Noel Gallagher Praises Johnny Marr’s Gung-Ho Guitar Style
- Johnny Marr's decision to gift Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher an expensive guitar in the 1990s served as an unexpected catalyst for the former Smiths musician swearing off alcohol...
- Marr and Gallagher first met when Oasis was still a relatively unknown band outside Manchester, according to Louder Sound.
- The first instrument did not survive long in Gallagher's hands.
Johnny Marr’s decision to gift Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher an expensive guitar in the 1990s served as an unexpected catalyst for the former Smiths musician swearing off alcohol for the last 30 years, according to an interview published in August 2024 by The Guardian and reported by Louder Sound.
The History Behind the Gifs
Marr and Gallagher first met when Oasis was still a relatively unknown band outside Manchester, according to Louder Sound. Connecting over their shared Manchester-Irish family backgrounds, Marr appreciated the younger musician’s confidence and attitude. This prompted Marr to gift Gallagher a 1960 Gibson Les Paul guitar previously owned by The Who’s Pete Townshend, which Marr had used on The Smiths’ classic third album, The Queen Is Dead. “It’s just to be nice,” Marr told The Guardian, as noted by Louder Sound. “Me giving Noel those guitars has become such a big story over the years, but people don’t realise that at the time he wasn’t who he is now. He was just a kid from Burnage. I had no idea Oasis were going to go on to such big things. I did it because he was in need, because I was lucky and had lots of guitars, and because I wished someone had done it for me.”
A Broken Guitar and a Second Gift
The first instrument did not survive long in Gallagher’s hands. During an August 1994 Oasis show at The Riverside in Newcastle, Gallagher broke the 1960 Gibson Les Paul while attempting to hit a stage invader, according to Louder Sound. Following the incident, Gallagher asked Marr for a replacement. Marr obliged, handing over a second valuable instrument: a black 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom. When questioned by Guardian writer Andy Welch about why he would hand over a second treasured instrument to the outspoken younger musician, Marr offered a punchline about his own sobriety.
“I must confess it’s why I quit drinking. I wasn’t drunk, but the chances are I was very hungover when I agreed to that.”
Johnny Marr via The Guardian and Louder Sound
Broader Musical Context
Noel Gallagher released his solo album Who Built the Moon?
under the moniker Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, an album that featured contributions from Johnny Marr, according to Lidové noviny (archiv.hn.cz). The 2017 release brought Gallagher back to the classic Britpop sounds he helped define during the peak Oasis era between 1993 and 1996, blending modern production techniques with traditional guitar-driven melodies.
