Set the Boy Free audiobook

Well, let's just say Johnny Marr is very diplomatic. I feel like he could have shown way more anger than he did in this. Some things I learned from Johnny:1. Sometimes you meet your one true love as a teenager and it works out for life. 2. The Smiths really just needed a good manager. 3. Liam Gallagher only became famous because he had a cool haircut. 4. Sometimes the personal is political. 5. Music gives life meaning.6. Drugs are bad.7. Running is good.I created a Spotify playlist as I read this book. Any song Johnny mentions got added. You can find it here:https://open.spotify.com/user/1213327...

Shame he dies in the end.

Johnny Marr, man – I had no idea he was such a dynamo! He’s like the Michael J. Fox of UK indie. I mean, don’t get me wrong: well do I realise I’ve just uttered a sacrilege, and though I dug the Smiths in my high school years I’d be the first to admit I’ve grown out of them, but I’ve always had time for Johnny Marr. Probably more than anyone (except maybe his own hero Keith Richards), Marr changed the notion of what it meant to be a “guitar hero”; while never bludgeoning us with technical wizardry, volume, effects or gimmickry, he quietly insinuated his broad, tasteful pallet into rock music. Of course, once I’d digested and re-digested Morrissey’s punchlines until they punched no more, I realised maybe Marr was a little too quiet. (I’m hard-pressed to think of another guitarist of his stature whose best performances are so buried in the mix beneath a vocalist.) And when as a boy I watched Nick Kent proclaim on some documentary: “Johnny is a sharp – an incredibly sharp – ‘kid’, as he’d probably like to be called,” I just had to take his word for it (a tough call, given the shabby figure Kent cut by the mid-eighties), because Johnny, in terms of public image, let Morrissey call the shots. And again, I’m hard-pressed to think of any band in which such an apparently introverted frontman takes centre-stage while an apparently extroverted “sharp kid” like Marr lurks in the shadows. Because Johnny, if this testimony (and further testimony in John Robb’s The North Will Rise Again) is anything to go by, was a firebrand, a face on the scene, a young dude, long before he knocked on that door in suburban Stretford and confronted Morrissey’s life-sized cardboard James Dean crucifix. And given his impressive run of collaborations since the Smiths split, he didn’t stop spreading the love. Friendships with Billy Duffy (the Cult) and Matt Johnson (The The) preceded and outlasted the Smiths; at one point he moved to Portland to join Modest Mouse; he’s toured with the Pretenders and jammed with Keith Richards, Paul McCartney and Bert Jansch; he played a pivotal role in discovering Oasis (gift to or crime against humanity, as you like, but comprising great acts of kindness to the young Noel Gallagher however you spin it).A working class boy from Wythenshawe (the largest council estate in Europe, they say) with an apparently fearless enthusiasm for bucking trends, at 15 Marr was dressing like Johnny Thunders, idolising local punk hero Wayne Barrett (of Slaughter and the Dogs), befriending local very “out” gay mentors and staying true to his vision despite standing Michael J. Fox height and being forced to wear kids’-size jeans in a neighbourhood where brickings in the head from so-called friends were not uncommon. By 20, he was managing his own clothes shop and minding a whole record-store’s worth of vinyl in his attic bedsit when the store’s owner went on holiday, not to mention befriending Tony Wilson and DJing at the Hacienda. As to the Smiths, within four gigs they’d recorded (at Strawberry Studios, with £225 loaned them by their manager) “Hand in Glove”, and the next week Johnny (with longtime friend and Smiths bassist Andy Rourke) was lurking in the hallways – and posing as an employee in the warehouse – of Rough Trade, where he accosted Geoff Travis and told him, “You’ve never heard anything like this before!” A month later the single was out. Hopped up on lemonade-and-chocolate breakfasts, he’d been hammering the Smiths via their first ill-recorded and morbid-sounding demo (“Suffer Little Children” and “The Hand that Rocks the Cradle”) several times a day in the shop, despite that he knew he was scaring customers away. He had belief, this kid. Determination. And musically, he was always open to experimenting, to taking influences out of their contexts. (That he named his son Nile attests to a far-from-obvious influence that can nevertheless be felt throughout his work.) Also, if he’s to be believed, Johnny was/is a one-woman man (he’s still married to his high school sweetheart) who apparently never considered getting sucked into the “rock ’n’ roll lifestyle” of groupies and sexual ego-stroking, and as a result was able to articulate, simply by example, something positive and liberating about male sexuality. And, despite being heterosexual, he’s never shown fear of being associated with more marginalised sexualities; in fact he’s relished it.On one level, sure, like Keith Richards’s, Johnny Marr’s story is about being “in the right place at the right time”, but that may be precisely what lifts it to the realm of legend, what makes of it something unique and unrepeatable. Marr, as he’d be the first to admit, was simply a guy who loved music, who loved to dress sharp, who saw in suburban Wythenshawe opportunity rather than a maze of dead-ends. (At one point mentor-manager Joe Moss tells him not to believe the myth of Manchester as a dark place; that his own Manchester had, in the fifties and sixties, bloomed with colour, and that Johnny’s Manchester of the eighties could do the same. “This city belongs to you,” he says, and it’s this pride in his beginnings and his place in something bigger that, again, marks Johnny out.) And it’s not like this book has changed my view of his work. I’ll still always wish the guitars were louder in “William, it was Really Nothing”, and that Marr had followed further the Gun-Club influence that lead to “How Soon is Now”, and hell, that he’d played out more on The The’s Dusk. Hell, maybe I’ll never listen to any of that stuff again. But I’ll know Johnny Marr is a legend and a revolutionary spirit, and a bighearted dynamo who painted Wythenshawe estates all the colours of the rainbow against the odds. Nice one, Johnny. And thanks a bunch.

