Rock
Johnny Marr says Noel Gallagher friendship is deeply important and 'pretty iconic'
Johnny Marr has opened up about his decades-long friendship with Noel Gallagher, revealing the Oasis star remains one of the most important personal connections in his life.
Johnny Marr has revealed that his decades-long friendship with Noel Gallagher remains deeply important to him, recalling the guitar he gave the Oasis star during the early days of their relationship.
The former Smiths guitarist, 63, was taking part in Radio X's new YouTube series The Collection, which sees him discuss objects and experiences that have made a lasting impression on his life.
Asked to name something particularly iconic from his personal life, Marr turned to his friendship with Gallagher.
Johnny said: "If I'm thinking about something from my personal life. It would still have to be connected with music, but it'd be to do with friendship, really. My friendship with Noel Gallagher.
"When I first got to know Noel, I gave him a guitar that he ended up using with Oasis in their really early days. So I'd say that's probably pretty iconic."
The pair have remained close for more than three decades, with Marr revealing earlier this year that they continue to speak regularly.
Gallagher, 59, took a break from his solo project Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds to focus on Oasis' long-awaited reunion tour in 2025, but Marr has previously revealed that his friend has continued to write and record music.
Asked in August whether he had seen Gallagher recently, Marr told Absolute Radio: "Yeah, I see him all the time. Same as always, brilliant. He’s writing songs for fun, recording songs, enjoying himself, sending me hilarious WhatsApp’s - usually about Manchester United and lots and lots of effects pedals.
"[That] is the way our relationship has gone for 30 odd years now."
Credit: FAMOUS
It remains unclear whether Gallagher's new recordings are intended for Oasis, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds or a future project.
Marr has also developed a rather unusual connection to Gallagher's fame, having revealed that he is regularly mistaken for the Oasis guitarist.
Speaking for Gallagher's official Facebook page in 2018, Marr said: "I think he thought I was joking about this, until he saw it. If I'm walking around - if not every week, every month - someone says to me, 'Are you Noel Gallagher?'
"And I've told him this - I'm obviously not Noel, but it's because I look like a guitar player. So he's become the sort of generic term for 'rock musician', so I'm alright with that ... I sometimes go 'yeah'. But occasionally [if it's] some little kid in Manchester ... I go, 'Look, you know I'm not Noel Gallagher, right, 'cause he's so recognisable.' And they go, 'Well who are you then?'"
He has even compared Gallagher's name recognition to that of Madonna, noting that the Oasis guitarist has become so famous that his surname is often unnecessary.
Marr said: "The other thing about him as well, if someone says 'What you doing?', and I say I'm working with Noel, you don't have to say Noel Gallagher anymore ... So he's become one of those people, you just have the one name now like Madonna."
The guitarist has also recalled being approached by taxi drivers in Manchester who assume his connection to the city means he must know Gallagher.
He said: "Taxi drivers love him. I get it, 'cause I'm from the north and I guess I look like a musician, I get the 'You from Manchester then? I had Noel in my cab a few weeks ago. Great, top guy.'
"I won't tell you what the rest of the conversation goes like. 'Top man, top man - mates with him are you? Were you in Oasis?' Oh, it's a long story mate."
