INFO
In November 1979, Simon Gallup and Matthieu Hartley - keyboard player with The Magspies - joined The Cure.
STORY
"I used to see him wandering round Horley with different coloured hair every week." Lol Tolhurst, Ten Imaginary Years (1988)
"I thought it was a bit much asking Simon to step in, I thought he might be resented by his mates in Horley so I asked Matthieu to join as well. I didn't know him very well at the time and I wasn't even sure we'd need any synth lines but I knew we'd need another instrument at some point and, also, it would mean Simon wasn't the new boy, wasn't the odd one out.
"Matthieu had a Korg Duophonic synth which was perfect because you couldn't play more than two notes at a time and we just started rehearsing straight away. I was really excited at the time - we started setting up concerts before we even had the songs ready. We set ourselves a deadline and rehearsed for seven or eight days solid." Robert Smith, Ten Imaginary Years (1988)
"When Robert asked me to join The Cure, I said yes immediately because the prospect was so exciting. My role was reasonably detached though, I wasn't an integral part of the band but I wasn't on probation either. I just did what Robert told me to do." Matthieu Hartley, Ten Imaginary Years (1988)
"Given hindsight, I think it was a rather hedonistic choice - bang two in instead of one, But I quite liked the idea of four - it shattered previous illusions and I felt 'We're going somewhere!
"Robert rang me and said 'I think you'd better come down and listen to what we're doing' so I went down to his mum and dad's house in Crawley and, I must admit, my gut reaction was less than enthusiastic. I instinctively took a liking to Simon and a disliking to Hartley - I found him a bit overbearing. Simon was nervous, Lol was trying hard, Robert was trying to please but Hartley was just boorish." Chris Parry, Ten Imaginary Years (1988)
"There was something between Chris and me from the start - a personality conflict. I didn't hate him, I just didn't get on with him, that's all." Matthieu Hartley, Ten Imaginary Years (1988)
"They played and I felt better - I automatically noticed the downbeat quality of it which, musically, was a bit of a shock, and I wasn't quite sure where this thing was going to go. But, I'll give Robert his due, he knew where he wanted to go." Chris Parry, Ten Imaginary Years (1988)