Pi Kappa Phi (ΠΚΦ; also Pi Kapp) is an American social fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty, Jr. on December 10, 1904 at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The fraternity has 150 active chapters, 93 alumni groups, 14 colonies, and more than 100,000 initiated members.^[1]

Pi Kappa Phi operates its own philanthropy, Push America, which works with individual chapters to serve people with disabilities. Push America hosts a number of national events including Journey of Hope, a 4,100-mile bicycle ride across the United States, and Build America, a traveling construction team around the U.S. to camps that help children with disabilities. Both raise money and awareness for people with disabilities.^[2]

History[link]

Nu Phi[link]

In 1904, the College of Charleston was a small, municipal college. The all-male college was the first to be supported solely by city funds, and the eleventh oldest in the United States^{[citation needed]}. In 1897, the college saw the creation of its athletic program, and by 1904, the basketball, football and baseball programs were a popular entertainment outlet. There was also a thriving campus literary society called the Chrestomathics, which allowed students to expand their education. Activities included debating ideas and issues of the times. The college's monthly magazine was staffed by the officers of the Chrestomathics, forming the equivalent of a modern day student government.

The College of Charleston

In 1904, a man named Andrew Alexander Kroeg, Jr. was a 19-year-old senior at the college. His father was an insurance salesman who owned a business on Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Simon Fogarty, Jr., a 17-year-old junior, was a friend of Kroeg's. Fogarty, the son of a Charleston grocer, lived down the street from Kroeg and was a member of the college's baseball, basketball, and football teams. Lawrence Harry Mixson was a 16-year-old sophomore and close childhood friend to Fogarty. Mixson was also on all three of the college's athletic teams. "Harry" had been destined to work for his father in Charleston at the family's successful seed business.

At this time, students at the college were known to be extremely competitive in their endeavors in and out of the classroom. The three friends were no exception to this and set a goal to obtain officer positions within the Chrestomathic Literary Society. In 1904, there were only three chapters of national fraternities on campus and the organizations developed a slate of candidates. All fraternity men were sworn to vote for these candidates, making it virtually impossible for any non-fraternity men to win election.

Kroeg, Mixson, Fogarty, and a group of their friends, all non-fraternity men, were angered by the move and knew they had no chance of election unless an opposition party was formed. Several meetings were held at Mixson's home on Wentworth Street leading to the formation of "Nu Phi", which stood for non-fraternity. The group of 15 men developed an opposing slate and began campaigning.

The group adopted the outline of a hand as its secret symbol. A sketched hand on a classroom chalkboard signified an upcoming meeting. Inside the hand was written the meeting time and the host's last name.

The society elections were heated. The Nu Phis even assigned a member to kidnap those who might vote for the fraternity ticket on election day. However, the Nu Phi ticket was not victorious in the elections. Later, it was revealed that several disloyal members cast their votes for the opposing fraternity slate. Kroeg, determined to see his friends have a chance at winning elections, decided that the only way to gain the influence of the fraternity men on campus was to begin his own fraternity.^[3]

Founding[link]

On December 10, 1904, a meeting of the loyal Nu Phis was held at Fogarty's home at 90 Broad Street in order to found a new fraternity. There were seven men in attendance at the meeting: Kroeg, Fogarty, Mixson, Anthony Pelzer Wagener, Thomas F. Mosimann, Theodore ("Teddy") Barnwell Kelley, and James Fogarty, Simon's younger brother. All of the original members were students at the college and had grown up together in Charleston.

Wagener was a scholar of Greek and Latin who would go on to teach Greek and Latin at William and Mary. It was he that recommended the letters Pi Kappa Phi and their secret meaning as the official new name of the group. At that first meeting, Harry Mixson wrote out the first minutes of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity in dark green ink.

Because there were so many civic and honorary organizations in the city of Charleston, a visit to a local jeweler offered a great variety of possible fraternity badges from which to choose. Simon was the one who proposed the design of the fraternity's pin. In his words: "...a plain, diamond-shaped block of black enamel, bearing across its short diagonal an arched raised band of gold with scrolled edges projecting beyond the body of the pin. On this band were engraved, in black enamel, the Greek letters of ΠΚΦ. Engraved in gold on the body of the pin, above and below the band respectively, were the figures of a star and student's lamp." Kroeg was selected as the new chapter's first Archon, a term taken from the title of a chief magistrate in ancient Greece. He then began work on a constitution for chapter. The group quickly set out to recruit new members to its ranks. Although H. Klugh Purdy is pictured with the original founders in the first group picture, he did not join until February 1905.

On December 10, 1905, the first anniversary of the fraternity's founding, Mixson's mother cooked the men a special dinner in her home to celebrate a successful first year as a fraternity. Today, chapters of Pi Kappa Phi celebrate "Founders Day" with a dinner or a similar ceremony marking the achievements of the founding fathers. Harry Mixson and Pelzer Wagener penned the fraternity's initiation ritual in 1906. The two men had attended historic St. John's Lutheran Church growing up. Fogarty added a Roman Catholic influence, and the ritual was developed in the "highest ideals of Christian manhood" (although it does not exclude men of other religions). Henry Patrick Wagener, Pelzer Wagener's younger brother, was the first member initiated by means of the ritual on March 24, 1906.^[3]

Expansion[link]

That same year, the group was offered a charter from another U.S. fraternity. Instead, they chose to expand and create more Pi Kappa Phi chapters. The founders of Pi Kappa Phi had made many friends in the upstate of South Carolina at Presbyterian College through sports and other activities. Working off of those contacts, Kroeg was able to create interest in the formation of a second chapter. Alpha Chapter in Charleston, officially granted a charter for Beta Chapter at Presbyterian College on March 9, 1907. Due to a state law banning fraternities at state supported schools, Presbyterian College and the College of Charleston were the only two South Carolina schools where fraternities were allowed.

It was at this time that Teddy Kelly had moved to California to attend the University of California. There, he was able to stir interest in Pi Kappa Phi and the men of Charleston granted a long distance charter to Gamma Chapter. This was significant in that it made Pi Kappa Phi a national fraternity. Gamma Chapter was also the first chapter to obtain a house.

At this point, Kroeg was studying law at the College of Charleston. Seeing the need for the fraternity to protect its name and existence, Kroeg developed "Articles of Incorporation" and the name Pi Kappa Phi became legally registered in the state of South Carolina on December 23, 1907.

The interest in Pi Kappa Phi within South Carolina was growing despite laws and policies banning fraternities. In 1909, Delta Chapter at Furman University formed and operated sub rosa (in secret) until state laws changed, allowing fraternal organizations. In 1910, a charter was granted to Sigma Chapter at the University of South Carolina and the chapter was operated as the Sigma Club due to the laws banning fraternities.^[3]

Psi Chapter at Cornell University was founded on November 24, 1921. Psi Chapter is very significant to the history of Pi Kappa Phi, as it was the first chapter to be founded in the northern United States, thus redefining Pi Kappa Phi as more than a purely southern fraternity.

