February 22, 1986 -
Hitkrant (Holland)
(Translation below)
Robert Smith (The Cure) casts of his mask.
“I’m intrigued by the dark side of life, but it doesn’t mean that I’m a tormented person or that I only have pessimistic thoughts”, says Robert Smith. “It’s just an image I use to protect myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m a dummy in a shop-window or a clown. People stare at me and wait for me to say something funny or perform a trick. I use an emotionless look in my eyes and my hair to keep them at bay”.
A Frivolous Group
When we met the Cure in a radio studio in Paris it turned out that they don’t belong in a funeral parlour. When he puts on the headset, Robert says: “I wish I could be a DJ for a day. The Cure on air for an entire day, can you imagine that?” We take Robert aside for a conversation while Simon takes the job of DJ on him. They are a crazy bunch. “We have a great time when we’re together. Maybe it doesn’t look like that, but we laugh a lot. For outsiders we look like sourpusses, but that’s only because we take our work and our music seriously. We don’t want to be a frivolous group. Besides, the image of the group is made by all the members together, not just the front man”. Meanwhile, there are a lot of fans who try to look like you. “Yeah, they think I’m an example because I’m the singer of a band. I’ve only met one fan who looks like me. It was a very strange feeling when he approached me. Apart from that one time; I don’t care if people imitate me or not, truly”. It must be a sign of appreciation. “I consider our fans to be my friends; I like it when I can talk to them after a concert. But that’s getting harder and harder. In the beginning there were five fans waiting; now there are five hundred of them. They don’t expect us to behave like stars. I want to keep that personal contact alive. We’ve managed to make friends all over the world that way. Lovely!”
“I enjoy the small things in live”
But you own those friends to your success don’t you? “We’re not a super group, thank goodness for that; we still have some breathing space. We can keep evolving. The band that made “A Forest” is not the same band that made “Let’s go to Bed” or “Inbetween days”. I like working as long as we’re not pushed in a certain direction. The day we have a number one hit, I’ll seriously think about quitting or finding a different formula”. Does that mean you don’t live like a star? “Of course I do. I’ve never had money in the past and I didn’t think about becoming rich. But now that I’ve money, I’m on my guard. I’ve bought an apartment so I didn’t have to give everything to the tax department. I have my own television, my stereo set, my dishwasher and a bed. I can still enjoy the small things in live. What about the presence of your girlfriend Mary? “She makes me lead a balanced live. I tend to exaggerate and she puts my two feet on the ground again. She also has a sensible approach to the music we make. She likes the Cure, but she’s not our biggest fan. Maybe that’s because sometimes I pay more attention to the band than to her”. Are you romantic? “Sometimes I force myself to be romantic, but it’s difficult for me. I’m definitely not a born romantic. I think I’m too realistic. I think that it’s that way because of my youth. I’ve come from a working – class family. My parents had no time to be sentimental. Working was the only thing that mattered. My father worked hard to become a well-to-do-citizen and we we’re able to leave Blackpool. But even then, he stayed a modest person. He never looked down on the working class. It’s a lesson in live I’ve never forgotten”.
Comments with the pictures:
THANKS to: Anke (ThORI13) for the TRANSLATION.