That’s all, folks
Ellie Arnold Pole asks:
How did you come up with your sensational hairdo?
Guardian contributor Haircuts have always been important to bands. David Bowie, Siouxsie, Arctic Monkeys, Duran Duran, Kate Bush, Karen O, Chrissie Hynde. I've always been inspired by the girls as much as boys. Chopping it, colouring it, growing it, whatever it takes. It's one of the best bits of being in a band. Watch this space...
BradGoodman asks:
The outro on Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others is fantastic and those little harmonics still make me tingle every time I hear it. What do you consider the best guitar work you’ve ever done – Smiths and post-Smiths?
Guardian contributor Nice. That is a good outro. Best guitar work I've ever done - How Soon Is Now. Dogs of Lust, The The. Fly Trapped in the Jam and Dashboard, Modest Mouse. Cheat on Me, the Cribs. Half a Person, the Smiths. The Messenger. Luckily there's a lot I like.
'Performing with the Last Shadow Puppets was really poignant for me'
Klaara asks:
You played with The Last Shadow Puppets in 2016 in London and Manchester, can you tell us what’s the story behind that? and on the subject of Alex Turner – what do you think of the new Arctic Monkeys record?
Guardian contributor Okay - this is what happened. When I was writing my autobiography and I got to the part where the Smiths were about to break up, I was writing about Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me as not only does it remind me of that time but it's my favourite Smiths song. I got a call from Alex inviting me to play with the Shadow Puppets and asked if I minded playing a Smiths song. For some reason I assumed they wanted to play Last Night... or something like that. I was in a very weird headspace as I was writing about the breakup - a bit frazzled, slightly burnt out and strangely emotional. Then I got a message that they wanted to play Last Night... We played it in Manchester first and I'd forgotten that the Smiths had never played it live. It was a nice moment and went off okay but when we played it again at Alexandra Palace, and opened the show with it, confetti was raining down on everybody from the ceiling and it was a really poignant moment for me. There's a good recording of it on YouTube, it was just another one of those weird things that happens in life sometimes. I love the new Arctic Monkeys record - it's very self-aware and feels like another chapter in an ongoing long story.
Which records in your collection are you most embarrassed by?
blibbka asks:
Which records in your collection are you most embarrassed by? Any particularly guilty pleasures?
Guardian contributor I don't believe in guilty pleasures. Where do you draw the line? Disco? I'll always like disco. But watch out... I love John Coltrane. McCoy Tyner. And yes, it is jazz. I draw the line at Kanye West though.
Updated
How do you feel about the way Manchester Inc is putting Happy Mondays, New Order and the Smiths on coasters and mouse mats? Do you get royalties from each tea towel sold?
Guardian contributor It's so naff. Most people think it's a joke. They've got it very wrong - and no, we don't see any royalties.
What happened to Manchester's music scene?
Laurence Bury asks:
How did Manchester manage to maintain such a distinctive and internationally celebrated music scene over 15 years (to the early 90s) and what has (not) happened since?
Guardian contributor There's a big cultural explanation for the creativity in Manchester that goes back to the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of the Irish community, the Jewish community and the West Indian community, amongst others. All of these people set out their own entertainment culture. Manchester had more clubs per capita than any other city in Europe during the 1960s, which made it a very vibrant live scene during the beat boom and early pop years. All the important artists played there all the time and in turn inspired a generation of up and coming musicians and thinkers and radicals - not only in the city centre but which spread out to the suburbs too. So when the punk scene exploded, there was a strong culture of musicians and radicals ready to go. When I was growing up, Buzzcocks were a very big band and having them around and so successful was a big sign to me that it could be done. So the Fall, the Smiths, Joy Division and New Order - the whole Factory scene - was a result of all of this. The Mondays, Stone Roses followed on from us and Oasis and Doves followed on from that. It has its own scene now and is still vibrant and a big music town - but the next big thing, and the next big scene, isn't really happening in any major city in the UK, or the USA for that matter.
PeterRossJourno asks:
You’ve talked about recording the new album in an industrial space with a view of the Pennines. I wondered about the extent to which you think landscape and cityscape seeps into the music you write? Is it possible to hear Manchester and the north in your guitar sound?
Guardian contributor I do think that environment affects your work and mindset and emotions. In my case, I became aware of this quite early on, for instance when we did Hand in Glove, I thought it sounded like our immediate world outside - and still does. The Messenger was recorded partly in Berlin for that reason and for Playland, I decamped to London for the same reason. Call the Comet's been made in the top floor of an old factory on the outskirts of Manchester, which has directly informed the sound of some of the songs. You'll be able to hear for yourself tomorrow - songs like Actor Attractor, New Dominions, My Eternal all feel and sound to me like my view from the factory and I wanna do more of it.
barciad asks:
Who do you think was the best British guitarist of the 1990s?
Squire? Butler? Coxon? Greenwood?
Guardian contributor It's not really a contest, is it? I like Graham Coxon for one thing and Bernard Butler for something else entirely.
'Tips for aspiring musicians? Do not bunk off to the pub'
Holliroddi asks:
Any tips for aspiring musicians?
Guardian contributor Don't listen to anyone who says you can't do it. Trying to be great is the best reason to want to do it. Do not bunk off to the pub. Learning everything you can about the history of other musicians is a help. From what I know, anyone who was innovative in any of the arts was an expert.
