Roland Orzabal Reveals Curt Smith’s Reaction to His Astrology-Inspired Memoir

Trending on Billboard

As the creative force behind Tears for Fears, Roland Orzabal has lived a remarkably eventful life. However, penning an autobiography was initially far from his mind.

Orzabal—whose upcoming book, Welcome to Your Life: Love, Death and Tears For Fears (Dey Street), hits shelves on August 4—had no initial intention of writing a memoir. Having already penned the 2014 novel Sex, Drugs & Opera, he was actively pitching another manuscript titled Truthwall when his literary agent, Mark Gottlieb, suggested shifting gears toward non-fiction.

“Every time he presented the new novel to publishers, they would inevitably ask, ‘What about a memoir?'” the 64-year-old British musician shares with Billboard via Zoom from his home on the south coast of Massachusetts. “He eventually asked me, ‘Have you ever considered writing a memoir?’ I replied that I hadn’t. But I had always wanted to write about astrology, having studied it for four decades, alongside metaphysics, personal philosophy, and my perspective on the human condition. I thought perhaps I could intertwine the two, charting my life story through an astrological lens—while naturally incorporating Tears for Fears. Mark simply told me to write three or four chapters and let him review them.”

The resulting 268-page publication is subtitled An Astrological Memoir and opens with a foreword entitled “Warning: This Book Contains Astrology” to introduce his lifelong passion to readers. While Welcome To Your Life frequently references celestial alignments and zodiac signs to contextualize historical milestones, Orzabal took great care to ensure these esoteric elements never disrupt the narrative flow.

“My initial impulse was to weave the astrological elements seamlessly into the prose like a tapestry,” Orzabal explains. However, his publisher, Carrie Thornton, advised otherwise, suggesting he place them as dedicated interstitials at chapter ends so readers could easily follow the primary narrative. “I understood that completely. The astrology offers an additional layer of interpretation. Once I tested the approach, I realized it was brilliant. It’s distributed throughout the book in a way that remains entirely optional for those who prefer to skip it.”

Let It All Out

Longtime bandmate Curt Smith had a similarly lighthearted reaction after receiving an early advance copy. “He texted me as soon as he finished it, mentioning he was in tears, which I took as a positive sign,” Orzabal recalls with a laugh. “When I asked for his thoughts on the astrology sections, he admitted, ‘Oh, I skipped those’ or ‘I didn’t quite understand them.’ So there you have it. Curt hasn’t looked at the book since, but I’m confident he’ll find the main story engaging.”

Welcome To Your Life presents an unflinching look into Orzabal’s journey, navigating a turbulent childhood marked by his parents’ divorce during his early teens in Bath, England, alongside his burgeoning artistic ambitions. He and Smith crossed paths as teenagers, initially forming the band Graduate. Following that group’s modest single-album run, they established Tears for Fears. Both musicians developed a profound fascination with psychologist Arthur Janov’s primal scream therapy, a philosophy that deeply influenced their 1983 debut The Hurting and the monumental 1985 Billboard 200 chart-topper Songs From the Big Chair, which generated two Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles.

“We were young and fiercely idealistic,” Orzabal reflects. “We believed primal therapy represented absolute truth… Consequently, music journalists often misunderstood us because we began our career discussing Janov. The Hurting was a solid artistic statement that naturally transitioned into the massive commercial triumph of Songs From the Big Chair. Over time, the foundational ideas that originally set us apart from our peers faded from the public consciousness, which is entirely fine.

“In the book, I wanted to properly articulate that era because it was what truly distinguished Curt and me from the prevailing music scene. There is a chapter titled ‘A Process of Becoming’ dedicated to our exploration of primal therapy. It’s a fascinating narrative.”

The memoir also evaluates the intricate dynamics of the Orzabal-Smith partnership, including their 1991 parting of ways—during which Orzabal maintained ownership of the band moniker to record two additional TFF records alongside his 2001 solo project, Tomcats Screaming Outside—prior to their eventual reconciliation. Despite past creative frictions and disagreements over management during the late 1980s, Orzabal consciously avoided painting Smith as a villain.

