Robert Smith's Meltdown line-up and tickets

SouthBank Centre. I love Robert Smith! #London #TheCure #travel #southbankcentre #travelgram #traveling pic.twitter.com/JKNUoPgjBI

— Mire (@ilariobond) February 15, 2018

From the Southbank Centre email:

Robert Smith's Meltdown
FRI 15 – SUN 24 JUN

Stand by as next week we announce the line-up for Robert Smith's Meltdown.

Tickets go on sale to Members on Tuesday 13 March. For your best chance to get tickets, join today.

Robert on future David Bowie tribute album?

From L.A. Weekly: "He (Mick Garson) also reveals that he’s planning to record a tribute album down the road, with superstars including Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon and The Cure’s Robert Smith already expressing interest."

Keep Calm and listen to The Cure

i think, as a culture, we need to spend more time listening to the cure and recognizing robert smith as the fearless genius he is. that is all.

— matt nathanson (@mattnathanson) February 14, 2018

"You have to be particularly stupid to believe someone like me"

1985, The Cure à propos du mouvement punk pic.twitter.com/A1PsRVgg8f

— Ina.fr (@Inafr_officiel) February 19, 2018

Robert’s urgent demand for video nasties

The greatest story ever! To me. :)

From Dangerous Minds:

"In a recently unearthed 25-year-old fax to Elektra Records’ Howard Thompson, The Cure’s Robert Smith makes the “urgent” plea for a stack of awesomely-gory horror and exploitation VHS tapes.

Smith, who had planned to go shopping for movies in New York City, found himself without a day off when an extra show was added to their tour (believed to be the 1992 tour based on the dates and font on the fax). To make up for lost shopping time, he had a fax sent to Elektra asking for A Clockwork Orange, Driller Killer, I Spit on Your Grave, Last House on the Left, Bloodsucking Freaks, Filthy Rich, Faster Pussycat! Kill!... Kill! and “maybe a couple of others you could recommend in the splatter-cannibal she-devil vein.” These movies would have been unavailable in England at the time due to Parliament passing the Video Recordings Act of 1984.

Smith had excellent taste in sleaze.

Former Elektra Records head of A&R, Howard Thompson, posted the old fax to his Instagram account, so it does appear to be authentic."

Howard asked people not to share his post, not that it stopped others, so I can't post it here, unfortunately. But you can see it on Howard's Instagram here.

Simon on Michael Ciravolo's 'Man of Faith'

Listen to 39 seconds of 'Man of Faith' from Michael Ciravolo's album 'Beauty in Chaos', featuring Simon Gallup on bass and Wayne Hussey from The Mission on vocals.

Michael talks about Simon: "What can I say… simply my fav bass player of all time (well just after my wife ☺).   Simply Blessed to have him on this track, such a ‘Simon’ bass line too!  While he’s not much for social media presence, you can follow THE CURE here.  There is also a cool fan run page here.

Big thank you to Simon’s son, Eden for tracking his dad in his studio.  Please check out Eden’s band Violet Vendetta.

Finally there are some alcohol-fueled ‘rumors’ that this collaboration may have rekindled a side project between Simon and Mr. Hussey.  You all can thank me later ☺"

Videos from Jason's masterclass

Jason Cooper, drummer for @thecure​, came to #ACMLondon​ for a simply brilliant masterclass. Chatting through career highlights, practice routines & creative expression, Jason also treated us to performances of classic Cure hit records. https://t.co/xEF8U8jQGG pic.twitter.com/FZDcCiXBoS

— ACM (@acm_uk) February 13, 2018

Watch the videos here and here.

'Boys Don't Cry' BBC4 special

Powerful and thought provoking programme about emotional repression and toxic masculinity, centred around @thecure's Boys Don't Cry. Great contributions from @LolTolhurst! https://t.co/oPId0jbn36

— Matt Ford (@mattfordmusic) February 6, 2018

Free guitar lesson from Reeves

Free #guitar lesson from Reeves Gabrels - "Pentatonic Approach 1 - Overview" https://t.co/yHFGK4KLoI pic.twitter.com/Uj5wEpGXUQ

— TrueFire (@TrueFireTV) February 19, 2018

Spanish version of 'Cured' in November

So I can now confirm for my Spanish readers that @MalpasoEd will publish CURED in November! When I know the exact date, I will let you all know and also details of promotion around its publication!

— Lol Tolhurst (@LolTolhurst) February 17, 2018

Step Into The Light photo exhibit

Step Into The Light A Cure photography Exhibition
Soon in Barcelona, Madrid and many other cities in Europe.
Music clip: "Manchester" by @metroverlaine.

https://t.co/4trWhdgvnb via @YouTube

— MauroMelis photo (@MauroParis) January 14, 2018

SUE's Top 100 songs of 1982

The Cure placed 5 songs on Slicing Up Eyeball's Top 100 Songs of 1982 poll:

#12 - Lets Go To Bed
#45 - The Hanging Garden
#47 - One Hundred Years
#50 - A Strange Day
#76 - The Figurehead

The Killers cover 'Push'

"In their Salt Lake City show last night (Feb. 6th, 2018), Brandon Flowers of The Killers told a story about how his "conversion" to music happened when he attended his first concert: The Cure in Salt Lake City during the Wish Tour. He described that concert as his "baptism" onto the path of being a musician. They then played a cover of Push in honor of playing in the same venue where he experienced his conversion at The Cure concert." Thanks, Jared.

