Mike Joyce's memoir, 'The Drums,' celebrates the untold story behind The Smiths' meteoric rise to fame, delving into the highs and lows of his time with the iconic indie band.
For Joyce, who played drums for The Smiths from 1983 to 1987, it was a "right place, right time" experience that saw him form an unbreakable bond with fellow musicians Johnny Marr, Morrissey, and Andy Rourke. However, as he reminisces about the tumultuous years leading up to their split, Joyce reveals the intense pressure and scrutiny they faced.
"The fear of God was absolutely entrenched in our lives," Joyce recalls of his Catholic upbringing, which had a profound impact on his perspective. This is further underscored by his own personal struggles, including a near-fatal car accident that left him with internal bleeding and seizures for over a year.
On the other hand, Marr's creative genius shines through in the band's intricate playing style, leaving Joyce in awe of the guitarist's talent. "Every day, you'd go round the house and he'd play some riff sat having a spliff in his jimmy-jams," Joyce laughs. "You'd be like, 'That's amazing. What's that?'"
Joyce also pays tribute to Morrissey's unique songwriting style, which effortlessly blended humor with darker themes. Despite their differing views on politics, Joyce maintains that he respects Morrissey's perspective and finds it difficult to separate the art from the artist.
However, the story takes a more complicated turn as Joyce recounts the band's troubled history of disputes over royalties and contracts. He was even forced to take his former bandmates to court after discovering they were paid only 10% of their rightful share. The case eventually awarded him £1m in damages, leaving Joyce both vindicated and bruised.
Despite this grueling ordeal, Joyce chooses to focus on the positives, celebrating the band's incredible legacy and the indelible mark they left on British music. "I was in the coolest, best British band that's ever been," he beamingly remarks.
As for whether he regrets pursuing the court case, Joyce's response is telling: "Yeah...but I didn't take Julian Cope to court and I haven't spoken to him for 30 years. To not be in touch with people you've been in bands with isn't that strange."
Joyce's memoir provides an intimate look into The Smiths' history, offering a nuanced exploration of the band's creative highs and personal tensions. Though Morrissey fans may still troll him online, Joyce remains committed to celebrating his former bandmates' music, rather than letting past disagreements define their legacy.
For Joyce, who played drums for The Smiths from 1983 to 1987, it was a "right place, right time" experience that saw him form an unbreakable bond with fellow musicians Johnny Marr, Morrissey, and Andy Rourke. However, as he reminisces about the tumultuous years leading up to their split, Joyce reveals the intense pressure and scrutiny they faced.
"The fear of God was absolutely entrenched in our lives," Joyce recalls of his Catholic upbringing, which had a profound impact on his perspective. This is further underscored by his own personal struggles, including a near-fatal car accident that left him with internal bleeding and seizures for over a year.
On the other hand, Marr's creative genius shines through in the band's intricate playing style, leaving Joyce in awe of the guitarist's talent. "Every day, you'd go round the house and he'd play some riff sat having a spliff in his jimmy-jams," Joyce laughs. "You'd be like, 'That's amazing. What's that?'"
Joyce also pays tribute to Morrissey's unique songwriting style, which effortlessly blended humor with darker themes. Despite their differing views on politics, Joyce maintains that he respects Morrissey's perspective and finds it difficult to separate the art from the artist.
However, the story takes a more complicated turn as Joyce recounts the band's troubled history of disputes over royalties and contracts. He was even forced to take his former bandmates to court after discovering they were paid only 10% of their rightful share. The case eventually awarded him £1m in damages, leaving Joyce both vindicated and bruised.
Despite this grueling ordeal, Joyce chooses to focus on the positives, celebrating the band's incredible legacy and the indelible mark they left on British music. "I was in the coolest, best British band that's ever been," he beamingly remarks.
As for whether he regrets pursuing the court case, Joyce's response is telling: "Yeah...but I didn't take Julian Cope to court and I haven't spoken to him for 30 years. To not be in touch with people you've been in bands with isn't that strange."
Joyce's memoir provides an intimate look into The Smiths' history, offering a nuanced exploration of the band's creative highs and personal tensions. Though Morrissey fans may still troll him online, Joyce remains committed to celebrating his former bandmates' music, rather than letting past disagreements define their legacy.
... i mean don't get me wrong, it's awesome that mike joyce is finally sharing his side of the story in 'the drums' but also can we talk about how complicated things got with morrissey and marr? like, they were literally friends one minute and sworn enemies the next... and then there's all this drama over royalties and contracts 
it's wild how much stress and pressure those guys must have been under. but what i love is that joyce isn't holding onto any grudges or bitterness - he's just focused on celebrating their music and legacy 
! I mean, who wouldn't want to dive into the untold story behind The Smiths' rise to fame? It's crazy how much pressure and scrutiny those guys were under - it's a miracle they produced anything as iconic as "How Soon is Now?" 
. I love how Mike Joyce just gushes over his talent - it's clear he had a huge respect for him, both on and off stage. And Morrissey's songwriting style is still so unique and fascinating to this day... even if their politics didn't always align 
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. But hey, at the end of the day, it's all about celebrating their music and legacy - and that's something we can all get behind 
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. and u can tell how much he loves the band & their music, but also gets into some drama with morrissey & johnny marr over royalties 
. i feel bad for him that it all got messy, but like, at least they're making good music still 
. it's wild how intense the pressure must've been on them, especially with morrissey's... let's say, unique perspective 
morrissey's songwriting style though? genius. still love his darker vibes in songs like "penny lane" and "bigmouth strikes" 
but its nice to see mike being all open about their history, especially the parts that got left out of public view 
anyway, hope more old bands release memoirs now so we can finally get the whole story behind some of our fave bands 
... who knew being in one of the most iconic bands in history could be so messed up? 
The drama over royalties and contracts is wild 
. And Morrissey being a polarizing figure, I get why some fans might troll Joyce online 
. But honestly, I think it's cool that he's choosing to focus on the positives and celebrate The Smiths' legacy 
. Plus, it's awesome that he's speaking out about his own struggles and mental health 
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, but don't you think it'd be more honest to explore how that affected your relationships with the other band members? 
just read that Mike Joyce got £1m in damages from The Smiths for being screwed over on royalties 
. I feel like we're missing out on some insight into Morrissey's songwriting process though, but overall, it sounds like a really insightful read 
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. I mean, who knew Morrissey was a genius songwriter with a great sense of humor? 
. It's refreshing to see someone so gracious in the face of adversity 
. it's crazy how much he had to go through just because of the band's success. anyway, i think his decision to focus on the positives is really admirable 
. who knows, maybe reading about this will make some morrissey fans reevaluate their behavior towards mike joyce 
, like, I get it, he's a genius, but 10% royalties? come on! 
. But you have to give the guy credit for being honest about his struggles and how it affected his relationship with the band 
. At least now we can finally get some insight into what went down behind the scenes 
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