In a fascinating meeting of musical minds, Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher recently came together to explore the storied history of Marr’s legendary guitar collection. The former The Smiths guitarist is set to auction off 80 of his instruments, including pieces used during his time with The Smiths and collaborations with artists like Billie Eilish, at an upcoming Christie’s exhibition.
Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher CREDIT: Holly Murray Christie’s London
The two Manchester icons inspected a 1982 black Rickenbacker 330, a guitar central to the creation of classic tracks such as ‘This Charming Man’. For Gallagher, the sight of these instruments brought back vivid memories of the early days of Oasis. He recounted a story from the recording sessions of their debut album, Definitely Maybe, where Marr had generously lent some of his guitars to the band.
Gallagher recalled the surreal experience of seeing a guitar belonging to his hero sitting on the floor of the studio. “I remember looking at it on the floor, going, ‘that cannot be the fucking Smiths’ guitar’,” he laughed. “There’s no fucking way he’s sent that down here to a load of geezers from fucking Longsight!”
The conversation also touched upon the influence Marr’s gear had on Gallagher’s own songwriting. The Oasis chief revealed that one of the guitars gifted to him by Marr was the direct inspiration for the track ‘Slide Away’. Marr, who recently contributed to Gallagher’s 2023 solo album Council Skies, noted that he has developed a keen sense for what producers and songwriters need from him in the studio, allowing him to elevate their work with his signature style.
The upcoming auction, which includes a red Gibson ES-355TDSV expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000, serves as a celebration of Marr’s storied career. Marr has confirmed that 100 per cent of the hammer price will be donated to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and The National Autistic Society.
As Marr prepares to release his fifth solo album, The Age Of Everything, on October 2, this exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the tools that helped shape the sound of British guitar music for generations.
