Curt Smith

“We've never considered ourselves overtly political, but when it comes to English politics - people like Margaret Thatcher - you cannot just stand by and ignore all that's happening around us.”

“We are lucky to have had the longevity we've had, garnering new people. I've even become cool to my daughters' friends.”

“MySpace is just spam central. I mean, every day I just get mail inviting me to gigs that are nowhere near Los Angeles!”

“We were blessed that we were successful when we were. That enabled us to live in a comfortable fashion.”

“I couldn't deal with the fame, the pressure and everything else.”

“And I think the first LP was perhaps too precious. It was our life's work up to that point; there was so much pain in trying to make the perfect statement. We couldn't relax and I think most people missed what we were trying to say.”

“I write music for film because I love it.”

“I find that albums generally tell a story. Because it's music, it doesn't have to be in chronological order.”

“People forgot about us, which was what we wanted. We could be left alone without any pressure to make music.”

“Tears For Fears is my ultimate passion.”

“We released 'Mad World' as a single because we felt the music press would like it.”

“For me, I didn't want to be famous and there was a desire to be me and not 'that guy from the band' so I was happy to see it all go.”

“New York was a fantastic place to disappear because no one cares who you are. No one bothers you. In my ten years living there I was never once asked for an autograph or stopped on the street. It was an absolute joy. I gave myself time and space to get to know myself more.”

“I hate touring beyond measure. I don't like all the travelling and the hotel rooms. But the hour and a half on stage each night keep me going.”

“Leading into 'The Hurting,' what changed our view of music was Gary Numan.”

“When we play live show we tend to find there's a whole portion that's a considerably younger demographic. That's quite gratifying. They primarily seem to be into 'The Hurting' which I guess makes sense.”

“I don't believe that what Tears for Fears has done, and continues to do, can be pigeonholed into a genre or decade.”

“Due to the Internet, we don't perform new songs until a release. Don't get me wrong, I love new technology, but in the case of a new song we would like the original recording and production to be heard first.”

“When I get some time off, I don't even want to see people half the time.”

“I went through a divorce during the 'Seeds of Love' album.”