Publisher: Dey Street Books
Publication Date: 2017
Hardcover: 512 pages
This review deserves little context before you read it.
Yo should know that I don’t care for the Smiths very much outside of “How Soon Is Now.” I mean, even if you can’t stand Morrisey, you have to love How Soon Is Now. I got turned on to Johnny’s solo album The Messenger by a coworker (S’up Brian…) and ended liking it enough that I bought Amy own copy, and have since bought another one of his solo works. I’m about one album every 7 years now… So I am not a fan of the Smiths, not a fan of Morrisey for sure, and only a casual fan of Johnny Marr.
I fond Set the Boy Free a little hard to get into in the beginning. I think it might be due to the fact that I’ve read so many musician biography’s and autobiographies that they all start off the same to some extent. I gave up on the book after a couple chapters actually. After some time away reading other things I went back to it out of necessity one night, having nothing else appealing in the house. This time it stuck with me.
To cut to the chase, if you’re a fan of his talents you’re probably going to like this book. As A casual fan I eventually found it really interesting. I learned a lot about the boy, and took to annoying my wife as we read together in bed… “Hey! Did you now Johnny Marr played with the Pretenders?” “Hey, do you remember hearing Johnny Marr was joining Modest Mouse?” To think that he was living in Portland and I could have been stalking him…
Johnny’s a better guitar player than he is an author,* but It’s definitely engaging. The writing style is conversational and it’s a quick read. The best part of all these musical biographies when the bands are almost famous. Set the Boy Free was written before Morrisey became an even bigger caricature of himself, but you do get an inkling of what was to come. Johnny is pretty matter-of-fact about his band members and it’s obvious that he cares for all of them, despite the lawsuits. He’s not one for salacious gossip.
I learned a lot about the boy, I had no idea he was involved in so many bands and projects. Some of them were vaguely familiar because I grew up on punk and indie rock and paid some attention, even to bands I didn’t like. Some were a complete surprise. To my surprise, Set the Boy Free made me want to dig into the Smiths catalog so I could place the songs I didn’t know with the stories. Sorry to say I still can’t get into the Smiths, hey Johnny, good on ya!
* In case you’re wondering, or it’s not obvious, the reviewer is neither a good author or guitar player. In fact, he has been the weak link in pretty much every band he’s ever been in.