Johnny Marr couldn’t wait to tell his mum he’d recorded the guitar riff to a Bond theme.
The former Smiths rocker provided the guitars on ‘No Time To Do’ with Billie Eilish on lead vocals and an orchestral arrangement by iconic composer Hans Zimmer, and he was so proud to be involved, he immediately jumped on the phone to tell his mother.
Speaking to friend Jon Savage in the new issue of Rolling Stone UK, he said: “That really was a highlight [laughs].
“When I did it, I went and phoned my mum, ‘Guess what I’ve just done, mum!'”
The ‘Changing Man’ rocker – who this week locked horns with his former bandmate Morrissey over the latter’s claims Marr was using his name as “click-bait” – added how ‘No Time To Die’ and working on the soundtrack for Christopher Nolan’s 2020 flick ‘Inception’ with Hans inspired his own solo music and got him playing the 12-string guitar again.
The 58-year-old star – who releases his new solo album, ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’, on February 25 – said: “Yeah, I’d say that working with Hans brought that in.
“It’s made me double down on some things because I didn’t realise until I was told that guitars in films were a no-no for a few decades because of some atrocities that were committed in the 80s.
“‘Inception’ changed that.
“It was such a big movie – after that, in so many television adverts you would hear riff and Hans’ horns.
“Also, because I used a 12-string guitar on all the [scores], it’s got me back to playing a 12-string.”
Marr previously admitted he felt it was important to have guitar on ‘No Time To Die’ to honour the late James Bond composer John Barry’s legacy.
He said: “Growing up as a British boy in the late 60s, 70s, 80s, to me, the Bond theme should have guitar in it – especially the John Barry stuff.
“The sound of it to me, the guitar riff. It’s a super thrill to do it.”