The Smiths will never reunite with the full, original line-up now. They will never enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a four-piece. The legend will never be tainted. The original essence will neither dwindle or decrease. Considering my opinion of reunions and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, those conditions are acceptable. But in no way do I wash my hands of Andy Rourke. His playing was the soundtrack of the flowering of my youth. His presence as an outstanding member of one of the two bands that occupied the lion’s share of my formative imagination is stamped across my teenage years and that is not an insignificant thing. Standing in the shadows of two towers of virtue and still managing to shine out is not an insignificant thing. He did his thing and he was good at it. That’s good enough for me. I hope it was enough for him.