Johnny Marr Reveals Studio Tribute to Mani After Call From Noel Gallagher

Johnny Marr recently shared how he learned about Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield’s passing. He got the crushing news from Noel Gallagher, who called him while he was in the studio.

Johnny Marr © Radio X / Youtube

Mani was best known as the bassist for The Stone Roses, playing on both of their studio albums. He later joined Primal Scream and played with them until 2011, when The Stone Roses reunited. Last November, Mani passed away from respiratory issues related to long-term emphysema. After his death, tributes poured in from across the music world. According to the BBC, bandmate Ian Brown called Mani a “Brother, a musical comrade” and shared these words about his close friend:

“Beautiful soul and spirit. Mani was able to laugh his way through any darkness. He was the life and soul of any room he was in.”

He also added:

“Mani wouldn’t want us to be broken-hearted, but we are”

During an interview on Radio X, Johnny Marr explained how he heard the news from fellow Mancunian Noel Gallagher. Marr was in the studio working on his latest album, The Age of Everything, and was focused on the track ‘Beyond The Rain’ when the phone rang. It was Noel Gallagher, which surprised Marr since Noel usually prefers texting. Noel shared the devastating news with Marr.

Marr described how he and his bandmates reacted:

“Everyone was really in shock, Everyone was really upset. Of course me and my band obviously knew Mani very well for a long time”

The shocking news struck the band and Marr had to decide.

“Do we just call it [and] forget the session? Which is eventually what we did”

Still, Marr felt conflicted.

“I could hear Mani immediately. ‘Come on Mr Marr you got to keep rocking’”

Johnny Marr and the band played ‘Beyond the Rain’ once in the studio before ending the session. The next day, Marr played the track again while recording the vocals. Marr decided in tribute to Mani he would change some of the lyrics.

“There was a line about the sun obviously coming out, and I changed it to ‘I shine like a northern son back to where I once belong'…there’s a couple lines like that are in the song that I sort of changed. So, it just took on a much more poignant and meaningful message, that song really”

Marr confirmed that the track wasn’t originally written about Mani, but Mani was at the forefront of his mind while he was singing it. You can read our 4 and a half star review of Johnny Marr’s ‘The Age of Everything’ here.

Watch the Full Interview here

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