To hell with it, we're staying and facing our stuff because this is getting good to us. After some more collective anticipation the minister takes the stage, it's his gig and he's made this whole place happen over fifteen years. He is a small, almost slight man, what some would call "diminutive". His skin is smooth ebony and he wears an expensively tailored navy blue suit with his hair in shortish collar length dreads like a young Marley. The Reverend is charismatic and very cool indeed.He's gotta be fifty but he looks twenty eight.This is a big deal now and as we sit down we know from the everyone's faces that we'll be a little bit different when this man has finished; quantum physics, "releasing life energy", funny riffs, and "your soul is yearning for divine expression" ; it's the best rap; eloquent, profound and at times very funny and when he get's on a flow you wonder where he's gonna go and how in the world he gets there without a script. like hearing the Isley's live for the first time. Occasionally he sounds like Chris Rock, but what he has to say is ultimately big time serious, he knows what he's talking about. At the end of the sermon we're ready to do anything and happy to do nothing but be ourselves as well as we can and as we leave all we can say is "wow" or "that was amazing" or other such brilliant things. We drive back up to Sunset to get ourselves together for the flight to Sydney, "that was a great way to end the American tour" says Johnny, gazing out the passenger window towards the mountains, after a long silence he adds; "let's find a guitar shop, then it'll be perfect".

[February 5, 2003]
POP MUSIC REVIEW
Guitar whiz Marr is also a self-assured singer of note Now that Johnny Marr has his own band -- instead of being the stellar guitarist behind Morrissey in the Smiths and Bernard Sumner in Electronic, among others -- there's just one question. How come he didn't become a frontman sooner?
Leading his group the Healers on Monday at the Troubadour, Marr proved a confident and understated singer. Maybe he was so self-assured because he had stellar backup in drummer Zak Starkey, ex-Kula Shaker bassist Alonza Bevan and guitarist-keyboardist James Doviak. Or maybe it was because songs from the band's debut album, "Boomslang," were so fine.
Such atmospheric yet propulsive numbers as "The Last Ride" and "Caught Up" were melodic and sinuous, bearing faint traces of electronica but driven by Marr's trademark vibrating drone. His singing was quite serviceable and well-suited to the material, and he proved amiably low-key during the 75-minute set.
The lyrics were reflective and often upbeat, but less exacting than Marr's precise guitar work. Some of the rhythmic, ringing tunes had the echoing texture of early Pink Floyd, others were funky around the edges, and "InBetweens" had a jagged, heavier blues feel. Yet the music was more modern rock than classic rock, so maybe we should just call it timeless.

[February 5, 2003]
By Natalie Nichols, Special to The Times
Sunday 2nd February.L.O.L.A..L.A Troubadour.
The Troubadour shows were going to make for an interesting weekend. There were of course a lot of musicians coming along and other friends of the band but also lot of Industry people and writers and whoever, checking it all out. It is Hollywood. "As long as there are some tickets for real fans then that'll be alright" thinks Nick and the band are assured that there has been hundred's of tickets designated to the box office for fans.
The place has a good vibe going when Johnny and The Healers come into the building. The band can see the audience from the window in the dressing room and there's buzzing excitement and expectancy as the intro music from the film Performance drones in and the lights go down and the band come slowly down the steps that lead down to the dark blue stage. The place erupts into cheers, the intro music stops and Johnny crashes into the opening chords of Long Gone with a single white light beaming down on him. The band kick in and the crowd are already moving, Johnny Marr and The Healers are playing L.A at last!. L.O.LA!
There are new fans at the front, shouting for Healers songs and singing along, and further back everyone's checking it out and buzzed that it's sounding so good. Johnny's on good form, stomping around and really singing. "All Out Attack|" takes a lot of people by surprise, when he steps up to the mic and wails "Allow me!!" he turns everybody's heads around. People weren't expecting that, and when he does it again and the whole songs takes off the crowd are getting rocked..."Allow Meee..."
Mid-way through the show Johnny thanks Melowdrone for being a such great opening act and the crowd shows their agreement with huge applause. He then goes into "Don't Think Twice It's Alright' and by the second verse Melodrone is up onstage and singing with a soaring beauty that lifts the song higher and higher. It's sublime. Johnny was really into it ; "I loved Melodrone singing with me, it was beautiful, and made the last bit of the U.S tour special." 
The second night at The Troubadour was being filmed for a D.V.D. The cameras and especially the lighting seemed to bother the band and Johnny was having a battle with the lighting guy who seemed to be trying his best to make it a T.V show or something." It was a hassle because the lights were so bright at times. It's hard on some of the more introspective songs to feel any intimacy, but there was a good energy going in there and in some ways it was better than the night before." After the show the band all got together with friends and guests. Johnny hung out with Nils Lofgren, guitar god and one time member of Neil Young's band as well as getting together with Billy Duffy his longtime friend from childhood Manchester days. Alonza chatted with Bob Ezrin who produced Kula Shaker as well as Pink Floyd and Alice Cooper amongst many others and Tim Burgess and Mark Collins of The Charlatans came by to say hello. All in all, another nice night in Healerland.

