DVD Offers A Look Inside The Smiths

12/06/07 6:30pm

by Moya Dillon (CHARTattack)

Two members of '80s British band The Smiths offer an inside look at what it was like to live under Morrissey's shadow in the new Inside The Smiths documentary.

The film, produced and directed by Stephen Petricco and introduced by Mark Standley, will be available in North America on Jan. 22 from TiB Street Films after being released in the U.K. this past summer.

The film focuses on Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, who comprised The Smiths' rhythm section, and was made without the co-operation of singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr.

The first Smiths documentary released on DVD begins with their origins in Manchester and follows their ascent to stardom. Rourke and Joyce reminisce about different aspects of what it meant to be in a band that continues to fascinate fans, what it was like to work with Morrissey and Marr, the pair's unique songwriting process and the relationships that were formed between the four members during the band's five years together.

Rourke also opens up about his past heroin addiction, which added to the tension between band members and almost took his life.

"Despite the fact that the band ended in a messy way, we shared a lot of things and we adopted an almost gang-like mentality," says Rourke. "We still have many loyalties to each other as a result of that."

In addition to archive photos and exclusive interviews with Rourke and Joyce, the film also features commentaries from Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks), Mark E. Smith (The Fall), Preston (Ordinary Boys), Matt Osman (Suede), Ricky Wilson and Nick Hodgson (Kaiser Chiefs).