THE THE

Random and bite-sized facts on all things on the mythical band The The. Totally random but totally fascinating if you're into it. Do you know The The now?

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Matt Johnson’s first album was sold on cassette at underground gigs

Before The The became a recording act with a record label, Matt Johnson made See Without Being Seen in 1978–79 and circulated it as a limited cassette release. The recordings were made while he was still a teenager, using equipment in the cellar of his parents’ pub in Loughton, Essex.

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The original master tapes of See Without Being Seen were thought lost

When Johnson revisited his teenage recordings decades later, the original tapes had deteriorated badly and were mixed in with unmarked material. They had to be carefully restored, baked and digitised before the album could be issued again in 2020, complete with additional unreleased tracks.

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An Akai reel-to-reel machine helped launch The The

Johnson’s early home recordings used an Akai 4000DS MK2 reel-to-reel recorder, a Crumar electric piano, a borrowed Telecaster copy and a small collection of effects pedals. The rudimentary setup encouraged him to experiment with sound rather than depend on a conventional band and studio.

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Matt Johnson worked as an apprentice sound engineer

Before The The became widely known, Johnson worked at De Wolfe Studios in London’s Soho. He used downtime at the studio to experiment with his own music, an early experience that helped establish his lasting interest in recording technology and treating the studio as an instrument.

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The The’s earliest concept was closer to an art collective than a band

Johnson originally imagined The The as a flexible multimedia project inspired in part by John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band. That idea helps explain why the group’s personnel changed repeatedly, while Johnson remained its principal songwriter and creative centre.

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There was an unreleased album called Spirits

Johnson recorded an album called Spirits in 1979, but it remained unreleased. In later interviews, he explained that he had retained hundreds of tapes, many unlabelled, and wanted to preserve and organise this early material before making more of it available.

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Pornography of Despair was another album that never appeared as intended

After Burning Blue Soul, Johnson worked on an album called Pornography of Despair. Some of its material was later recycled or reworked for Soul Mining, but Johnson felt the original project had never reached the form he wanted. He has discussed plans to restore and release the surviving recordings.

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“Perfect” had a much earlier working title

The song “Perfect”, eventually associated with Soul Mining, began as a piece called “Screw Up Your Feelings”. Johnson later explained that it had its roots in the abandoned Pornography of Despair project before being reshaped for his better-known album.

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Burning Blue Soul was originally released under Matt Johnson’s name

The 1981 album Burning Blue Soul appeared under Johnson’s own name, rather than The The. He later had it reissued under the group name, explaining that the distinction no longer made sense given how much of the music he had made himself.

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The The’s first single was produced by two members of Wire

“Controversial Subject”, released in 1980, was produced by Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis of Wire. Their involvement linked Johnson’s emerging project with one of the most influential groups of the British post-punk era.

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The The appeared on the original Some Bizzare Album

The The contributed “Untitled” to the influential 1981 Some Bizzare Album, curated by Stevo Pearce. The compilation also featured early work by artists including Depeche Mode and Soft Cell, placing Johnson among a new generation of electronic and post-punk musicians.

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“Uncertain Smile” was first recorded in New York

Johnson travelled to New York in 1982 to record “Uncertain Smile” with producer Mike Thorne, who had worked with Wire and Soft Cell. This earlier recording was released as a single before the more familiar version appeared on Soul Mining.

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A New York Dolls musician appeared on an early version of “Perfect”

During the initial New York sessions for Soul Mining, Johnson recorded “Perfect” with producer Mike Thorne and David Johansen of the New York Dolls. The sessions were later abandoned after Johnson changed record-label direction, and the song was reworked for the eventual album.

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Changing record labels meant starting Soul Mining again

Johnson’s early sessions for Soul Mining were financed by London Records, but he subsequently signed with CBS after a bidding process surrounding “Uncertain Smile”. He abandoned the original album sessions and reconvened the project in London, creating a substantially different record.

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John Foxx’s studio became the new home of Soul Mining

Johnson resumed work on Soul Mining at Garden Studios in Shoreditch, the recording facility associated with former Ultravox frontman John Foxx. Johnson co-produced the album with Paul Hardiman, and the record was later mixed at Martin Rushent’s Genetic Sound studio.

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Jools Holland recorded his famous piano solo in almost one take

Holland’s celebrated solo on “Uncertain Smile” was recorded in a single take, with only a small correction near the end. Johnson later recalled that the quality of the piano and the room helped inspire the decision to feature such an extended performance.

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Jools Holland arrived at the studio on a vintage Norton motorcycle

Johnson recalled Holland turning up for the “Uncertain Smile” session wearing full leathers and riding a vintage Norton motorcycle on a sweltering summer’s day. The story offers a glimpse of the unexpectedly informal circumstances surrounding one of the song’s defining musical moments.

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Frank Want was really JG Thirlwell

Musician JG Thirlwell, best known for his work as Foetus, appeared on Soul Mining under the name Frank Want. Johnson recalled that Thirlwell created a complex rhythmic part by arranging kitchen trays, pots and pans and having the sounds recorded repeatedly to build up a layered percussion pattern.

