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Interview
by Sveti Slavik
12-11-2001
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| The Cure |
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Familiar songs of men and feelings
The Cure have ‘Greatest Hits’ out but Robert Smith, known as ‘Gothfather,’ feels he is on a career-crossroads
Although The Cure’s ‘Greatest Hits’ arrives 35 years after its formation – career figures being 13 studio albums, several compilations and live releases with the total sales in excess of 27 million across the globe – Robert Smith felt pressurized by having to write two new tracks. He felt he had to uphold the standard of the long-loved favourites.
“Yeah, very much so this time,” confirms the perfectly made-up gentleman dressed in black. “This album is unusual in that respect as you usually do a lot of new songs and then choose the best. This time I only needed 2 new songs and it turned out to be an experience I wouldn’t like to repeat. I was given a deadline, which is a very big pressure on top of the fact that I really didn’t want to have this compilation out but the company was going to do it anyway… So, I said OK, I’ll be involved with it and then heard that Americans weren’t interested in issuing an album without new songs.”
‘Honest’ Bob
The two new tracks are simply a snack for the hardcore fans, usually of the near-obsessive nature and loyalty, who will also be able to indulge in a limited bonus, the ‘Acoustic Greatest Hits’.
“Well, the company makes money,” he explains his stand on behalf of consuming fans, “on music that doesn’t cost them anything (to produce) while fans have to pay full price for it, just to get two new songs. I felt that we should offer them something more and new versions seemed like a good idea. I stipulated that it shouldn’t increase the price but Americans slammed 2 dollars on top! We paid for all the recordings of acoustic versions and I’m going to ask Americans to pay us back as they surcharge the fans!”
“’Greatest Hits’ are usually issued when the band is about to split which, we are not!”
A certain turnaround for Smithy who is, finally, completing a solo album.
“For a long time I thought I couldn’t do both,” Smithy talks in a loquacious manner, “at the same time and felt I had to end the band to work solo. We are one-third into the band’s next album and I don’t see any problem in me doing both; I also know that I’ll never go out and play on my own because I’d miss members’ camaraderie.”
Time shadow…
It all started in Crawley, not far from the Gatwick hotel we are talking in, some 30 miles from London. Smithy lives in the same area even now, just outside of Brighton, the trendy artist-colony on the south coast. But all private happiness is nothing when he’s had to divert his plans for this compilation, while remaining totally unconcerned to ink another recording contract…
“I think we should talk about my solo album because I was finishing it last April when the record company called me up and told me about the compilation. But, this is the end of this relationship… I don’t see why we should sign a contract with anybody? I don’t know what we gonna do, maybe use Internet to sell our CDs, or form our own label… Right now I have no idea and am not really concerned. Something will sort itself out.”
Making music solo might be a bit tricky because it has to differ from The Cure legacy that’s been down to his songcrafting…
“Lyrically, and that is a paradox, it is less about me than anything I’ve ever written. The subject matter is wider, it is about big, philosophical ideas, which gives me more satisfaction on a cerebral level. I’ve written enough songs about me, for now, but this is different because I don’t need to worry about performing them, don’t need to worry about emotional demand and projection. The more intellectual a song is, the less emotional it is and such songs are very difficult to sing live.”
“The big difference is that I’m gonna have guests on several tracks who will bring something else to it because I think the album sounds slightly soulless. I’ve got five people I’d like to work with but two will be recording their own albums at the time… I don’t want to name them but they are pretty obvious.”
Let’s hazard David Bowie, one of the surviving Doors, Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) probably…
“A lot of names have been mentioned on the fans’ websites and they were bound to guess some right… The biggest problem is not the artists but getting their labels to agree to collaboration and right now I don’t know what format this will take, who will release it, when… It’s like a make-believe project to the labels of artists I’d like to work with.”
“But, I wanted such creative freedom and am looking at my options.”
Sveti Slavik
12-11-2001
The Cure’s compilation ‘Greatest Hits’ is released 12 November 2001 on Fiction/Polydor
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