
Noel Gallagher praises The Cure and Robert Smith
Noel Gallagher has shared his love of The Cure and commented on how lead singer Robert Smith came to remix his single ‘Pretty Boy’.
Smith made a “spacey remix” of ‘Pretty Boy’ back in March. In a new interview with NME’s In Conversation series, Gallagher explained how he got into contact with Smith. “Because the song [‘Pretty Boy’] sounds like The Cure I was like, ‘Does Robert Smith do remixes?’ I got hold of his email, the first line was, ‘Hi Robert, it’s Noel Gallagher,’” Gallagher said. “I thought at that point he’d go, ‘Fuck that cunt’. He emailed back with ‘Send me the track’. I did and fuck me – if I thought it sounded like The Cure when it went, it certainly did when it came back!”
Gallagher has recently been photographed backstage at The Cure’s recent concert tour dates. According to Gallagher, he wasn’t cognisant of the significance of having both Smith and Johnny Marr, who plays guitar on ‘Pretty Boy’, on the same track until it was pointed out to him.
“It wasn’t until I played it to a few people when someone said, ‘That’s one of Oasis, one of The Smiths and one of The Cure on the same fucking track’ and I was like, ‘That’s far out! What a mad idea!’” Gallagher added. “I’d never met him but I’ve been such an admirer of his tunes since ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.”
“When I eventually met him, I told him I remember buying their singles album ‘Standing On The Beach, Staring At The Sea’ at HMV in Manchester,” Gallagher said. “When I told people they were like, ‘You like The Cure?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, just because you like The Cure doesn’t mean you have to fucking wear lipstick!’ Do you know what I mean? But I have subsequently met him and he’s a very funny man. He’s very funny on email too, actually.”
“He sends all his emails in shouty capitals and when I got the first one I was like, ‘Oh wow’. I didn’t have my glasses on at the time – sorry to break your hearts girls, but I do wear glasses – and I thought he was telling me to fuck off,” Gallagher commented. “I could just see shouty capitals and I was like, ‘Oh I didn’t realise he was that vehemently against the idea’.”
Check out Smith’s remix of ‘Pretty Boy’ down below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.