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Zeke Manyika arrived three days late for a Soul Mining session

Orange Juice drummer Zeke Manyika was a friend of Johnson’s and was invited to contribute to Soul Mining. Johnson later recalled that Manyika arrived three days after expected, but his powerful playing became a major part of “I’ve Been Waitin’ for Tomorrow (All of My Life)” and “Giant”.

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Thomas Leer helped convince Johnson that one person could make a record

Johnson admired Thomas Leer’s solo work, particularly the single “Private Plane”, which Leer had created largely on his own. Johnson said hearing it was a revelation: he realised he did not necessarily need a conventional band to make the music he wanted to hear.

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Matt Johnson used himself as a sequencer before computers

While developing tracks such as “Giant” and “I’ve Been Waitin’ for Tomorrow”, Johnson sometimes played the same part continuously for long stretches because he did not have a sequencer. He later described this hands-on method as an early form of loop-based recording, with himself effectively acting as the machine.

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The original Soul Mining tracklisting included “Perfect” in the wrong place

Johnson was furious when “Perfect” was added to the end of Soul Mining without his agreement. He said the decision was made by someone in A&R who believed it would make the album better value. Johnson eventually had the track removed from the main album sequence in a later reissue.

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Some of the Soul Mining cassette material came from another abandoned album

Johnson later explained that tracks included on the original cassette edition of Soul Mining were associated with sessions for Pornography of Despair. When the album was revisited for a deluxe reissue, he removed material that did not belong to his intended final sequence.

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“Giant” was built from primitive looping techniques

Johnson’s early method of recording long continuous parts helped create the hypnotic, repetitive feel of “Giant”. Rather than using modern computer sequencing, he built up the arrangement through sustained performances and layers, giving the track a raw, ritualistic quality.

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Johnson described Soul Mining as a record that resisted easy genre labels

In an interview about the album, Johnson said it contained industrial elements without being an industrial record, and pop elements without being a straightforward pop record. He preferred music that could combine apparently incompatible styles rather than fit neatly into one category.

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Matt Johnson’s girlfriend designed a typeface during Soul Mining

Fiona, Johnson’s girlfriend during the album’s creation, was a graphic designer at Thames Television. Johnson recalled that she created an entire alphabet by hand, reflecting how visual design and typography were part of the creative world around the record.

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The cover artist Andy Dog was Matt Johnson’s older brother

Andrew Johnson, known as Andy Dog, created artwork for The The and other musicians. Matt later described his brother as the single biggest influence on his life, and said their shared tastes in music, film, books, art and humour helped shape the group’s visual identity.

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The brothers’ creative partnership included plenty of arguments

Matt Johnson recalled that he and Andrew had an intense sibling rivalry and sometimes had physical fights while growing up. Despite their clashes, Andrew remained an important artistic influence and contributed many of the images associated with The The’s records.

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The cover of “Infected” caused controversy

The Andy Dog illustration used on the original “Infected” single depicted a masturbating devil. The image proved controversial, was withdrawn from sale and subsequently replaced by an edited version, making the sleeve itself part of the single’s history.

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The Infected film was made across several countries

Rather than promoting the album with conventional music videos alone, Johnson developed a film-length visual companion for Infected. It was shot in Bolivia, Peru, New York and London, with a reported budget of £350,000, and combined music with a documentary-like journey through unsettling locations.

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Four directors worked on the Infected film

The Infected visual project involved four directors, including Tim Pope, known for his work with The Cure and other artists. The different locations and directing styles helped turn the album’s political and personal themes into a much larger audiovisual project.

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The Infected film included footage from a disused London gasworks

The film’s locations included a disused gasworks in London, alongside sites in South America and New York. The industrial setting fitted the record’s bleak atmosphere and Johnson’s interest in filming music in places that carried their own visual and political associations.

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Infected became The The’s most commercially successful album

Although Infected peaked at No. 14 in the UK Albums Chart, it stayed on the chart for 30 weeks. Its four singles included “Heartland”, “Infected”, “Slow Train to Dawn” and “Sweet Bird of Truth”, giving the album a longer chart life than its peak position alone suggests.

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“Sweet Bird of Truth” tells its story from the air

The song portrays an American fighter pilot losing altitude over the Persian Gulf. Its military setting gave Johnson a way to explore war and political power through the perspective of an individual facing a frightening situation rather than through a conventional protest-song narrator.

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“Heartland” imagined Britain in a state of decay

On “Heartland”, Johnson presented a dark portrait of Britain during the Thatcher era. The song’s social commentary was delivered through a stark, memorable refrain, making it one of The The’s most direct examinations of national identity and urban decline.

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Johnson’s departure from Stevo ended an eight-year relationship

Johnson and Some Bizzare founder Stevo Pearce worked together through a crucial period of The The’s development. Their association ended after the Infected era, closing a relationship that had begun with the early-1980s electronic and post-punk scene around Some Bizzare Records.