Coat of arms[link]

In 1909, the fraternity developed its first coat of arms. Originally, the coat of arms had only two stars, and a student's lamp below the chevron. Instead of a lamp and book, the original crest was a hand, holding a red rose. The first motto was the Latin: Nil Separabit, meaning "Nothing Shall Separate Us." (The original motto appeared on the scroll as Nil Separ Abit without hyphenation to create three equal sections of the scroll. It must have been assumed that the audience would recognize and understand the Latin word "separabit" divided into syllables.)

The coat of arms was modified many times in the early years as historical symbols of Charleston were incorporated. The current coat of arms is much different from the original. A third star and the swords were added, first turned downward, later upward. The lamp was moved to the crest and the motto was changed to Greek: OΥΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΣΠΑΣΕΙ ΗΜΑΣ, meaning, "Nothing Shall Ever Tear Us Asunder."^[3]

The Star and Lamp[link]

With a national fraternity, the founders realized the need for open communication between chapters, particularly with Gamma Chapter. The Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Journal was begun in 1909 with Henry Wagener as editor. In 1911, the fraternity would change the name of its official publication to the Star & Lamp, a name which endures to this day.^[3] The journal has received numerous awards from the College Fraternity Editors Association. In 2005, the CFEA awarded Star & Lamp the Fred F. Yoder Award for Excellence.^[4]

C.L.A.S.S.[link]

In the membership education process of all Pi Kappa Phi (Pi Kapps), one of the more commonly stressed notions is that a Pi Kapp is a man of C.L.A.S.S. This stands for Character, Leadership, Achievement, Scholarship, Service. It is these ideals that the national organization and individual chapters strive to attain throughout the recruitment and new member education processes, as well as lifelong objectives of every brother. The national organization adapted this acronym from the original version developed in 1991 by Todd Kline of the Eta Gamma chapter in Boulder, Colorado. That chapter still recognizes the original acronym which stands for Chivalry, Loyalty, Academics, Sportsmanship, and Service.^[5]

Alumni[link]

Chapters[link]

Delta Rho Chapter - University of Southern California

Over the course of more than a century, Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has evolved from a idea devised by three men, to a brotherhood of more than 100,000 members. Though different from campus to campus, one element remains the same. All members are committed to becoming leaders by choice.

Pi Kappa Phi has granted 223 charters in 38 states and the District of Columbia. There are currently 150 active and 14 colonies.^[1]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Sheetz, George; Leake, Howard; Buffington, Perry; Timmes, Mark; Owen, Durward; de Palma, Leonard (2004). The Brotherhood: History of Pi Kappa Phi (1904-2004). Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. 
• Erickson, Evan; Sullivan, TJ (2002). The White Diamond of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity: A Guide to Brotherhood. Charlotte, North Carolina: Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. 

External links[link]

• Pi Kappa Phi National Headquarters
• Pi Kappa Phi Chapters List
• Pi Kappa Phi Chapter Directory

Scene of the 2009 Chunyun period inside Beijing West Railway Station, China

Chunyun (traditional Chinese: 春運; simplified Chinese: 春运; pinyin: Chūnyùn), also referred to as the Spring Festival travel season or the Chunyun period, is a period of travel in China with extremely high traffic load around the time of the Chinese New Year. The period usually begins 15 days before the Lunar New Year's Day and lasts for around 40 days. The number of passenger journeys during the Chunyun period has exceeded the population of China, hitting over 2 billion in 2008.^[1] It has been called the largest annual human migration in the world.^[2] Rail transport experiences the biggest challenge during the period, and myriad social problems have emerged.

Origin[link]

Temporary ticket offices in the square outside of Hefei Railway Station, open for the Year 2011 chunyun period

Three main factors are responsible for the heightened traffic load during the Chunyun period.

First, it is a long-held tradition for most Chinese people to reunite with their families during Chinese New Year. People return home from work or study to have Reunion dinner with their families on New Year's Eve. Since the Chinese economic reforms of the late 1970s, new economic opportunities have emerged, often at a considerable distance from people's hometowns. Places such as the Special Economic Zones and the wealthy coastal regions offer employment and often, a more sought-after lifestyle. Consequently, there has been a massive migration from rural to urban areas over the course of the last few decades, reminiscent of other industrial revolutions around the world. The number of these migrant workers was estimated at 50 million at 1990 and unofficially estimated at 150 million to 200 million in 2000.^[3] During the Chunyun period, many of these laborers return to their home towns.

Second, Chinese education reforms have increased the number of university students, who often study outside of their hometown. The Spring Festival holiday period falls around the same time frame as their winter break.^[4] Among the 194 million railway passengers of the 2006 Chunyun period were 6.95 million university students.^[5]

Finally, because the Spring Festival Period is among the two week-long holiday periods in the People's Republic of China (the other being National Day, Oct 1), many people choose to travel for pleasure around this time. Tourism in mainland China is reaching record levels, further adding to the pressure on the transportation system.

These factors exacerbate current problems with China's current inter-city transportation systems. The railway network is insufficient to handle the number of passengers, and does not reach enough places. The locations not serviced by rail must rely on bus transport, which faces problems such as inadequate equipment and road network.

Impact on transportation systems and related problems[link]

The most affected modes of transportation are inter-city surface passenger transportation systems, namely railway and road networks. Most Chinese middle-class citizens cannot readily afford air transport. International, urban and waterway transportation are slightly affected.^[6] Until 2007, due to the high demand, the prices of tickets are increased during the period.^[7] In 2007's Chunyun period (Feb 4-March 14), however, the government imposed strict regulations against inflated prices on railway tickets.

Railway and buses[link]

The Ministry of Railways estimated that 340 million passengers would take trains during the 2009 Chunyun period. However, the average daily capacity of the Chinese railway system is 3.4 million. The shortage of railway resources led many passengers to pay double or even triple-priced tickets from scalpers or to wait in queues for upwards of a day's time at railway stations.

A Chinese railway ticket from 2006

Because of the extremely long waiting period, many customers become frustrated and search for solutions to jump the line, often resulting in conflict. Fighting over places in line is often seen, and as people get closer to the ticket booth, much pushing and shoving ensues. The overworked ticket booth workers are generally frustrated with the repetitive and dull nature of their work, which, in most places in the country, come in long shifts every time, and therefore reflect a largely negative and frustrated image to the customers. Inquiries by customers are not always answered correctly or at all; customers are not offered many options to begin with, if time is allotted for indecision the customer is usually pushed aside by the next person in the line. The same problem is found with phone lines, which saves the anxiety of waiting in line, but are severely overloaded and the reception is often rude when a ticket agent finally picks up after several hours of waiting. In Shenzhen it is estimated that 23 days worth of tickets can be gone in a matter of 14 minutes if telephone was the only method employed. An internet system is present, but at times inadequate.