[Tuesday 4th February. T.V Eye. Sign Out.]
The Kilborn show is much more relaxed than the Letterman show, maybe it's a west coast thing. The crew get to the studio at 11.00am and the band arrive at around 1.00. They haven't actually decided which song to do yet and the T.V people are getting a little concerned; "we'll know when we get on the set" says Johnny as he picks up his Rickenbacker twelve string, "I guess it's Down On The Corner then" says James, "I guess it is" answers Johnny,"this guitar never lies".
After the taping there is an in-store signing at the Virgin record store . Once again, everyone who comes along is really nice and most them have been to the Troubadour shows. Two fans have come from Brazil to see the shows and meet the band. Johnny gets gifts and hugs all night, "L.O.L.A"...

[San Francisco, Friday 31st January]
Saturday 1st February. Popscene. San Francisco.
Johnny : "I got to San Francisco before the others because I went to a signing at a club called Popscene. It was the club's seventh anniversary and they were playing some good stuff in there, mostly British. "The Last Ride" sounded good. All the people who came down to get things signed were nice people, I enjoyed meeting everyone. I was asked if it's hard talking to all these people, but really, to be hugged by hundreds of people, I mean, how hard is that ?"
Saturday 1st February. Brotherly Love. Bimbos San Francisco.
Bimbo's is another ballroom or "dancehall" as the Irish used to say. Alonza goes down to the giant Omeba record shop to "get a ton of c.d's" but comes back empty handed and Johnny made his traditional pilgrimage to the City Lights Bookstore, home of the original beatnik and hangout for Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other American legends. He picks up "How To Talk Dirty And Influence People" by Lenny Bruce and something by Burroughs. 
Everyone likes the show.The band drive from San Francisco to L.A straight after the show, in a limo, sprawled out and "Hank Williams style". It's a long six hour ride and the driver is told to "make it at least eighty five all the way, English style". He doesn't have a problem with this and the band make it back as dawn breaks in L.A.

[Chicago, Tuesday January 28th]
Doors Of Perception.Chicago Double Door.
The Healers in Chicago was an important gig for Johnny. The show was being recorded by X.R.T and John Featherstone, who was The Smiths' lighing guy all the way through, and then worked with The Pretenders and The The with Johnny, was back to do a show with Healers. Once again, some people shout out stuff although it doesn't seem to bother the band at all, "it's quite surreal sometimes" said Johnny, "I actually quite like it, in some towns there are more shouts for Electronic songs". The show will be broadcast by X.R.T in the next couple of months. The lights were, of course, fantastic.

[Detroit, Monday January 27th]
Don't forget The Motor City. Detroit.
Johnny : "I'd been to the Motown Studio once before. I got a great picture with me in front of Bohannon's bass drum with his name on it. I don't think Bohannon was even on Motown, it doesn't matter though, it's still Bohannon's bass drum..." Alonza, James and Johnny go the Motown Studio's on West Grand Blvd. These days the "tour" starts with a video about the origins of the Motown label and the artists and most famous songs. It's pretty cool hearing that music in the little white house where it was made and "Dancing In The Street" never sounded so good. James was excited about seeing the studio's old compressors. 