And another video of @thekillers covering @thecure's Push, and Brandon's intro story, in Salt Lake City on Feb. 6th. Via @fmjews74 https://t.co/gsxaD9sfi2

— Chain of Flowers (@CraigatCoF) February 10, 2018

Here's another version of @thekillers covering @thecure's Push in Salt Lake City on Feb. 6th, 2018 - https://t.co/M8zKIDi0Hs

— Chain of Flowers (@CraigatCoF) February 8, 2018

And here's video of @thekillers covering @thecure's Push in Salt Lake City last night. Thanks to Jared for the report and video link! https://t.co/SDcAfYLKOK

— Chain of Flowers (@CraigatCoF) February 7, 2018

Wolf Alice mash-up Charli XCX with The Cure

Boys @triplej ‘Like a Version’ @charli_xcx @thecure xxx - https://t.co/nyqzzlvq81

— wolf alice (@wolfalicemusic) February 16, 2018

Fangasm: Pornography

From Drowned in Sound:

"It doesn't matter if we all die" declares Robert Smith by way of introduction, kicking The Cure's most desolate 45 minutes into life in the process.

Choosing a favourite Cure album is like trying to decide which pair of socks to wear or what breakfast cereal to start the day with. It can change at any given time for no particular reason, yet if all the votes were counted over the course of a lifetime one would remain in pole position. That record is Pornography, an album that appeared somewhat out of the blue upon its arrival in the summer of 1982.

Prior to its release, The Cure had been something of an anomaly. Not aggressive or heavy enough for those still suffering a hangover from punk, not arty enough for the new romantics, not eccentric enough for the new wave. Of course "post-punk" wasn't a thing back then; in many commentators' eyes punk was still a thing, albeit an underground fad mostly dominated by belligerent working-class youths disillusioned with Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative government. The relationship between music and politics was probably at its height, with bands like The Clash still active and 2 Tone Records continuing to break down racial barriers even after The Specials' dissolution.

The Cure didn't fit in with any scene back then and probably never have. They existed on their own terms, impossible to pigeonhole, although many have tried. Even prior to Pornography their appearances on Top Of The Pops stood out like proverbial sore thumbs. Having made their debut on the show in April 1980 with 'A Forest' and followed it up almost twelve months to the day with 'Primary', both minor hits with the former briefly bothering the lower end of the Top 40 while the latter stalled just outside, no one could have predicted they'd go onto become one of the most influential bands of their generation.

Read the rest at Drowned in Sound.

10 Famous Musicians Who Had To Struggle With Phobias

From Ultimate Guitar:

Robert Smith of the Cure, too, once had a fear of flying. Not that he’s managed to cope with his phobia, but rather because there was no phobia, at all. As he later confessed to Blender magazine, "Around the time of Disintegration, we were so in demand that I figured if I said I was scared of flying, we could cut down the number of things that I did… So for about three years, 1989 to 1992, I kept the pretense that I had this phobia about flying."

37 real-life couples that cozied up in music videos

From Yahoo:

30. Robert Smith & Mary Smith
Few people know much about the longtime wife of the Cure’s Robert Smith, other than her equally generic name, Mary Smith. But you can catch a quick glimpse of her in the “Just Like Heaven” video — she’s the pale-skinned, black-haired lass dancing in Robert’s arms during the guitar solo. Childhood sweethearts, the two have been married since 1988, and certainly seem made for each other. They even have matching hair!

Lol and Pearl in the studio together

Deep in the woods, Something is stirring..

A post shared by Lol Tolhurst (@lol.tolhurst) on Feb 6, 2018 at 1:58pm PST

“...40 years on.” 🖤.•* ARTIST’S: LAURENCE “LOL” TOLHURST & PEARL THOMPSON * * * PHOTOGRAPH BY: DIANA DALI * @aboxofstrangethings #pearlthompson #aboxofstrangethings @lol.tolhurst #loltolhurst

A post shared by PEARL THOMPSON (@aboxofstrangethings) on Feb 6, 2018 at 2:16pm PST

Lol & Pearl remix MGT

From Post-Punk: "Goth-rock duo MGT has teamed up with former/founding members of The Cure, Lol Tolhurst and Pearl Thompson, for a remix, standalone single, dubbed “The Assembly Line (Cured Mix).” The track can be streamed now at Post-Punk.com. The new single is accompanied by a b-side track, also reworked by Tolhurst, “All The Broken Things (Lol Tolhurst Remix).”

"We enjoyed adding our light and shade to MGT’s new album with our contributions to the “Assembly Line” – getting us warmed up for our further adventures this year too!” – Lol Tolhurst and Pearl Thompson

“So pleased to have collaborated with these legends.. a huge influence on our music.. the moment we heard Lol’s and Pearl’s instrumentation on the song I was amazed how Curesque it sounded! You’ve got 50% of the original and classic Cure lineup right there… sounds brilliant” – Mark Gemini Thwaite

New interview with Lol

@CraigatCoF new article & interview with Lol Tolhurst taken from VOS published on 17 February 2017 in Argentina. pic.twitter.com/1ltuhZoLat

— petr.halla (@thecureCZ) February 20, 2018

Read the interview here.

20th anniversary of Smithra vs. Mecha-Streisand

From Post-Punk:

"South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are admittedly huge Cure fans who got Robert Smith himself to voice his cameo on the show.

Smith later told SPIN that his nieces and nephews were huge fans of the show and stated that:

“of all the things I’ve done, all the people I’ve met, it all counts for nothing compared to being on South Park.”

Read the full article at Post-Punk.