To fit demand, hundreds of "temporary trains" (Linke) and hundreds of thousands of temporary buses are operated during this period, the number of ticket offices is increased and selling periods are extended to cope with the demand, with temporary booths springing up. Batch orders from schools and factories are organized to distribute tickets ahead of time. These measures, however, are generally inadequate and often tampered with. For example, during the 2005 Chunyun period, the ticket offices in Shenzhen had tens of telephone lines, and at times got millions of calls per hour. In the Guangzhou area, the number of calls reached 19.91 million per hour. Guangzhou Railway Group increased the number of telephone lines at their ticket offices to 8,000 in the 2006 Chunyun period.

Due to the basic nature of Chinese railway tickets and the loosely set limitations on the number of "standing tickets" (which is basically a pass to get on a crowded railway car), Scalpers (piaofanzi 票贩子 or huangniu 黄牛, lit. yellow cow in Chinese) profit greatly during the Chunyun period. Organizations of scalpers have emerged, and the scalpers inside the sometimes intricate network work collectively to make the most gain out of the tickets. They pick up tickets in great numbers minutes after they go on sale, and then deal them out in and around the railway station at highly inflated prices. A significant problem has also emerged with the illegal dealing of tickets through obsolete ticket modification or even printing outright fake tickets using computer technology. Although measures have been put in place to prevent fake tickets, passengers who purchase the tickets become extremely frustrated when the authenticity of their tickets is questioned only upon arrival at the ticket validation officer, what would be minutes before boarding the train. Because of the worsening nature of the problem, the government has issued many warnings and began various campaigns to crack down on the scalpers. Unfortunately, because of the complicated nature of the problem and the social networks which surround the scalper organizations, police and other authorities who are supposed to be in charge of the crackdown often become involved in the illicit activity themselves, and take many bribes from the scalpers.

There has also developed a significant safety risk during the Chunyun season. Theft, robbery, fraud and other crimes are the most flagrant during the time period. Passenger supervision and checks on luggage become stricter. The common belief in the safety of railway travel is undermined by the fact that many railway cars are severely overcrowded. Bus companies, in order to gain a bigger profit, overwork the bus drivers on irregular schedules, overloading people every round, causing a higher accident rate. Trains also face a problem with scheduling, as an overcrowded network cannot ensure the overall accuracy of train schedules, and some trains are habitually late hours at a time, cause unease and frustration with passengers. The government has taken to passing legislation to regulate late trains, and make a public notice and apology for late trains mandatory.

The passenger flow during the Chunyun period is usually imbalanced. Before the Spring Festival, passengers usually gather in developed coastal cities, railway interchange cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou, and basically flow from urban to rural areas. The passenger flow direction is reversed after the Spring Festival. In addition, passenger flow is very sensitive to disruption, such as bad weather.^[8] In 2007, round-trip train tickets will be available for college students.^[9]

Severe snow storms in late January 2008 stranded many thousands of migrant workers as they attempted to get home. At one time over 100,000 people were at the main railway station in the southern city of Guangzhou.^[10] Around 1.3 million troops and reservists were drafted in around the country to clear blocked roads and rail lines to enable people to travel.

"Real name and ID" requirement for train tickets[link]

Despite initial opposition from the Chinese Ministry of Railways, train tickets were upgraded in late 2009 to accommodate QR codes on a ticket, thus enabling personal information to be stored. This would link the ticket with its legal purchaser, paving the way for a "real name and ID" requirement to be implemented. Such a policy went into effect on a trial basis beginning early 2010 (for the duration of the Chunyun period on all non-high speed trains). In 2011, the "real name and ID" requirement expanded to more cities in China, and was made permanent for the Wuhan-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway even after the Chunyun period. The requirement became mandatory for all CRH high speed trains with effect from June 1, 2011 and was expanded to nearly all passenger trains on January 1, 2012.^[11] It is now policy for station staff and rail police to check all riders against their document of identity and to deny boarding to those without a ticket or with no linked ID.

As a result, stations that see large passenger flow, such as the Beijing West Railway Station, are obliged to set up extra ticket inspection counters to allow only legal holders of train tickets to enter the waiting area or the station area at all, especially during the Spring Festival travel peak. The result has been a requirement for more passengers to arrive earlier at stations. It did not completely eradicate scalpers, but did reduce their activity significantly.

Air[link]

Air transportation is less affected as most travelers are workers who cannot afford air transport, but nevertheless the Chunyun impact is increasing. In 2008 roughly 28 million passengers used air transportation as their method of travel inside China. Xiamen Airlines, for example, added nearly 210 flights to its roster during the Chunyun period, with thirty flights especially placed to Hong Kong and Macau and another ten flights to international destinations in Southeast Asia and Korea. Cross-strait flights between Taiwan and mainland China were also permitted during this period before regular year-round flights were established.^[12] To prevent accidents in the air, the Chinese government has brought in very strict regulations on not overloading planes. The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) estimates at least 36 million passengers will fly during the 2009 Chunyun period.^[13]

Taiwan[link]

In Taiwan, spring travel is also a major event. The majority of transportation in western Taiwan is north-south direction long distance travel between urbanized north and hometowns in rural south. Transportations in eastern Taiwan and that between Taiwan and islands are less convenient. Cross-strait flights between Taiwan and mainland China begin in 2003 as part of Three Links, mostly for "Taiwanese businessmen" to return to Taiwan for new year.

The majority of transportation before the Eve in western Taiwan is southbound long distance travel, in which people travel from urbanized north to the hometowns in rural south. After the Eve there are a lot of family local tours throughout the holidays. On the second and the third day, there is a second wave of medium-long distance travels when the families go to the hometowns of the wives. Near the end of holidays there is a wave of northbound returning travels which is less concentrated than the southbound travels. In 2012 on the second day of the lunar new year there are estimated 3 million cars on the island's freeways, and on the 8th day (the Friday of the holiday week) there are "2.7 million vehicles, about 1.7 times the average daily traffic volume of about 1.6 million." ^[14]

See also[link]

China portal

• Golden Week (China)

References[link]

Notes[link]

Sources[link]

• M.W.H., Railroad in the clouds, Trains March 2002
• Chinese internet film director Hu Ge has made a parody film about the phenomenon.