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Johnny Marr had nearly joined The The before The Smiths existed

Matt Johnson and Johnny Marr knew each other before The Smiths became successful. Johnson recalled that Marr sometimes stayed on his sofa in London when he was trying to secure a record deal. They later reunited after meeting backstage at an Iggy Pop concert, eventually working together on Mind Bomb.

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Mind Bomb was the first time The The became a proper four-piece band

For Mind Bomb, Johnson assembled a more permanent line-up featuring Johnny Marr on guitar, James Eller on bass and David Palmer on drums. The change marked a move away from the rotating musicians who had contributed to the earlier records and gave the album a more collective band sound.

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“Kingdom of Rain” featured Sinéad O’Connor

Sinéad O’Connor sang alongside Johnson on “Kingdom of Rain”, one of the standout tracks on Mind Bomb. Her distinctive voice added a different emotional perspective to the song, while the collaboration became one of the album’s best-known guest appearances.

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“Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)” was replaced as a single

The politically charged song attracted controversy because of its lyrics about religious conflict between Christians and Muslims. The planned single was subsequently replaced by “Gravitate to Me”, illustrating how the album’s political themes could create difficulties in its commercial presentation.

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Mind Bomb was influenced by Johnson’s meditation and religious reading

Johnson has described an intense period of meditation, psychedelic experiences and studying religious texts during the development of Mind Bomb. These explorations informed the album’s preoccupation with belief, violence, political power and the possibility of spiritual understanding.

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The The’s world tour was interrupted by a family tragedy

The Mind Bomb tour was interrupted after Johnson’s younger brother Eugene died from an aneurysm at the age of 24. The loss had a profound effect on Johnson and later informed the emotional background of “Love Is Stronger Than Death”, released on Dusk.

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“Love Is Stronger Than Death” came from personal grief

Johnson has described “Love Is Stronger Than Death” as a song shaped by his brother Eugene’s death. Rather than being written as an abstract statement about mortality, it grew out of a period of profound grief and became one of the most personal songs in The The’s catalogue.

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Dusk was followed by a second album-length film

Following the release of Dusk, Johnson created From Dusk Till Dawn, a film companion to the album. Shot in New Orleans and New York, it continued his interest in treating an album as a complete audiovisual project rather than simply a collection of songs accompanied by separate videos.

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Shades of Blue included covers of Fred Neil and Duke Ellington

The 1990 Shades of Blue EP included versions of Fred Neil’s “Dolphins” and Duke Ellington’s “Solitude”. These interpretations revealed Johnson’s interest in older songwriting traditions and helped lead towards his later album of Hank Williams songs.

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Hanky Panky was an entire album of Hank Williams songs

Released in 1995, Hanky Panky consisted of 11 songs written by country legend Hank Williams. Johnson did not treat the material as a straightforward country tribute: he reshaped the songs with the darker textures, distorted guitars and uneasy atmosphere associated with The The.

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The video for “I Saw the Light” was filmed high above Manhattan

The video for The The’s version of Hank Williams’s “I Saw the Light” was filmed on the Chrysler Building in New York. Johnson was positioned on one of the building’s eagle-head ornaments on the 61st floor, creating a striking visual image for a song about spiritual awakening.

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Johnson moved permanently to New York after Dusk

After the Dusk period, Johnson relocated to New York. The move coincided with his growing interest in American music traditions and preceded Hanky Panky, his reinterpretation of Hank Williams’s songs.

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Gun Sluts was rejected and never released as planned

Johnson recorded an album called Gun Sluts in the late 1990s, but Sony rejected it and the project was shelved. The unreleased record became one of the most discussed missing pieces in The The’s catalogue, alongside the earlier Pornography of Despair material.

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NakedSelf ended a long gap between The The studio albums

Released in 2000, NakedSelf was the group’s last studio album of original material before the long hiatus that followed. The next studio album, Ensoulment, did not arrive until 2024, making the gap between the two records almost a quarter of a century.

David Bowie invited The The to perform at Meltdown

In 2002, Johnson and experimental musician JG Thirlwell performed at London’s Meltdown festival at the invitation of David Bowie. The appearance came during a period when The The were largely inactive as a touring and recording band.

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The Garden Studios became part of Johnson’s long-term working life

Johnson liked Garden Studios so much that he eventually bought the facility. He and the studio team continued to operate it in Shoreditch until the end of 2012, giving the place a lasting connection with the sound of The The’s most important albums.

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Johnson’s soundtrack work continued during The The’s long hiatus

While he was not releasing regular studio albums under The The name, Johnson continued composing music for films and other projects. Soundtracks including Hyena and Moonbug formed part of his work during the years before the group’s return to recording and touring.

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The Inertia Variations helped lead to The The’s return

The 2017 documentary The Inertia Variations, directed by Johanna St Michaels, followed Johnson’s reflections on poetry, creativity and his withdrawal from public life. Johnson later described the film as a catalyst for the renewed activity that led to The The’s comeback and new music.

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Ensoulment was The The’s first studio album in 24 years

Released in September 2024, Ensoulment marked The The’s return to studio albums after NakedSelf in 2000. Johnson described the record as a continuation of the band’s long-running interest in love, mortality, politics and what it means to be human.

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