Johnny Marr releasing new book about his guitar collection

Johnny Marr already released a memoir, 2016’s very enjoyable Set the Boy Free, but he’s got a new book coming out that looks at his career through the lens of his guitars: Marr’s Guitars is out October 17 via Harper Design.

“Guitars have been the obsession of my life … they’ve been a mission and sometimes a lifeline,” Marr says. “So I’m delighted to have made Marr’s Guitars. It’s very different to other guitar books and is more of an art book, with stories of songs and sounds. It’s been a long time coming and a labour of love.” Here’s the synopsis:

Tracing Marr’s career from his teenage years to his recent work on the Bond soundtrack, Marr’s Guitars showcases the most significant of Marr’s superb collection of electric and acoustic guitars, revealing through them the evolution of his iconic sound and style of playing. Each guitar is identified with a crucial moment, a specific song or a particular sound, and each embodies a key aspect of Marr’s lifelong passion.

For the book, Marr worked with photographer Pat Graham for pictures of his collection, which includes the Rickenbacker 330, the Gibson ES-355 and his Johnny Marr Signature Fender Jaguar, plus guitars given to him like Nile Rodgers’ Stratocaster, Bryan Ferry’s Roxy Music Hagstrom and Bert Jansch’s Yamaha. The book also features guitars Marr gave to other musicians, including the Stratocaster used by Noel Gallagher on “Wonderwall” and the Gibson Les Paul Goldtop used on In Rainbows by Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien.

You can preorder Marr’s Guitars here and check out book jacket below.

Meanwhile, Marr is on Noel Gallahger’s new album, has been recording with Modest Mouse, and has UK festival dates this summer. Those dates are listed below.

JOHNNY MARR – 2023 TOUR DATES
FRI, JUL 21 – PENNFEST 2023 – BURNHAM, UNITED KINGDOM
FRI, JUL 28 – SOUTH FACING 2023 – LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
THU, AUG 10 – LAKEFEST 2023 – LEDBURY, UNITED KINGDOM
FRI, AUG 18 – BEAUTIFUL DAYS 2023 – OTTERY SAINT MARY, UNITED KINGDOM
SUN, AUG 20 – HARDWICK LIVE 2023 – SEDGEFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM
SAT, AUG 26 – THE PIECE HALL – HALIFAX, UNITED KINGDOM
TUE, AUG 29 – ROYAL HIGHLAND SHOWGROUNDS – NEWBRIDGE, UNITED KINGDOM
FRI, SEP 1 – BELFAST VITAL 2023 – BELFAST, UNITED KINGDOM