External links[link]

• Peak passenger flow challenges transport capacity
• A China-Size Travel Delay
• Chunyun tests gov't ability to administer
• China's "Chunyun" begins today
• Spring Festival travel season starts
• 2007 Chunyun: SINA Special News Coverage

DJ Felli Fel
Background information
Birth name	James Andrew Corrine
Born	Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States
Genres	Hip Hop/Rap, Electro Hop
Occupations	DJ Record producer
Instruments	Turntables, keyboards, sampler
Years active	1996 - present
Labels	Rock Hill Records, So So Def, Island Urban
Associated acts	The Heavy Hitters DJs , Ludacris, Akon, Lil Wayne, Drake, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Diddy, Lil Jon, Sean Paul, T-Pain, Jermaine Dupri, Fabolous, Pitbull
Website	www.fellifel.com

James Andrew Corrine,^[1] better known by his stage name DJ Felli Fel is a club and radio DJ for L.A.'s Power 106, record producer, and a recording artist recently signed to So So Def/Island Urban Music. He is also a member of The Heavy Hitters DJs.

Biography[link]

DJ Felli Fel was born in Rock Hill, South Carolina and grew up in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas. While a teenager in Dallas, he began spinning turntables for house parties. His radio career began on Dallas radio station K104 and Waco, Texas Spanish-language station KHCK.^[2] Later, he joined the Los Angeles hip-hop station Power 106.^[1] At Power 106, he hosts the Felli Fel Show on Saturday evenings.^[2]

He had a cameo role as himself in the 2003 film Malibu's Most Wanted.^[3] In 2007, he signed with Island Def Jam/So So Def.^[4] His debut album for the label is tentatively titled Go DJ!.^[1][5] Singles for the album included "Finer Things" with Jermaine Dupri, Kanye West, Fabolous, and Ne-Yo; "Get Buck in Here" with Diddy, Akon, Lil Jon, and Ludacris;^[6] and "Feel It" with Sean Paul, Pitbull, Flo Rida, and T-Pain. DJ Felli Fel was also featured on the soundtrack of the game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, with his song "Get Buck in Here". Recently he released the single "Boomerang" featuring Pitbull, Akon, and Jermaine Dupri. The track has been remixed by DJ Vice in 2011.

Awards[link]

• BET Hip-Hop Awards
  • 2008, DJ of the Year [Nominated]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

As lead artist[link]

Production credits[link]

• 2001 "I Like Them Girls (Power Mix)" (Tyrese feat. Bosco)
• 2001 "World Wide (remix)" (Outlawz feat. 2Pac & T-Low)
• 2002 "A Piece of Me" (Luniz feat. Fat Joe)
• 2003 "Bomba" (Felli Fel from the motion picture Malibu's Most Wanted)
• 2004 "Back it up" (Young Rome)
• 2004 "It's All Right" (Guerilla Black)
• 2004 "Intro" (Cassidy)
• 2006 "On Bail" (Xzibit feat. T-Pain, The Game & Daz Dillinger)
• 2006 "That Ain't Right" (Sean Kingston)
• 2006 "Like That" (Noelle feat. Felli Fel from the motion picture Employee of the Month)
• 2007 "Don't Stop" (Baby Bash featuring Keith Sweat)
• 2007 "Take You There" (Sean Kingston)
• 2008 "Live It Up! (DJ Felli Fel Remix)" (Roscoe Umali featuring E-40 & Bobby Valentino)
• 2008 "Died in Your Arms" (Smitty featuring T-Pain)
• 2008 "Died in Your Arms" (remix) (Smitty featuring T-Pain, Junior Reid & Rick Ross)
• 2008 "Cinematic" (Jessi Malay)
• 2008 "The Money" (R. Kelly featuring Fat Joe)
• 2008 "Second Glance" (Colby O'Donis & Hot Dollar)
• 2008 "Jolly Rancher" (Tino Cochino)
• 2009 "Diamonds & Patron" (Tino Cochino)
• 2009 "Dizzy" (Frankie J)
• 2009 "One Night" (New Boyz)
• 2009 "Loaded" (Jeremy Green featuring Ya Boy)
• 2012 "Dirty Martini" (Collins Pennie)
• 2012 "Lighters" (50 Cent featuring Chris Brown)

Miscellaneous Appearances[link]

• 2008 "I'm Toe Up (Remix)" (Problem featuring DJ Felli Fel, DJ Quik, Kurupt, Terrace Martin, & Snoop Dogg)
• 2008 "We got da Club" (Three 6 Mafia feat. DJ Felli Fel)
• 2009 "Intro" (Timbaland feat. DJ Felli Fel) (From Shock Value II)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• DJ Felli Fel on Myspace
• DJ Felli Fel at MTV
• DJ Felli Fel at the Internet Movie Database
• Felli Fel's page on Power 106
• Mix Matters biography & current projects

The Cure
The Cure performing in Singapore in 2007. Left to right: Porl Thompson, Jason Cooper (back), Robert Smith, Simon Gallup.
Background information
Origin	Crawley, England
Genres	Gothic rock,[1][2] alternative rock, New Wave, post-punk
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Fiction, Suretone, Geffen, Polydor, Elektra, Asylum, Sire
Associated acts	Malice, Easy Cure, The Glove, Siouxsie and the Banshees
Website	www.thecure.com
Members
Robert Smith Simon Gallup Roger O'Donnell Jason Cooper Reeves Gabrels
Past members
Lol Tolhurst Michael Dempsey Matthieu Hartley Andy Anderson Phil Thornalley Boris Williams Porl Thompson Perry Bamonte

The Cure are an English alternative rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member. The Cure first began releasing music in the late 1970s with its debut album Three Imaginary Boys (1979); this, along with several early singles, placed the band as part of the post-punk and New Wave movements that had sprung up in the wake of the punk rock revolution in the United Kingdom. During the early 1980s, the band's increasingly dark and tormented music helped form the gothic rock genre.^[1][2][3]

After the release of Pornography (1982), the band's future was uncertain and Smith was keen to move past the gloomy reputation his band had acquired. With the 1982 single "Let's Go to Bed" Smith began to place a pop sensibility into the band's music (as well as a unique stage look). The Cure's popularity increased as the decade wore on, especially in the United States where the songs "Just Like Heaven", "Lovesong" and "Friday I'm in Love" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart. By the start of the 1990s, The Cure were one of the most popular alternative rock bands in the world. The band is estimated to have sold 27 million albums as of 2004.^[4] The Cure have released thirteen studio albums, 10 EPs and over thirty singles during the course of their career. Since 2010, they have been working on a fourteenth studio album.^[5]

History[link]

Formation and early years (1973–1979)[link]

