Robert Smith’s hilarious response to playing a show with Simple Minds
Robert Smith, frontman, guitarist and only constant in English rockers The Cure, has long been one of the most complex figures in music. The highs and lows of his personal life have inspired the band’s constantly shifting sound. Since 1978, he has been their life force, and without him, the group would cease to exist.
From Seventeen Seconds to The Head on the Door and even Wish, Smith has dictated the direction of the band, and each record is brimming with personal insights and more surreal reflections on art and life, creating a back catalogue that has something for everyone, despite how opaque it can be at points.
A genuine iconoclast for whom surprising the audience comes naturally, Smith has never been afraid to pursue his convictions when it comes to creativity, not sparing a thought for what critics and fans might think.
Whilst this has produced the odd misfire from time to time, for the most part, it has allowed Smith the freedom to create an oeuvre that stands out as one of the best of the era and of all time. It is a legacy that continues to influence many budding musicians today in what is the clearest testament to Smith’s genius.
The red-lipsticked frontman is such an individualist that he’s never been afraid to speak his mind on the work of other artists, ranging from showering praise on unlikely acts such as Thin Lizzy to criticising some of his most popular peers.
During a 1986 interview in Munich, when discussing the band’s plans at that point in time, Smith explained that the day before, the group played a show with Scottish arena rock band Simple Minds. Hilariously, he categorically described it as “awful” but saved himself from any controversy by leaving it at that.
He said: “We’re only here for the day. We were in Nuremberg-ring (Nürburgring) or something yesterday, unfortunately playing with Simple Minds, which was awful. But tonight, we’re just playing the one concert, and then we’re going home tomorrow. It’s very short. But everything we’re doing this summer is just like in and out, we’re not doing any tours or anything.”
Of course, it is understandable that Robert Smith isn’t a fan of Simple Minds. Their music couldn’t be further apart stylistically. Still, his comments leave a lot to be desired, as fans wonder exactly what his problem with Jim Kerr and the band’s music is. One wonders if it was the ubiquity of the 1985 hit ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)‘.
