Comment: Let's Hear it for The Cure

They’re having a bit of a renaissance for me these days. And, apparently, for themselves. They just keep churning out albums, and have been reissuing left and right on top of their new stuff.

I’ve been listening to some of the B sides from "Staring at the Sea". They’re incredible and hardly ever played, let alone known, except by die-hard Cure fans.

Does that make me a die-hard Cure fan? Probably.

Were they an influence on me in my youth? Absolutely.

I freaking looked like Robert Smith. I had big hair and eyeliner, dyed my hair jet black and wore ripped, black (natch) clothes and big boots. I smoked cigarettes alone at three in the morning and felt like I was the only person in the world who felt this way, besides, of course, Robert and his boys. Misery truly does love company. (See: Morrissey; sidebar, have you seen his new video? He definitely has some more mileage, but he still looks good and angst-filled, albeit greyer. He still flails his arms around. I love it.)

Back in the late 80s, I would play particular Cure songs over and over, willing them to remove the angst from my teenaged soul. It didn’t always work, but it was better than spending my time doing heavy pharmaceuticals.

If you’re looking for classic Cure, you should try “Throw Your Foot:” off the above-mentioned "B-Sides". Or “Stop Dead.” And if you want their best dance song ever, try “Hot! Hot! Hot!” from "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me", without question the best song about lightning EVER. I dare you to sit still while it plays. And if you want early raw Cure, try “10:15 Saturday Night.” Get the live version. The studio one is nowhere near as good.

There's so much more, but by now you've either stopped reading or are already on ITunes looking for your own personal cure for angst. Enjoy. And by "enjoy", I mean, revel in the angst and be happy. It is humanly possible to do both simultaneously.