Johnny Marr has praised the perceived ‘uptight’ nature of British music, saying it helps to keep standards high.
Marr was talking to XFM DJ Clint Boon this week, and recalled a conversation with his former Cribs bandmate Ryan Jarman when the pair were discussing the relative merits of US and UK music.
“Ryan said to me, ‘Where’s the best place to be, what’s the best music scene?’,” he said.
“At that time, for whatever reason, I didn’t think there was much going on here. I said, ‘I don’t know Ryan, at the moment I like America’. I said the British are a bit uptight, they’re a bit neurotic and prickly, and a bit trendy.”
“He said, ‘Johnny, you’ve just described all the reasons why it’s better!’. I think he’s right. I like that the British mentality towards music is a bit uptight, you have to be on your mettle. I knew what he was saying.”
Johnny Marr will make his bow as a solo artist when the debut album ‘The Messenger‘ drops in February next year.