"Back in 1989, the Smiths as we knew them crashed into a double-decker bus because of a lawsuit jointly initiated by drummer Mike Joyce and bassist Andy Rourke, who claimed Morrissey and Johnny Marr owed them a higher percentage of the band's royalties. Moz and Marr took a very un-R.E.M. stance and argued that their bandmates weren't equal partners, and several years later, Rourke settled out of court and Joyce won his trial."
""I think it sounded like the Smiths because of the four of us," he explained of his hi-hats in court. "I thought that if I didn't, then nobody would ever know what happened. I just wanted what I thought was due to me, and what was right." Morrissey fans still regularly harass him on social media because of it: "'I wish you were dead, how dare you,' all that stuff.""
Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke initiated a 1989 lawsuit claiming Morrissey and Johnny Marr owed them a larger share of the Smiths' royalties. Morrissey and Marr argued that their bandmates were not equal partners; Rourke later settled out of court while Joyce won his trial. Joyce, now a radio DJ, said he has not spoken to Morrissey since 1992. Joyce testified about his hi-hats to ensure the Smiths' sound was recognized and said he pursued what he believed was right and due. Joyce reported ongoing harassment from Morrissey fans. Joyce and Marr reconnected at Rourke's 2023 memorial; Joyce learned of a reunion offer only from the press and believes the lawsuit cost him that opportunity.
Read at Vulture
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]