The Cure: Classic or Dud?

there's nothing he can do either way he's just a mirror of our own despair over our eventually aging and death, which is cure's job!

The guy looks and appears the way he does and is currently making bank on a cross-country tour that has received rapturous acclaim. I don't think he's worried about being concern trolled over his hairspray.

Slicing Up Eyeballs recently shared a photo a fan took of themselves with Robert and one of the other Cure guys whom they ran into on the street. Smith was 'incognito', which is to say sans makeup and hairspray, and I can't be the only one who was shocked that in such a state he looked like any normal middle-aged rocker dude.

Yeah, I saw that picture, and if it wasn't for the hair and outfit he'd just look like your average 57 year old guy. There's nothing wrong with his look - it works for him, it works for the fans, and I'd find it utterly surreal to see him perform tracks like 'Plainsong' or 'One Hundred Years' looking like yer regular middle-aged musician. Besides, it's Robert Smith! He's earned the right to look however he fucking wants to look!

I remember when he showed up in the Hot Hot Hot video in short hair and I was like rawrr

Looks like Slicing Up Eyeballs isn't posting on the blog anymore. Where did you see that photo?

I'd like to see him adopt a look more befitting his age, maybe something along the lines of Mike Love

also as the show draws closer i'm realizing something about myself: i like to think of myself as someone who wants the deep cuts but i really want the HITS gimme gimme gimme all those sweet hits fellas don't let me down with some oh this was a b-side from a single off The Top shit

you won't be disappointed. they play a bunch of the hits and maybe one b-side.

Here's the pic
http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m744gcJxs61qeetdyo1_1280.jpg

He look cool af

Pretty decent singles band

A touch dour, innit?

I wish RS would change his look.

― Duke, Tuesday, June 7, 2016 1:46 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

He looks like someone's grandmother

― Duke, Tuesday, June 7, 2016 1:46 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I gather you go to The Cure for reinforcement of your fragile masculinity and to assuage your fear of death?

Looks like Slicing Up Eyeballs isn't posting on the blog anymore. Where did you see that photo?

I believe they're only doing updates on Facebook and Twitter (?) now.

He doesn't look that different in the photo.

What is with those boots?!

they are big ugly goth boots

he looks like he's slimmed down quite a bit from that pic

I hope that Robert Smith continues to look like someone's goth granny forever, and never ends up being one of these people:

a promo photo thread for '80s/'90s bands oozing sobriety and wisdom in the present day

Huh, I didn't know Robert Smith was Asian.

can't believe Robert Smith has long teased hair and large shoes, omg, so unexpected, he's destroying my childhood

literally unprecedented

I don't particularly care for any masculinity I may or may not have.

It's odd that suggesting that RS change his look results in a) defensive insults and b) the conclusion that this means he must dress like one of the Golden Girls.

Well...what would you suggest his look be? Especially given said casual airport shot?

I suggest he change his look be one of the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgc8GjaLgxw

TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT

;_;

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ah man, I was hoping you'd get to go, DJP!

Saw them in Montréal tuesday. We got the Bloodflowers setlist, which I was fine with since I like that album, but I think the crowd would have prefered a bit less from it. I think the one they got in Chicago the first night was perfect.
Nevertheless, they are amazing live and so generous and Robert's voice is incredibly great.

I assume this was awesome

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-cure/2016/agganis-arena-boston-ma-3fe7943.html

p dece

oh fucking hell, the encores ;_;

Man, the first night of that Chicago setlist. Wish I went, but couldn't go.

seeing these dudes tmrrow at the garden excited

Encore #3. A lil much imo.

"Sinking"! Lots of Wish!

I'm going to the Sunday show in Miami.

Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys
By Lol Tolhurst, out October 11th
Former Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst chronicles his 13-year stint with the band – and the struggles with alcohol that ended it.

http://pitchfork-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/content/CURED%20book%20cover.jpg

(Sorry, old news, although I hadn't heard about it before.)

can't wait for this - and glad to read promo interviews with Lol, where he seems to be in a really good place

Haha, his name is Lol

in preparation for the concernt, I decided to use my trial Tidal membership to listen to the Cure discography from beginning to end...

damn...following up Three Imaginary Boys with Seventeen Seconds is one of the great "step yo game up" moves in rock history jesus...

Had a chance to read Lol's book via an advance and his story of what went into this change is great.

