Quotes

[Asked what he thinks when he looks at himself in the mirror] 'Oh dear!'

[Asked what the most useful thing his parents taught him was] Don't get married.

[Asked to describe himself in 13 words] Kind of simple but a bit complicated and thoughtful but ultimately quite stupid.

[Asked about his opinion on drugs] Being illegal makes them expensive - therefore a worthwhile trade - and appealing. They should be seen for what they are - a waste of time.

[his tipsy reply to the question, 'Do you think that the Cure are different in life and on stage?'] No, they're exactly the same. Whatever they do on stage, that is how they are in life. They are the most wonderful people I have ever met. They're my own family. I work purely for nothing, because to me, they are everything. I am an orphan myself, I have no family. And then suddenly I'm embraced by this whole family of people. They love me and I love them in return. They are the most beautiful people I could ever imagine to meet in my whole life. When you watch them on stage, that is how they are in real life. They are the Cure. And please, just love them as I love you!

[Asked if he thinks of himself as nosey or interfering] Why do you ask?

[Asked if there is anything he would like to get off his chest at the end of an interview] The hair!

[Asked if he considers himself to be too sensitive] Please, don't ask me that...

[Asked what people would learn about him just by observing his closest friends] 'He has weird friends.'

[Asked if he prefers cooking at home or eating out] I never cook at home, or eat out that often.

[Asked approximately how many pints/bottles he would drink in a good session] Please! Have you got the right bloke here?

[1995; asked whether he surfs on the internet] No. I've paddled.

[Asked what he likes] Pianos, telescopes, seclusion, pictures.

[Asked what characteristics he thinks he has inherited from his parents] None that I'd admit to - probably lots!

[Asked about his ideal night out] When everyone else goes out and I stay in.

[Joke reply to the question 'Have you ever been arrested? Why?'] Yes. For smuggling heroin.

[Asked how he reacts to rejection] I go to pieces.

[Asked where his favorite place is] In head, but sometimes in bed.

[Asked which is his favourite pub in the 'whole wide world'] The one that's furthest away from my house!

[on how he spent his spare time during The Cure's 'Wish' album sessions] What I actually did during our stay at the manor was build relaunchable rockets - first in kit form, then building my own, increasingly larger, designs. The best ones were the night launches, where I installed lights into the nose cones that would illuminate the parachutes as the rocket descended. OK, I'm a geek, but it was really good fun.

[Talking about the 2006 FIFA World Cup to a German interviewer who has just suggested that 'England doesn't look well so far'] Oh, you mean scoring a goal at the last minute looks well? [Germany actually scored against Poland in the first minute of extra time]

[his reaction to Robert Smith's comment "I wish everyone in the world was well-educated or dead."] Better read than dead.

[May 1992; asked what he wishes for shortly before the release of The Cure's 'Wish'; replying while looking at his feet] I wish I could be invisible.

I'd been a member (of The Cure) for three weeks, and of course there were loads of mistakes, because there were 30 songs to learn. And I used to read these fanzines saying things like "Excellent concert, but keyboard sounding very strange on 'A Forest'."

[What are your views on bootlegs?] I like them.

[What is the last film you went to see, and what did you think of it?] I don't like cinemas, and I'm rarely attracted by most of the new films released - there are so many wonderful old films - I have an ever growing list of hard to get films I want to get on video. The last film I went to see was 'These Foolish Things' by Bertrand Terranier.

[What's your favourite day out / tourist attraction in the UK?] The Tate Gallery.

[What is the last book you read?] A collection of poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

[What's your favourite alcoholic drink? Have you invented any good cocktails recently?] I like red wine.

[Do you ever listen to classical music? If so, what is your favorite composition?] When I'm not listening to Cure music (i.e. working) I listen to classical music, almost exclusively. I like Mozart and his period (Baroque) and opera.

[What do you drink on stage?] Red wine and orange juice.

[What's the dumbest thing you've ever done to impress someone?] I jumped over the barrier at Niagara Falls - that's pretty dumb.

[Would you like to get married and have children?] No.

[Where do you go fishing?] Anywhere!

[Have you ever seen a UFO?] No. Except for once, when I was in the Swiss Alps. At night. It looked like this (honestly). Coloured lights, a small greenish occupant. I was drawn upwards by a beam of light - I remember a kind of operating table. It felt like a few minutes but when I came too I found I had been gone for 3 days! (My book is published next month).

[Who is the strangest person you have ever met?] What is strange?

[Do you have murderous instincts?] Occasionally.

[Is there any truth in the rumour that you took part in a major fashion show last year (1993)?] Absolutely not (it was the year before)

[Do you keep promises?] Yes-ish.

[Do you get tired of things quickly?] Unfortunately yes.

[Which is stronger, your head or your heart?] My damned heart.

[What do you fantasize about?] Not telling you.

[Who's your ideal drinking partner?] Claudia Cardinale.

[Do you usually confront or avoid difficult situations?] Avoid. Definitely avoid.

[Have your parents always supported you in your music, or were they skeptical?] They just let me get on with what ever I wanted.

[Do you prefer to lie and please or to tell the truth and hurt someone?] I'll bend the truth to soften the blow.

[When will the new album be released?] God knows! When it's finished!! (Probably March '96).

[What do you think of the trend towards English bands at the moment, such as Blur, Elastica, Suede, Sleeper, Oasis, Gene, Menswear, etc.?] I didn't know of this 'trend', but it's nice that English bands are popular.

[Describe the average cure fan] Quiet. Sensitive. Unstable.

[How big is your personal record collection?] Not that big at all.