1. The band has been pretty quiet since the Australian leg of the Dream Tour, and I was wondering how it went?
The fans certainly seemed pleased with it.

IT WAS FANTASTIC IN AUSTRALIA - SO MUCH BETTER THAN LAST TIME - AND A GREAT WAY TO
END THE Y2K DREAMTOUR LEG...

2. How big of a role did the fan petition play in getting you down there?

IT TIPPED THE SCALES!

3. You took your parents with you; did they attend the shows? And if so, what were their impressions of it?

MY MUM AND DAD ATTENDED ALL THE SHOWS - AND MOST OF THE 'AFTERSHOWS' TOO! -
THEY TELL ME THEY HAD 'THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES'...

4. Did you have a chance to go sightseeing with them?

ONLY IN PERTH AND SYDNEY - BUT THEY GAVE ME AN ALBUM OF THEIR TOUR PHOTOS FOR
CHRISTMAS - SO I KNOW HOW MUCH I MISSED!

5. You also recorded a great version of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart while you were there, which you
must have enjoyed. Were you happy with how it turned out?

CONSIDERING WE FINAL REHEARSED IT IN CANBERRA AIRPORT I THINK IT WAS PRETTY
GOOD! - IT'S HARD TO COVER SUCH A FANTASTIC ORIGINAL...

6. I guess the biggest surprise to come out of Australia was your announcement that the band would be going
into the studio to work on a new Cure album. What made you decide to record again?

I ENJOYED LAST YEAR WITH THE BAND A LOT - ANY DOUBTS I HAD ABOUT THE 'VALIDITY' OR
'PURPOSE' OF THE GROUP WERE DISPELLED - AND MOST OF THE NEW SONGS I'VE WRITTEN
THIS YEAR HAVE TURNED OUT SOUNDING LIKE THEY SHOULD BE PLAYED BY US NOT ME...

7. So how is the work on the new album going? How much has been done?

THE NEW CURE ALBUM SONGS CURRENTLY EXIST AS 'HOME DEMOS' - AFTER THE IMMINENT
'HITS' SESSION IS COMPLETED THE NEXT STAGE IS FOR US TO GO INTO A STUDIO FOR A FEW
DAYS AND PLAY AROUND...

8. Is it still looking like it will be similar in mood to Bloodflowers?

WE WILL RECORD THE NEW ALBUM WHEN THE WEATHER TURNS COLD AGAIN... THIS IS A
CLUE!

9. What are you drawing inspiration from for the new songs?

LIFE AND DEATH...

10. Are the lyrics that you've posted on the official site (in the Jan. & March news archive) part of new songs?

I HAVEN'T FINISHED THE NEW SONGS UNTIL I'VE SUNG THEM - SO I DON'T KNOW!

11. When can we expect the band to head into the studio to record?

THE 'HITS' SESSION HAPPENS NEXT WEEK... WE WILL ALSO BE RECORDING A FEW 'SPECIAL'
THINGS TO MAKE THE ALBUM SWEETER...

12. It's probably much too early to ask this, but when would you guess it will be released?

THE 'HITS' ALBUM IN NOVEMBER I THINK - THE NEW ALBUM... NOT THIS YEAR!

13. And I guess the next question would be who will release it? I know you still have 2 albums left on the Fiction
contract, but the Elektra and Universal deals are finished, right? Any interest in starting your own label?

AFTER 'THE HITS' ALBUM IS RELEASED ALL THE CURRENT CURE CONTRACTS END...
I'M THINKING...

14. Have you been able to do any work on your solo project since Australia?

YES - MY 'HOME DEMOS' ARE PRETTY MUCH COMPLETE... NOW I JUST HAVE TO CHANGE MY
MIND ABOUT THE WHOLE THING...

15. There have been many rumors circulating about possible collaborators on this project, have you contacted
any "guest stars" to work with you?

IN THE COURSE OF LAST YEAR'S DREAMTOUR I ASKED SIX PEOPLE I WANTED TO HELP - ALL OF
WHOM SAID YES... THERE ARE MAYBE ANOTHER FOUR PEOPLE I MIGHT ASK... BUT AS IT WON'T
BE HAPPENING THIS YEAR THERE'S NO RUSH...

16. When did you record Yesterday's Gone with Reeves Gabrels? Was that one of your songs or his?

REEVES AND I MET UP ONE AFTERNOON IN LONDON A WHILE BACK AND WENT INTO AN
OFF-LICENCE AND THEN A PARK AND THEN A STUDIO - AND 8 HOURS LATER THE SONG WAS
DONE! WE WROTE THE MUSIC HAND IN HAND (!) AND THEN I WROTE THE WORDS TO A STORY
HE TOLD ME...

17. You've also mentioned that you would like to work on composing music for films and even write a screenplay.
How did you become interested in that?

