With goth on his side
Doom pop uber-lord Robert Smith is far cuddlier and more approachable than his stern image might suggest.
Roisin Dwyer, 30 Aug 2011
You’re making it sound like I’ve been really busy!” laughs Cure frontman Robert Smith. Our alloted time with the goth legend, primarily to discuss his involvement in the beguiling John Martyn tribute album, has meandered into his many recent activities: collaborations with Crystal Castles, The Japanese Popstars, 65daysofstatic and a contribution to Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland soundtrack.
Despite his rock legend status, Smith is refreshingly open to creative pitches.
“I just get emails saying this project’s being put together and would you like to be involved? Then I get in touch and take it from there. I don’t do third party stuff, there is no middle-man,” he says.
“With the John Martyn album I was desperate to get one of two or three songs because the One World album is by far my favourite.”
Smith’s contribution – a charming, ethereal re-working of ‘Small Hours’ – is one of the highlights of the collection, which brings together an unlikely bevy of fans that includes Beck, Joe Bonamassa, The Swell Season, Snow Patrol and Lisa Hannigan.
“There are different approaches to covers, you can pick the key parts of the songs and put them back together in a different way or try to make it your own and not worry too much if it’s like the original. That’s what I did with ‘Small Hours’,” Smith proffers. “Quite often with cover versions when you try a song you really, really love it’s impossible to improve on it. You end up feeling sort of distraught because you can never better the original. I don’t think I’ve come near to that but I’ve got something that captures how I feel about the song, which is the most important thing.”
The collection is an eclectic paean to the folk genius. Its emotional reconstructions combine to create a powerful listening experience which also reminds us of the breadth of Martyn’s appeal.
“He was brilliant, he was just untouchable,” Smith enthuses. “He used very weird tuning and that’s the key to ‘Small Hours’. When I was learning to play the guitar when I was 16 or 17 and listening to his music, I loved the way he made shapes with his hands that weren’t conventional shapes. I do actually play a little bit like him. Well, I try to play a little bit like him, I’ve never quite achieved his fluidity.”
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