Since forming more than four decades ago, the Cure’s personal lyrics, dreamlike compositions and gothy image helped them establish a dedicated, cult-like fanbase. Despite these clear contributions to rock — not to mention gold and platinum records on both side of the Atlantic and megahits like “Lovesong” and “The Love Cats” — it’s taken 15 years and one failed bid in 2012 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to recognize them with an induction.
The institution recognized the artist who’s been at the center of it all from the beginning — the wild-haired singer and guitarist Robert Smith — along with the current lineup of the band: guitarist Reeves Gabrels, bassist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell and drummer Jason Cooper. The band’s other inductees include early Nineties keyboardist and guitarist Perry Bamonte, founding bassist Michael Dempsey, founding guitarist and keyboardist Porl Thompson, founding drummer Lol Tolhurst and on-again, off-again drummer Boris Williams.
After a heartfelt speech by Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, Smith delivered his own brief remarks. Here’s what he had to say.
I’d like to thank Trent. It was such a lovely induction speech. It means to a huge amount to hear this from someone who’s such a great artist in his own right. I’d like to thank everyone at the Rock Hall… everyone that voted for us. It’s a surprise, it’s very much a surprise. …
As Trent said, it’s 40 years since our first album came out. It doesn’t seem like that. And in that time, there’s obviously been a lot of people who’ve played a part in the Cure story, for better or worse. And I’m not going to stand here and read off a load of names because that’s… I shouldn’t say too much, really, but that’s quite tedious. And I’m no good with stories. I’m a very bad communicator.
I’d like to thank everyone that’s been in the band. Boris Williams, Porl Thompson… Perry Bamonte, Matthieu Hartley, Phil Thornalley and the much-missed Andy Anderson.
If I start naming people, we’ll just go on and on… But there is one person… When we first started, we were a teenage trio in 1978 … and one of our very first shows, this small bloke came along, and we weren’t really sure who he was. And he saw something in us that most people didn’t. And that’s Chris Parry. … So thanks a lot.
…
[Anyone] who’s been to a show or just enjoyed what we do, it’s been a fantastic thing, really. …