OMGWTF Steve Severin joins The Cure OMGWTF!!!!

if this is true, HELLOOOOOOOOOOO THE GLOVE!

This is pretty weird, eh? I like the ususal sioux snarkiness, it makes me laugh.

Then again -- what would the Cure be without lineup upheaval? ;-)

Nothing as yet on Roger's own site:

http://www.rogerodonnell.com/html/news.html

(Which is never ever bitter.)

this actually totally makes sense. steve and robert are best friends.

I think they'd only spoken like twice in 20 years until recent months...

The fact that Siouxsie had said post-7 Year Itch that they would never work with Severin again and couldn't stand him did make the unsourced quote more than a bit suspicious...

Did she? Any details on that?

"I was at this years "WGT" from 13. - 16. may in leipzig, on the 13th of may i saw the concert of APOPTYGMA BERZERK.
during the concert they covered "a strange day" (of course from the cure)...after hearing it again and again and again I like this version ... of course this show was taped ;-) "

I think we need to hear this! :-)

This could rival Razed In Black's "Disintegration" for top honors in the Cure Covers I Should Probably Hate But Am Absolutely Infatuated With stakes.

On Robert Smith

"WHY'S HE ON THE COVER?" demands Siouxsie Sioux. "Fat fool!"
"He" is Robert Smith and "the cover" is that of Uncut's sister publication NME Originals, their recent edition dedicated to goth.

On Steven Severin:

"I don't hate him," she says of their relationship, "I've just given up trying to work with him"

Conversely, I guess the chances of Robert Smith replacing Severin on a future Banshees reunion are slim then. *drum roll*

yeah but those weren't even on the US version of the album.

Well, there's not much sense in withholding this any longer, and judging from the e-mails of the last couple of days, it's not exactly a state secret - Roger O'Donnell, Perry Bamonte and Daryl Bamonte are no longer with The Cure.

To each of you, our sincerest thanks for everything you contributed to The Cure and to the fans over these many years. We will miss you, and we wish you the best of luck with whatever you choose to do next.

The Severin/Airey thing is still being treated as a joke gone awry, though.

oh please please, it would be just fantastic.
or a 4-piece with a decent guitarist...

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), May 21st, 2005.

There is now. And he says "as of Tuesday this week," which would be the 24th, three days after we found out. (?)

"As of Tuesday this week I am no longer a member of the Cure," O'Donnell wrote. "It was sad to find out after nearly 20 years the way I did but then I should have expected no less or more."

Elaborating to Billboard.com today, O'Donnell reveals that he was informed by Smith that he is transforming the Cure into a three-piece, backed only by bassist Simon Gallup and drummer Jason Cooper. "There's not really much you can say when you are the fifth member," he says, adding that he found out about the Cure's upcoming live dates via a fan Web site.

I'm excited and a bit upset at the same time...

CHANGE
5/29/2005 10:07:24 AM - by CURE:ROBERT
Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.
- Arthur Schopenhauer

THERE ARE NOW THREE PEOPLE IN THE BAND: ME, SIMON AND JASON - AND THERE ARE VERY GOOD REASONS FOR THIS CHANGE... REASONS WE ALL KNOW, UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT

THE RS/SG/JC/PB/RO'D CURE LINE-UP WAS TOGETHER FOR TEN GORGEOUS YEARS - WILD MOOD SWINGS, FIVE SWING LIVE, (GALORE), BLOODFLOWERS, (GREATEST HITS), TRILOGY, THE CURE - A SHARED LEGACY TO BE VERY PROUD OF INDEED

BUT NONE OF US CAN BELIEVE IT IS BETTER TO TREAD WATER MARK TIME BITE LIP RATHER THAN EMBRACE CHANGE WHEN CHANGE ARRIVES

SO ONWARD...
LOVE
RS

Chain of Flowers posted this over the weekend:

---

Meanwhile, the trio forges ahead with a new album and Curiosa UK?

"I've just read the following article on UK Channel 4 Teletext - "PS NEWS" (p.351).... in which Robert speaks of a new album.

CURIOUS NEWS FROM CURE

The Cure won't be touring Britain until next year, PS can reveal.

Although they're playing festivals in Europe, Robert Smith told PS: "I want to bring the Curiosa event here next year. I spent a lot of time researching the bill last year for America. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME NOW, WE'RE DOING A NEW LP."

Smith added: "We won't do Glastonbury, as they've fallen out with us. I was told they think we've never done a good performance whenever we've played there."

Elsewhere on PS NEWS (p.353) Robert talks about the time Lou Reed was rude to his dad...!"

And according to "Second Source" (who turned out to be 100% correct last friday), the trio have already recorded 5 songs and we might see some sort of preview before the festivals.

---

Hmmm...hm.

Wtf?!? Is this true?!? What idiot said The Cure have never done a good performance at Glastonbury and where were they while The Cure were setting the Pyramid Stage on fire in 1986?!?

You know, that's probably what happened!

I honestly had lost track of the lineup enough that my first reaction was "Jason who"?

