"Sales don't mean anything. Seventeen Seconds sold less than 50,000. We had success later – it doesn’t mean those records are better than Seventeen Seconds”: The Cure’s Robert Smith on how to make it on your own terms

Robert Smith with Schecter guitar

Robert Smith was asked by his careers adviser at school what he wanted to be when he grew up. He didn't hesitate: "I want to be a pop star," he said.

He shakes his head at the thought. "It was really, horribly overbearing," he says, "and a bit out of character. I actually wanted to be a footballer. I played for my school team, and I played for my county – Sussex – but I couldn't get into it on that level. I played left-wing, and it's the kind of position where you drift in and out of the game. I quickly realised I didn't have what it takes."