Chino Moreno of the Deftones took part in a Kerrang! interview where he talked about his encounter with Robert Smith of The Cure. Crosses, Moreno’s other band, released their debut full-length album as a special Friday the 13th release three days ago. The record, titled “Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete,” includes a partnership with Robert Smith. When Smith asked Deftones to perform The Cure’s MTV Icon tribute in 2004, the two singers got to know one another. Moreno was asked if the two’s friendship had developed prior to this incident. He clarified that they had already met and said:
“I first met him in 1997. One of the earliest global streaming took place when we performed songs from “Around The Fur” during a webcast when it first released. We performed in a studio in Hollywood, and I was unaware that The Cure were practicing right next door. The frontman experienced the unexpected. He described how they ultimately connected:
“After the show was over, my tour manager told me that Robert Smith had been watching and had asked if I would come into their studio. ‘What the f*ck?’ I exclaimed. He was really friendly when I stepped in. All he could say was wonderful things. He then described how one of their then-new songs caught Robert Smith’s attention, which aided in the development of their friendship: In particular, I recall that he questioned me about the words of ‘Mascara,’ which we had just sung. Wow, he really was paying attention, was all I could think. We developed an email friendship, and after that, he got in touch with me a few more times. We have continued to be friends ever since.
The leader apparently didn’t want to let anyone know about Smith’s inclusion in the record because he wanted it to be a surprise. He went on: I truly wanted to keep his appearance on “Girls Float, Boys Cry” a secret. I would have delighted for folks to start singing along and then suddenly recognize Robert Smith’s voice and ask, “Is that him?” Like Deftones did with Passenger and Maynard [James Keenan], I adore Easter eggs in music. Ultimately, the collaboration was revealed, but everything turned up just right. The rocker said that he wanted to have the word “boy” in the song’s title and after coming up with the current title, he agreed to use it specifically because Smith also appears in it. The new collaboration’s title, “Girls Float Boys Cry,” was inspired by The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.”