There were times when I was reading 'Set the boy free' that I thought my heart was going to explode with nostalgia and love. I think that I'd forgotten just how much The Smiths meant to me. I particularly loved Marr's account of going to Morrissey's house for the first time, knocking on his door and asking him to be in his band. The descriptions of Morrissey and Marr writing songs together were truly magical. Marr's writing style is plain and unadorned but it doesn't matter because he has such amazing stories to tell. I'm probably giving this 5 stars more because of my admiration of Johnny Marr's work than the book itself. But I found 'Set the boy free' so throughly enjoyable, I couldn't give it anything less ❤️.

Well, I think I've said this before but I'll say it again. Biographies (or autobiographies in this case) are starting to be my very best brain candy. And it can be about anybody with a story to tell. I consistently rate this genre five stars. People fascinate me.So Johnny Marr. If you aren't aware of who he is (and in my circles I'm thinking that is going to be a high number) he's the lead guitar player and co-originator of the 80's British New Wave group The Smiths. Their lead vocalist Morrissey gets most of the attention for his "personality" and beautiful crooning, warbling voice (and BTW HIS autobiography was a five-star amazing for me as well) but I have always seen Marr as the equal genius in the equation. He plays the guitar like no other, and once The Smiths broke up and went their separate ways, Morrissey's music lost a vital piece of magic.Sadly I knew very little about the guy, but that has now changed. Consider my mind blown. Marr is the antithesis to Morrissey. Where Morrissey is dramatic and emotional and writes like 19th century classic literature, Marr is humble, laid-back, simple and straight-forward. ***HE NARRATES THIS AUDIOBOOK - I cannot say this loud enough - and his personality is on display not only in his words but his voice. It is simply ADORABLE. Wicked Mancunian street dialect. (If you are like my BFF and struggle with accents be warned, but I fell in love with it.)Most rock stars have led excessive lives that involve too many drugs, women and live with absolutely no moral compass. Granted, Marr has done his time with drugs and alcohol (he drew the line at heroin LOL), but I have full admiration for the man he is. He has always been righteous about his art, his life's work. If it gets in the way of him making his best work, it won't do. He has been with the same woman since he was 15. He has given up alcohol. He runs marathons (and on a stressful week has run several in a five day period). He adores his kids and has a good relationship with them. As bitter and ugly as things got with The Smiths band members in the courts, he never trash-talks anyone in this story of his life. To the reader, anyway, he is a peaceful soul that just wants to make music and is not satisfied with routine.I've read through the reviews and I've not seen anyone argue Marr's rendition of his life. Is he completely honest? It seems like he is, but who knows. I do get a feeling he might be holding back, but I admire him for not slandering anyone that got in his way. Usually such books are the excuse to let it all rip, all skeletons in the closet exposed to the world. Marr does talk about his realization that alcohol was driving too much of his day and affecting his work, but instead of trying and failing three dozen times to quit, he just does it. No room for that nonsense any more. When The Smiths (ahem primarily Morrissey) planted their flag on the hill of veganism, Marr said OK I'll go along in solidarity, and never looked back. Discipline baby. But this book is not a tawdry tell-all. It is a peek into the fascinating life of a legend and musical genius that left me awestruck.

