From Morrissey to Ramone: Five artists who shared their dislike for the Cure
The Cure are one of the most beloved British bands of all time. Sitting somewhere between the post-punk and goth subcultures but always infusing their melodies with a genuine love of pop, they seemed to appeal to almost everyone. Robert Smith’s drawn-out delivery and jangly guitars came together to create enduring hits like ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Friday I’m In Love’, with many of their songs only increasing in popularity as the years have passed.
Their lyrics were just as ingenious as their instrumentation. Each song was infused with Smith’s literary lyricism to match, plunging listeners into swirling gothic anxiety or lifting them out of the pressures to conform. Between their catchy soundscapes and considered songwriting, The Cure secured a devoted following who might find it incredulous that anyone could hate their music.
But the beauty of music is in its subjectivity, and even a group of innovators like The Cure attracted their fair share of criticism. A number of Smith’s peers were unimpressed with his output and unafraid to voice it openly, from The Smiths frontman Morrissey to the Jam frontman Paul Weller.
While certain artists kept their open dislike for the Cure short and sweet – Joey Ramone, for example – others were far more scathing. Some artists even discredit their own opinions entirely by taking shots at Smith’s appearance rather than his music.
Find a list of artists who have shared their dislike for the gothic post-punk outfit below.
Five artists who hate The Cure:
New Order/ Peter Hook
If you made a Venn diagram of New Order fans and The Cure fans, it’d probably be pretty close to a circle. They’re two of the biggest bands to come out of the 1980s era of post-punk, endearing themselves to future Radio 6 dads and current indie kids alike. But while there’s a huge overlap in admiration for the two, they didn’t always have a mutual respect between them.
In his 2012 memoir Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, New Order bassist Peter Hook accused the Cure of selling out. “Although the Cure and New Order… we come from the same age and everything, but Peter Hook always had a real big problem with us,” Smith later commented during an appearance on Radio Urbana, “because our bassist was so much better looking and the better bass player…”
Paul Weller
The Jam frontman Paul Weller penned his fair share of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, from ‘Down in the Tube Station at Midnight’ to ‘Town Called Malice’, but he was vehemently not a fan of those created by the Cure. During a conversation with Record Collector via NME, he stated that he couldn’t stand them.
Weller shared some particularly nasty comments about their frontman, deeming Smith a “fucking fat cunt, with his lipstick and all that bollocks,” as well as calling him a “fucking knob end”. Rather than explaining his dislike for the music Smith made, his comments seem to focus on scathing insults about his appearance, immediately devaluing his opinions.
Morrissey
One of the most scathing figures in music, it’s no surprise that The Smiths frontman Morrissey felt compelled to share his opinions on Smith. Though his own band spawned from a similar scene and time to the Cure, he was less than complimentary towards his peers during an interview with The Face.
When the interviewer – arguably unprofessionally – asked Smith who would “bite the bullet” if he was put in a room with a gun, Robert Smith and The Fall frontman Mark E. Smith, Morrissey said he would “line them up so that one bullet would penetrate them simultaneously”. He went on to deem the Cure frontman a “whingebag” and said that he never liked the band.
Joey Ramone
Ramones leader Joey Ramone’s comments on the Cure were far less sprawling than some of their other detractors, and slightly more understandable. The Cure and Ramones existed within entirely different spheres. The gothic stylings and jangly guitars of the Cure were a far cry from Ramones’ west-coast punk rock.
Ramone was asked his thoughts on the Cure during an appearance on Ring My Bell. Keeping his comments on the matter minimal, and much more respectful than some of the other names on this list, he simply responded, “I hate the Cure.”
Queen Kwong
While most of the Cure’s haters seemed to spawn from around the same time as them, Queen Kwong are a slightly more recent addition to the list. Committed to a grittier form of guitar music, it’s no surprise that the band aren’t the biggest fans of the Cure’s music, it raises more questions that they felt compelled to share their opinions on Facebook in 2014.
The band called the Cure “so fucking overrated,” and said they can’t “stand hearing that shit.” While it’s fair to not like their music, the opinion feels a little reductive and random, and many fans of the Cure would argue that they’re entirely deserving of the praise they’ve amassed throughout the years.