NaomiSundial asks:
What is your favourite film soundtrack?
Guardian contributor Once Upon a Time in America, Morricone. It's powerful and evocative, has all the classic Morricone motifs and eccentricity, and I can listen to it without needing to see the film. Still stands up.
Updated
Is Morrissey in danger of destroying all that was good about the Smiths?
Commenter asks:
Is Morrissey in danger of destroying all that was good about the Smiths?
Guardian contributor Updated
VerulamiumParkRanger asks:
Have you seen Mark Gill’s film England is Mine? And did Laurie Kynaston’s portrayal of you bring back memories of those magical early days?
Guardian contributor I haven't seen it. I thought I might but I kept forgetting to see it. I felt bad that I hadn't seen Laurie Kynaston's version of me because I've been told he's a good guy and did a good job. I heard the film wasn't that good though.
Updated
eoghanmcgale asks:
As a 16-year-old, it is clear that the Smiths are just as popular among teenagers nowadays as they were 30 years ago. When writing your songs, were you aware that they were timeless?
Guardian contributor No, I wasn't aware that they were timeless but in all truth I was hoping they would be. I wouldn't have expected it to turn out that way and it's weird that it has. I think when you're writing a song you just want it to either feel right or be impressive and that's plenty to be going for. All the other big stuff is too much to think about and certainly something you can't engineer. Otherwise you'd be doing it all the time and if you could, there's something that doesn't seem right about that anyway. Writing songs is about hopeful inspiration, craft, work, joy and plenty of mystery. I love all of that.
ID6106899 asks:
Who was your guitar hero growing up? Are there any young guitarists in bands now who impress you?
Guardian contributor My favourite guitarist is Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I know they've been around a while but I like everything Nick does. There's plenty of bands around with good guitar players including my son and his band, Man Made, and if people wanna make something of that, fuck 'em.
ID6595890 asks:
Loved your book – a warm, funny telling of an extraordinary life. But did Shelley Rohde know about your “interest” in the works of LS Lowry when you moved in at 17?!! Did she ever find out, how did that conversation go?
Guardian contributor Indeed! My new landlady was absolutely not aware of my recent interest in LS Lowry. I was reminded of the episode every single morning I walked down the stairs as she had a huge poster of her book cover on the wall. It was quite weird and I did take it as a sober reminder of a bit of luck. It is weird how these things turn out.
Watered asks:
As a man with a conscience, do you regret the source of the income for Man City or can you forgive it in return for long-awaited success?
Guardian contributor I don't feel like there's anything to forgive. If any fans deserve a turnaround it's Man City fans. The club feels like a good place to be and a good place to go but we'll have to see how things pan out. There's plenty of jealousy around too. Happy days...
Thatonethere asks:
Who do you consider to be relevant these days?
Guardian contributor I don't mean to be weird but I always bristle a bit when I think of the term "relevant". There seems something pompous about it. I think anyone's allowed to do anything they want and if it clicks with people that's fine. Music should be above judgement. There is good and bad but relevant to who? And who sets the rules? I like Goat Girl though, Courtney Barnett, some old stuff too.
Which three albums would you take to Mars?
Legs O’Hagan asks:
When we have to get on the spaceship to go and live on Mars and you’re only allowed to take three albums – which will you take?
Guardian contributor Raw Power - Iggy and the Stooges; VU - Velvet Underground; Big Hits (High Tides and Green Grass) - the Rolling Stones.
srdjan_uk asks:
What is your secret?
Guardian contributor I wish I had one. After all these years of blah blah blah and why why why etc, I think it would be quite nice to have a secret. Maybe I don't need one. I might work on that.
Darren Henderson asks:
Which period of your career are you most proud of?
Guardian contributor Early days and now, for real... for many reasons. But new things feel better in new times and if it's going down great then I'm gonna enjoy it and why not.
Updated
Klaara asks:
How is it being a vegan rock star? What do you eat on tour?
Guardian contributor It's excellent, occasionally challenging - can be frustrating - but worth it. Basic is fine for me sometimes - big salads, big tofu, brown rice, exciting sauces and dressings. Nothing wrong with skinny fries. I think veganism is sweeping the culture now for all different kinds of reasons - some commercial, but that's okay. It won't be entirely mainstream but completely widespread very, very soon. Each to his own but it's a good thing.
Johnny is with us
…and ready to answer your questions!
Post your questions for Johnny Marr
The word “jangling” is now commonly used to describe a certain kind of indie guitar band, but it would never have come about without Johnny Marr. The lines he laid down with the Smiths – dextrous, melancholy and ringing with energy – are some of the most admired in all music, but his career has continued way beyond that band’s 1987 demise.
As well as a series of solo records – the latest of which, Call the Comet, is out on Friday – he has cropped up on a hugely varied number of records and tours, from Bryan Ferry to the Pet Shop Boys, Modest Mouse, Girls Aloud, and the Hans Zimmer soundtracks to Inception and The Amazing Spider-Man II. More recently, there was a spoken-word album made with Maxine Peake that addresses homelessness, and his memoir, Set the Boy Free.
He will answer your questions on anything from across his life and career in a live webchat from 12.30pm BST on Thursday 14 June – post them in the comments below.
I'm off now. Thanks to everybody who's sent in questions and hard luck to all you curmudgeonly bastards below the line. See you down the road somewhere.