John Squire
For the British poet and historian of that name from 1882â€"1958, see Sir John Squire.
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John Squire in 2003 |
John Squire (born
John Peter Squire on
November 24,
1962) is an
English musician,
guitarist and artist. He was a founding member of
The Stone Roses and
The Seahorses.
From 1984 to 1996 he was the lead
guitarist for
The Stone Roses, one of the most influential acts of its era. He grew up on Sylvan Avenue in Timperley and after attending Heyes lane Junior School, he passed the 11+ exam and went on to attend Altrincham Grammar School for Boys where he met Ian Brown - who co-incidentally also lived on Sylvan Avenue but went to a different primary school. His partnership with Roses' lead singer
Ian Brown (who he had been friends with since their teens when they had bonded over a love for punk rock) formed the heart of the band's lyrical and musical output. As a guitarist, Squire was known for his spiralling riffs and amazing live solos. He was arguably the most accomplished British rock guitarist of the 1980s after
Johnny Marr of
The Smiths.
Band infighting and rumoured
cocaine abuse led to his departure from
The Stone Roses in 1996. He promptly formed his own band,
The Seahorses (an
anagram of 'he hates roses', but whether this was intentional is disputed). The album
Do it Yourself was released in
1997, but The Seahorses disbanded due to creative differences in 1999.
Following a three year hiatus, Squire finally released his first solo album,
Time Changes Everything in
2002. A concept album followed in
2004 entitled
Marshall's House.
Besides music, Squire is also an accomplished artist. His artwork has adorned album covers and promotional posters for his music. In the 1980s, Squire's artistic style was heavily influenced by the
action painting technique of
Jackson Pollock. In recent years, Squire has shown a broader use of mediums and has incorporated newer influences to his work. One of his artworks formed the cover for
Travis's 1997 release
U16 Girls. In 2004, Squire held two well-received art exhibitions in
London and
Manchester.
Although it has almost been a decade since he left the Roses, Squire still has a lasting feud with ex-bandmate
Ian Brown. In a 2005
Q magazine article, Squire blasted Brown, claiming that "When he (Brown) was stoned, he was at best a tuneless knob and at worst a paranoid mess" (but he was only responding to queries about what went wrong with the Second Coming sessions and the state of Brown's vocal due to his marijuana habits). Although both Brown and Squire have performed Stone Roses songs in their solo gigs, a band reunion seems unlikely. Surprisingly, in
May 2005 Squire hinted at intentions for a Roses reunion at
Glastonbury that year. [
1]
Albums
*
Time Changes Everything (2002)
*
Marshall's House (2004)
Singles
* "Joe Louis" (2002)
* "Room In Brooklyn" (2004)
Live Albums/EPs
*
Time Changes Everything Live EP (Japan only) (2003)
*
Official site*
JSU - The Unofficial site*
john squire gallery by paul stevens*
John Squire Discussion Forum*
The Definitive Stone Roses Discography*
The Stone Roses Family Tree*
This Is The Daybreak*
Extensive essays on John's Art