The first incarnation of what became The Cure was The Obelisk, a band formed by students at Notre Dame Middle School in Crawley, Sussex. The band made their public debut in a one-off performance in April 1973, and featured Robert Smith (piano), Michael "Mick" Dempsey (guitar), Laurence "Lol" Tolhurst (percussion), Marc Ceccagno (lead guitar) and Alan Hill (bass guitar).^[6] In January 1976 the band took a more substantial form of what would be when Ceccagno formed Malice with Smith and Dempsey along with two other classmates from St. Wilfrid's Catholic Comprehensive School, with Ceccagno on lead, Smith on guitar, and Dempsey switching to bass. Ceccagno soon left, however, to form a jazz-rock fusion band called Amulet. Increasingly influenced by the emergence of punk rock, Malice's remaining members became known as Easy Cure in January 1977.^[7] By this time, Smith and Dempsey had been joined by Lol Tolhurst from The Obelisk on drums, and new lead guitarist Porl Thompson. Both Malice and Easy Cure auditioned several vocalists before Smith finally assumed the role of Easy Cure's frontman in September 1977.^[8]

That year, Easy Cure won a talent competition with German label Hansa Records, and received a recording contract. Although the band recorded tracks for the company, none were ever released.^[9] Following disagreements in March 1978 over the direction the band should take, the contract with Hansa was dissolved. Smith later recalled, "We were very young. They just thought they could turn us into a teen group. They actually wanted us to do cover versions and we always refused."^[9] Thompson was dropped from the band in May, and the remaining trio (Smith/Tolhurst/Dempsey) were soon renamed The Cure by Smith.^[10] Later that month the band recorded their first sessions as a trio at Chestnut Studios in Sussex, which were distributed as a demo tape to a dozen major record labels.^[11] The demo found its way to Polydor Records scout Chris Parry, who signed The Cure to his newly formed Fiction label—distributed by Polydor—in September 1978.^[12] The Cure released their debut single "Killing an Arab" in December 1978 on the Small Wonder label as a stopgap until Fiction finalised distribution arrangements with Polydor. "Killing an Arab" garnered both acclaim and controversy: while the single's provocative title led to accusations of racism, the song is actually based on French existentialist Albert Camus's novel The Stranger.^[13] The band placed a sticker label that denied the racist connotations on the single's 1979 reissue on Fiction. An early NME article on the band wrote that The Cure "are like a breath of fresh suburban air on the capital's smog-ridden pub-and-club circuit" and noted "With a John Peel session and more extensive London gigging on their immediate agenda, it remains to be seen whether or not The Cure can retain their refreshing joie de vivre."^[14]

The Cure released their debut album Three Imaginary Boys in May 1979. Because of the band's inexperience in the studio, Parry and engineer Mike Hedges took control of the recording.^[15] The band, particularly Smith, were unhappy with their debut; in a 1987 interview, he admitted, "a lot of it was very superficial – I didn't even like it at the time. There were criticisms made that it was very lightweight, and I thought they were justified. Even when we'd made it, I wanted to do something that I thought had more substance to it".^[16] The band's second single "Boys Don't Cry" was released in June. The Cure then embarked as the support band for Siouxsie and the Banshees' Join Hands promotional tour of England, Northern Ireland, and Wales between August and October. The tour saw Smith pull double duty each night by performing with The Cure and as the guitarist with The Banshees when John McKay quit the group.^[17] That musical experience had a strong impact on him: "On stage that first night with the Banshees, I was blown away by how powerful I felt playing that kind of music. It was so different to what we were doing with The Cure. Before that, I'd wanted us to be like The Buzzcocks or Elvis Costello, the punk Beatles. Being a Banshee really changed my attitude to what I was doing."^[18]

The Cure's third single "Jumping Someone Else's Train" was released in early October 1979. Soon afterwards, Dempsey was dropped from the band because of his cold reception to material Smith had written for the upcoming album.^[19] Dempsey joined the Associates, while Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) from The Magspies joined The Cure. The Associates toured as support band for The Cure and The Passions on the Future Pastimes Tour of England between November and December—all three bands were on the Fiction Records roster—with the new Cure line-up already performing a number of new songs for the projected second album.^[20] Meanwhile, a spin-off band comprising Smith, Tolhurst, Dempsey, Gallup, Hartley and Thompson, with backing vocals from assorted family and friends, and lead vocals provided by their local postman Frankie Bell released a 7-inch single in December under the assumed name of Cult Hero.^[21]

Early Gothic Phase (1980–1982)[link]

	"One Hundred Years" (1982) noicon Sample of "One Hundred Years" from Pornography.
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Due to the band's lack of creative control on the first album, Smith exerted a greater influence on the recording of The Cure's second album Seventeen Seconds, which he co-produced with Mike Hedges.^[22] The album was released in 1980 and reached number 20 on the UK charts. A single from the album, "A Forest", became the band's first UK hit single, reaching number 31 on the singles chart.^[23] The album was a departure from The Cure's sound up to that point, with Hedges describing it as "morose, atmospheric, very different to Three Imaginary Boys."^[24] In its review of Seventeen Seconds the NME said, "For a group as young as The Cure, it seems amazing that they have covered so much territory in such a brief time."^[25] At the same time, Smith was pressed concerning the concept of an alleged "anti-image".^[26] Smith told the press he was fed up with the anti-image association that some considered to be "elaborately disguising their plainness", stating, "We had to get away from that anti-image thing, which we didn't even create in the first place. And it seemed like we were trying to be more obscure. We just didn't like the standard rock thing. The whole thing really got out of hand."^[27] That same year Three Imaginary Boys was repackaged for the American market as Boys Don't Cry, with new artwork and a modified tracklist. The Cure set out on their first world tour to promote both releases. At the end of the tour, Matthieu Hartley left the band. Hartley said, "I realised that the group was heading towards suicidal, sombre music—the sort of thing that didn't interest me at all."^[28]

The band reconvened with Hedges to produce their third album Faith (1981), which furthered the mood of misery present on Seventeen Seconds.^[29] The album peaked at number 14 on the UK charts.^[23] Included with cassette copies of Faith was an instrumental soundtrack for Carnage Visors, an animated film shown in place of an opening act for the band's 1981 Picture Tour.^[30] In late 1981, The Cure released the non-album single "Charlotte Sometimes". By this point, the sombre mood of the music had a profound effect on the attitude of the band. The band would refuse requests for older songs in concert, and sometimes Smith would be so absorbed by the persona he projected onstage he would leave at the end in tears.^[31]

