"There was one lone Cure fan in my English class"

In 1987, I was reading a Thrasher Magazine profile on then young pro- skateboarder Tony Hawk. The article mentioned that The Cure was one of Tony's favorite bands. Hawk was one of my heroes then, and I thought "If he likes them, I should definitely check them out."

I lived in Virginia at the time and our middle school had it's share of Smiths and U2 fans. Fortunately for me, there was one lone Cure fan in my English class. Clad in black and white leggings, a black top, a black skirt, bright red lipstick, topped with tousled blue black hair, Alyssa looked like something out of The Cure's Lullaby video. She was an avid Cure fan and let me borrow the double vinyl release for Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. I protected the bright red sleeve as I made my way home from school to drop the needle on the vinyl. I listened with curious intensity to the first track The Kiss. Thudding Flanged Bass, building dynamics ... all leading into the wailing wah-wah guitar work.

At the crescendo of what seemed like a wall of sound, Robert Smith began his vocals. I was stunned. I was hooked. I listened to Kiss Me over and over and over again. In addition to the lyrical content, I was fascinated with the production value. I loved the placement of the instruments in the aural spectrum. Drums here. Rhythm Guitars over there. I loved the ups and downs. The dynamics were amazing. From that point forward, I began amassing their entire catalog, any reading material on the band, miscellaneous promotional items, limited pressings, strange one off collaborations, etc. I also made every effort to see them live when touring in the US. The Cure has been my favorite band for over 20 years. They are still relevant. They are still evolving. With every new release, The Cure continue to connect with me in the way they did when I was 12.

(from: Patrick Miller, Mississippi, USA)