A warm night in Japan turns totally cool when Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith are around. (no reposting of this photo please)

Juli (Admiral Juli) is a fun little lady from Japan with a determined spirit and a heart of gold. Known for her famous Tears For Fears Bible of Dreams website for Japanese TFF fans (inclusive of Curt’s Solo work, Roland’s, Julian Orzabal of DelaQ and many others past and present), Juli is a wealth of information on band media. She has pictures dating back to 1982 again featuring band members past and present. It’s amazing.

Juli has newspapers, magazines, you name it… about Tears For Fears dating back to day 1.

Juli and Joyce have been generous in their fan club funding by supporting members financially in other regions. We trust their fan club fund account will be reimbursed by those who benefit from their savings.

Archive of Curt Smith Juli kept…from Japanese media

Pushed by Maurin, Juli and others led a campaign in 2012 to do fan meetups before the Tears for Fears concert. They were very successful and one of the few regions to pull off the sunflower crowd surfing which also led to the formation of the Sunflower Club -a branch of the Japan TFF fan club at large. *Juli is also an illustrator and does animated photos of the band regularly. 

Juli, you are one thoughtful, passionate person. We wouldn’t be the same without you.

The Sunflower Club of Japan, one of the longest running (still active) Fan Clubs for Tears for Fears… established in the early 90s.

Manami animates herself wearing the 365 TFF shirt she bought for tour 2012.

Manami is the fan club artist who creates lovely photos for fans’ birthdays and special occasions. As with all fan-generated projects, Manami volunteers her time to make fun and exciting artwork that fans and the band have recognized on numerous occasions. Despite both she and Juli-Juli’s claims to “not know English very well” they have managed to communicate just fine with so many of us each  and everyday.

Holiday Card designed by Manami for the Smith Family Rockers.

Manami’s 2012 Greeting Card was used by the beloved Smith Family for their holiday greeting card. She was later approached by other high profile artists to create cards for them too. What an honour!

We enjoy Manami’s work and cool sense of humour to the daily ongoings in superfan life….from fun conversations to more serious situations she has managed to do a great deal of work in her years volunteering with us. We appreciate all who respect her work by  giving her credit on the contributions she has made to their projects vs. taking them as their own. We feel she is a huge asset to the group and can’t wait to see more of her magnificent art.  Thanks again Manami!!

We’re very happy she got some great hugs from the band while they were in Japan. Stellar night for our dears in Tokyo and Osaka!

Special art can be purchased. That which features the band’s image is not for sale and must be shared with permission from multiple sources.

Charlton Pettus of Tears for Fears

Roland and Curt Animated

Personalised Photos by Manami. Here’s one she did of Tears For Fears as SuperHeroes 2011 based on a funny conversation in Vegas and Andye’s glasses…

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Red Rock Casino Photo -we met them right here at the pool. They yelled, “Andye, is that you?!” -been friends since the day.

We met them online in 2010,  in person in 2011 at Red Rock Casino and spent a great deal of time with them on the 2012 tour. They’ve been loyal and a joy, not to mention extremely helpful in keeping up with professionals who promote the band online (Jason Debord, SF) and other helpful information.

We find their travel method quite extraordinary in that Jeannie has often flown in from NYC and Colleen from N.C. These east coast superfans follow the band to 3 or more shows, taking time away from home and family to spend with their fellow band fans. It is quite a huge ordeal. We salute them for their great investment in the band’s music and shows, the world of fellow superfans and for bringing a positive attitude. Somebody get these women a TeamROCS hug! Here are their stories:

Keep these hotel keys, Roland wrote on them!

Colleen’s Fan Fun with Roland: …kind of interesting story on how I got this autograph in Las Vegas, 2012. We were arriving back at the hotel after shopping, where I scored a very bright sparkly pair of yellow shoes. Ha! When we arrived at the hotel, we could hear the band doing sound check. After hearing Roland play a few chords of “Sweet Home Alabama,” — I know — I saw him walking across the lawn towards the pool.

Roland walked over to talk to some fans at the fence, and as he was doing so, a very LOUD woman walked up behind me screaming, “Roland, I love you, I love you, I love you”! He looked over and then she started screaming for his autograph. He walked over but the woman did not have a pen or pencil — so, I chimed in that I had a pen, dug through my enormous bags and pulled one out. After he signed the woman’s autograph, I said, “Well, since you’ve got that pen, will you sign my room card?” And he did.  End of story, except when we walked into the hotel the band came right behind us. Jeanie opened the door and Curt gave her a huge smile and a “Thank you.” After being that close to both of them, I suddenly did not feel as short as I normally do compared to the rest of the populous.

