“It’s a Bit of a Cheat”: Legendary Post-Punk Drummer Questions His Two Bands’ Rock Hall Induction

Stephen Morris isn’t keen on the idea of awards. In a conversation with Rolling Stone, the drummer, who’s best known for his work with Joy Division and New Order, opened up about why he doesn’t like the idea of awards, including that of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

“I don’t understand the point of them,” Morris told the outlet of awards. “I’ve tried. I have really, really, believe me, tried. Unsuccessfully, I’ve tried giving awards. I’ve tried receiving awards. I’ve just gone and watched other people getting awards, and I’ve just come away feeling a bit like Peggy Lee. ‘Is that all there is? What is it about?’”

The Rock Hall “in particular” is something Morris said he’s struggled to find meaning behind, especially following Joy Division’s failed nomination in 2023.

“At the beginning, I was suckered as we all were three years ago,” he said. “Oh, it’s great when it first came up. It’s the fans who were voting for this, and that’s great. I was there voting for myself trying… and then we didn’t get in.”

“And then I realized that I was being duped. It wasn’t entirely the fans. That’s what I could understand,” Morris continued. “The people who came last got in, and the people who came top just were like, ‘Oh, see you later, alligator.’ Which I felt was a bit unfair to the people who went to the trouble of voting.”

Stephen Morris Reveals Health Battle

Now, though, Joy Division/New Order is set to be inducted into the Rock Hall—which he called “a bit of a cheat.”

The ceremony will take place this November in Los Angeles, but Morris will likely not be in attendance.

“I’ve got a bit of a health problem at the minute, which precludes leaving the country for any length of time,” the England resident said. “We did try. We went to an exhibition, the Ian Curtis lyrics exhibition in New York a few months ago and thought, ‘We’ll see how this goes. If this goes all right, it might be worth thinking…’ And that was only two days, and it just ended in disaster. So maybe not, maybe, but I can’t really say things will get better, because they won’t.”

Morris did not disclose specifics about his health situation, stating only that it’s “pretty serious” and “not something that someone’s going to come up with a cure for.”

Despite the health concerns that prevent him from touring, Morris said he still spends time playing drums.

“I can’t really not do music,” he explained. “That’d be a bit like losing a leg or something far worse.”

Photo by Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage