher – which is pretty helpful, considering Marr has gifted Gallagher a few guitars over the years (including a Gibson Les Paul that was also owned by The Who’s Pete Townshend). However, after over 30 years of soaking up Marr’s guidance, the Oasis axeman is finally sharing the ultimate advice Marr has ever given him.
Ahead of Marr auctioning off some of vast collection of gear, the guitarist is hosting a public exhibition in collaboration with Christie’s London. To celebrate the opening of Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection, Marr and Gallagher had a walk around reflecting on their history. In Gallagher’s eyes, the second time they hung out was when he realised Marr was somewhat of a genius.
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The revelation came after the pair had perused the selection in a Doncaster guitar shop. On the day, Marr had experimented with a guitar with nine pickups, before handing it back to an employee and telling Gallagher “let’s go”. The two friends then went to a sandwich shop, and that’s when Marr shared some life-changing guitar advice. “This is the best bit of advice I’ve ever been given,” Gallagher says. “He buys a sandwich, and he says, ‘I’ve got to go and eat before I think about buying this guitar.’”
Marr’s logic? “You should never buy a guitar with an empty stomach,” Gallagher recalls.
Alongside his belief that a full stomach is the key to guitar clarity, Marr also believes that the Les Paul is the “ultimate guitar”. Back in the 90s, Gallagher wasn’t so sold on a Les Paul – but Marr’s firm stance was enough to sway him to give a Les Paul another shot. “After about a week, I was like, I fucking love these guitars,” he recalls.
“He texted me and said, ‘I’m even standing different, because [a Les Paul] changes your gait, your attitude, and everything,’” Marr adds.
Marr is so committed to the Les Paul that he has famously gifted at least two Les Pauls to Gallagher over the years, including a 1960 Gibson Les Paul and a black 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom. One of his Les Paul gifts even made its way onto the cover of Oasis’ 1994 debut single, Supersonic. In fact, a number of Marr’s gifted guitars feature on the cover, including a Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo.
“I remember that you’ve always been a bit gung-ho with your guitars,” Gallagher tells Marr. “I remember the day that when Oasis was recording Definitely Maybe for the first time, and you sent down some guitars… because [the band only had] one guitar each…”
At the time, it left the Oasis brother feeling starstruck. “I remember looking at it on the floor, thinking, ‘That cannot be the fucking the Smiths guitar…’” Gallagher laughs. “I was thinking ‘what if somebody stands on it… [because we were all] rat ass at four in the morning.’”
Christie’s London Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection is running until 17 September. Marr’s new album The Age Of Everything is also out 2 October.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
