Asked & Answered

My mother worked in a department store and my father was a waiter. My older brother still dabbles in music but is a translator/tour guide by profession and my younger brother is a computer software writer (a wise career choice).

My hair has had touches of grey since I was in my mid 20's (it's genetic). I just don't dye it quite as much as I used to.

My 1959 Triumph TR3A which I still own as a reminder.

I sing most days in some form but I don't get into a vocal exercise routine unless I'm on tour.

The other musicians were professionals, they handled it as best they could. No plans to make more music with Oleta but who knows what the future will bring?

Thanks!

No plans at the moment to come east. We are looking at some dates next summer when Roland is back in LA but I'm not sure we'll be going that far. I still like EWTRTW, the moments around it that I remember most were recording it at Union Studios Munich in the coldest part of winter, and when it went to #1 in the US (we were shooting the video for Head Over Heels that day - real not literal).

Steve has been one of my good friends since I moved to NY in 1990, he still remains one today as we're now both in LA.

Me too but it doesn't make any business sense. It is of course available on iTunes and Amazon worldwide.

j'aime le fromage?

(that was from Diva actually)

Of course! I flew all the way to Monterrey to watch England lose against Portugal.

It would be nice, but I'm not sure that the expense would make it viable.

My socks on February 16th 1983.

A friend of mine wrote it and asked me to be in it. I'm not convinced acting is my forte though.

A kitchen table.

We're still trying to work something out with OurStage. No updates at the moment.

I'm still working on it. It's a question of design and cost.

I have not, but I believe Arlene has some experience of it.

Simple and intimate, the hardest and most rewarding aim is to capture the emotion.

To be honest I have no idea. I'm sure I'll learn more when we see each other in a couple of months.

Could you tell Diva & Wilder that please!

No current plans for new releases, will keep you posted.

It took me a few years to get up to a marathon. If you're in the early stages of running it will take a few months until it becomes easier. That's pretty much how long it takes for your metabolism to say "oh - this is going to be a regular thing, I'd better make the breathing a little easier and lose some weight".

I still enjoy it. I prefer larger venues with TFF and intimate ones for my solo work, I think that's the nature of the music.

I believe she was mistaken for a moose by Sarah Palin.

Wow, I really can't remember. If it was it would be Fear Of Music or Remain In Light, it also could have been confused with David Byrne/Brian Eno My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts. These were all albums we were listening to at the time.

TFF will be doing Night Of The Proms again this year but only in Germany, end of November thru December. Check www.notp.com for details.

Unfortunately we have no control over that as it's a Universal Records decision. It would have been nice to have a 25th anniversary edition of The Hurting though.

We have no plans to tour in the US at this point, but I will of course keep you posted if that should change.

I doubt that there will be any physical release but it the CD is available from Amazon.com and from CD Baby, albeit you'd need to have it sent from the States. (For you Euro-KOOKs, we will soon have the CD on Amazon.co.uk as well). You can also buy the MP3 version of the album from CD Baby, iTunes U.S., iTunes Australia/N.Z., iTunes Canada, iTunes UK/European Union, iTunes Japan, Rhapsody, GroupieTunes, Napster, eMusic, Amazon MP3, and Lala. We'll soon be on iMeem/Snocap and as soon as that's set we'll pop the SnoCap store onto the MySpace page as well. Phew.

It bears repeating here that if you bought the MP3 version of the album - and even if you didn't - a PDF of the booklet that comes with the CD is available for free download here on my site. It's on the Halfway, pleased page at the bottom of the "purchase links" box.

All upcoming events (including TFF) will be available on this website.

I always find this an interesting question. Does it mean that all other Curt Smiths are not real? Is it suggesting that I may be candy-coating or lying about my true feelings? How do I know which "real" one you're referring to? Am I the famous baseball writer? Or the annoying person that stole curtsmith.com? Let's just say yes, I am the "official" Curt Smith.

I learnt to play bass guitar when I was 16 (we needed a bass player)

It's what my children call me (that or weird guy).

It has given me the freedom to do what I do without a record company, and find the music I want to find without trolling through a record store for hours on end (not that there's anything wrong with that).

I think they have a place as a marketing tool, but everyone should be aware that if an artist doesn't get paid for his work then he'll have to stop making music. Sometimes people forget that, apart from it being our passion, it is actually our source of income. Without that I would have to get another job to feed and clothe my children.

It can always wait. My theory is that if I don't remember it, it wasn't good in the first place.

I do own a fretless bass and have played it on one or two tracks.

Thank God it's never hurt when someone criticizes me musically. It's one of the few things I'm completely confident about.

I was approached by a French record company to do it. I liked the song and thought it would be an amusing challenge to try and sing in French.

A friend.

If I listen to Peter Gabriel or Paul Buchanan (Blue Nile) sing I feel a little intimidated. The one artist that has convinced me to continue is myself - it's what I love.

Snow Hill

Not from me.

Quite a lot - now whether I play them well is a different story.

Depends on who the dominant one in the relationship is :)

Yellow" by Coldplay, "Tiny Children" by Teardrop Explodes, "Only Women Bleed" by Alice Cooper, "Happiness" by The Blue Nile - a long list of others.

It’s different but ultimately more rewarding.

No, I enjoyed the freedom.

Not the story itself, but the mindset behind the story can. Before writing lyrics it's good to immerse yourself in the general mood, subject or setting of the lyrics

I would love the opportunity to write for film, the idea adding a visual component to the lyrical and musical composition appeals to me.

Writing and singing are the things I enjoy the most. I made a decision to leave TFF in 1990 as it had become unbearable. This was due to fame as much as the personal friction between myself and Roland (probably caused by the former). I could either stop altogether or continue in a better environment on my own. I moved to New York and found the latter.

Creating musical landscapes. Anything technical.

Boredom. There are only so many times you can write "I love you" before it loses it's meaning. I prefer writing slightly cryptic lyrics that take some thought and rely half the time on the things that are left unsaid but hinted at.

The "record industry" is basically broken and dying. I don't believe I need a guy in a suit telling me how to make records. If they knew how they'd do it themselves. I just couldn't justify giving them such a huge percentage of my income as they really don't contribute that much anymore.

Slightly introspective and filmic, I love the process of producing music that creates a landscape for the lyrical content.

It tends to be more mellow and introspective. TFF are far more "grand."

I love it, nothing beats absolute self indulgence.

13

Acoustic guitar

I may have played percussion and acoustic guitar a few times but normally just bass.

Anything I can lay my hands on, some I'm OK at, some not so OK.

When I was 17, although I wrote lyrics earlier than that.

Self taught, listening to records or watching other people play.

Not intentionally, but My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts is one of my favorite records.

It's normally the music first, but a song title or one line of lyric may be the inspiration.

After - I was torn with the title because of Halfway Pleased, but when it works it works.

Probably not as it's not finished.

Now you're talking an alien language as I'm a technical retard. My own microphone was specifically made for my voice (don't ask me who by) as it's pre EQ'd, i.e. it sounds right for me without having to do anything to it.

I taught myself.

That's exactly what you are hearing. It's actually Georgica (Charlton's daughter). We were recording grand piano in Charlton's living room and it happened by accident. As the song is about my mother it was quite poignant and sad, so I left it there.