In 1982, The Cure recorded and released Pornography, the third and final album of an "oppressively dispirited" trio that cemented the Cure's stature as purveyors of the emerging gothic rock genre.^[32] Smith has said that during the recording of Pornography he was "undergoing a lot of mental stress. But it had nothing to do with the group, it just had to do with what I was like, my age and things. I think I got to my worst round about Pornography. Looking back and getting other people's opinions of what went on, I was a pretty monstrous sort of person at that time".^[16] Gallup described the album by saying, "Nihilism took over [. . .] We sang 'It doesn't matter if we all die' and that is exactly what we thought at the time."^[33] Parry was concerned that the album did not have a hit song for radio play and instructed Smith and producer Phil Thornalley to polish the track "The Hanging Garden" for release as a single.^[34] Despite the concerns about the album's uncommercial sound, Pornography became the band's first UK Top 10 album, charting at number eight.^[23] The release of Pornography was followed by the Fourteen Explicit Moments tour, where the band finally dropped the anti-image angle and first adopted their signature look of big, towering hair and smeared lipstick on their faces.^[35] The tour also saw a series of incidents that prompted Simon Gallup to leave The Cure at the tour's conclusion. Gallup and Smith did not talk to each other for eighteen months following his departure.^[36]

Increasing commercial success (1983–1986)[link]

	"Just Like Heaven" (1987) noicon Sample of "Just like Heaven" from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.
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With Gallup's departure from The Cure and with Smith's work with Siouxsie and the Banshees, rumours spread that The Cure had broken up. In December 1982, Smith remarked to Melody Maker, "Do The Cure really exist any more? I've been pondering that question myself [. . .] it has got to a point where I don't fancy working in that format again." He added, "Whatever happens, it won't be me, Laurence, and Simon together any more. I know that."^[37]

Parry was concerned at the state of his label's top band, and became convinced that the solution was for The Cure to reinvent its musical style. Parry managed to convince Smith and Tolhurst of the idea; Parry said, "It appealed to Robert because he wanted to destroy The Cure anyway."^[38] With Tolhurst now playing keyboards instead of drums, the duo released the single "Let's Go to Bed" in late 1982. While Smith wrote the single from as a throwaway, "stupid" pop song to the press,^[39] it became a minor hit in the UK, reaching number 44 on the singles chart.^[23] It was followed in 1983 by two more successful songs: the synthesiser-based "The Walk" (number 12), and "The Love Cats", which became the band's first British Top 10 hit, reaching number seven.^[23] The group released these studio singles and their B-sides as the compilation album Japanese Whispers, designed by Smith for the Japanese market only, but released worldwide on the decision of the record company. The same year, Smith also recorded and toured with Siouxsie and the Banshees, contributing as guitarist on their Nocturne live video and their Hyaena studio album. Meanwhile, he recorded the Blue Sunshine album with Banshees bassist Steven Severin as The Glove, while Lol Tolhurst produced the first two singles and debut album of the English band And Also The Trees.

In 1984, The Cure released The Top, a generally psychedelic album on which Smith played all the instruments except the drums—played by Andy Anderson—and the saxophone—played by returnee Porl Thompson. The album was a Top 10 hit in the UK, and was their first studio album to break the Billboard 200 in the U.S., reaching number 180.^[23][40] Melody Maker praised the album as "psychedelia that can't be dated", while pondering, "I've yet to meet anyone who can tell me why The Cure are having hits now of all times."^[41] The Cure then embarked on their worldwide "Top Tour" with Thompson, Anderson, and producer-turned-bassist Phil Thornalley on board. Released in late 1984, The Cure's first live album, Concert consisted of performances from this tour. Near the tour's end, Anderson was fired for destroying a hotel room and was replaced by Boris Williams.^[42] Thornalley also left because of the stress of touring.^[43] However, the bassist slot was not vacant long, for a Cure roadie named Gary Biddles had brokered a reunion between Smith and former bassist Simon Gallup, who had been playing in the band Fools Dance. Soon after reconciling, Smith asked Gallup to rejoin the band.^[44] Smith was ecstatic about Gallup's return and declared to Melody Maker, "It's a group again."^[45]

In 1985, the new line-up of Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Thompson, and Williams released The Head on the Door, an album that managed to bind together the optimistic and pessimistic aspects of the band's music between which they had previously shifted.^[46] The Head on the Door reached number seven in the UK and was the band's first entry into American Top 75 at number 59,^[23][40] a success partly due to the international impact of the LP's two singles, "In Between Days" and "Close to Me". Following the album and world tour, the band released the singles compilation Standing on a Beach in three formats (each with a different track listing and a specific name) in 1986. This compilation made the US Top 50,^[40] and saw the re-issue of three previous singles: "Boys Don't Cry" (in a new form), "Let's Go To Bed" and later "Charlotte Sometimes". This release was accompanied by a VHS or LaserDisc called Staring at the Sea, which featured videos for each track on the compilation. The Cure toured to support the compilation and released a live concert VHS of the show, filmed in the south of France called The Cure in Orange. During this time, The Cure became a very popular band in Europe (particularly in France, Germany and the Benelux countries) and increasingly popular in the U.S.^[47]

[edit] Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me and worldwide success (1987–1993)

In 1987, The Cure released the double LP Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, which reached number six in the UK, the Top 10 in several countries^[48] and was the band's first entry into the U.S. Top 40 at number 35 (where it was certified platinum),^[23][40][49] due to the combination of the band's rising popularity and the success of lead single, "Why Can't I Be You?".^[50] The album's third single, "Just Like Heaven" was the band's most successful single to date in the US, being their first to enter the Billboard Top 40.^[51] After the album's release, the band embarked on the successful Kissing Tour. During the European leg of the tour, Lol Tolhurst's alcohol consumption was interfering with his ability to perform so The Psychedelic Furs keyboardist Roger O'Donnell was frequently called upon to stand in for him.^[52]

	"Lovesong" (1989) noicon Sample of "Lovesong" from Disintegration. "Lullaby" (1989) noicon Sample of "Lullaby" from Disintegration.
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In 1989, The Cure released the album Disintegration, which saw a return to the gothic atmospheres of earlier releases like Faith and Pornography.^[53] It became their highest charting album in the UK to date, entering at number three and featuring three Top 30 singles in the UK and Germany ("Lullaby", "Lovesong" and "Pictures of You").^[23][54] Disintegration also reached number twelve on the US charts.^[40] The first single stateside, "Fascination Street", reached number one on the American Modern Rock chart, but was quickly overshadowed when its third US single, "Lovesong", reached number two on the American pop charts (the only Cure single to reach the US Top 10).^[51] By 1992, Disintegration had sold over three million copies worldwide.^[55]

During the Disintegration sessions, the band gave Smith an ultimatum that either Tolhurst would have to leave the band or they would.^[56] In February 1989, Tolhurst's exit was made official and announced to the press;^[57] this resulted in Roger O'Donnell becoming a full-fledged member of the band and left Smith as The Cure's only remaining founder member. Smith attributed Tolhurst's dismissal to an inability to exert himself and issues with alcohol, concluding, "He was out of step with everything. It had just become detrimental to everything we'd do."^[58] Because Tolhurst was still on the payroll during the recording of Disintegration, he was credited in the album's liner notes as playing "other instruments", however it has since been revealed that he contributed nothing to the album in either performance or song writing. The Cure then embarked on the Prayer Tour, which saw the band playing stadiums in the US. On 6 September 1989, The Cure performed "Just Like Heaven" at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.^[59] In February 1990, the song won the Brit Award for Best British Video.^[60]

