Although lead singer Robert Smith is in Los Angeles this week to
promote the Cure's second compilation CD,
"Galore," his mind is plainly fixated on the band's future. He's
temporatily put aside his work for the band's next
album - due out in the spring - to perform only two U.S. club shows
before heading back to England with the rest of
the band - drummer Jason Cooper, keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, bassist
Simon Gallup and guitarist Perry
Bamonte. In addition to their performances tonight at the Hollywood
American Legion Hall (tickets go on sale
today at the Pantages Theatre box office) and Friday in New York,
they'll also make their debut on "The Tonight
Show with Jay Leno" on Wednesday. "Galore" features the band's best
singles from the past 10 years (including
"Why Can't I Be You", "Hot,Hot,Hot," "Friday I'm In Love," "Mint
Car,") as well as their newest single,
"Wrong Number." But is Smith, whose moody, alternative songs about
love and love lost, itching to get back to
finish the album and be with his wife? He talked to the Press-Telegram
Monday afternoon before his scheduled
midnight appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Hollywood to unveil
and autograph copies of "Galore."
PT- Is there a theme among the 18 songs you chose to put on "Galore"?
RS- It was really just to pick up form where "Standing On The Beach"
finished up, which is our first singles
collection. That ran from '78 to '87. So "Galore" is just all the
A sides from the last 10 years in chronological
order.
PT- Do you have a favorite?
RS- A couple of weeks ago, I listened to it a secound time after
a few beers and I was surprised actually that the
songs that I thought would be my favorites weren't. I think the
best single on there is "Mint Car" (off "Wild
Mood Swings") and it's probably one of the least commercially successful.
PT-What kind of memories does that song conjure?
RS-It's partly to do with that there was such a good atmosphere when
we were making "Wild Mood Swings." We
lived together in a big house for a year. It was a great experience.
We had this strange criticism when it came out
that I couldn't possibly be that happy. Last summer I had two months
of incredible enthusiasm for life. And "Mint
Car" sums up that period for me.
PT-Is having enthusiasm for life rare for you?
RS-Not really. It's rare that I ever write a song when I'm in that
frame of mind. And usually most of what I do is
introspective, which is usually a little bit more low-key.
PT-What was it like living in a house with your band mates?
RS-I wouldn't do it again.
PT-Why not?
RS-Because they're too scruffy and messy.
PT-So did you find yourself cleaning up after the others?
RS- Yeah. They'd take advantage of me. I get very obsessive about
things. But they knew when they'd put things
in the wrong place, I would get really tense about it until I had
to clear up.
PT-Did Halloween have anything to do with the compilation record being released this week?
RS-I suppose , sort of. The original release date was about one month
ago. But the record company was kind of
messing about - for various dumb reasons- until finally they said
it needed bo be released before November. I
guess someone's head at Elektra went "Ding! It's Halloween week!"
It's kind of cheesy, I suppose.
PT-Are your planning on dressing up this year for the show in New York?
RS-I don't know. I actually bought a lime green shirt for the video I'm very tempted to wear.
PT-A riot practically broke out in New York last week after tickets
for your show there sold out. Are you worried
that something similar may happen here?
RS-Yeah, we're worried about it. But it's difficult because I don't
want to get involved with putting on a big
production. My mind is on doing the new record. This is kind of
like a mini break. The last time I did this was 10
years ago for "Standing On The Beach" and I spent like 10 days going
completely insane on my own just doing
interviews for TV, radio...and I just really lost it. So this is
like a club thing that I'm determined to enjoy on a really
basic level. We've got a light show that costs $500. It's a refreshing
change.
PT-How far along are you on the album you're working on?
RS-I'm aiming to get 12 songs done by Christmas and we've got about six that are really good.
PT-Does it have a new sound?
RS-Yeah. It's kind of like "Wrong Number". It's almost like we're
making two albums. The group of recordings of
the live band has a kind of rocky sound. Then what I'm doing is
taking the songs and using loops and remixing. I'm
using their performances, but sampling bits and kind of like deconstructing
and remaking.
PT-The Cure's music has always been avant-garde. What do you do to keep that cutting edge quality?
RS-I have no idea. In England that's perceived as being out of touch.
Up to this point, if I can spot what we've
been listening to in what we do I think there's something wrong
with it. It always makes me laugh to think that you
have to make music that's comtemporary. And contemporary is defined
by a group of people who write for
magazines kind of dictating what's in and what's out. Something
that's hip in London may not be hip in Tokyo or
in Dallas. I've always thought of the Cure as a group that can play
anywhere in the world. If I wake up in the
morning and hear something in my head, then that's what we should
be doing and we just do it. Sometimes it works
and sometimes it doesn't.