I love Johnny Marr. His life story proves that the heady combination of hard work and natural talent pays off. Set the Boy Free follows Johnny from humble beginnings on inner-city Manchester estates to global fame and acclaim. It's partly a 'rise of the underdog' tale, but it's also a love story between Marr and music. As a creative person myself, I couldn't help but be inspired by his drive, his ambition, his self-belief, and also his ability to do things his own way.I love Johnny Marr.His total commitment to guitar and continual desire to bettering his playing, writing and producing is obvious through his musical catalogue, and although I'm a huge fan of The Smiths, there is so much more to Johnny Marr's career. I read a review that complained there was too much music lingo in this book. Erm ... hello? This is Johnny Fuckin Marr, a man who's dedicated his whole life to music. What did you expect?!I love Johnny Marr.His style and the influences he has drawn on in terms of clothes and image fascinate me. From roll-necks and beaded necklaces to well-chosen knitwear, his style has evolved yet never deviated from something that is totally 'Johnny Marr'. There's something comforting in that. Familiar. And the way Johnny talks about clothes and style in the book is highly evocative.I love Johnny Marr.He comes across as very introspective and self-aware, constantly reassessing what he wants from not only his career, but also other areas of his life. Reading Set the Boy Free, particularly the sections about Johnny's lifestyle change to a tee-total, marathon-running vegan, has encouraged me to think about the life I want for myself. I love Johnny Marr. I've always been fascinated by his relationship with wife Angie. They are a rarity - a couple who met young, knew they wanted to be together and still are over thirty years on. I loved the chance to learn more about their relationship, although the romantic in me would have liked to have more of this and also his relationship with Nile and Sonny covered in the book.I love Johnny Marr.I love Johnny Marr's autobiography. It's insightful and easy to read and although I'd heard a lot of the stories before, it was nice to have a chronological version of events from Johnny's viewpoint. I love Johnny Marr.I love Johnny Marr.And did I mention I love Johnny Marr?!

Johnny Marr is the man of my dreams. He encapsulates and manifests one my deepest beliefs that visualization, working hard and dedication is "the magic" in reaching your goals (and beyond in his case). Without a doubt Marr is one of Rock's innovative guitar legends and it's magnificent to read how he set out to be exactly that, and he does it with soul and depth. His insights and memories into crafting the Smiths to reflect his original style are a must read for any musician or lover of music. Even though I was peripherally aware of some of his post-Smiths projects, I expected the narrative to lose a few decibels of interest after they broke up, but was blown away at his resolve to keep on his original path of making meaningful music. Not just for a living, but for a loving. Marr is an inspirational human who earned his right to take his place in the human race (I had to do one lyric reference)!

enjoyed this autobiography of the guitarist of the smiths and a look at his life and his musical journey from inner city Manchester to fame

I am primarily a Morrissey fan but have seen Marr in concert twice and he was an audaciously talented youngster during his time in The Smiths. Obviously there is no love lost between the two these days but I did enjoy this one. He is a likeable narrator as he breaks down the labours of love he has enjoyed in various bands such as Talking Heads, The Cribs, The The, Electronic etc. He has also had the chance to jam with his heroes such as Keith Richards and Paul McCartney, mentor Oasis and even score soundtracks to movies such as Inception, No Time To Die and Amazing Spiderman 2. This all said he did seem to drive without a licence or insurance a lot and his drink fuelled car crash could well have had implications similar to those that took his other treasured collaborator Kirsty MacColl.

