Köln, Germany, 25th May 1982

Simon : One of the demo tapes that the Cure sent out to various companies went to Polydor. And there was a bloke there called Chris Parry. He was leaving to form on his own record label and he was looking for young bands with a different approach. And he came down from London to a local gig and he saw them there and decided that was one of the bands he wanted. We're the only band he got but I think he's quite happy.

- Did you have a lot of trouble at all finding a record company or a record label ?

Simon : Well, compared to everybody else, no. Not really. It was just a matter to signing papers I think.

- Yeah, I heard you sent about seven demo tapes to seven different record companies...

Simon : It's just luck I suppose.

- You released your first single in January 79, Killing An Arab. The sales enabled the Cure to go on their first English tour with the income of that.

Simon : I think it did. Yeah. I'm not in position to answer.

- Then you released your debut album, Three Imaginary Boys. Second single : Boys Don't Cry, that was praised by many music papers as a pop master piece. It didn't really get anywhere...

Simon : No, that was just a song Robert had written when he was really young and it was just a spare song so they decided to release it as a single. It was a good pop single actually. But didn't get anywhere.

- Seventeen Seconds, released on April 80 went gold in Australia and platinium in New Zealand.

Simon : No, gold in New Zealand and platinium in New Zealand.

- Both in New Zealand ?

Simon : Yeah.

- So how do you account for going gold in New Zealand ? What do you think makes the New Zealand people interested in the Cure ?

Simon : Because... For example in London, people got music given to them all the time. But New Zealand people have to fight for it much more, you know. And we want to do a tour over there, we've been there twice now, and I think they appreciate if any shows interest. Cause a lot of people usually leave out New Zealand and go to Australia. But they leave out New Zealand because they think it's just a bunch of backward people. But they're really aware of what's going on. You've got to pay interest in them. And I think that's why.

- Do you find yourself bigger in European and say Asian countries, if you've been to Asian countries, than you do in England ? Cause you really haven't hit the big time if you like in UK.

Simon : It varies, like, the concerts in Europe this time haven't been that... the audience hasn't been that big. But I think there's a sort of recession in Europe. It changes a lot, I mean, some parts of England we might only get about 800 people but in another town we might get 2,000 people. So, it changes all the time. In Australia, it was really good I mean, we get people all the time come to see us and in New Zealand as well. This changes all the time, it's constantly changing.

- Do you want commercial success ?

Simon : I wouldn't say no to it, but none of us would go out our way to get like a single into the charts. We'd want the charts to come to us. I know, it's a bit pompous to say... instead of us going to the charts. We aren't going to change our style of music just to get commercial success or anything like that.

- Do you think the charts will come to you ? With the changing face of music nowadays ?

Simon : I don't know. It's hard to say. Ask me in another ten years time !

- What do you think about the music of today ? The likes of electronic bands like Depeche Mode and Human League and people like that.

Simon : Personally I don't like it. I think it's horrible. Well, I think the Human League are all right but I hate Depeche Mode, their existences are like...wacky. And they're also on Top of the Pops, "see us" and anything like that, smiling, and I just think it's all like compromising, just appealing to bland type of person.

- You mention Top of the Pops. Have you appeared on Top of the Pops ?

Simon : Yeah, twice.

- But nothing really came of it ?

Simon : No, the single went up to about 26 or something like that after appearing. Nothing great.

- What do you regard Top of the Pops in music type programs ?

Simon : Everybody complains about it but everybody watches it. You can't blame Top of the Pops for what it is 'cause it reflects what's in the charts. So, if there was something better in the charts then people wouldn't complain about it.

- As I said before your music isn't particulary commercial. Do you actually write songs yourself ?

Simon : No, we don't write songs really as... a person sitting down and getting the chorus, getting words. We just get notes and put a drum beat to that. Robert must sign the words 'cause he's got to sing them but... we all contribute.

- What sort of music would you consider you played ?

Simon : I don't know. I don't think I'm in position to answer that, cause I can't... I never see us. So...

- You must have some idea.

Simon : No I haven't really.

- You just play the music for the enjoyment of playing music.

Simon : Yeah, if none of us didn't like it, we wouldn't play it. I suppose it's new wave but then if you say new wave, people always think of fast music like the UK Subs or something like that but we're definitely not like that. We're not new wave. Hippy new wave.

- Hippy new wave... new psychedelia ?

Simon : No, definitely not that. No.

- As you said you've been around, since what, 1976, 1977 ?

Simon : Well, Robert and Lol have played together about that long.

- Were you involved within that era ?

Simon : I was in another local band. We became friends through us playing pubs in that district.

- What do you think punk music did to the music industry, when it eventually exploded ?

Simon : Just refreshing everything. Gave people interest to get to music, made people want to buy singles again. And gave a lot of people who have been listening to older brothers' old records their own type of music to listen to.

- Do you think we're ripping the benefits now or... ?

Simon : No, up to 1980 I would say, there were a lot of good ideas but now it's all like trying to revive 1977. When the whole thing was to be different all the time. But I don't think people are being different enough now. But I think in another few years the same thing will happen again. It always happens every few years...

- As with the Beatles, as with what they called glitter rock or glam rock, as with punk...you say you see it can happen again, do you ?

Simon : Yeah, it's got to really. Everything just collapses.

- Where do you think it would go then ? Is there anywhere else for music to go ?

Simon : I don't know. I think it'll find its own way. I'd pretty be surprised where ever it goes. I mean, if somebody asked me in 1974 where I think music would be in two years or three years time, I wouldn't have been able to say where. So, no idea where we're going now.

- Did you have anything to do with the black and white film called "Carnage Visors"? What was that about ?

Simon : Well, we just wanted not have a support band about a year ago, we just wanted to control the whole atmosphere of the evening. Cause we had a few support bands who would be playing an entire different music to us and we came on and it would be a completely different mood. So we thought we'd do a film, we got someone to make a film for us, animation film, and we made the music for it which was pretty much in the same style as us. So it controlled the whole evening from when the person came in, up until when they left and it was all one mood. But now we've gone back to have a support band this year and we got another film. Actually they're not a support band.

- Who is that band ?

Simon : Zerra 1 they're called. They're based in London but they're Irish. And they're really good.

- They play your style of music ?

Simon : No they don't play our style of music but they've got a lot of... you can join a lot of parallels between them and us.

- You're on the European tour at the moment, how is it going ?

Simon : Demoralising and depressing. Just too long and too many dates. This is the last day in Germany and we go to France, then we go to Belgium and Switzerland. And then we'll have a big break, I think. As we drop down from exhaustion or something. I like touring, but not to this degree. I mean, it does really get depressing. We feel really really homesick...