Robert Smith of The Cure, a legendary figure in the rock scene, has rarely shied away from expressing his unfiltered opinions, even if it means ruffling a few feathers! While he typically lets his music speak for itself, there are occasions when Smith doesn't hold back, and his views on fellow iconic band Queen are certainly one of them.
With a career spanning over five decades, Robert Smith has witnessed countless bands rise to fame, only to fade into obscurity. Achieving the kind of longevity that The Cure has is a monumental task, and very few artists manage to sustain such a prominent presence in the music industry. It's one thing to reach the pinnacle, but quite another to stay there. While Queen has undoubtedly achieved this remarkable feat, it appears their enduring success hasn't earned them Robert Smith's admiration.
During the 1980s, The Cure and Queen occupied vastly different corners of the rock spectrum. Freddie Mercury, the electrifying and flamboyant frontman, was the epitome of showmanship. In stark contrast, Smith cultivated a more reserved and understated persona, both on and off stage. Given these seismic musical and stylistic differences, it's perhaps not surprising that Smith found himself unimpressed by Queen. He reportedly couldn't find anything to appreciate in their music, and the fact that they were the biggest band in the world at the time was a source of genuine bewilderment for him.
But here's where it gets controversial... Despite his strong negative feelings towards the stadium-filling quartet, Smith managed to keep these sentiments largely to himself for many years. This reserved approach to public discourse has been a hallmark of his career, as he generally prefers to avoid direct confrontation. He famously navigated a prolonged and rather one-sided public feud with Morrissey, the frontman of The Smiths, a rivalry that was largely instigated by Morrissey himself.
Smith's refusal to engage in public spats with Morrissey, despite the latter's often harsh words, demonstrated that he's not one to engage in aggressive public criticism of other artists. However, his true feelings have occasionally surfaced, as they did in 2004 when he discussed Queen.
This revelation came to light during an interview with Rolling Stone. The conversation initially revolved around the burgeoning success of the British band The Darkness, who had experienced a meteoric rise to fame. Following the release of their debut album, "Permission to Land," in 2003, which topped the charts for a month, and their subsequent headlining of the Reading and Leeds Festival and a dominant performance at the Brit Awards, they were undeniably one of Britain's biggest bands. However, Smith remained unconvinced, viewing them as a mere imitation of Queen.
"Well, I never liked Queen," Smith admitted when asked about The Darkness. "I can honestly say I hated Queen and everything that they did."
It might seem unusual to harbor such strong animosity towards a band's entire body of work, but Smith has a history of holding onto his convictions. It appears that even decades after their peak, the widespread admiration for Queen's stadium-filling brilliance continued to irk him. And when a new band emerged that seemed to echo that sound, these old feelings resurfaced.
Smith elaborated, "To have that rehashed and reheated for a second time around is pretty weird. So, no, I don’t like the Darkness at all. I think they’re a comedy band."
By extension, Smith also labeled Queen as a comedic act. This is a rather blunt assessment of one of the best-selling musical groups of all time. While the flamboyant Freddie Mercury certainly embraced his role as a showman, he was also a deeply talented musician who infused his songs with genuine emotion.
Perhaps it was the visual style, but Smith perceived The Darkness as a revival of a rock era he didn't enjoy the first time and preferred to forget. While his critique of The Darkness was harsh, it's worth noting that he wasn't the only one who saw them as a novelty act. This is a label that took the band many years to overcome, but remarkably, 20 years after their debut, The Darkness continues to thrive.
What do you think? Is it possible to genuinely dislike an entire band's output, or is this a case of artistic differences being amplified? Share your thoughts in the comments below – do you agree with Robert Smith's assessment of Queen and The Darkness, or do you think he's missing the mark entirely?
