TEARS FOR FEARS TELLS ALL! TELLS ALL! TELLS ALL!

TEARS FOR FEARS TELLS ALL! TELLS ALL! TELLS ALL!

If you think 1985 was a good year, imagine how Tears For Fears feel.

The British duo, consisting of Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith, have captured the hearts of music lovers all around the world with this year’s Songs From The Big Chair. Their second album, Songs is a multiplatinum collection of hits that just can’t stop being played on the radio. From the wistful “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” to the energetic “Shout” to current hit “Head Over Heels,” Tears For Fears are becoming one of England’s most popular exports since— dare we say it?—Culture Club or the Beatles.

But you won’t catch Tears For Fears bragging about it. Orzabel and Smith, natives of Bath, England—so named because, believe it or not, it’s the site of naturally warm springs used by ancient Romans as health baths—are as surprised by their success as everyone else. Why? Because they’ve been playing together for ages!

“We met when we were 13.” recalls Roland Orzabel, “through mutual friends. When we first met each other, the very first instant, we were calling on Curt to see if he was going to come out to play.” Roland laughs at the memory. “He wasn't allowed out because he’d been in a fight the day before. And I thought he was Indian, because he was really dark, you know? And he thought I was French, because I was quite dark at the time. So it was like we knew then we were going to go places.

“And when he eventually did come out, we found ourselves speaking along the same lines, in terms of a dreadful sense of humor. And I had a band at the time, because I’d been playing the guitar since the age of nine and I’d always been in bands, you know? Just school bands. And I heard Curt singing along to a record in his bedroom, and as his voice had broken and mine hadn't, he sounded great, he really did. So I asked him to sing, so I could concentrate on the guitar. And that’s how it started.”

And what does the album title Songs From The Big Chair mean? Good question! In fact, it’s something of an inside joke. Have you ever seen the film Sybil? It’s about an unfortunate woman with not just one split personality but several—can you imagine? it’s a favorite of Tears For Fears, though—and in fact, the “big chair” being referred to is taken directly from that film.

“The big chair was her analyst’s chair,” reveals Curt Smith. “That's where she felt comfortable, and didn t feel threatened by anyone else, and could say what she felt without the worry of people getting on top of her. And she always felt really cozy, and could be the way she wanted to be, in this chair.

“We wanted an album title that showed both sides of us, you know? The fact that we did have some humor—it sounds like a humorous title and it does have meaning, in that we got bored to death with having to worry about what critics thought of us. I used to get really concerned with what critics thought of us, and now we realize that it doesn t matter. It does matter, but it shouldn't affect the way you think. So Songs From The Big Chair is our second album, take it or leave it that sort of thing. This is how we want to do it, we've done it and we like it.”

One thing's very certain: they’re not the only ones who like it! If you’ve watched any MTV at all this year and ROCK-SHOTS is willing to bet you have—you’ve no doubt seen several Tears For Fears videos many times. Has MTV made Tears For Fears the superstars they are? That’s a difficult question to answer, of course. But you must admit it s made Roland and Curt two of the most recognized faces in rock today. What sort of image do they think they have these days?

“People have just started to write that we actually don’t have much of an image, which I think is good,” notes Roland. “I mean, it’s really strange. Once you’re wrapped up in something, it’s really hard to know what’s coming across.

“I walked into a video shop not so long ago, to hire a video, and they were playing our video singles. And it was ‘Pale Shelter’”—a hit from the first Tears For Fears album, The Hurting— “and I couldn’t believe it! I mean, for a start, we both look so much younger. That’s just the way we looked, not that we aged so much. And I could see the criticisms that everybody's leveled at us. I thought, ‘Yeah that’s patheticY"

Fans of Tears For Fears videos will be pleased to hear that two separate videocassette compilations of the band are now available. The first, a Video 45 from Sony, features three early videoclips from The Hurting, including "Pale Shelter,"

“Change” and “Mad World”— the latter which Roland says he likes best of the three. Recently released is Scenes From The Big Chair, a 77-minute videocassette from Musicvision that features the band in concert, as well as interviews with Roland, Curt, and longtime musical partners Ian Stanley (who plays keyboards) and drummer Manny Elias.

One of the most interesting aspects of Tears For Fears is the division of labor within the band. Curt, the more outspoken of the two, generally does most of the interviewing, while Roland—who writes almost all of the songs—prefers to remain in the background. Why? He simply doesn’t enjoy the recognition as much as Curt does.

“He can take it,” says Roland of his outgoing partner’s dealings with the press. “I think he quite likes it. Whereas I don’t know how to behave. I just feel slightly odd. I mean, if I was stunning-looking, then I’d probably do it. But I don’t see any point in it.

“Not just on the basis of what I look like—I mean, obviously, it’s all linked. You know? I know what / think about people like that, I know how it comes across. And I want very much to put across the fact that I’m self-critical, and I don’t have much of an ego. And whenever you do that, people always jump to conclusions, that you have got an ego and you enjoy being a star.

“I’ve got quite a few friends who aren't in the music business. All my friends aren't, you know? And that’s when I feel the most happy, when I’m with them. Because I’m quite relaxed, and they’re not bothered about what I do, and I’m not bothered about what they do.

“I always think I should be doing something else—like being an antique dealer or owning an art gallery.” Here’s hoping Roland won't be dealing in antiques for a few more years!