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Celebrity storiesYou are in: London > People > Celebrity stories > There is a light that never goes out  Rourke (r) performing with Marr in 2006 There is a light that never goes outBandmates recall the inside story and abrupt break-up of indie superheroes The Smiths... in a London chippie. Plus, read YOUR comments below... A new DVD which details the inside story of one of the most influential and acclaimed groups in music history, The Smiths, has been launched by two of the band's former members. Twenty five years after the group formed, Inside the Smiths sees former bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce talk about their time in the Manchester band famed for their innovative guitar sound and dark, poetic lyrics. But neither of the group's more famous former members, singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, are directly involved - having been long estranged following the band's acrimonious break-up in 1987. Rourke told BBC London 94.9's Gary Crowley that the DVD came about by accident when he and Joyce were on a recent DJ tour of America, adding, "It's about me and Mike's time in the band and how celebratory it all was." Asked if the Smiths were likely to reform - the group was reputedly offered $5m (£2.8m) to reunite for the Coachella US festival last year - he said, "I don't think it's going to happen, frankly." rush of pop stardomThe Smiths formed in 1982 and released hits such as Panic and How Soon is Now.  Moz woos the fans onstage Their rise was swift and their debut, self-titled album, lauded for its fresh sound, powered to number two in the charts at a time when they were dominated by synth-pop groups. "I think it helped that me and Johnny had known each other since we were 11 and had learned guitar together, and been in lots of different bands before the Smiths," Rourke recalled. "Me and Johnny knew our playing inside out, and what we wanted from each other. I think that helped a lot. Mike's a great drummer, and you put Morrissey into the mix and the magic was there from the start."
Joyce said that the sudden rush of pop stardom and fame was "incredible". Recalling the band's first London gig at the old Rock Garden in Covent Garden's Piazza, he said, "It was boiling hot and there seemed to be lots of people there in rucksacks from France or wherever. "I was stuck to the spot but Morrissey, who was normally so reticent, was going wild onstage," he continued. "Obviously to achieve the kind of success that the Smiths achieved - such a meteoric rise so quickly - and to still be talking about that group 25 years on, and have kids dancing to your records, is every player's dream." musical differencesThe DVD offers some insight into the deterioration of the band's relationships. Although the break-up of the group is primarily attributed to musical differences between Morrissey and Marr, Joyce later fell out with the pair over royalty payments, resulting in a court case.  The Smiths: Your Saturday Anthems Joyce stressed, however, that at the time the group were making their final album, none of them knew what was to come. "We didn't have a clue. None of us did because recording Strangeways Here We Come was a joy," he said. "It was one of the best albums that we'd recorded in the way that we felt about the record and what we'd done, because we didn't have anything else to prove." The break-up, when it did come, happened at a meeting convened by Marr in a fish and chip shop in London's Kensington. "Johnny dropped the bombshell and our chins hit the table. Morrissey's hit the floor. And we didn't get to finish our chips." RELATED LINKS: last updated: 04/06/2008 at 16:36 Have Your Say
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