Former Cure Drummer Andy Anderson Has Terminal Cancer

Percussionist Andy Anderson—most well known for his time as a member of The Cure from 1983 to 1984—has made the sad announcement that he has stage IV terminal cancer.

Anderson had joined The Cure for the band’s first performance after the hiatus resulting from Simon Gallup’s departure from the band during 1982’s Pornography tour.

Anderson was recruited along with Derek Thompson of SPK to join a reformed live band for filming for the Oxford Road Show in Manchester on March 8th and 11th of 1983, which was broadcast later on the 18th of that month.

From the book Ten Imaginary Years:

“The Cure were offered a spot on The Oxford Road Show. The programme’s director wanted two songs – “Let’s Go To Bed” and “Just One Kiss” but, out of sheer perversity and because he wanted people to realise The Cure did still exist, Robert elected to play ‘100 Years’ and ‘Figurehead’.

All he needed was a band. Parry had a tape of Brilliant and was impressed with the drummer, Andy Anderson, who’d played with Hawkwind among others; he was drafted in along with Derek Thompson of SPK.

Robert Smith: “It was a real pleasure. I was singing live again for the first time since Simon had left and I realised, then, how much I was missing it.”

Chris Parry: “Whilst watching the replay of the Oxford Road Show with the group, Peter Powell and the BBC Staff, I was filled with an immense joy as at that moment I knew my struggle with Fiction, The Cure, was not to end so lamely.”

Anderson replaced original Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst, who had recently shifted to keyboard duties starting with the singles that would be later collected on Japanese Whispers, for which Anderson contributed percussion to the single “Love Cats” for its recording session in Paris.

Anderson would continue his services to The Cure’s Robert Smith by performing with The Glove on the project’s only album Blue Sunshine, and live in studio for the band’s Riverside performances.

Anderson’s brief tenure with The Cure continued with his contributions band’s 1984 album The Top, notably playing spoons to create that distinctive clicking noise in the song, along with his conga drum percussion.

Of this wild and psychedelic period, Robert Smith told The Guardian last year that Anderson “used to make a huge pot of magic mushroom tea at the start of every day and it just went on from there”.

Anderson would continue to tour throughout 1984 with The Cure, most infamously captured on various television programs and on the concert film “Live in Japan.” The concert, which occured on October 17th of that year, was the last Anderson performed with the band, before his seat behind the kit was taken over by Boris Williams just three weeks later, with Vince Ely filling in the interim.

Regarding his cancer, Anderson wrote in his Facebook post that he had signed a do-not-resuscitate order, yet will be looking at his options for  chemotherapy and radiotherapy options in the days to come

Despite the news, Anderson requested that his fans, friends, and family remain positive:

“Please, no boo-hooing here, just be positive. For me, it’s just another life experience and hurdle that one has to make.”

Lol Tolhurst, who had been collaborating with Anderson for decades, ocasssionally with his Levinhurst project tweeted in response:

 “Andy is in the fight of his life. I’ve talked to him, he’s as upbeat and calm as anyone I’ve ever talked to facing what he’s facing.”