I LOVE THE IDEA OF FADING/BECOMING A NON-PERFORMER - BUT STILL RETAINING THE
OUTLET/SATISFACTION OF CREATING MUSIC FOR AN AUDIENCE - WITH THE RIGHT
FILM/DIRECTOR I THINK I COULD BE HAPPY?

18. Have you been asked to work on anything in the past, or any prospects for the near future?

YES, BUT NOTHING VERY EXCITING - SO UP TO NOW I'VE ALWAYS SAID NO!

19. There was talk that you might work with Tim Burton on Sleepy Hollow, and that you had sent some songs to
him, was that true?

TIM BURTON AND I HAVE A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP FOR NEVER HAVING MET! BUT HE IS
CERTAINLY A DIRECTOR I ADMIRE - HE'S MADE SOME GREAT FILMS - SO MAYBE ONE DAY
WE'LL BE IN THE SAME CITY AT THE SAME TIME...

20. What became of those songs, were they from the Bloodflowers sessions?

I DON'T THINK I SENT A TAPE...

21. Speaking of missing songs, this would be a good place to ask about the status of the b-sides/extra tracks
collection.

IN AGREEING TO 'THE HITS' DEAL, WE HAVE MOVED 'THE B-SIDES COLLECTION' THAT MUCH
CLOSER TO HAPPENING... I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF IT (OR AT THE VERY LEAST PART ONE OF
IT!) WASN'T AVAILABLE EARLY(ISH) NEXT YEAR...

23. Any chance of you giving us a hint as to some of the stuff that will be included? Will the extra songs from the
Bloodflowers sessions (Just Say Yes, You're So Happy, Possession, Heavy World, Everything Forever) be
included?

ALL THE B-SIDES - OBVIOUSLY! - ANY 'OTHER STUFF' IS STILL BEING CONSIDERED - AND MOST
OF ANYTHING THAT GETS LEFT OUT/DOESN'T MAKE THIS 'DEFINITIVE' COLLECTION WILL BE
MP3'ED ON OUR SITE... WE WILL AT LAST HAVE THAT FREEDOM!

24. I think most of us were pretty surprised when you put Pirate Ships up on your website. Are there any more
surprises from the Disintegration sessions that we can look forward to? Any unreleased songs or early demos?

SEE #23

25. Speaking of Pirate Ships, how did that come about? Why did you choose to record it, and was it intended as
a b-side?

I THINK IT WAS INTENDED FOR THE ELEKTRA BIRTHDAY CD 'RUBAIYAT'

26. I'm sure you know that the Disintegration/Prayer Tour era is like the Holy Grail to many fans, yet it was
poorly documented. How much audio/video exists from the tour, and what sort of shape is it in?

I'M NOT REALLY SURE AS I HAVEN'T YET GOT TO THE BOXES IN MY ROOF MARKED 1989... I'M
SURE THERE WILL BE SOMETHING... I'M INTENDING GOING THROUGH 'EVERYTHING' THIS
YEAR WITH 'THE B-SIDES COLLECTION' IN MIND - BUT THAT'S A LOT OF BOXES - I THINK I'LL
KNOW MORE BY CHRISTMAS!

27. Any interest on your part in releasing some of it?

SEE #23

28. And what of the Dream Tour, how are the live cd's coming along? Any chance of a live video from the tour?

THIS 'LIVE DREAMTOUR' PROJECT IS CURRENTLY 'ON HOLD'... AT LEAST UNTIL 'THE HITS'
SESSION IS DONE... AND I NEEDED A BREAK FROM LISTENING THROUGH/PICKING
PERFORMANCES AS IT WAS STARTING TO DRIVE ME A BIT CRAZY!

29. Is there any interest in putting some of this material (or the older videos) out on dvd? Maybe with a Robert
Smith commentary track?

I'LL THINK ABOUT THIS...

30. Going back to the Dream tour, I wanted to ask you a few questions about it. First, would you say it was the
best Cure tour ever? I'm sure you're aware that many fans think it even surpassed the Prayer Tour.

IT JOINED 'THE KISSING TOUR' AND 'THE PRAYER TOUR' ON MY UNFORGETTABLE LIST
(WELL - THE BITS I CAN REMEMBER DID ANYWAY!)... I CERTAINLY ENJOYED MYSELF MORE
LAST YEAR (AND THIS!) ONSTAGE THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME...

31. What made you decide to use Adagio For Strings as the opening theme?

I WANTED AN INTRO PIECE OF MUSIC THAT WOULD GET GET BOTH US AND THE AUDIENCE
IN THE SAME/RIGHT MOOD AT THE START OF EVERY SHOW AND I THOUGHT BARBER'S
ADAGIO WOULD DO THIS... (AND I LOVE IT!)

32. Who came up with the idea for the projections on stage? And where did you come up with those images?

I THOUGHT PROJECTION WOULD ENHANCE THE BLOODFLOWERS SONGS IN PARTICULAR
- AND ONCE I GOT INTO 'ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS' THERE WAS NO STOPPING ME! - THE IMAGES
WERE MAINLY SOURCED FROM BOOKS I HAVE...