And indeed, to expand out: Lol's book is VERY good. In fact I'd rate it alongside Bob Mehr's Trouble Boys as my unexpected pleasure of the year, and there's a certain parallel focus -- a suburban upbringing where some sort of 'care' for addiction is understood but not fully carried out or addressed, with horrible consequences. Obviously not as tragic as what happened with Bob Stinson but Tolhurst doesn't spare himself in terms of the track he was on, and what it took to fully get him out of it. And suburban/'new town' England isn't Minneapolis but there's a similar sense of aimlessness into punk as focus point as a driver, and what resulted.

I won't go completely on about the book so as not to spoil everything, but there's definitely a heartfelt vibe throughout, Tolhurst taking a lot of retrospective stock -- you can argue at a couple of points he goes past the point of natural reserve, but it's not constant. He definitely doesn't spare himself at numerous points along the way, and there's absolutely no sense of blame in terms of what went wrong with him and Robert and the band other than on his own head. He's now spent over two decades getting it back together and I think it shows; it's definitely a book of a long view, and a long rekindled friendship as well (I hadn't realized how far back now he and Robert buried the hatchet). And again without going into it too much there's some moments of distinct personal tragedy I was simply unaware of that are gut-wrenching -- he doesn't offer them as excuse, simply acknowledgment of what else he had to deal with. One moment in the closing chapters drew me up sharp quite terribly.

All the early band detail is really remarkable in particular, from when he and Robert met as kids through to around 1986 or so; stories galore, and Tolhurst makes mention of (and at the end lists) a wide variety of people he interviewed, probably to compare memories since everything is very much told through his eyes. The result is extremely rich; as much as Ten Imaginary Years was a good enough piece of work at the time, I think this will have to stand as the definitive accounting of that time now, until/unless Robert decides to go for it himself, since he was the only other one appearing in all the incarnations through that stretch. Lots of fascinating little details -- it's not fully song-by-song comprehensive, but it gives a distinct flavor all along the way.

As things get bad the Kiss Me/Disintegration years understandably more focus on him shutting down/shutting out everyone, so less information there and of course after that it's his own very good story. One extremely interesting point in retrospect -- he's always pretty careful about mentioning who appeared when in the band during his stint, or who returned and so forth, giving everyone their due. But it's very telling to realize that Roger O'Donnell wasn't mentioned *once* during the Kiss Me/Disintegration stretch, and only is mentioned a bit casually near the end. Given he was drafted during the KM release/tour phase to back up Tolhurst and was part of the Disintegration sessions and all that, I can't tell if it's an intentional downplaying by silence on Tolhurst's part or, as I kinda feel is more the case, a kind of admission he was so incredibly out of it that he almost didn't even notice. (O'Donnell for his part kinda confirmed this a few years back via his own memories of the sessions; look for the paragraph that starts: "I think it's pretty much common knowledge how Lol was treated in those days...")

Anyway, there's an extensive book tour coming up in the States -- think it's already started in the UK -- and Pearl Thompson's supposed to be at a few of the ones over here, so it might be worth going to if you're near one. But yeah, anyone who's even a little bit more than a casual fan really needs the book.

whoa stoked for this book now thanks, ned!

You're welcome! It's a book that really makes you happy that the story didn't end any number of truly unfortunate ways, and that he's in a good place.

i wonder what robert smith will think of the book or if he'll even read it

i remember reading 10 imaginary years when it was released and it seemed that him and tolhurst were constantly at odds with each other

robert bullied the hell outta lol for many years.

As I mentioned, they've long since reestablished their friendship, and near the end of the book Lol talks about calling Robert up a couple of years back and telling him he was working on the book. It's not said but it's implied Robert might have contributed to it just in terms of reconfirming some memories, and Robert's thanked near the start of the acknowledgements along with Michael Dempsey.

So basically, yes, I suspect he will read it. It's an extremely sympathetic portrayal of Robert throughout. If anything it's very notable that Lol draws contrasts throughout between Robert's very happy upbringing and his own emotionally fraught family situation; Lol's dad comes in for a LOT of criticism, though he tries to understand him from a distance as well.

Pearl Thompson

When your fandom of RPDR and The Cure collide :-)

Haha!

You know, the two Pearls should meet up and rock out, I'd pay money.

I can see it, given he's wearing even more make-up than she is these days!