The Magic Stick is a good venue. The show felt like it could've been in '68, '76', '86...whatever. The audience right at the front get some 
chairs so they're not right on top of the band and the people from five rows back get a good view. Zak thought that the first four rows were midgets. It's a good gig, intimate and rocking. Johnny Barbatta, who was the drummer with the legendary Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels comes back to say hello before the show.

[Toronto, Sunday January 26th]

Toronto show. Sign On. Johnny, Alonza and Zak go to H.M.V in Toronto to meet people who have been queueing up to get records signed and meet the band. Everyone there is very nice and polite and they have The Boomslang cover to get signed as well as some older stuff. It's interesting to put faces and lives to the people who like the music and have followed the journey through all these records. Johnny signs all the old ones as well as the new album and singles. Johnny;" A couple came along with their little boy, Matthew, who was only about three and a half. He had a little guitar with him and is 
really into our stuff, it was beautiful. He was a bit shy but when he heard one of our songs come on the sound system he started grooving to it. He loves his guitar. I was like that". The gig at Lee's Palace was great. Someone shouted out something about "Johnny's political opinion". "We should've dedicated InBetweens to him" suggests James.

Night-Trippers (part 3) Toronto to Detroit. Nick, Zak, Radar and James are testing out the sounds in the back "sonic- vision salon" on the new bus. Although the spec for the machines was approved on paper it's a struggle to get "the setting" right. James takes out the entire back inside wall of the new bus and rewires the amps and speakers. Doviak is a jedi when it comes to these things but he still wasn't happy with the arrangements; "we could modify the p.a and try fitting that" he says. The lighting however was sufficiently interesting and after a couple of hours of the ride the party spot a groovy truckstop (which is, of course not at all groovy). 

Everyone made their way excitedly across the car park to the shop in a way in which only spaced out British musicians can, i.e unnecesarilly eager, strangely motivated and totally conspicuous. Scary guy "number one" behind the counter asked Zak through suspicious eyes where he'd come from and Zak replied "Pittsburg" for some reason not even clear to the drummer himself. The man stared into Zak's face forever and said nothing. He must have thought everyone was drunk or something. Then, scary guy "number two", a giant mutant man, stood in front of the counter and checked out Johnny, his face first, then his clothes, carefully, and then his face again and it was obvious that he was considering eating him, or keeping him as an exhibit in his yard. Nick and Zak were onto it right away and distracted Johnny by inviting him to inspect the trucker section of shirts, pants, caps and bumper stickers which immediately sends the guitarist into convulsions of laughter. They had to leave; Johnny asked to use the bathroom "to hang out, and have sex...for money". He's wearing a three quarter wool coat with a fake fur hood, big silver earings and silver nail polish. Why did Zak have to say Pittsburg?  (Picture courtesy by the Blue Girl)

[Boston, Friday 24th January]
The Boston Tea Party. The Paradise Club is a good place to play because the sound is lively onstage and the audience are up close to the band and all around. It's like the Mayfair in Newcastle England. After having a day off the band are ready to rock out and from the very start of the show. Johnny thinks some of the audience are a bit subdued for the first few songs but once they get where the band is coming from they get into it. He likes the show and and is moving like he's free." I liked that show and I did feel pretty free with it and I think people feel it. Some nights I need to feed of them at first and other times I just go out and give it them straight off....I felt free on that one".

[New York, Tuesday 21st January]
Get On My Train. The band take the train from Washington to New York. They go from snowfall to clear winter sun and sky and Johnny and Zak listen to Soft Machine and Magic Sam on the way. When they disembark the band and Levi find themselves in the middle of five hundred graduate New York cops and can't get through the throng of smiles and new guns. Zak has his picture taken with seven different rookie cops; "he looks cool" said James looking on. Alonza has disappeared by this point and is not seen again until soundcheck; "maybe, he's signed up" says Johnny, "I was hoping that if he was gonna split then it would be to join some weird cult, this is even worse" Ballrooms Of Marrs. When the the tour was being put together Johnny said he'd like to play at The Bowery Ballroom; "I went down to see Sebastian Steinberg, who plays bass with Neil Finn and Lisa Germano, with his band and it was happening". The Bowery Ballroom was built in nineteen twenty-nine and was once a shoe store; "ah! I knew it" said Johnny, who is actually psychic when it comes to footwear and ballrooms, "that's a good connection..."

