In a must for Smiths fans the band’s drummer Mike Joyce has confirmed plans for his memoir to be published later this year
The book, Billed as a “no-holds-barred” autobiography, “this book truly conveys what it felt like to be a member of the Smiths…”
The memoir entitled the Drums follows books by both Morrissey and Johnny Marr and fans will be hoping that it sheds light on the dispute between them and Joyce and bassist Andy Rourke over royalties from the band
Rourke died of cancer in 2023
In the pre publication material HMV wrote
As a band, the Smiths need no introduction. Formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1987, all five of their studio albums reached the top five in the UK charts. They are widely lauded as one of the most influential groups of all time.
“Mike is the last member of the band to release their autobiography and this is his no-holds-barred story of what it was like to play the drums in the Smiths. Throughout his honest and witty reflections, Mike answers the question he and bassist Andy Rourke used to often ask each other: ‘Where did it all go right?’
“A lot of the Smiths’ past is already canonised. Rather than retelling those well-documented iconic moments, in The Drums, Mike conveys ‘the feeling’ of his time in the band. His off-piste, frank and witty perspective allows him to re-contextualise fan favourite moments through a beautifully vulnerable, human insight into his life.
“The written history of the Smiths is not missing an encyclopedic account of everything that happened over the years; but Mike’s honest, entertaining and deeply human memoir is what Smiths fans have been waiting for. This book truly conveys what it felt like to be a member of the Smiths.
“In The Drums, Mike Joyce finally gives us the perspective of the self-confessed biggest Smiths fan in the world who from the start was just some lad from the suburbs of Fallowfield who played the drums.”