“Had I written this book back in the ’90s, he certainly would have been cast that way,” admits Orzabal, who also addresses the poignant chapters dedicated to his late first wife Caroline, and her prolonged struggles with depression, substance abuse, dementia, and cirrhosis prior to her passing in 2017. (Orzabal remarried in 2020 and is currently raising a young daughter alongside two adult sons from his previous marriage.) “After the success of The Hurting and especially Big Chair, we experienced a sudden influx of wealth. Curt embraced the altered reality of pop stardom far differently than I did, purchasing a grand estate in the south of Bath and living the lifestyle of the newly rich, whereas my priorities lay elsewhere.

“Ultimately, Smith is an exceptional collaborator, and we share a wonderful equilibrium that I have no wish to disrupt. He has stood by me through remarkably difficult periods with a steady, unshakeable demeanor. Now that we are both in our mid-sixties—Curt is 65, and I am fast approaching that milestone—decades-long bonds become increasingly invaluable. As time progresses, you learn to cherish those enduring relationships profoundly.”

Head Over Heels

Rather than identifying as a traditional rock star during the peak of Tears for Fears, Orzabal maintains that he simply felt like a contributing component of a larger movement. “I never viewed myself as the epicenter. I recount specific moments in the book, such as touring Orange County during the Big Chair era, when police helicopters swept the hillsides with searchlights while our track ‘Listen’ echoed across the venue PA. I remember thinking, ‘This is extraordinary—not because of me personally, but because I am part of something that has achieved this magnitude.'”

“Even now, I rarely dwell on celebrity status. Just the other day, while I was checking out at a garden center with some plants, a woman mentioned she was a massive fan, and my immediate internal reaction was, ‘Of the plants?’ It simply doesn’t cross my mind.”

Nevertheless, Orzabal hopes Welcome To Your Life might inspire listeners to revisit his lesser-known catalog, including the non-Smith TFF records, his solo venture, and even his early days with Graduate. “I’d love for people to explore the wider discography,” he notes. “When I read Bono’s memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, he referenced numerous tracks I was unfamiliar with, prompting me to seek them out as valuable reference points.”

The memoir is equally peppered with classic rock-and-roll anecdotes. In one memorable exchange, the late Joe Strummer playfully admonished Orzabal, declaring he “owed him a fiver” because the phrase “everybody wants to rule the world” surfaced in The Clash’s 1980 track “Charlie Don’t Surf.” Orzabal promptly signed a ten-pound note and handed it over, noting that the gesture “brought a smile to a great man’s face.” In another instance, Orzabal recalls an incident where Michael Jackson’s entourage mistakenly walked off with his luggage following a Concorde flight to London.
“He had a towering security guard collecting standard black rock-and-roll garment bags,” Orzabal remembers. “I was far too intimidated to approach him, but my manager had no such reservations, and we managed to retrieve our belongings.”

Life Ahead

Tears for Fears released their most recent studio album, The Tipping Point, in 2022, subsequently contributing four fresh compositions to their 2024 live package, Songs For a Nervous Planet. Following a critically acclaimed residency at Las Vegas’ BleauLive Theater last autumn, the group currently has no active touring or recording commitments scheduled.

“I’ve continuously recorded new music,” says Orzabal, who intends to resume pitching his novel Truthwall once the promotional cycle for Welcome To Your Life winds down. “I completed about eight tracks last year, and I’ll likely write and record another batch to see where things stand. Right now, Curt and I are navigating different phases of life: Curt is slowing down his pace, whereas my world has just accelerated with the arrival of a newborn. Although I’ve been happily remarried for six years, it still feels entirely fresh. We’re on separate trajectories at the moment, but our paths will undoubtedly intersect again before long. I suspect this book may generate its own momentum, and we will evaluate the landscape once the dust settles before undertaking our next major endeavor. There are already whispers of substantial live performances on the horizon for 2027.”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published.
Required fields are marked *

Name *

Email *

Website

Post Comment

 

Source