The Cure’s lead singer, Robert Smith, is famous for his friendly and understanding demeanour. But he also has a list of bands that, in his words, “really, really don’t like”.
Smith is not afraid to admit that he dislikes certain bands, such as Queen, Def Leppard, and Morrissey.
Even though the “How Soon Is Now” singer frequently chastised him, he once described their arguments as “make-believe.”
Smith admires musicians such as David Bowie, The Stranglers, Mogwai, and Placebo, but not everyone in the music industry shares his enthusiasm. Nonetheless, he frequently expresses his negative views with a sense of humour.
Here are the five bands that Robert Smith dislikes, along with some of his most direct comments.
Queen
As The Cure’s music expanded into new territory, Smith became inspired by emotionally honest artists like Nick Drake.
That is why it is unsurprising that Queen’s flashy, fun pop does not appeal to him.
He bluntly stated, “I totally didn’t like Queen and everything about them.”
The Darkness
Smith doesn’t like Queen, so it’s understandable that he wouldn’t like The Darkness either.
When asked if he would perform with the Lowestoft rock group at the Reading & Leeds Festival, Smith compared them to Queen and stated, “It’s strange to recycle an idea for the second time. So, no, I do not like The Darkness at all.
Smith isn’t simply dissatisfied with their lack of original music. He also dislikes their flashy style and calls them a “funny band.”
Morrissey
Smith recently claimed that his disagreements with Morrissey were “made up”:
“I’ve seen how quickly these disagreements can grow because people love drama.”
This, however, differs significantly from his previous statement: “If Morrissey says don’t eat meat, then I’ll eat meat. That’s how much I dislike Morrissey. Morrissey’s characterization of Smith as a “complainer” made matters worse. He went on to say, “Morrissey is so gloomy that if he doesn’t [hurt himself] soon, I probably will.”
Def Leppard
Smith proudly believes that The Cure will only gain popularity if people begin to enjoy their style of music.
Their 1992 album ‘Wish’ came close to accomplishing this. But then Def Leppard took the top spot in the United States, which made Smith very unhappy.
“I wanted to make our album the best in America. I do not like Def Leppard. I didn’t like them before, and I dislike them even more now.”
Duran Duran
Duran Duran was all about the glamour and fun of the 1980s, but Smith wished their music had more substance. He recently stated:
“Mostly, it was Duran Duran Duran, which is unfortunate because they liked us and attended our concerts. But they were everything we didn’t like: the 80s glam, the shopping frenzy, and the insane world we were living in.”
