This topic made me think (more than usual).
The sensible response is - like what you want - why should Moz / Group animosity etc change your thinking....
But (now this is the sad bit - as I am made aware of my age), the 'at the time response' was different.
And yes, some of this is lost in translation so to speak - i.e. the setting conditions at the time of the Smiths are hard to replicate now - esp. across the pond (then or even now) - shoot those flaming arrows !!
As a teenager at the time - being a devout fan - wearing beads, carrying flowers - the school bag with patch and tacky badge naturally... musical choice was on the peripheral.
I hung on Moz's every word - cutting snippets from Smash Hits, Sounds et al and the god awful NME - which certainly was more robust with it's coverage then...
If I was dissecting every word of the QID and buying every cassette bootleg I could find to hear a slightly different yelp somewhere or a slight word change - why on earth would a synth-pop group like New Order matter? Jingly Jangly 'pop' just was not relevant.
I found that any music outside of Moz was at least influenced by him - I bought 'James' due to his positive comments regarding their initial 80's work. I even worshiped at the temple of Ziggy....Dolls...Ferry...Sparks...Sandie...Joni...
Yes, now - it makes sense, but then, it wasn't a consideration.
Oddly, I don't remember anyone at the Civic Hall in '88 saying to each other: I hope this gig will be as good as the Cure gig I just went to see!
The 'I only like the Smiths' mentality was further cemented when indie music officially 'died' (1987)- i.e. when the PWL label (as too, smaller pop labels) was/were counted in the independent charts - so you would see....The Smiths...Soup Dragons...The Pastels....Sisters of Mercy... Half Man....KYLIE.. Cliff sodding Richard - BLETCH!!
So the desire to remain different and apart grew stronger (then of course the Smiths split - joy....).
In today's realm I guess I was a 'fanboy' - but rejecting anything un-Moz-like just seemed the natural thing whilst comparing my life to his lyrics daily....
Perhaps the 80's were my musical wilderness years, but I don't feel I missed out on too much that I haven't caught up with now.
As trite as it sounds, if you didn't live through it - run home to watch the Tube, TOTPs..., have a seizure if the NME was sold out... pour over the Smith's Indeed etc etc etc ... then why you HAD to avoid Robert Smith will never seem rational.... of course, I have mellowed and the fountain pen injuries have healed, but.....
Where were we...oh yes, Echo and the Bunnymen ummmm - can't stand them !!
Regards,
FWD