The wild offer Coachella once made to reunite The Smiths
There are only a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and The Smiths never reuniting. Since the band split in 1987, there have been murmurings for a long time that they could put their rift to bed and perform together once again. The reality, however, is that a comeback has always seemed an implausible possibility, even before the sad death of bassist Andy Rourke.
The Smiths are a rare exception to the rule. Most bands will find a way to live with their contempt for one another if the money is right. Yet, the Manchester icons have been offered eye-watering financial incentives multiple times and still never got close to accepting. Everything would have to be suitable for those involved, not just the number of zeroes on the cheque.
The distance between Morrissey and Johnny Marr is far too stark to ever picture them in the same room again, let alone sharing the stage. However, for many years, Golden Voice, the festival promoter behind Coachella, kept on attempting to encourage the band to reunite at the Californian event.
Many bands have succumbed to the temptation of Coachella, such as Jane’s Addiction in 2001, Rage Against The Machine in 2007, and Outkast in 2014. Still, The Smiths always refused to entertain the advances made by the cultural institution.
In 2012, the festival’s founder, Paul Tollett, revealed that he made a ploy “every year” to bring The Smiths back together for a performance in the desert. He admitted they were once even offered $5million, but it wasn’t enough to reunite the indie legends.
Furthermore, during an interview with Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper, Morrissey once revealed Coachella offered to become an entirely vegetarian-friendly event if The Smiths headlined. “Fascinatingly, they made it clear that they would ‘not require’ the Smiths’ bass player or drummer … which I thought certainly said something,” the singer added.
While The Smiths’ comeback seems to have never been a realistic reality, Marr once revealed they came close to burying the hatchet in the late 2000s. In his 2016 memoir, Set The Boy Free, the guitarist wrote: “Suddenly we were talking about the possibility of the band re-forming, and in that moment it seemed that with the right intention it could actually be done and might even be great. I would still work with the Cribs on our album, and Morrissey also had an album due out. We hung out for a while longer, and after even more orange juice (for me) and even more beer (for him) we hugged and said our goodbyes.”
He continued: “I was genuinely pleased to be back in touch with Morrissey, and the Cribs and I talked about the possibility of me playing some shows with the Smiths. For four days it was a very real prospect. We would have to get someone new on drums, but if the Smiths wanted to re-form it would make a hell of a lot of people very happy, and with all our experience we might even be better than before.”
Unfortunately, the dialogue didn’t continue forever, with Marr writing how he was met with “radio silence” from his former accomplice, adding: “Our communication ended, and things went back to how they were and how I expect they always will be.”
The time has now passed for a reunion from The Smiths, and while those shows could have allowed a whole new generation to see them live, perhaps it’s for the best a half-hearted second innings haven’t dampened their legacy.
