"The Cure"
Interview (5 pages) / by; Takako Inou
May 1996 - Rockin On (Japan)
"The Cure"
Interview (5 pages) / by;
Takako Inou
Rocking'On MAY 1996
interviewed by Takako Inoue
interpreted by Erika Yamashita, photographed by Ichiro Kono
This is a interview at the time of promotion of "Wild Mood Swings", Japanese
journalist have been to the old castle studio near Bath in England.
You just said " An understanding
among members for a band named CURE " and also once at an interview "a band
worth the name of Band can end a performance smoothly without a instruction
'let's stop here'" Do you expect such a special relationship among the band
members beyond mere words ? Don' t you think such an expectation caused so may
goings and comings of members ?
People say comings and goings of CURE members so frequent. But think of it, next
year the 20th anniversary of CURE comes. So, the past comings and goings of the
band members have not been so busy. Out of the team of "Head On The Door", Paul,
Boris, Simon and myself stayed together for as long as nine years since then.
That is quite a long time. In reality, you know, 90 percent of bands break up
before a single member goes out. Cure is one the most stable bands in my
opinion. Member changes were more often in earlier days, you know. I was so
young and short-tempered then, and supposed everybody follow my way. Though such
a mentality still holds true for me, but at those times more awful. I was so
egotistic I wished to stop working together if someone doesn't follow my way.
But Boris and Paul went out of their own volition to do what they wished to do
based on a tacit understanding. If one wishes to go out, he does so with his own
free will. The two showed a example of it. They quit because they wished to do
other things but friendship with them still holds firm. CURE is one enlarged
family not a temporary group. So long as he remains a member of the band, a
considerable sacrifice is required of him. As a member of the community he has
to grasp situations to get along with us. Well it is something like an action
guideline. For instance, how is it being a member of CURE be reflected on his
sense of values or way of approach to the others. There were only two who ever
abused the position of the member of CURE to make use of ugly self-glorification
and these two are no more among ourselves. I cannot get along with such an
attitude. The points are there. The one is that how one can dare to presume he
is superior to anybody else and the other is to be faithful to his own instinct.
These two are points that count. If your instinct tells you are not suitable for
CURE, you should quit. To stay on with the simple reason that it is a stable job
would not be good. Such an act will soon reveal your true self. Ties among the
band members are so close, all the members should be able to weep or laugh with
everybody else. To distance himself or refrain from opening your heart due to
reserve is impossible. One can freely chat to his heart's content or keep
silence. Your silence will not be deemed as sullenness but somebody will listen
to you if you like to chat. So to dwell in this house all together is really a
dream come true for me. In my childhood I wondered what will be the best way for
life and came to think it the best way to live in a big house with all the
friends of mine who go out to their own jobs from there. The dream has come
true, hasn't it ?
(laughter) Was your family so big ?
Six in all with four brothers
So you have not been specifically in need of a family warmth.
No, but I liked the school. I felt quite comfortable with all the pals of same
age and same cultural background around me knowing same TV programs and doing
same plays. The sense of sharing a common experience like those rapidly
disappears after graduation, does it not ? It is as if the world crushes or go
on its own way. In such a way, time passed day by day, hour by hour until today,
perhaps the last day of my life. If it were so at all, is it not true that I
would like to stay at the most agreeable way ? In reality, now is the best time
for me. Anyway I don't think today is my last day because I don't like to die
while being interviewed. I beg you! Anyway, a friend is one and a family is
another. Even if your family is big in number, all the brothers are rarely on
good terms. Mary (his childhood friend and a wife), for instance, lived in big
family but she is in good terms with only one sister among the family. I didn't
like a big family, because I had to wait for my turn even for toilet.
"Ha,ha,ha,ha." After all you are tied to the member through such kind of
affection.
Yes, I can't stand with band members just sticking together as they have nothing
else to do. If I have to go on with same original members I had better kill
myself. I really wanted to do the job with other guys and once joined Banshees.
And it came to me "changes can be gotten by simply changing members in CURE.
"Your are sacked." Take it easy. It's a joke. 99 percent of the members stay
with their free will with Laurence (Tolhurst) an only exception. He was kicked
out.
