As the iconic band wind their way through Australia this week, original drummer of The Cure, Lol Tolhurst has announced the forthcoming publication of his biography Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys.
Due for release by Quercus on the 11th of October, the book details the glory years of The Cure’s dizzying ascent out of Crawley in 1976 to claim their place at the seeming apex of the 80’s firmament of stars.
Lol’s had plenty of time to contemplate this story, having been ousted from the band at the conclusion of 89’s Disintegration sessions, a jaunt where by all accounts his contributions were ‘minimal’. Acrimony, court cases and some pretty fallow years followed for our hero, as his outfits Presence and Levinhurst failed to set the world on fire. But when Lol was good, Lol was great. His unique, skeletal take on the drums suited the band perfectly as they evolved from the twitching post punk of debut Three Imaginary Boys through the misty watercolours of Seventeen Seconds and Faith, and on into the colossal dirge of Pornography. Switching to the keys as The Cure jettisoned their ankle length raincoats in favour of a more kaleidoscopic cloak, he retained a front-row seat for the bands unexpected transformation into feathered arena rock behemoths. The book promises to be a tell-all excursion, where “The band’s journey to worldwide success is woven into a story not only of great highs and lows but also of love, friendship, pain, forgiveness and, ultimately, redemption on a beach in Hawaii.”
UK Chain Waterstones is currently taking pre-orders for signed edition of the book here. Meanwhile, take a moment to remember Lol at the height of his powers:
The Cure are in town this weekend to perform at Splendour in the Grass, after which they will embark on a headline tour. Dates below:
Monday July 25: Qudos Bank Arena (Formerly Allphones Arena), Sydney
Thursday July 28: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Friday July 29: Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
Sunday July 31: Perth Arena, Perth
Read more: Essential Listening – Intro to The Cure
Words by Andi Lennon
Image: Amazon