The bizarre experience The Cure’s Robert Smith calls his “happiest moment”
For an undisputed icon of the goth subculture, Robert Smith seems to lead a pretty joy-filled existence. As the lead singer and songwriter behind The Cure, Smith has enjoyed a celebrated career, storied by countless world tours, collaborations and a plethora of groundbreaking records. In more recent years, the goth rock poster boy has enjoyed some particularly bizarre extracurricular activities, with one in particular taking the crown in terms of weirdness.
Usually, when iconic musicians like Robert Smith are asked to appear in the world of television or film, their roles are limited to small cameo appearances or minor speaking roles. After all, most musicians are not known for their acting abilities, as can be seen in virtually every film starring The Beatles. As a result, when Trey Parker and Matt Stone contacted Smith to star in an episode of the long-running animated sitcom South Park, the songwriter could not have imagined the peculiar role he would be hired to play.
South Park is no stranger to featuring celebrities within its programming, but they rarely feature the actual person as a guest star. A significant part of the show’s runtime is taken up by the creators actively mocking celebrities and notable figures. This made South Park the sworn enemy of people like Tom Cruise, Kanye West, and Barbara Streisand. Streisand, in particular, came under fire from the show while it was still in its infancy. For the penultimate episode of the show’s first series, entitled ‘Mecha-Streisand’ South Park rallied against the actress and singer while celebrating The Cure’s Robert Smith.
Within the episode, Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman find a mysterious triangular artefact, which becomes sought after by Barbara Streisand. The ‘Way We Were’ singer then kidnaps and tortures the schoolchildren before transforming into a gigantic robotic dinosaur (naturally). In the world of South Park, the only figure who can combat the apparent evil of Barbara Streisand is Robert Smith. The Cure frontman arrives on the scene to save the town by turning into a Mothra-esque monster and defeating the Streisand robot.
During a 2003 documentary for VH1, Smith reflected on the experience of guest starring in South Park, saying, “I was like the arch enemy of Barbara Streisand…I still don’t quite know why,” before explaining, “They only gave me the bits I had to say, so I had no idea of the script. ‘Can you tell me what I’m supposed to be?’, ‘No, no, no, you don’t need to know that, just read the lines.’”
The famously secretive team behind South Park managed to keep the theme of the episode under wraps, particularly from Smith, until the episode aired on television. “I didn’t actually see it until it was broadcast,” Smith remembered, “so it was quite a shock.” However, the Cure songwriter clearly enjoyed the experience, particularly when the character of Kyle voices his appreciation for the band’s 1989 album. “The thing about, you know, ‘Disintegration is the greatest album ever made’,” Smith said, “that was like my happiest moment.”
So it seems as though Robert Smith is among the few celebrities who are not hated by the team behind South Park, and perhaps the only one whom the show has supported throughout its run. Echoing the opinions of Cure fans everywhere, the show’s characters can be heard shouting, “Robert Smith is the greatest person that ever lived” as he fights the robotic Barbara Streisand before a rendition of Jesus Christ calls him “our saviour”.
