Sinéad O’Connor: The Lion and the Cobra (1987)
The Lion and the Cobra (1987) Jackie by Sinead O’Connor Jackie left on a cold,...
Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1980s indie rock band the Smiths. Regarded as one of the greatest bassists of his generation, he was known for his melodic and funk-inspired approach to bass playing.
Book Report: The Drums by Mike Joyce
The long awaited Mike Joyce’s autobiography, The Drums, came out on Friday (November 7, 2025). The book, published by New Modern, is available in print (but not in the USA), digital, and audio book.
Registered Historical Facts: Lawnmower Parts
When Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce sued Morrissey, he affectionately called them "Lawnmower Parts"... suggesting that they were not an important part of The Smiths and did not deserve the 25% equal share of the group's earnings.
Registered Historical Facts: Slow Joy is Miserable Now, Morrissey death threats, and Mike Joyce to release his autobiography
In Morrissey/The Smiths news: Slow Joy releases “Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now”, Morrissey’s life is threaten, and Mike Joyce releases his autobiography, The Drums.
Smiths is it!
In celebration of the late Andy Rourke, Blitz Vega announced his final album Northern Gentlemen. This was Rourke’s last project with Kav Blaggers. Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr is a greatest hits album from guitarist extraordinaire Johnny Marr came out last year. Unfortunately, no The Smiths songs on the tracklisting. This is probably due to rights issue and most likely because they wanted to keep this strictly Marr’s solo work. The official Morrissey merchandise store, Mporium is offering a limited-edition Morrissey Peace Sign Harrington Jacket for £85 pre-order (shipping in April 2024). Unfortunately, this is only offered on their UK website. I kind of want it, I would’ve ordered it, but unfortunately, I don’t live in the UK.
Rick Astley and Blossoms Perform The Smiths
The biggest thing that came out of Glastonbury 2023 was Rick Astley (and the backup band Blossoms) full greatest hits of The Smiths set. You can watch it on BBC’s iPlayer… but if you don’t live in the UK, you can preview some songs on YouTube.
Remembering Andy Rourke
The news of Andy Rourke’s death came to me suddenly on Friday. I had no idea the former The Smiths bassist was dying… but on retrospect, I should have seen it coming. Especially since I wrote about how Rourke and Johnny Marr came together to produce “Strong Forever” in Jan 2023. The two were friends since the age of 13, before joining The Smiths, and it was likely a dying man’s last request.
R.I.P. Andy Rourke (The Smiths bassist)
Sad news earlier today as the world found out that Andy Rourke, former bassist for The Smiths, passed away at age 59 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Center in New York.
More Morrissey: Blitz Vega and The More You Ignore Me
Blitz Vega’s “Strong Forever”, What is incredibly important about this single is that it features a team-up of Andy Rourke and Johnny Marr, a long time The Smiths reunion of some sort… a meeting that only took 35 years in the making. We all know that Morrissey has never forgiven the other band members (and in fact had an online spat with Marr a few years ago), so seeing Rourke and Marr together is good enough for me!
To the faithful departed: Dolores O’Riordan
With the unexpected passing of Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries on 15 January 2018 at the age of 46, countless fans have expressed their grief and many bands have quickly put together their tribute to the singer.
Transmission, feat. Andy Rourke at First Avenue (21 Mar 2015)
We don't normally cover dance clubs, but there were two key things about the Transmission show last Saturday (March 21st), that I felt were important enough for us to pay attention. First, this is indie dance club was celebrating its 14 Year Anniversary, and, second, guest DJ, Andy Rourke is the bassist of one of my favorite 80s band, The Smiths.
Minneapolis Reminders: March 21, 2015
Minneapolis Reminders: March 21, 2015
Registered Historical Facts: Marr Feels You, Transmission, and Morrissey’s Still Ill
Legendary Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr recently dropped his cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You" on his soundcloud.com/officialjohnnymarr. It's only been two days but it's already racked over 35k plays. Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke will be heading to Minneapolis next Saturday as a special guest to Minneapolis dance club Transmission's 14th Anniversary. As a longtime Smiths (and Britpop) fan, I can tell you that DJ Jake Rudh is also a fan and will play classic British music at his club. At the 11th hour, Morrissey cancelled his March 10th show in Tilburg. Look, I totally understand being sick and ill, but you would think Morrissey would have known he was unwell the night before or morning of?