“So Attitude-y, It Was Almost Intimidating” — Johnny Marr finally opens up about what it was really like playing alongside Paul McCartney, revealing the one astonishing talent people constantly forget about the former The Beatles legend, why McCartney felt like “two musicians in one,” and how a single jam session left Marr permanently rethinking everything he thought he knew about greatness — and the overlooked detail he shares about Paul’s playing is what’s sending longtime fans clicking to hear the story in full.

  • byJasmin
  • January 16, 2026
  • 2 minute read
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‘So Attitude-y’: Johnny Marr Speaks on What Playing With Paul McCartney Is Really Like, Names One Thing People Tend to ‘Forget’ About the Beatles Icon

The Smiths icon had a brush with McCartney as a younger musician.

'So Attitude-y': Johnny Marr Speaks on What Playing With Paul McCartney Is Really Like, Names One Thing People Tend to 'Forget' About the Beatles Icon
Johnny Marr reflected on playing alongside Paul McCartney, praising the Beatles icon for his prodigious musicality and intense chops in last year’s interview on “The Overlap” podcast.Even at 83 years old, Paul McCartney’s work consistently reminds the general public why he’s considered one of the greatest creative voices in the history of pop music, with those who’ve worked with the legendary Beatle (or those who still do) regularly highlighting his genius.His former bandmate, Ringo Starr, still thanks Macca for boosting his career by writing “With A Little Help of My Friends”, producer Mark Ronson argued last September that McCartney’s songwriting genius far exceeds pop hits, Nuno Bettencourt praised the Beatle’s undying enthusiasm for music, while McCartney’s longtime guitarist/bassist Brian Ray summed him up as “a great leader and inspiring cat.”
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Why Paul McCartney Is “Next-Level”, according to Johnny Marr

The former Smith guitar mastermind & bona fide session legend Johnny Marr had the opportunity to play alongside Macca earlier in his career, saying in a June 19 interview on “The Overlap” podcast last year that all The Beatles were extraordinary, but that McCartney was something else entirely (transcription via Guitar World):

“If you take a band like the Beatles – they always come to mind because they’re the yardstick everyone thinks about. Ringo is so important to the sound. If it was anyone else it would be a completely different band.”

“But, pretty lowkey, George Harrison – speaking as a guitar player – [he was] one of the greatest guitar players ever. Paul McCartney, on the other hand – and speaking as a musician – I had a mind-blowing experience playing with Paul McCartney when I was younger.”
Paul McCartney clarifies use of artificial intelligence for 'final' Beatles song | CNN

People Tend to Forget About McCartney’s Chops, Marr Argues

Reflecting on the “mind-blowing experience”, Marr went on to argue that McCartney is “so melodic, he’s so attitude-y, and just [has] amazing musicality” that he’s like having “two guys” in a band. Noting how McCartney’s immense songwriting legacy makes some people forget how good a bass player he is, Marr added:

“You forget, actually, about what their craft is. And Paul McCartney reinvented a way of playing the bass. You think of him as a songwriter and a singer really, but as a bass guitar player, it’s next-level, really.”

You can watch the entire interview below.

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