I'm a Cult Hero

History

The single was conceived by Robert Smith (singer/guitarist of the Cure) and Simon Gallup (then bassist of the Magspies) as a way to test their musical compatibility. Smith was considering Gallup as a prospective replacement for Michael Dempsey (the Cure's bassist at the time), "whose personality and ambitions for the band were seriously at odds" with those of Smith.

The songs were written for, and feature on vocals, local Horley postman Frank Bell, who is also depicted on the single's artwork. They also feature Malice/Easy Cure guitarist Porl Thompson and Magspies keyboardist Matthieu Hartley amongst an extended lineup of friends and family, including Robert's sisters Janet and Margaret and local band the Obtainers.

After Cult Hero

Following the recording of the single in 1979, Gallup left the Magspies and joined the Cure, replacing Dempsey. At the same time, Matthieu Hartley also left the Magspies and joined the Cure as the group's first keyboardist.

Hartley ultimately left the Cure in 1980, after only one album, Seventeen Seconds, and its subsequent tour. Gallup also left the Cure in 1982, but then rejoined the band in 1984 and remains a member to the present day. Porl Thompson also rejoined the Cure between 1983 and 1992, and then again from 2005 to 2011.