With a pop group everything is all right. CURE is no exception. Some part may
be heavy but there are without fail some dippy parts soon going out after
popping around.
The title "World Mood Swings." Most of the six numbers seem to present high
time, don't they ?
Don't be deceived. We packed only those types of numbers there.
As I thought so !
It's a lie.
Hey, Come on.
Even the order of numbers has not been fixed. About 25 numbers were recorded and
around 17 numbers could enter the album.. but practically 14 numbers may be the
maximum. So the result will be utterly different when most joyous five be cut
and when most doped five be cut Any case the last album will be an album of
hotchpotch of different moods and atmospheres.
For instance, a number Mint Car is full of feeling of utter bliss , isn't it
?
Sure, I wished to make a song on the excited condition felt by everybody when we
all the band members go to tour from now by mini-bus and I play a CD, or on a
overflowing feeling of expectation on something to come. That may be the highest
moment of life.
You have rarely expressed openly such a high moment.
To write purely happy song is very difficult. The song itself is short-lived.
When making I am completely absorbed in it. So there are no afterthoughts. When
making it a song, in reality it is but a after-feeling of happiness. It is the
world of Wordsworth as he said "An emotion felt again in the dark is an essence
of poem." Since my childhood I always wrote down on paper whatever passes
through my mind however trifle it would be. My dad always said to me " When you
hit on nasty things or troubles, you can be objective and feel relieved by
writing it down. So I bough a notebook and carried with me wherever I went. It
went well as my dad told me. When I become worried, dreaded or miserable, I
always wrote it down. Songs did not always come out of those writings. It did
serve in spitting out the inner self. But you wouldn't like something amusing
get out of you, do you? This time I made a song by carefully thinking what type
of images momentarily brings back happy feeling. But I could not make out many.
Any case I feel happy in these days.
I understand. But you once said you see no reality in the world except when
you actually cut a finger or burn yourself. Did such a feeling ever change?
Indeed. During 2 years thinking about CURE after "Wish", I feel like I have
recovered myself. Brothers of both Mary and me as well as Paul were endowed with
children. As I was looking at these children growing up as an uncle, my feeling
on a reality underwent a big change. As I see things through their own eyes by
looking at and sometime taking the children out, I have come to see the world
through others' viewpoints. And I think I started to have more stable frame of
mind as compared with 4 or 5 years ago. But at the same time I have come to
worry about various things than before. Why man never learns, remain in low
spirituality and repeat same error. I really get angry though I never minded
such a thing before. If I had children, I would hit on various worries about the
future. But for time being to be an uncle is enough. (laughter) Now I have a
solid sense of being a part of the world, but I simply couldn't have a sense of
tie with any part of it before, though I was not isolated from the world then.
To have such a mentality is so easy because I need not go to work at fixed time
and if I wish I could stay in bed. But I get up, really the way I am now.
Is that so?
Even now I sometimes feel as if detached from the real world. I have a born
nature to look at things from a certain distance and sometimes think anything
may happen so long as I stay dead. On that point balanced mentality is needed,
isn't it ? If the distance is so long, I have to simply wait for death without
doing anything.
Do you think such a mentality affected the numbers of this time ?
Yes. Unlike before, getting rid of monsters in songs has gotten less frequent.
Well?
Since songs have been made less as a measure to spit out inner self, the choices
of subjects to write on seem to have broadened and now I can make a song from
others' point of view. For instance, a number This is a Lie asks which will be
more fruitful to wait for only one partner or to love each other with plural
partners to take whatever necessary or give back what they need through plural
relationships. Though to draw a conclusion is difficult, but myself feel to
build relationship with one lover only to the end seems to bear bigger fruit
though it may be hard. But some band members deem plural relationships better.
This song stands on the view of such fellows. Such a thing has never occurred
before. Before there were so many worries about myself I could make out songs
out of those alone. Club America as well was never out of me. So I sang it with
altered voice. So to speak I thinks this is the album of not mine but band's.