Melowdrone plays another great set at the Bowery. The Healers stand and watch at the side of the stage. Melowdrone plays a couple of brand new songs and sometimes re-interprets his other songs depending on the feeling in the hall. Everyone was well into it. Just before Johnny and the band go on there is a backstage drama because they've been asked to do Letterman and it means blowing out the Mercury Lounge show the next night. The band decide to do the Mercury show instead, causing near heart failure and nervous breakdowns in a couple of people. Levi, master strategist eventually finds a solution; "we bring our own gear, do both shows, and Radar can sort some equipment for the Mercury Lounge". Radar will find wires and speakers and make it happen. He knows things.

The ballroom show goes okay. The New York audience seem to spend the first couple of songs nodding in a "yeah, it is him" kind of way and the third song with a "what's this then ?...interesting..." vibe. When "You Are The Magic" kicks in there's a "cool, I like this" feeling about the place and everyone lets go and the night takes off in a good way. 

After the gig Lenny Kaye from The Patti Smith Group comes backstage to say hello. Jim Fetus is there too, Johnny hasn't seen him since they were both in the "Slow Emotion Replay" video with Matt Johnson. Melowdrone walks around in a beige suit and a perfectly matching shirt and tie, he's decided to be informal onstage and super-formal offstage. Genius.

"Was it strange for you playing to people who hadn't heard the band before ?"

Johnny : "I thought it might be but it wasn't really. It would have been nice in a way if the record had already been out but in another way it's very cool. People who know me might expect a certain thing but they also know I like to move on and they trust me I think".

"Do you like American audiences ?"

Johnny : "I do. I think they go to a show really wanting to like it, which you'd think was the only and obvious thing to do, but some cities in Europe can be a bit colder sometimes. It's a shame because it's the same music and people can hold back through some idea of cool or something. It's not actually cool though is it ?"

"Did you like doing The David Letterman Show ?"

Johnny : "Yeah, we were good".

A Swinging Outfit. It's freezing on the set of The Letterman Show. The band do their run through in their coats and Johnny leaves his on for the performance; "it is D &G". Paul Schaeffer, Letterman's musical director and band leader calls The Healers "a swinging outfit", which pleases Johnny enormously. Zak showed America what he does, big style. James sticks around the studio for a while to check his guitar out and the others head over to the Mercury Lounge for the show.

Johnny " The Mercury Lounge was tough to get a guitar sound in which made it a bit difficult to get into. The audience dug it though, which is the main thing I suppose"

Later that night the band throw a " Bye, New York" dinner party for friends and crew at Starfood. The crew arrive to a huge round of drinks and an even huger round of applause for their brilliance over the last forty-eight hours. James spends most of the dinner explaining recent American Scientific discoveries to an actress form The Eukraine and Alonza is hanging out with Johnny from Spacehog. Johnny and Mick Rock huddle together to continue discussing the metaphysical nature of "the thing" and the philosophical and emotional nature of "the other thing" ,again, also image, danger, fine lines, and love. Mick's shots of Johnny have, of course, turned out great and everyone says a nice goodbye to New York for the time being. Now time for the trip to Boston;

Johnny : "Funkadelic Zak ?"

Zak : "Hawkwind, then Funkadelic..."

Johnny "Funkadelic at the front of the bus, really loud and Hawkwind at the back of the bus really loud, but at the same time...?"

Zak: "Perfect..."

Q: What do you get from playing in The Healers ?

Zak : "(Simultaneous sensations of both) freedom and unity"

Q :What do you think the band have got that's different from some other bands ?

Zak : "Two bass drums."

Q :What do you think of the "Manchester- psychedelic" comparisons that a couple of journalists have made ?

Zak : "We're a rock band that you can dance to"

Q: What's the best thing about touring ?