About 3 or 4 weeks ago, I received an e-mail from someone who had talked to *********, a well known ********* (best to protect his/her name & occupation given the current climate), and this anonymous person said that The Cure had already started work on a new album, and that Dave Allen would likely be returning to produce it. At the time, I thought it was interesting but probably false, and I couldn't confirm either part of it (SHOCK! COF does NOT post a rumor! What was wrong with me?). Given what we've learned over the last week or so, it has become much more interesting.

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST...

5/30/2005 6:41:45 PM - by CURE:ROBERT

I THINK THIS WAS ABOUT THE SUN COMING UP TOMORROW?
NOT THAT FUNNY REALLY... MERELY HIGHLIGHTING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STATING THE UNDISPUTED - (YES I AM SINGING ON BILLY CORGAN'S ALBUM 'THE FUTURE EMBRACE' - BUT THE POST WILL GO UP NEARER THE RELEASE - (DUE IN PART TO THE SLIGHTLY IDIOT 'ROLLING NEWS' WAY THINGS WORK AT PRESENT!) IT SEEMS TO MAKE MORE SENSE TO FLAG THE ALBUM WHEN IT'S ABOUT TO BE AVAILABLE RATHER THAN THE NIGHT I SING IT... ) - AND THE PURELY SPECULATIVE (STEVE SEVERIN WILL BE JOINING THE CURE... OF COURSE HE WON'T... BUT THE BLUE SUNSHINE EXTRAS CD IS SHAPING UP VERY NICELY!)

ANYWAY:
I WILL LET THINGS REST HERE... NEWS POSTS ON THIS WEBSITE WILL REMAIN 'NEWS ONLY' - THAT WAS (AND IS) ESSENTIALLY MY POINT - (INITIALLY ACCOUNTING FOR (IF I REMEMBER) THE LACK OF 'LIFE GIVING RUMOUR' ON THIS WEBSITE... )

"YOUR NAME BEGINS WITH C... OR J... AND YOU HAVE HAD SOME PERSONAL WORRIES RECENTLY... "

AND IF YOU GET TEN TRIES AT PICKING A NUMBER BETWEEN ONE AND TEN YOU CAN BE PRETTY SURE YOU WILL GET IT...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
ONWARDS...
WHAT'S THAT SAM? TIME TO GO ALREADY?

SOON
RS

Sam?

BUT THE BLUE SUNSHINE EXTRAS CD IS SHAPING UP VERY NICELY

YAY!

HAving said that, the reunion album where every past member comes back and forms a gigantic Curechestra is going to be fucking amazing.

Sam has to be one of those weird critters on the cover of the last album. That or the Spiderman is called that.
Sam Raimi?

Robert sounds demented in his posts. Can he not form a coherent thought or sentence anymore?

It's not as if we're talking rollicking Jelly Roll Morton-style piano, or chirpy gospel organs, where the keyboard player's style shines through. Call me rockist but it seems to me that the keyboard sounds are mostly there for atmosphere, and might just as well be triggered or played by a sideperson.

Different guy. (Check your producer credits for the Chameleons and the Sisters of Mercy.)

xpost: Yeah, I think you're right. I was going to say "The Snakepit" but chickened out for no particular reason.

Will the Cure only exist as three people live? Maybe. Maybe not.

Will the Cure only exist as three people as far as decision making in the album creation process? Outside any producer(s), it sounds very likely.

I think this is mainly the difference here now. Though Dan, Ned, and others will have far more insight than me.

Massive lineup changes occur almost daily in the Spiritualized camp.

I JUST GOT AN EMAIL FROM A FRIEND ASKING ME TO PUT THE (SURPRISINGLY!) STILL ONGOING 'RUMOURS DEBATE' TO BED - I SUSPECT THIS IS NOT IN MY GIFT! - BUT A FEW FINAL WORDS FROM ME ANYWAY...

(AS FOR "a serious problem"... UMMM... NOT SURE WHICH PART OF SERIOUS OR PROBLEM I DON'T GET... AS I REALLY DON'T CARE - IS THAT UNAMBIGUOUS ENOUGH?!!)

SO - ONE LAST TIME: THIS WEBSITE IS THE 'OFFICIAL' WEBSITE - THERE IS NO POINT IN POSTING HOURLY NEWS OF DISCUSSIONS WE MAY OR MAY NOT BE HAVING WITH REGARDS LIVE SHOWS/STUDIO WORK/PROPOSED TRIPS TO THE SEASIDE ETC ETC ETC AS 99% OF THEM NEVER HAPPEN... HOW COULD IT BE HELPFUL?

I HONESTLY DON'T CARE ABOUT RUMOURS ON THE WEB - WITHOUT THEM IT WOULD SURELY COME UNDONE! - AND I ENJOY READING NEWS OF CURE ACTIVITY IN THE WIDER WORLD AS POSTED BY FANS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES - IT IS OFTEN THE WAY THE BAND FINDS OUT ABOUT STUFF LIKE TRIBUTES/BOOTLEGS/ROGUE ADS ETC...

