Johnny Marr to Auction Nearly 100 Guitars Including Iconic Instruments
Johnny Marr is set to auction close to 100 of his guitars, featuring instruments he played on The Smiths' classic track This Charming Man and Billie Eilish's James Bond theme No Time To Die.
The collection also includes a 1960 Cherry Red Gibson ES-355, which was gifted to Marr by music executive Seymour Stein as an incentive for The Smiths to sign with his label, Sire Records.
The first song Marr played on this guitar was the indie anthem Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now.
Motivation Behind the Auction
In an interview with the BBC, Marr explained his decision to part with the guitars:
"I didn't like the idea of my studio space becoming a museum"
He recalled receiving his first guitar at the age of four, describing it as "a little wooden toy thing, bought in a haberdashery shop in Manchester."
Career Highlights and Collaborations
Marr co-founded The Smiths with Morrissey in 1982, shaping an era of indie music with his distinctive, intricate guitar work that drew from British pop while avoiding clichés.
After The Smiths disbanded in 1987, Marr became a prolific collaborator, working with artists such as The Pretenders, Talking Heads, Bryan Ferry, Oasis, Blondie, Beck, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, and Franz Ferdinand.
This past weekend, Marr appeared as a special guest at The Gorillaz' unique stadium concert. Later this year, he plans to release his fifth solo album, The Age Of Everything.
Inspiration for Selling the Guitars
Marr began considering selling some of his guitars while working on his 2023 book Marr's Guitars. The project involved photographing and showcasing his collection at various events.
"Making that book gave me an excuse to take all the guitars out and photograph them and take them to a few events. When that came to an end, that period, the idea of them all just going back into storage just seemed very weird,"
He felt it was better for the instruments to continue inspiring other musicians rather than remain unused.
"I thought about people in Belfast or in Dundee or Tokyo owning one of these guitars for the rest of their lives - coming down to breakfast in the morning and really loving and cherishing this instrument.
Once I got that idea in my head, I thought it was really much, much more, more appealing than them being in some glass case."
He also welcomed the idea that selling the guitars would free up space for new instruments.
"I like your thinking," he laughs. "I wasn't going to say that, but I like your thinking."
Auction Details and Charity Donations
The 95 lots will be exhibited at Christie's galleries in New York and London during the summer before the auction takes place in London on 17 September.
The guitars have estimated values ranging from £1,000 to £150,000. Marr has pledged to donate the hammer price from 10 of the lots to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and The National Autistic Society.
Emotional Reflections on Parting with the Collection
Speaking backstage at The Gorillaz concert, Marr acknowledged the emotional difficulty of selling his guitars.
"But I'm hoping that maybe it'll be somewhat cathartic as well.
I'm pathologically someone who doesn't really look back, but this thing with the guitars has made me somewhat nostalgic, without a doubt."
