The Cult’s Ian Astbury is not a fan of nostalgia: ‘sign of a lazy mind’
The Cult’s prime hit-making days were the 1980s and 1990s with songs that are now propulsive classics on alternative and classic rock stations like “She Sells Sanctuary,” “Love Removal Machine” and “Fire Woman.”
But don’t tell lead singer Ian Astbury they are a nostalgia act. That isn’t a term he particularly likes.
“Nostalgia is a sign of a lazy mind,” Astbury told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to promote the band’s upcoming tour stop at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Saturday. “What is the past and the future? Time is a mental construct. I’m a Buddhist.”
He also doesn’t sit around categorizing the Cult’s music style, which is an amalgamation of hard, goth and punk rock.
“I’m a categorization agnostic,” he said. “I don’t live in categories. We’re just all humans together on this little blue dot, as Carl Sagan said.”
One thing Astbury, now 63, still enjoys is hitting the road and giving fans a good time.
“There are times I’ve walked onstage exhausted and depleted, but I still give it my best show,” he said. “I always try to be as present as possible. I rely upon my institutional muscle memory.”
He said onstage, he is very cognizant of the audience. “People are often having a rough time, and we’re trying to help them,” he said. “I will hone in on a boyfriend and girlfriend just enjoying the show. They become my spirit animals. Then there’s the individual on their cellphone or the person who brings a kid without headphones or earplugs. You’re going to get shamed. You can go through the spectrum of emotions in a 75 to 90 minute show.”
One of his most emotional shows came a few weeks after David Bowie died in 2016 in London. The band rarely plays covers, but in honor of Astbury’s hero, they performed Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream.”
“The entire audience of 5,000 people was in tears,” he recalled. “We’re weeping and just trying to get through this song.”
Astbury, who grew up in England, Canada and Scotland but now resides in Los Angeles, said he saw Bowie live 15 times. “I met him on several occasions,” he said. “I had very intimate conversations with him. He was so amiable as a human being, so inquisitive, so present. Such a great guy.”
He has performed in Atlanta many times over the decades, including the Tabernacle, Center Stage and Lakewood Amphitheatre.
“The audience is always on there,” he said. “The band is on. I don’t think we’ve ever had a bad show in Atlanta. And I love the city, the diversity. I always try to stop by Little Five Points.”
Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy are the remaining original members of the band, which formed in 1983 as the Death Cult, shortening the name to the Cult a year later. The current tour will feature a blend of Death Cult early cuts, tracks covering multiple decades and the familiar hits.
“The songs are our DNA,” he said. “It’s in us. We have an obligation to these songs and to the performance of these songs. We have to treat them with respect. It’s not just about us but how people relate to these songs.”
He has nothing but the deepest respect for Duffy’s role in the band.
“To do what we do together is really special,” he said. “We are different people. We complement each other.”
The Cult, while well respected in rock circles, has never been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which hardly upsets Astbury.
“I don’t care,” he said. “It’s a self-serving institution. We don’t care about trophies. We care about making music in the studio or onstage.”
If you go
The Cult
8 p.m., Saturday. Prices starting at $70.55, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, 2800 Cobb Galleria Pkwy, Atlanta. ticketmaster.com
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
