When The Cure’s Robert Smith gave a savage response to Hall of Fame red carpet question

11 May 2022, 11:20 | Updated: 11 May 2022, 11:34

The Cure's Robert Smith offers blunt response to overzealous TV host

By Radio X

@RadioX

The Cure frontman went viral for his lukewarm reception to a very peppy red carpet host at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2019.

Back in 2019, The Cure's frontman Robert Smith went viral on social media after his very honest response to a red carpet host at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Cure attended the induction ceremony, where they were celebrated for their contribution to music alongside the likes of Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, Roxy Music, Radiohead and The Zombies.

When the Friday I'm In Love stars came to the red carpet, an enthusiastic red carpet interviewer named Carrie Keagan said: "Congratulations The Cure Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees 2019, are you as excited as I am?"

Unfortunately Robert Smith didn't quite share the presenter's glee and replied: "Umm, by the sounds of it, no."

Smith's response had everyone talking about it including Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, who wrote on Twitter: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Robert rules!!!!!"

However, interviewer Keegan clearly saw the funny side and responded: "He is everything my lil black heart hoped he’d be. Wait til you see his acceptance speech!! Congratulations on The Dirt, Tommy!"

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain the following day, Keagan said: "If I had done just a proper, regular I don't think it would be trending and the world wouldn't be talking about it, so you're welcome!"

Speaking on the show Debatable on SiriusXM shortly afterwards, Smith noted that he found the whole thing absurd - but that the clip could have been a lot worse, joking: “I’m glad I didn’t say what I was going to say!”

He went on, "Someone showed it to me at the airport, saying there’s hundreds and thousands of people looking. I can see there’s a very slight pause, very momentarily in order to think of something that wasn’t offensive in the slightest and very neutral… and that what came out. I fell back on my natural… dryness, I suppose.”

Smith also couldn’t believe the reaction the clip had, adding: “I was in the studio in London and people I’d known for more than 25 years were asking me for selfies! I thought, what’s going on? Cab drivers were asking me for autographs - I haven’t signed an autograph for a cab driver in more than 30 years! The whole thing was totally absurd. It was like I’d entered some kind of Twilight Zone for about 48 hours. It was utterly bizarre."

The Cure - Rock and Roll Hall Reunion 2019

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