Stories of rock stars succumbing to the excesses of the '80s only to rebound and get sober decades later are a dime a dozen, but there's something about Lol Tolhurst's new memoir, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys, that's different.
Part of it has to do with Tolhurst's history. As a founding member of the Cure, few have as many stories about, and insights into, the band's early years. But a much larger part has to do with the narrative he constructs here.
After being ousted shortly after the completion of the band's 1989 album Disintegration, Tolhurst practically disappeared from the public eye and wouldn't play with the band for over 20 years. In that time, there was a messy divorce, multi-year lawsuit between him and co-founder and leader Robert Smith, the death of a child and his struggle to sober up. But Cured never really feels like a rock'n'roll cliché unfolding over 300-odd pages. Instead, it's a story of forgiveness, both personal and of others, and finding success and happiness on your own terms.
Fans of the band will be happy to know it's not all doom and gloom (well, mostly — this is the Cure we're talking about, after all). Tolhurst packs in loads of tidbits about the band's studio and songwriting sessions, as well as the personalities and inner workings of his fellow bandmates. It's an eye-opening experience, partly because no one else in the group has ever published a tell-all of their own. That alone makes it a must-own for fans of the band, but it's Tolhurst's tale of redemption and the wild ride that led to it that make Cured a memorable memoir.
(Da Capo Press)Part of it has to do with Tolhurst's history. As a founding member of the Cure, few have as many stories about, and insights into, the band's early years. But a much larger part has to do with the narrative he constructs here.
After being ousted shortly after the completion of the band's 1989 album Disintegration, Tolhurst practically disappeared from the public eye and wouldn't play with the band for over 20 years. In that time, there was a messy divorce, multi-year lawsuit between him and co-founder and leader Robert Smith, the death of a child and his struggle to sober up. But Cured never really feels like a rock'n'roll cliché unfolding over 300-odd pages. Instead, it's a story of forgiveness, both personal and of others, and finding success and happiness on your own terms.
Fans of the band will be happy to know it's not all doom and gloom (well, mostly — this is the Cure we're talking about, after all). Tolhurst packs in loads of tidbits about the band's studio and songwriting sessions, as well as the personalities and inner workings of his fellow bandmates. It's an eye-opening experience, partly because no one else in the group has ever published a tell-all of their own. That alone makes it a must-own for fans of the band, but it's Tolhurst's tale of redemption and the wild ride that led to it that make Cured a memorable memoir.