I became a fan of The Smiths a few years back and from the moment I put on "Ask" , I was immediately enthralled with the guitar playing of Johnny Marr. To this day, Johnny is not only my favorite Smiths member, but one of my most favorite musicians. Reading his autobiography confirmed this fact even more! Marr is a hell of a musician and a stand up guy! Despite being easily one of the most iconic guitar players of the century, Marr is humble and never takes himself too seriously! His book has plenty of that classic Mancunian humor, which had me laughing and snorting and burying my face in my pillow so as not to wake up my roommates at 2 in the morning :P There were also many touching and emotional moments throughout the book, when Marr spoke of his love for his family, and for his road family: the bands he'd toured with throughout the years and his first manager, Joe Moss. I was curious to see after having read Morrissey's autobiography a couple years back what Marr's side of the story was regarding the band's breakup and the legal drama that unfolded with band members Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke years later. I was not disappointed, and hearing it was a further testament to his character! Overall, the book was a refreshing and engaging read!! Highly recommended not just for Smiths fans, but for fans of the 80s alternative music scene!

Reading the interviews with Johnny Marr in Guitar Player and Guitar For The Practicing Musician magazines in 1990 when The The's 'Mind Bomb' album came out changed the way I thought about music. 'Set The Boy Free' is a wonderful insight into the man whose creativity did indeed shape much of the great guitar playing since 1983. Johnny Marr had a vision at a young age which he conveys to the reader and shows how by listening to his heart and his guts he made it all happen. There's truly wonderful moments in this book, brimming with emotion - his encounter with a rival fan at a football match, meeting his wife for the first time, him talking about The Smiths legacy... The story is an unconventional one, taking in a variety of players and locations, but all fueled by a love for making the type of music you want to make and leading the life you desire to live.

Niente male per un ragazzino con la chitarraEh.Vedi alla voce: come aver fatto già tutto a 22 anni e uscirne vivo. E anzi arrivare a 55 in forma smagliante. Se quando sentite nominare gli Smiths vi si scioglie un poco il cuoricino questo libro è abbastanza imperdibile. No, abbondo: l’autobiografia di quel mostro sacro di Johnny Marr è imperdibile a priori. E’ una scrittura appassionata, di quelle che ti assorbono e pare di essere lì a Manchester in quei primi anni Ottanta. Oltre la musica c’è l’amore per Angie, che si sono conosciuti tipo a 15 anni e non si sono più lasciati. E dalle foto che offre l’internet sono proprio bellissimi. Chapeau, tanto più per una - cosiddetta - rockstar. Quando fu ora di andare, Morrissey (o Steven come lo chiamavo io) mi diede un paio di fogli di carta con delle parole battute a macchina. “Canzoni”, pensai, “è di questo che si tratta”. Li infilai in una tasca del giubbotto e suggerii che mi chiamasse l’indomani a mezzogiorno al telefono di X-Clothes. Ci salutammo e appena uscii dal cancello al sole pensai: “Se chiama domani questo gruppo si fa”. Il giorno dopo a mezzogiorno squillò il telefono.Ecco, io quando leggo ‘ste cose mi prendo bene e mi vengono i brividini. [78/100]

I was a late comer to The Smiths although now they’re one of my favourite bands. Accordingly, I picked up this book with some alacrity and breezed through it in two days.That tells you a lot about both the quality of the writing and my interest in the journey. I love biographies but too often lose interest once the subject gets famous. Johnny Marr’s book held my attention the whole way, although I did like best the development years and The Smiths years. His description of growing up in Manchester and his fascination with the guitar were really interesting.There were, however, a number of elephants in the room unexplained by the end of the book. First, he never explains his alienation from his father: one moment he’s growing up in a loving family and admiring his father, and the next moment they never speak!The biggest elephant of all though is Morrissey. Johnny Marr frequently waxes lyrical when describing both his professional and personal relationships with the co-founder of The Smiths. The word love is used often. But there is not the slightest inkling of anything turning sour until the band abruptly splits in 1987. No proper explanation is ever given - the closest he comes is much later in the book when he concedes The Smiths could not have continued given his and Morrissey’s creative differences. WTF? When did creative differences come into it? There was zero previous mention of creative differences- only the descriptions of their amazing creative partnership.I dare say Johnny Marr didn’t want to get into a public stoush with Morrissey (and maybe didn’t want to entirely burn the bridges towards a reunion), but it strikes me as dishonest from a biographer’s perspective.Finally, and this is a very minor point, Marr frequently talks about the importance of outsider art - it’s only those outside the mainstream who genuinely take the musical art form forward in meaningful ways. If that is so, then why does he work with both of his children? Like it or not Johnny Marr, you’re now on the inside, and by allowing your children to work with you, you’ve effectively denied them their chance at greatness. Having said that, I fully understand that a proud father would find the prospect of working with his kids irresistible. Ultimately, Set The Boy Free is not one of the best bios I’ve read but it was one of the most enjoyable. Johnny Marr himself comes across as a really lovely bloke who has achieved all his ambitions through hard work and an unswerving dedication to his vision. It could also be recommended to aspiring musos as a text book in what it takes.A must read for any Smiths fan and anyone else who loves popular music.

