Johnny Marr On Working With John Frusciante
Johnny Marr has spoken to Total Guitar magazine about the experience of working with Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. The former Smiths guitarist was invited by Frusciante to play on his 2009 solo album, The Empyrean.
Marr reflected on the connection the two guitarists felt, ” “Without being overly simplistic or corny, guitar players are definitely a breed, and John and I hit it off straight away. There is this obsessive thing with guitar players – whether it’s about sound or scales or models of guitar, it just seems to be part of the package.
“John and I were recording in his house, which was nice. And with him, there was a quiet sort of intensity.”
Marr also praised Frusciante’s attitude to music, “There’s an almost zen-like stillness about his focus when he’s writing. There’s this underlying honour in what he’s doing. John has an approach to music which is almost sacred.”
The admiration was mutual, as Frusciante recalled his feelings on working with Marr, “It was really fun. I got to see how Johnny’s creative process worked on the guitar. He’s very unorthodox: in The Smiths’ stuff, the guitar is often a thing blending in with the band, but when you actually see the way Johnny comes up with things, and the way he thinks through the instrument, it’s just totally unconventional.
“And it was amazing to see that creative process at work fitting into the context of a pre-recorded piece of music.”
Johnny Marr is set to go out on tour supporting Blondie from next week.
Johnny Marr/Blondie Tour Dates
April 2022
22 – The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
24 – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
26 – The O2 Arena, London
28 – The Brighton Centre, Brighton
29 – Bonus Arena, Hull
May 2022
1 – AO Arena, Manchester
2 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
4 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
5 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
7 – Utilitia Arena, Birmingham