That resulted in Wild Mood Swing. There are five keen characters in the band and
accumulation of lives of these members would form a tremendous power. Before
such a thought did not even touch on my head. I ignored the other four. But on
making the album of this time, I talked about on various subjects with them
seriously listening to what and how they were thinking about. It seems quite
strange to sing what is utterly out of my mind.
Was it hard?
Yes it is difficult. But I wish CURE remain as one who does anything not always
relying on Robert Smith's specialty songs. If you listen to and read and read
nine albums released till now, you may be able to roughly grasp what I am. But
to keep on pouring out such albums forever is nonsense though I am afraid my
inner unease would never disappear.
By the way, in a number titled "Want" there is a phrase "time cannot be gotten
however hard you wished to get it". Does the phrase come out from the acute fret
from being old age?
The essence of the song is such, meaning much more time is needed. But I presume
any other persons share the same desire. When I am asked what will be my three
wishes, the first one is for more time. Getting first the time, then take time
in finding the remaining two. Once my dad gave a 75th birthday party here and
then we talked about what will be the feeling of meeting 75th birthday. Then I
thought it pretty sad. Dad didn't wish to be 75 years old. Whenever asked which
he preferred wisdom or youth he always answered to take youth. That I presume to
be same for anybody. It is said that man's getting old and nearing the death is
atoned by getting wiser. But for my dad the wisdom does not so much serve as the
compensation.
I understand. Returning to CURE, the band CURE does not get old, does it ? Like
vampire it sometimes wake up to appear on the scene when all the temporary bands
disappear for instance. Or RIDE you called "My Sons" also broke up. Don't you
think such a thing sad?
Not so awful as to such an extent. (laughter burst out) Aha, any case I never
disappear because I exist every time I get up in the morning. After all it is
quite a fun to put out a new album after returning to the world. Some young
chaps may not exactly know what type of music CURE plays even if they once heard
of that name. When I look at SHAMPOO for example in these days though such does
not come out in this country, I would think what an ass though they are younger
than we. Likewise when I see the PET SHOP BOYS I feel how stupid they are
although they are older than we. It really came home that age doesn't count.
That counts is what type of music they are playing or what stance they stand on.
Whatever the one's age, one with a definite stance of one's own can understand
everything and the one without it never knows how old he becomes.
As yourself said "CURE is a pop band", there always is overwhelming
poppiness
in your sound of CURE's
numbers how far it focuses on uneasiness or irritation, isn't there? What do you
mean when you say "pop band"?
For me it has two images. Both are of Beatles. The one is wearing suits with a
necktie playing "Help" or "Please, Please Me" and the like, and the other
developed into "Sergeant Peppers". These completely different images of the one
with the same members with the single name are my pop groups. Unfortunately
almost all the pop groups play only one type of numbers. But I think a pop group
is for everything. CURE is so. It has some heavy parts sometimes co-existing
with silly parts jumping up and disappearing. To have fun is very important, I
presume, because it is a gimmick to maintain youth.
I understand. My last question is :"Is it true that you hate Japan? " There
is a legend that you have come to hate Japan because your sleep was disturbed by
a noise by a stall vendor of Chinese noodle throughout the whole night going and
coming in front of the hotel that drove you to be a Japan hater. If it was true,
I feel very sad.
I never said such a thing! I am not such a bloody fellow. (laughter) But I felt
a tremendous cultural shock. My three visits to Japan could not give me cultural
understanding of Japan. Really I was haunted by so many after images and
memories of people's lives long after I returned home.
Then you don't hate Japan.
No. I like it so much I don't' know what to do with it. Whenever I returned
home, it took more than one month to restore myself. It is full of charms that
cannot pinpoint exactly what it is but always stimulates instinctive curiosity
inside me. Every time I return home from Japan and step down from the airplane,
I feel really like my mind go out of order. Japan is the only part of the world
making myself feel like an alien. But I am sorry that I have not go there for
so long.
Really?
Yes. We were supposed to go when we released Wish, but we went to Australia
instead. This year we will never fail to visit Japan skipping Australia. Which I
really want to have is a petition to come to Japan. We don't have even a guess
how they think of us after so long a lapse. Any event we will come at least for
once. It is a fun to be out of myself.