In May 1990, Roger O'Donnell quit and was replaced with the band's guitar technician Perry Bamonte. That November, The Cure released a collection of remixes called Mixed Up. The album was not well received and quickly slid down the charts.^[61] The one new song on the collection, "Never Enough", was released as a single. In 1991 The Cure were awarded the Brit Award for Best British Group.^[62] That same year Tolhurst filed a lawsuit against Smith and Fiction Records in 1991 over royalties payments, and claimed joint ownership of the name "The Cure" with Smith; the verdict was handed out in September 1994 in favour of Smith. In respite from the lawsuit, the band returned to the studio to record their next album.^[63] Wish reached number one in the UK and number two in the US and yielded the international hits "High" and "Friday I'm in Love".^[23][40] The Cure also embarked on the "Wish Tour" with Cranes, and released the live albums Show (September 1993) and Paris (October 1993). As a promotional exercise with the Our Price music chain in the UK, a limited edition EP was released consisting of instrumental outtakes from the Wish sessions. Entitled Lost Wishes, the proceeds from the four-track cassette tape went to charity. In 1993, the band were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for Wish.^[64]

In the years between the release of Wish and the start of sessions for The Cure's next album, the band's line-up shifted again. Thompson left the band once more during 1993 to play with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, and Bamonte took over as lead guitarist. Boris Williams also left the band, and was replaced by Jason Cooper (formerly of My Life Story).

Period of transition (1994–1998)[link]

The album sessions began in 1994 with only Smith and Bamonte present; the pair were later joined by Gallup (who was recovering from physical problems) and Roger O'Donnell, who had been asked to rejoin the band at the end of 1994.^[65] The Cure performed "Burn" in the movie The Crow and "Dredd Song", the theme song of the 1995 movie Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone (The former song despite never being released as a single nor ever played live, is regarded a fan favourite of Cure fans and fans of 'The Crow'). It was not released on a Cure album until 2004 on Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years).

Wild Mood Swings, finally released in 1996, was poorly received compared with previous albums and marked the end of the band's commercial peak.^[66] Early in 1996, the Cure played festivals in South America, followed by a world tour in support of the album Galore. Galore contained all of the Cure's singles released between 1987 and 1997, as well as the new single "Wrong Number", which featured longtime David Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Gabrels also accompanied The Cure on a brief American radio festival tour as an onstage guest guitarist for "Wrong Number". In 1998 The Cure contributed to the soundtrack album for The X Files feature film as well as the Depeche Mode tribute album For the Masses, with their cover of "World in My Eyes".

	"Out of This World" (2000) noicon Sample of "Out of This World" from Bloodflowers.
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Later years (1999–2009)[link]

With only one album left in their record contract and with commercial response to Wild Mood Swings and the Galore compilation lacklustre, Smith once again considered that the end of The Cure might be near and thus wanted to make an album that reflected the more serious side of the band.^[67] The Grammy-nominated album Bloodflowers was released in 2000 after being delayed since 1998.^[68] According to Smith, the album was the third of a trilogy along with Pornography and Disintegration.^[69] The band also embarked on the nine-month Dream Tour, attended by over one million people worldwide. In 2001, The Cure left Fiction and released their Greatest Hits album and DVD, which featured the music videos for a number of classic Cure songs. In 2002, the band headlined twelve major summer music festivals, and played three extended concerts (one in Brussels, two in Berlin) in which they performed the albums Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers in their respective entireties each night. The Berlin performances were released on DVD as The Cure: Trilogy in 2003.

In 2003, The Cure signed with Geffen Records. In 2004, they released a new four-disc boxed set on Fiction Records titled Join the Dots: B-Sides and Rarities, 1978-2001 (The Fiction Years). The compilation includes seventy Cure songs, some previously unreleased, and a 76-page full-colour book of photographs, history and quotes, packaged in a hard cover. The album peaked at number 106 on the Billboard 200 album charts.^[40] The band released their twelfth album The Cure on Geffen in 2004, which was produced by Ross Robinson. It made a top ten debut on both sides of the Atlantic in July 2004.^[23][40] To promote the album, the band headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that May. From 24 July to 29 August, The Cure headlined the Curiosa concert tour of North America. While attendances were lower than expected, Curiosa was still one of the more successful American summer festivals of 2004.^[70] The same year the band was honoured with an MTV Icon award in a television special presented by Marilyn Manson.^[71]

The Cure in concert in 2004. From left to right: Robert Smith, Jason Cooper, and Simon Gallup

In May 2005, Roger O'Donnell and Perry Bamonte were fired from the band. O'Donnell claims Smith informed him he was reducing the band to a three-piece. Previously O'Donnell said he had only found out about the band's upcoming tour dates via a fan site and added, "It was sad to find out after nearly 20 years the way I did but then I should have expected no less or more."^[72] The remaining members of the band—Smith, Gallup and Cooper—made several appearances as a trio before it was announced in June that Porl Thompson would be returning for the band's 2005 Festival summer shows, as well as their set at Live 8 in Paris on 2 July. Later that year, the band recorded a cover of John Lennon's "Love" for Amnesty International's charity album Make Some Noise. It is available for download on the Amnesty website, while the album was released on CD in 2006. On 1 April 2006, The Cure appeared at the Royal Albert Hall on behalf of the Teenage Cancer Trust. It was their only show through to the end the year. In December a live DVD, entitled The Cure: Festival 2005 including 30 songs of their 2005 Festival tour was released.

The Cure began writing and recording material for their thirteenth album in 2006. Smith initially stated it would be a double album.^[73] The Cure announced a last-minute postponement of their autumn 2007 North American 4Tour in August in order to continue working on the album, rescheduling the dates for spring 2008.^[74] Titled 4:13 Dream, the album was released in October 2008. The group released four singles and an EP—"The Only One", "Freakshow", "Sleep When I'm Dead", "The Perfect Boy" and Hypnagogic States respectively—on or near to the 13th of each month, in the months leading up to the album's release. In February 2009, The Cure received the 2009 Shockwaves NME Award for Godlike Genius.^[75]

Reunion with former members and next album (2010–present)[link]