We all seemed to have had a fun Curt & Roland encounter during the 2012 tour Jeanie included… Her travel story is fun…read on…

Lady Jeannie P.

Over hill, over dale, we most surely hit the hottest, dustiest trails to make it to 3 of the 4 shows from TFF’s last US tour in 2012.  From NY and NC we met up in LV and drove to Costa Mesa, CA for the show at the OC Fairgrounds. Met up with Deb Gromack and Hermest, who was kind to drive us all to the show where we mingled with other exhuberant fans until showtime. Great show as always, but with a new twist – the very unique Carina Round opened the show and Roland closed it sweetly by planting a smooch on a longtime fan who was front and center at the stage. LUCKY gal! Happy to bump into (and quite literally bumped) Andye and Carri aftershow…Andye had quite the dreamy expression on her face…I wonder why :p

Curt and Roland in Orange County

The OC fair was still going strong with ferriswheels, games, food and exhibits, so we all headed over and promptly became separated from one another. It took quite a while to find each other again and by then we were on our way back to the car, and found that it was the only one left in this huge lot..that is the only vehicle besides the TFF tour bus!  We all had a good laugh as we trailed behind them out of the huge parking lot. They were on their way to SF for the next night’s show; we were on our way to sleep before flying up there the next day : )

Okay, we’re back to the hotel with Deb in tow…she stayed over until the next day when Hermest came to collect her. Colleen and I were off to the Cosa Mesa airport. We left fairly early with lots of time to spare. No rush to park or race through security…we took our time…..ahhh. Then 10 mins to boarding I realize I can’t find my camera. I left it in the trunk of our rented car!!!…ugh… Off I go to retrieve it and in my mind I see myself leaping turnstiles like hurdles and throwing myself in the path of a shuttle bus to get me to the long term lot…which is outside the airport. A shuttle driver took me, and just me, then drove like Mario Andretti to the lot, where every car and aisle looked identical…I couldn’t get my bearings, and this angel of a driver says, “I’ll drive out and come in the way you probably came in” and voila, there’s the car, there’s the camera, camoflaged against the black of the trunk’s interior.  I fly back to the terminal, back through security, and I find Colleen and the attendants looking not very pleased by my near miss arrival..the door the airway beginning to close… but I made it!!

Roland in San Francisco

We land in SF, take a cab into town, and through the generosity of fan we’d yet to meet, (Thank you dear Judi) we had been invited to share a very swanky suite in an old-world style, uber-expensive hotel right next to the venue. In fact, the TFF bus was parked right below our 12th floor window. The Nob Hill show was my favorite..very intimate venue with a very close and shallow stage…so close, you felt you could stand up and within a few steps be standing beside  Ro or Curt. The acoustics in this auditorium were unique as well, somewhat bass-y. Roland even commented, “We refer to this as a hostile, low end environment” ..It was a VERY receptive audience; the energy between TFF and the fans was palpable. The applause – thunderous. And there’s Carri again!  All silver and sparkly and grinning like the Chesire Cat. (We don’t call her Silver Kitty for nothin’ -Andye)

Yes, we were all quite chuffed (as Roland would say) : ))))  Did we go for drinks afterward, I can’t remember…had I slept the last few nights? Probably not..it’s all a bit foggy…just like San Francisco : )

But we did sleep quite well that night, so well in fact we all woke up late!  Colleen & I had to be at SF Intl Airport for 8am flight back to Costa Mesa….so off we go again…  Sorry SF…it was nice seeing your beautiful city for the wee short hours we were there.

Now landed in Costa Mesa, we grab our rental car from long term (24hrs?) parking and head across the desert to Las Vegas for Show #3 with one day to spare!!  O.M G.  I’d done this before (LA to LV and vice versa), but this time beat all previous heat records…I think it was 122 degrees that day, and then, about 2 hours into the trip, Colleen looks at the fuel gauge and realizes we forgot to gas up when we left CA! <gulp>. Now there’s maybe a 1/4 tank left AND we’re in the middle of a desert : /  Well bless that little GPS gizmo I borrowed from a friend back home…we found a station not too far off the highway and we were back on the road; this time with me at the wheel <gasp> Sorry for the frights Colleen, but that’s how we NY’rs drive : P

A few more hours and scoop up Carri from the airport, she flew in from SF earlier that day. Okay, next stop and final destination -Sunset Station Casino/Hotel for our last show which is taking place the following evening : )

