Lol Tolhurst – författare

The inside story of The Cure'Beautifully realised' Irish TimesComing of age in Thatcher's Britain in the late 70s and early 80s was really tough, especially if you lived in Crawley. But against the grinding austerity, social unrest and suburban boredom, the spark of rebellion that was punk set alight three young men who would become one of the most revered and successful bands of their generation. The Cure.Cured is a memoir by Lol Tolhurst, one of the founding imaginary boys, who met Robert Smith when they were five. Lol threads the genesis of The Cure through his schoolboy years with Smith, the iconic leader of the group, and the band's most successful era in the 1980s. He takes us up to the present day, a riveting forty years since the band's inception.The band's journey to worldwide success is woven into a story not only of great highs and lows but also of love, friendship, pain, forgiveness and, ultimately, redemption on a beach in Hawaii.Cured highlights those parts of the creative journey that are not normally revealed to fans, incorporating many first-hand recollections around Lol's personal odyssey. From suburban London to the Mojave desert, Cured brings an acute eye for the times to bear on a lifelong friendship, with tales of addiction and despair along the way. Cured is the story of a timeless band and a life truly lived.

'Goth can plausibly claim to be the near-definitive word on the subject' - GuardianGoth is an entertaining and evocative personal history of Goth music and culture, told by a true insider. Lol Tolhurst explores the godfathers of goth who established the genre's roots - THE CURE, which he co-founded with Robert Smith, contemporaries SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES, BAUHAUS, JOY DIVISION - plus many more great bands that offered a place of refuge for the misfits of the 80s and ever since. Lol offers a fascinating deep dive into the movers and shakers of goth, imbued with his personal memories as well as those of fellow musicians, magicians and artists who make goth such an inevitable and enduring movement. Along the way he examines acts such as DEPECHE MODE and COCTEAU TWINS who helped the darkness expand. Finally, Tolhurst examines the legacy of goth music, and shows how its influence can still be seen to this day across music, film, TV, visual arts and social media. As thoughtful and thorough as it is utterly bewitching, Goth is a timeless testament to why Goth matters - and why it always will.