Zak : "Playing with the guys."  (Picture courtesy by the Blue Girl)

[Washington, 20th January]
Johnny to Alonza at soundcheck in Black Cat : "DId you go anywhere today Lonza ?"
Alonza : "Yes, I did..."
Johnny : "Where did you go ?"
Alonza : "I went for a walk
Johnny : "Was there anything to see?"
Alonza : " Yes, there was a man kneeling down in front of another man against a wall in the park..."
Johnny : "Well done..."

The Black Cat show is a good one and the band, crew and audience dig it. (Picture courtesy by the Blue Girl)

[Washington, 19th January]
The band arrive in Washington at 7.00 a.m. They've been playing the music on the bus so loud that the windows were vibrating; Gil Evans, Squarepusher, Faust, Muddy Waters and Desmond Dekker. Zak has found a wierd and wonderful hotel that is like a Victorian doll's house and is crammed full of American historic artefacts collected on the owners adventures. The band and Levi are the only people in the house and when they wake up everyone walks around lost. The place is a labrynth through time and it takes a while to shake off the disorientation of the road trip and surroundings to settle down in the kitchen which is on the fourth floor and is done out like a fifties diner as imagined in 2025. 

Zak's day off
James, Alonza and Johnny decide to go into town and Levi is setting up his computers in the basement. Zak decides to stay in the building and explore trippy doll house. He goes out onto the fire escape to watch the sky and then the space age diner door closes and locks him outside. The others have gone into town and he's stuck on the fire escape laughing hysterically until he realizes that he looks like a cat burglar, in flares, and it's minus twelve. He checks out the flights of stairs that runs up the side of the building and climbs up to the roof. Now he really looks like a cat burglar, flares or no flares and his predicament and state of mind makes him somewhat paranoid. A cop car goes by and he lies flat on the sloped roof, the only thing to do is to try to get down to the basement unnoticed. Zak is now a bit tripped out so he hangs down from the roof and descends the ancient fire escape very very carefully. Another cop car goes by and he's waiting to hear the shot. By the time he gets to the basement his hands are so cold he can hardly open the door, this doesn't matter as the door is locked. The only thing to do is to try to get in through the window. This does work as the window is open but now he is a cat burgular, and in fucking flares too. He climbs in through the window and finds himself in somebody's apartment. Even though this is not good he finds it hysterically funny, again, and laughs until it hurts and reality then sinks in; he can't get out , the front door is locked, and if he goes back out the window he could get busted for breaking and entering or will definitely freeze to death. Through his panic and confusion he has a brainwave; "call Johnny from the phone:"...Johnny, incredibly, has his phone with him and answers it. Johnny get's James to call Levi, master strategist, who shoots up to the space diner on the fourth floor and opens the doors whilst looking out for any F.B.I that may be lurking with their Uzi's trained on the open window. On hearing the command Zak dives through the opening and scales the side of the building like Spiderman on Benzydrine, flies straight back in the kitchen and say's "that was wierd".

[Philadelphia, 18th January]
The band and crew travel to Philadelphia to play the North Star. The hall is like a big, wierd house with a huge rug-mural for a backdrop and a high stage. The show is the best so far. Johnny has started playing "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" by Bob Dylan with Alonza on piano. The words are great but they change the melody and chords. The audience seem to like it a lot. It's nice for the band to get away from some of the industry crowd and the audience are more rowdy. People shout out all kinds of stuff about guitars, and sex, for some reason. A girl shouted "gimme some D.N.A !" to Johnny and he wrote it down to put it in a song. There's all kinds of stuff but "you fuckin' rock Zak !" doesn't count as it's too "fuckin' obvious".

What Do You Like To Do On Tour ?

Alonza : "I like to drink lots and lots of tea"

What can't you be without on the road ?

Alonza :"Tea"

Where in the world would you most like to play ?

Alonza :"Tea"  (Picture courtesy by the Blue Girl)

[15th-17th January]
Everyone is looking forward to getting started. Zak is trying to find a pair of cream suede Puma Ontario's in size 10 U.S and Alonza is playing guitar in his room in between a constant supply of English Breakfast tea with milk. Johnny is doing interviews on the phone. Some journalists ask him if Smiths fans might think The Healers are a bit "heavy"; "who are these people who live in the dark and are afraid of a beat ?" he asks, "I never underestimate the audience, and never overestimate the journalist".