On January 13, 2010, Smith announced on The Cure's website that they were working on the follow-up to 4:13 Dream and an iTunes exclusive release. He explained, "There is an 'exclusive' iTunes Cure album still in the works... and part two of the Dream sessions is slowly taking shape."^[5] In August 2011, Smith told Hot Press that The Cure may not be interested in wrapping up the leftover material that was recorded during the 4:13 Dream sessions. He explained, "It's one of those things that it's been left so long now I expect it will come out as a half-finished sort of thing. I'm not sure if the band wants to complete it, which is sort of the elephant in the room. What happened to the second half of the album? No one mentions it! We're aware that it's there. Nobody really wants to talk about it. Maybe it will come up after a few post-festival beers!". Smith later added, "I think between now and this time next year, The Cure will take precedence over anything else. Until I get the second half of this album out, I won't do another collaboration."^[76]

In 2011, the band played their first three studio albums in their entirety during two shows in Sydney, Australia. These "Reflections" shows notably featured Roger O'Donnell and Laurence Tolhurst, both in a keyboard and percussion role. Porl Thompson was absent from the performances. The shows are due to be released on DVD in 2012.^[77] The band later headlined Bestival. Roger O'Donnell again joined the band on stage. On 11 September 2011, Roger O'Donnell announced on his Facebook page that he had officially rejoined the band. The band announced seven more Reflections shows, one in London, three in New York City and three in Los Angeles.^[78] On Tuesday 27 September, The Cure was announced as a nominee for 2012 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[79] The Cure have been announced as one of the three headliners of the 2012 Reading and Leeds Festivals.

Musical style[link]

The Cure are often identified with the gothic rock subgenre of alternative rock, and are viewed as one of the form's definitive bands. However, the band has routinely rejected classification, particularly as a gothic rock band. Robert Smith said in 2006, "It's so pitiful when 'goth' is still tagged onto the name The Cure", and added, "We're not categorisable. I suppose we were post-punk when we came out, but in total it's impossible [...] I just play Cure music, whatever that is."^[80] Smith has also expressed his distaste for gothic rock, describing it as "incredibly dull and monotonous. A dirge really."^[81] While typically viewed as producers of dark and gloomy music, The Cure have also yielded a number of upbeat songs. Spin has said "The Cure have always been an either/or sort of band: either [...] Robert Smith is wallowing in gothic sadness or he's licking sticky-sweet cotton-candy pop off his lipstick-stained fingers."^[82]

The Cure's primary musical traits have been listed as "dominant, melodic bass lines; whiny, strangulated vocals; and a lyric obsession with existential, almost literary despair."^[83] Most Cure songs start with Smith and Gallup writing the drum parts and bass lines. Both record demos at home and then bring them into the studio for fine-tuning.^[84] Smith said in 1992, "I think when people talk about the 'Cure sound,' they mean songs based on 6-string bass, acoustic guitar, and my voice, plus the string sound from the Solina."^[84] On top of this foundation is laid "towering layers of guitars and synthesisers".^[85] Keyboards have been a component of the band's sound since Seventeen Seconds, and their importance increased with the instrument's extensive use on Disintegration.^[86] With the Departure of Roger O'Donnell in 2005, keyboards have not been as prominent in the band's album 4:13 Dream and their live shows.

Music videos[link]

The band's early music videos have been described as "dreadful affairs" and have been maligned for their poor quality, particularly by the band itself. Lol Tolhurst said, "Those videos were unmitigated disasters; we weren't actors and our personalities weren't coming across."^[87] It was with the video for "Let's Go to Bed", their first collaboration with director Tim Pope, that The Cure would become noted for their videos. Pope added a playful element to the band's videos; the director insisted in a 1987 Spin interview, "I think that side of them was always there, but was never brought out."^[16] Pope would go on to direct the majority of The Cure's videos, and his videos, which became synonymous with the band, helped expand The Cure's audience during the 1980s.^[88] Pope explained the appeal of working with The Cure by saying, "The Cure is the ultimate band for a filmmaker to work with because Robert Smith really understands the camera. His songs are so cinematic. I mean on one level there's this stupidity and humour, right, but beneath that there are all [Smith's] psychological obsessions and claustrophobia."^[81]

Legacy[link]

The Cure were one of the first alternative bands to have chart and commercial success in an era before alternative rock had broken into the mainstream. In 1992 the NME declared The Cure had during the 1980s become "a goth hit machine (19 to date), an international phenomenon and, yep, the most successful alternative band that ever shuffled disconsolately about the earth".^[55] Smith has noted he looks at Cure-influenced bands like Interpol and My Chemical Romance with affection, adding, "I also think [Interpol bassist] Carlos D.'s obsession with Simon Gallup is sweet."^[89] Interpol lead singer, Paul Banks was quoted as saying "The Cure is the band that all of us in Interpol can say influenced us. When I was younger I listened to them a lot. Carlos as well. Actually, he took a straight influence from this band on the way he played the bass and the keys. To me, Robert Smith is also one of these examples: you can't be Robert Smith if you're not Robert Smith. It's one of the bands with the deepest influence on Interpol, because we all like them. They're legendary."^[90]

Several references to The Cure and their music have been made in popular culture. A number of films have used the title of a Cure song as the film's title, including Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Just Like Heaven (2005). The Cure's gloomy image has been the subject of parody at times. In series two of The Mighty Boosh, The Moon sings 'The Love Cats' over the credits. In the same episode, a powerful gothic hairspray, Goth Juice, is said to be "The most powerful hairspray known to man. Made from the tears of Robert Smith." The Mary Whitehouse Experience often featured brief clips of the stars of the show performing comical songs and nursery rhymes as The Cure in a morose style. Robert Smith appeared in the final episode of the first series of The Mary Whitehouse Experience singing "The sun has got his hat on" before punching the character Ray (played by Robert Newman) whilst uttering Ray's catchphrase "Oh no what a personal disaster". Robert Smith was also portrayed on an episode of South Park (Season 1, Episode 12) where he transforms into the form of Mothra and battles Mecha-Streisand to save the day and Kyle shouts "Disintegration is the best album ever!" In Craig Thompson's graphic novel Blankets the chapter seven is called "Just Like Heaven". The same chapter shows Raina singing some lyrics from this song to Craig.

Discography[link]

• Three Imaginary Boys (1979)
• Boys Don't Cry (1980)
• Seventeen Seconds (1980)
• Faith (1981)
• Pornography (1982)
• Japanese Whispers (1983)
• The Top (1984)
• The Head on the Door (1985)
• Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)
• Disintegration (1989)
• Wish (1992)
• Wild Mood Swings (1996)
• Bloodflowers (2000)
• The Cure (2004)
• 4:13 Dream (2008)

Members[link]

Current line-up

• Robert Smith – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards (1976–present)
• Simon Gallup – bass guitar, keyboards (1979–1982, 1985–present)
• Roger O'Donnell – keyboards (1987–1990, 1995–2005, 2011–present)
• Jason Cooper – drums, percussion (1995–present)
• Reeves Gabrels – guitars (2012–present)

See also[link]

• Wikipedia books: The Cure

References[link]