Johnny Marr thinks about ''how great it would be'' to reunite The Smiths.

The 'Panic' band split in 1987, shortly after guitarist Johnny left the group, and while relations between himself and singer Morrissey have never been repaired, he knows how well a reunion by the band would be received.

He told Rolling Stone magazine: ''I don't know about the possibility of reuniting, but what I do know is that I understand how great it would be to make so many people happy.

''And the other thing I know is that Morrissey and I are so very different. Those are the only things I know.''

Johnny defended his actions in leaving the group, saying it was inevitable that it would happen at some point.

He added: ''I was the lookout saying, 'Rocks ahead! Rocks ahead!' I had the foresight to see disaster looming - both for the individuals, personally, and the band, professionally.

''I had a lot of insight and wisdom for a 23-year-old.''

Johnny also made an effort not listen to any of The Smiths four albums until long after the split.

He added: ''I kind of went out of my way not to hear them until, I guess, around 1995 or 1996 - so that would've been 10 years later.

''I put on 'Strangeways, Here We Come'. That was the first and only time that I played a record in its entirety and just kicked back and listened to it.

''And what happened was, a split second before every note or every cymbal crash or every word - I knew it was coming. Every bit of information. It was like muscle memory or instinct. It was kind of cool.''