MY POINT IS MERELY: HERE IS NEWS

(AND AS A PARTING WHISPER: WE ARE NOT PLAYING COLMAR AND DAVE ALLEN IS NOT DOING THE NEW CURE ALBUM... BUT... *)

SPENDING MY LIFE DENYING RUMOURS THAT I KNOW TO BE JUST THAT: RUMOURS? UMMM... NO THANKYOU

I AM OFF NOW TO GET ON WITH REAL THINGS...
AND NEWS OF THEM WILL BE POSTED HERE WHEN THEY HAPPEN!

LOVE
RS

PS
*LIFTING UP THE CORNER OF MY SKIRT TO REVEAL A LIGHTER SIDE... THOSE DREAMS OF HYDE PARK IN JULY ARE NOT CONFIRMED... YET! HA!

MORE EMAILS!

xpost: Thank you, Robert, for scarring me with visions of "real things" under your skirt.

And this is not a flux perio?

Dan is right, BTW, in that it's very much a clear break, but at the same time I think it's entirely possible that another five-man lineup could emerge. We'll see.

I have to say that the real surprise in all this is the separation of the Bamontes, given that they've been involved (individually or together) with the Cure to one extent for another for something like a quarter-century? All the more intriguingly, of course, is the fact that there's been no statement from them yet.

so he is responsible for the best cure song ever! a big loss!

Things were out of sync during the flux perios of 83-84 and when Lol was in the process of being replaced by Roger,

this is news to me; I thought Roger didn't show up until Disintegration?

Hurrah!

Yeah, Roger first appeared with the Cure during Kiss Me days -- you'll notice that's him playing second keyboard in the "Just Like Heaven" video.

Dear Chris,

Could you tell all the people who contact you that I''m really overwhelmed by the amount of fans who have written to me, and you and to all the Cure websites - I never knew I had that much of an impact or how important a part of The Cure I was for so many people. Please pass on my thanks to everyone for their support and compliments and their best wishes for my future. I wish the band well and bear no grudge. I have no definite plans at this time but will imform you all if I become involed in any other projects.
Once again -Thank You!

Perry x

What's happening to Robert ?
5/31/2005 5:01:17 PM - by CURE:ROBERT
WHAT'S HAPPENING IS A DIM REALIZATION THAT POSTING HERE INSTEAD OF STICKING TO THE NEWS IS A MISTAKE! IT SEEMS THAT SOME PEOPLE ONLY SEE WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE AND HEAR WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR... IN MY PREVIOUS POSTS I HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFUL TO PUSH ONE SIMPLE POINT - THIS WEBSITE DOESN'T POST ANYTHING THAT ISN'T 100% CONFIRMED - IT POSTS FACTS NOT RUMOURS...

WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!! IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FANSITES... PLEASE!

(HOW CAN "AND I ENJOY READING NEWS OF CURE ACTIVITY IN THE WIDER WORLD AS POSTED BY FANS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES - IT IS OFTEN THE WAY THE BAND FINDS OUT ABOUT STUFF LIKE TRIBUTES/BOOTLEGS/ROGUE ADS ETC... " BE DISSING FANS... HUH?!!)

THIS WEBSITE CONFIRMS (AS FAR AS I KNOW!) WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE CURE - SIMPLE

I FIND IT SERIOUSLY UNREAL THAT SUCH A DRY FACT CAN GENERATE SUCH HYPERBOLE - ON WHICH NOTE I ABSOLUTELY STOP WRITING ABOUT IT...

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE ETC ETC

ONWARDS?
LOVE
RS

xpost

AS THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL CURE SITE, I'M MORE THAN DELIGHTED TO PROVIDE NOTHING BUT RUMOURS AND LIES HERE AS OPPOSED TO FACTS. BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE FUN TO LET YOU WONDER ABOUT MY COMMENT ON MY SITE REGARDING THE SKIRT AND LEAVE IT AT THAT.

RESOLUTE!
KISSES
RS

The Cure are featured on YAHOO! playing live Wednesday 15th June 2005

The exclusive four song performance (Fire In Cairo / M / The Drowning Man / The Figurehead) happens in Westside Studios in London with Mike Hedges at the controls...

Robert, Simon and Jason also take part in an exclusive interview talking about the past, the present and the future

More details here as we get them...

Four other re-recorded songs (Three Imaginary Boys / Seventeen Seconds / Faith / Pornography) - also with Mike Hedges - are scheduled for an upcoming iTunes special...

Hedges? Whoa.

x YOU SEEM TO BE LOST

THE MOST HAUNTED...

OH YEAH!

p.s. Love Ya Derek & Sam

Now throw an s in there and the cat will HEOW
X MOCKS THE SPOT

(STEVE SEVERIN WILL BE JOINING THE CURE... OF COURSE HE WON'T... BUT THE BLUE SUNSHINE EXTRAS CD IS SHAPING UP VERY NICELY!)

I haven't heard the demos - is there really reason to doubt Severin's denial?