Coffee w/ Andy Rourke - Bass Player, The Smiths, DJ

Wouldn't it be great to sit with a musical legend and have any conversation you'd like with him? Well Andy Rourke is excited to share 45 minutes with you, over coffee, discussing his work as bass player with The Smiths and also his work as an international DJ.

One of the most revered bass players in alternative music, Andy Rourke helped craft the iconic sound of the '80s with seminal band, The Smiths. Rourke spent his early years honing his bass and guitar skills at the tender age of eleven, before joining the funk group Freak Party alongside his school friend, John Maher a.k.a Johnny Marr. 

It was Marr who introduced Rourke to The Smiths in 1982, and he replaced former bassist Dale Hibbert after the latter played just one gig with the band. It was obvious from those early audiences that The Smiths would emerge as one of the most significant alt-rock bands of the era’s British independent music scene. Rourke’s playing style, evolved from a fully cranked tone knob and pick, gave each record a distinct tone that still sounds fresh today. 

Those instantly recognizable and undeniable iconic bass lines— from his funk solo on “Barbarism Begins at Home” to the rumbling beats of “How Soon Is Now?” which helped solidify the sound of The Smiths. Is it any wonder Marr declared Rourke’s playing on the The Queen is Dead LP as "something no other bass player could match”? Before the release of their fourth studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come in 1987, The Smiths split apart. Attempts were made to continue recording together, but in the end the group moved on their separate ways. 

Rourke went on to play and record with many talented artists in the years to follow, including Morrissey, Sinead O’Connor, The Pretenders, Badly Drawn Boy, and Aziz Ibrahim. He formed Moondog One with Oasis’ former guitarist Bonehead, Mike Joyce and Craig Gannon, and he created the unique bass super-group Freebass in 2005, bringing in Peter Hook, formerly of New Order and Joy Division, and Gary Mounfield “Mani” of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream.

Currently, Rourke is signed to BMG as a writer and works on various projects for film and television. He also has current projects with Daddy which just released March 18th through Kobalt, which is with the multi-talented actor James Franco and Tim O’Keefe, and D.A.R.K., with Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries) and Olé Koretsky, which is releasing their album through Cooking Vinyl on May 27th.

Andy also has a radio show on East Village Radio called, “Jetlag” which airs every Monday. 

In his spare time, he is a renowned DJ with worldwide bookings, as well as successful remixes including “Breakneck Speed” by Tokyo Police Club, “Washed Up” by The Glass, and “Long Night Out” by MAG! 

*Note: Coffee with... is at the time, place and convenience of our coffee host above and must be redeemed within 6 months of auction close.