Maxwells is packed and Melodrone goes on at 9.00. Healers invited him to open up for them after hearing some demos in the summer, he's very good.

Healers arrive on stage at 10.00 and start with "Long Gone". The Boomslang tour has begun. The shows sound suprisingly good for such a small place and people are shouting out a lot of funny comments and requests for Healers songs that haven't even been released. The second night is the best of the Hoboken shows. Two people get Johnny a cranberry and soda from the bar and a guy shouts out for him to go back to his place for "pot and porn" but Johnny's gone off pot. The aftershows at Maxwells are a good vibe. Everyone is happy to see Christine who used to work for Healers old management company. She was the one who first introduced Johnny to Alonza and everyone loves her. The guy's from Soundrack Of Our Live's came down one night and also James from Smashing Pumpkins, James is cool.
Friday is the last of the New Jersey shows. During the day Johnny does a photo session with legendary photographer Mick Rock who shot the cover of Raw Power by Iggy And The Stooges, Johnny's favourite album. Mick uses a Mind Machine, which is a device that manipulates the brain's theta, beta and alpha waves by sending sonic pulses through the ears and light pulses to the eyes. Johnny is impressed as he also has one they discuss the Kundalini-Vipassana energy thing as well as their fondness for Andrew Loog Oldham. The pictures are for an article about Mick in a French magazine and Johnny tells him that his video for Bowie's John I'm Only Dancing is one of his latest obsessions. Mick is on it, he has "the thing". He also has "the other thing..."  (Picture courtesy by the Blue Girl)

[14th January]
Rehearsals at Maxwell's, Hoboken. The Healers crew are Nick Passdecapo, who is twenty and from San Quervo. Nick is the guitar tech, and his brother Martin looks after the drums and keyboards. Martin can bend spoons and stop watches with his mind, Uri Gellar style.

The soundman is Nelson Murdoch. He is very good and works with Symphony Orchestras as well as some other bands who wear nail polish. The monitor man is Radar Thomachevsky; he used to live in Argentina and can make amazing things with wires. Radar doesn't like Maxwells because the monitor desk is so bad that its not even there. Organising the Boomslanger's journey is Steven Levi who is the tour manager, and was Francis Ford Copolla's inspiriation for the cast of Apocalypse Now. He is a strategic genius and is also what some Americans call "a badass".

Johnny is playing his 1963 Gibson S.G, a '57 Les Paul and a Rickenbacker 360 custom twelve string through a Roland GT5, and Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Voodoo Vibe. His amp is an Orange DC 30. Alonza is playing a 1973 Fender Jazz through a Big Muff and a Line Six filter modeller. The amp is a Ampeg although he prefers his Matchless.

James Doviak plays a 1968 Gibson 345 that has accoustic simulator pick-ups in the bridge. His set up is the same as Johnny's but without the Voodoo Vibe and through a Vox A.C 30. Zak has a custom made kit with two bass drums from Drum Workshop. It's crome. 
The band run through some songs and decide to play "Here It Comes" in the set and a new song called "All Out Attack", it's Nick's favourite at the moment; "Quality...". 

[13th January 2003]
Johnny, all The Healers, and the crew try to land at Newark Airport, New York.The plane should be travelling at ......mph but is coming down at...... instead. Just as the wheels are about to touchdown the plane soars upwards towards the stars. All aboard let out a loud cry but the band and crew pretend not to notice. James says they should go to J.F.K anyway. Eventually, the pilot anounces that he just avoided hitting the plane in front. He wasn't joking, but he was lying; he lost it, and nearly lost everybody, and himself.

The band and crew are in a hotel situated in the parking lot of a retail outlet in New Jersey. Johnny thinks the place is like the type you see in pictures of some seventies rock groups "on the road". He says he feels like one of The Allman Brothers and that he is going to grow huge blonde sideburns. He plays his iPod through inflatable speakers. By the time he has blown them up he's too dizzy to listen to anything and has to lie down in the dark.