33. It was a spectacular stage show, overwhelming at times (100 Years), but did you ever get a chance to
experience it yourself?

ONLY AT PRE-PRODUCTION REHEARSALS AND OCCASIONAL SOUNDCHECKS AND ON VIDEO -
AND SOMETIMES ON TURNING ROUND ONSTAGE INBETWEEN SINGING LINES!

34. What were the best/worst/funniest moments of the tour?

THE THREE THAT FIRST SPRING TO MIND -

BEST MOMENT - THE SECOND NIGHT IN PARIS

WORST MOMENT - THE PLANE TAKING OFF FOR AUSTRALIA!

FUNNIEST MOMENT - 'THE NIGHT OUT' IN LODZ...

35. Do you think you will do any touring for the new album, or will it be limited to promotional shows only?

AT THIS MOMENT I DON'T HONESTLY KNOW...

36. Ok, I have to ask this for some of the fans out there. Do you think The Cure will ever play Japan, South
America, Mexico or Ireland again?

I HOPE SO!

37. Any place you'd like to play that you haven't had a chance to?

ANYWHERE WE HAVEN'T ALREADY BEEN...

38. There was a rumor towards the end of the Dream Tour that you had expressed an interest in doing a couple
of shows with an orchestra before the end of the year, specifically the San Francisco and Berlin symphonies.
Was there any truth to that?

WE WERE ASKED IF WE WOULD DO A FEW SHOWS WITH 'THE HANNOVER POPS ORCHESTRA' -
WERE FLATTERED - BUT EVENTUALLY DECIDED AGAINST IT... I THINK SIMON QUESTIONED
WHETHER SID HAD DIED FOR CURE POPS?!

39.   Well, this is getting pretty long, so I'll wrap it up with a few fun/offbeat questions. The most unusual place
you've ever written a song?

CASTLERIGG STONE CIRCLE?

40. Name a particular dish that you are brilliant at preparing and one that you can't get right to save your life.

PAELLA... SO FAR I HAVEN'T ENCOUNTERED THAT LEGENDARY "DIFFICULT DISH"...

41. You have a link to SETI@home on your homepage; do you participate in it? Do you believe in
extraterrestrial life? Have you ever seen any?

A) YES - B) YES - C) APART FROM VARIOUS BAND MEMBERS? - NO

42. What's the smartest/most foolish thing you've ever done?

THE TWO THAT FIRST SPRING TO MIND -

SMARTEST THING - SAID NO TO ADVERTS

MOST FOOLISH THING - BALCONY HOPPING IS ONE OF MANY THINGS I NOW FIND VERY
HARD TO UNDERSTAND...

43. Who is the last band you saw live?

PATTI SMITH!

44. What's the last great album you've heard, book you've read, film you've seen and tv show you've watched?

GREAT IS A BIG WORD... THE FEW THAT SPRING TO MIND THAT I WOULD CONSIDER...

ALBUM - MOGWAI'CODY'

BOOK - 'THE OXFORD COMPANION TO PHILOSOPHY' / 'BORDERLINERS'PETER HOEG / 'FROM
HELL'ALAN MOORE

FILM - GLADIATOR(?)

TV SHOW - THE WEST WING / THE SOPRANOS / SOUTH PARK...

45. You've mentioned your nieces and nephews roping you into playing video games with them, so what's your
best game?

TETRIS ON A B&W GAMEBOY IS THE ONLY 'COMPUTER GAME' I HAVE EVER REALLY MASTERED!

46. What type of music/bands are you listening to at the moment?

THE ALBUMS I LISTENED TO LAST NIGHT (FRIDAY) WERE THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
4CD BOX SET INTERSPERSED WITH -

AIR "10000KHZ LEGEND"

THE DANDY WARHOLS  "COME DOWN"

MOGWAI "ROCK ACTION"

KATE RUSBY  "LITTLE LIGHTS" ('MY YOUNG MAN' - WHAT A GORGEOUS SONG... )

PADDY MOLONEY & SEAN POTTS "TIN WHISTLES"

... IT WAS A LONG NIGHT...

47. Favorite thing about the internet?

AT THE MOMENT - MILE HIGH COMICS... AND AMAZON...

48. Ok, two final questions. What can fans expect at the Roskilde show on July 1st? The same sort of set as
on the Dream Tour or something different?

ALTHOUGH THIS IS AFTER THE EVENT... "THE SAME SORT OF SET"? WE PLAYED THE SONGS
I WANTED TO SING...

49. Any chance that we'll see The Cure play live again before the end of the year?

THERE'S ALWAYS THE CHANCE WE MAY 'LAUNCH' THE HITS RECORD... TBD!

Once again I want to thank you for agreeing to this and for taking the time to answer all of our questions. We
greatly appreciate it and are continually grateful for the help & support the band has offered us over the last 5
years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

LOVE ROBERT