“There’s a sense of entitlement that didn’t used to be there amongst fans”: Why The Cure’s Robert Smith relates to Chappell Roan’s struggles with obsessive fans
Robert Smith of The Cure has opened up on the challenges of being in the public eye, and how he relates to concerns expressed by Chappell Roan over obsessive fan behaviour.
Pop artist Roan soared in popularity this year, as her 2023 debut album, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, shot to success. Roan joined Olivia Rodrigo on her Guts world tour this year, further growing a large fanbase, and performed to colossal crowds at festivals such as The Governors Ball and Lollapalooza.
READ MORE: “I felt bad about that, actually…If I’m honest” Robert Smith expresses regret about viral moment where he shut down interviewer
Following such a steep rise in fame for Roan, she addressed several concerns regarding intense fans in a post online, in which she addressed stalking, harassment, and bullying issues. She also asked fans to refer to her as her stage name only, and shared how she felt “the most unsafe” she had ever felt in her life.
Speaking on an episode of BBC’s Sidetracked podcast, Smith discussed Roan’s boundaries with fans, stating (via Rolling Stone), “It’s a complicated subject. I think what you’re doing as an artist, you want people to feel like they’re engaging with you, but it is a modern-world phenomenon that there’s a sense of entitlement that didn’t used to be there amongst fans.”
He goes on to add that “it was kind of enough that we did what we did” when The Cure started out, explaining, “As a consumer, I didn’t expect something more. It was enough to see Alex Harvey or to see David Bowie. I didn’t expect to hang out with them or get to know them, whereas now it seems almost like that is part of the deal.
“As The Cure became more popular, we have obviously experienced quite a lot of obsessive fan behaviour down the years. And it can feel quite threatening, honestly. If you have people sleeping outside your front door, it can get very weird. It never bothered me as much as people around me, but when it comes to your front door and people are there and they feel like somehow the cosmos has fated them [to be there]. You’re dealing with people who perhaps aren’t quite right all the time. You think, how do you respond to this? It’s impossible, really. You can’t be trained to do that.”
Smith continues, “Being famous, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, I can’t imagine many worse ways of living. It’s horrible being gawked at all the time and prodded and poked and people expecting more of you.”
The Cure released their most recent album, Songs Of A Lost World, back in November. Chappell Roan will perform at Reading and Leeds Festival in 2025.
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