You had questions for Lol, and he's provided the answers. While the original thinking was that Lol would answer just 10-15 of them, he answered every single one! So here's Part 1. Part 2 will be posted next Tuesday, Sept. 13th. Thanks once again to Lol for doing this, to Quercus Books for arranging it, and to everyone who sent in questions.
'Cured' will be released on Sept. 22nd in the UK, and autographed copies can be ordered from
Waterstones. Or bring your copy of 'Cured' to one of
these events and meet Lol and have it signed in person.
From Pierre: What is your best memory with The Cure? The one you cherish more than the others.
LOL: I have many, probably too many to single out one, but I remember the first time we played in Los Angeles, California, as young men and the last time I played with The Cure at the Albert hall in London in 2011 as being especially good experiences.
From All_I_have_to_do_is_kill_her:
Are there any unreleased songs from Pornography?
LOL: Not that I recall! It was an intense album to make, all our energy went into the songs, not much left over really. Plus we were on a roller coaster of tour /album/ tour so that doesn’t leave much time to write extra stuff you know?
How did you feel when you were performing "the cure are dead" with Gary biddles on the last pornography date. And what were your thoughts when you found out Simon was no longer with the cure. Also how did you feel when you were recording without him as he was a very significant part of the cure and also a key contributor to the cure musically. I would also like to know how you and Robert as well as simon felt when he came back. Also thanks for pissing on Billy idols leg he is a tool
LOL: It was a really sad night but at the same time inevitable. We had spent so much time on the road for years, we were overwrought! I explain my feelings about all this in my book.
From Sang: Did deciding to no longer play drums in the Cure impact your self-identity within the band?
LOL: Yes and no. On one hand I was very interested in discovering new things to do musically and on the other hand I loved the mantra of the drums and rhythm. My identity, I felt was more to with being a partner in the thing we called the Cure which means I played drums and keys and wrote some lyrics and lived the life that is the Cure.
From sky went black:
Do the lyrics of One Hundred Years refer to the death of your mother? Did she pass away when you were young? How did you take that?
LOL: The lyrics to “All Cats are Grey” are more specifically about my mother’s death. At the time of Pornography we had several deaths in the group. Roberts grandmother passed away I believe , and my mother. I was 22 when she died and it had a devastating effect on me. Art is a way to cope sometimes with the world.
Why did you move to United States? What do you miss about England? Will you ever move back?
LOL: I wanted to be a stranger in a strange land after the Cure ended for me and I also had great memories of being In California as a young man. On a practical basis my son was here too so I moved to the USA permanently. I miss my friends in England so I try to visit them at least once a year; they often visit me too here in California. The weather’s better! My son lives here still and I am happy here so I won’t move back full time.
How many kids have you got? Are you married? For how long? Been married before?
LOL: I have one son: Gray, he’s twenty four, a musician and poet and lives in San Francisco. I was married first to Grays’s mother, and then we divorced. I have been married to Cindy for the last 19 years. My first wife passed away a few years ago.
Do you have a big learning of life you want to share?
LOL: I think that’s really what my book is about. I feel it would be difficult to sum up in one or two phrases what I had learnt. So I wrote a book instead.
