The former The Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst described the band’s attempt to replace their leader Robert Smith with a doppelganger in a recent interview for NME’s ‘Does Rock N’ Roll Kill Braincells?’ series. In the interview, Tolhurst discussed the incident with Paul Bell of Zerra One from the time the band was touring in 1982 and their failed attempt to replace Smith with someone else. He revealed: Paul Bell of [Irish new wave band] Zerra One was our tourmate. If you dim the lights in the theater, I’ll put on a wig, and we have recordings of Robert Smith singing, so maybe it will work for a few performances, he added. However, Robert came back a few days later, so everything was well. The drummer has attended a number of The Cure tribute concerts including other bands. Did any of the band members resemble Smith? Listed by Tolhurst:
Although I’ve made several amusing sideshow appearances with Cure homage acts, none of them resemble Robert in the slightest. Whatever they are wearing, it doesn’t pass muster. On the other hand, I’ve known him for 60 years, so I won’t take the wrong person for him. Hopefully!” Over the years, there was animosity between the two sides. The musician filed a lawsuit against Smith for unpaid royalties in 1989, a year after leaving the group, and even asserted joint ownership of the band’s name. In the long run, the drummer lost the court case. The conflict between the two has been settled after 60 years of friendship. The two don’t appear to be at odds any longer, and Tolhurst is confident that he wouldn’t mistake another person for his bandmate.