Though tons of words have been written on the Smiths, this seems essential.Besides, I am not sure you could consider Morrissey's autobiography non-fiction, so here we are.This is pretty standard rock autobio. Conversational and breezy. Marr seems "aw shucks" as he recounts his life, marrying his teenage sweetheart and becoming one of the most influential guitarists of his generation.Nothing wrong with that. His is an interesting story. Although he makes it sound like it was so simple, I gleam that he practiced his keyster off, and this story doesn't happen without Johnny putting in the work.Pretty simple biography which recounts the England of his youth, getting involved in the local music and fashion scenes, up until he puts together the Smiths.From there, it's a pretty basic bio which combines some of his inspiration and "behind the music" tales of recording, mixed with what he was feeling at the time. The kind of stuff Smiths fans will pore over. Observers have noted Marr's weird post-Smiths career, but here, it follows a certain logic. He had known Matt Johnson since his teen years and they always planned to make music together. He plays with friends and heroes (The Kirsty MacColl bits are some of the best- along with him coming up with the name of her "Electric Landlady" album). He pursues a solo career, but finds he likes the feel of a band better, so he hitches up to Modest Mouse and the Cribs. He finally decides to really put his name out there, forming a band with the rhythm section of the band Haven, and playing music that recalls his glory days. Somewhere in there, he's responsible for discovering Oasis, as well.It's a lengthy book, but it's a simple read. Smiths fans will enjoy it. He's interesting enough, though, if you are a fan of music bios, and have any interest in the band or the ear at all, it might be worth a read. For song-by-song analysis, you can do better, of course, but I would mark it essential for Smiths fans. I will probably thumb through it a few times over the coming years.

A clear-minded and level-headed autobiography, Set The Boy Free is a joyful and sincere account of Johnny Marr's musical and personal journey (which, in his case, are one and the same). Marr is deeply thankful for the gift of music (for himself and his audience) and that gratitude is translated into his words and his memories, from his childhood (and his early falling in love with music and guitars) to his many musical adventures (from the Smiths to The The, Electronica, Modest Mouse and his own solo and semi-solo projects). He comes through not as a petulant rock god intent on self-mythologizing, but as an Everyman who is grateful for the gift of making and sharing music (whether he is recounting the first time he listed to a life-changing record, a recording session or a live concert). A remarkable aspect of the book --compared with other fellow Mancunnians who have released their autobiographies in recent years-- is that his native city does not feel like an archetypical abyss of utter boredom and post-modern abjection. Certainly, Marr's Manchester seems less dreary than Morrissey's, Bernard Summers', or Peter Hook's... although it does provide a young rebellious spirit enough inspiration to make music, but it feels more like home than a prison. Of course, Marr deals with the infamous Smiths trial and his sporadic encounters with Morrisey over the years, but he manages do it without a hint of resentment or nostalgia. Even his personal path towards fitness and veganism doesn't feel preachy at all. All and all, this is one of the most charming and endearing autobiographies by a rock musician.

Listened to this one on Audible; Marr is outstanding as a narrator in his Mancunian accent, telling the story of his life. I was never a big fan of the Smiths (yeah, I know...sorry!) but was curious about his career. What I found was a suprisingly candid journey through the life of a songwriter and guitarist, from his upbringing in Manchester, starting on his path playing in local garage bands through the explosion of the Smiths, to stints playing and recording with the the like of Chrissie Hynde, McCartney, Bernard Sumner, the Cribs and Modest Mouse. Recommended for any rock music geek for all the obvious reasons including lots of detail about road life, gear, etc. and well as the way he's crossed paths with so many other brilliant artist along his journey.