My most unexpected and delightful surprise at the Sunset was meeting Julian Orzabal, Roland’s younger brother. (I guess I am now 1degree of Ro – not that it’s any assurance I’ll ever meet him, but I like how it sounds : ) Kindly Andye rented a cabana by the pool for fans to meetup and hang out and besides the great company and accutraments (overhead fans/misting bars/mini fridge/chaises) it was the ONLY place one could escape the blast furnace heat that is Las Vegas in August.  Julian, a cool cucumber in any climate, and many other fans were lazing by the pool, enjoying long cool drinks and a lot of laughs in the blessed shade. In the evenings we’d gather at one of the casino’s saloons or bars, and Julian was usually there, beer in hand, Brit humor at the ready : )

The next day, showday, we had the good fortune to be within earshot of the soundcheck, where I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard and saw Roland belting out “Sweet Home Alabama” : )

Roland, Tears for Fears and Team at Sunset Station

I ran up to my room to grab my camera, but by the time I came back, and only a few minutes later, they had cleared the stage : ( Dejected, I walked back into the hotel and just a moment or so later, who is walking up the path to the door but Ro and Curt!  The only thing I could think to do besides standing there with my mouth hanging open, was to open and hold the door for them, as they both had rolling luggage trailing behind them. My big chance to drink in the both of them, closeup! It lasted but a split second. But I do vividly recall the cheery “Thank you!” from Curt as he followed Roland through the door. It warmed my heart. It was only a few hours later that we were all dazed and dazzled again as we stood before the white tented stage on a grassy lawn and enjoyed what was to be our last show before heading home the next day. The heat, so unbearable earlier and still so present, seemed to fade away as our eyes and ears were now locked on the stage and our favorite band. Another amazing performance, another memory to hold us over until next time.

This multiple show experience was made even sweeter by the generosity and comradiere of the fans and friends I spent time with–I’m especially grateful for Colleen’s tolerance of my non-stop fretting about almost everything, Judi and Andye for their generous hospitality, Hermest and Deb for their kindheartedness and…oh yeah, that band that makes the whole (sometimes bumpy) journey worthwhile : )

Marcio Campos, Team Lead Brasil & TFF Music Archivist’s collection part I

Tweets, updates and “other news” have let us know that new music, a new album and maybe more are not out of the question for Tears For Fears. We are grateful that they are active and members are in the studio …again, pay attention, read those tweets, the answers are right there…and that’s all we’ll say on that.

While we wait, patiently and lovingly as noted on Curt’s wall by followers of the band we’re going to explore the new material that is already out.

Curt did a collaboration with Junkie_XL this past year. His song “When is Enough Not Enough” got quite a bit of attention from fans and the industry. The impressive sound was addictive and many couldn’t get enough of it. It was unreal how we reacted to this piece of music. You can simply click through that link on his name, follow him and visit his site to buy a copy of that magnificent song and the entire album.

Here’s a Youtube clip: 

Autographed cards and cd from DelaQ’s Julian Orzabal and Eric Senet

In the Orzabal Family one can find the band DelaQ. At this point, they need no introduction. Their Album Into the Blue was released in 2012. We reviewed it thoroughly and fell head over heels for just about every track.

We purchased several copies. At one point it became extremely hard to turn it off. All of this music came out around the same time…one right after the other…it was a feast for superfans everywhere.

Wild World Members in 2011 -Tears For Fears Superfan Alisa McCathern is lead vocalist

From DelaQ we met Wild World. Fellow Tears for Fears Travel Superfan Alisa is the lead singer. They released an album in 2011 and another last month (Jan 2013).  The most recent, titled, “Campaign of Angels” is yet another piece of magnificent work. Very strong and heavily accented with instruments. It’s a journey for your mind and spirit.

Purchase_Info:http://wildworld.bandcamp.com/album/where-have-you-been

In the sea of fans, we were introduced to Robert O. on the night of the Brasil 2012 show. It was incredible…this guy has put together a ton of tribute songs and remixes of the bands work using his own voice for every layer on each track. He even wrote a tribute song to fellow fans. All of this can be found on soundcloud. Superfan RJO.  has been encouraged to keep writing, keep pushing himself to the next level…we say the same. Thank you Robert!

First Trivia Prize is a set of lyrics autographed by Wild World Lead Singer Alisa, Wild World’s 1st Album on CD “Where Have You Been” & 2nd album “Campaign of Angels.”

All this new music…so much to dive into and enjoy… Thanks to several members of DelaQ and WildWorld and approval from the Good Man Mr. Smith we’re going to give away some of this music through our Tears For Fears Fan Trivia. Answer 12 questions correctly and be the first to submit them to the Tears For Fears and Kooks Fan Page message button. The first person with the correct answers to their list of questions wins a prize. We have four to give away this spring.

Rules: Follow @papasfans on twitter or like the fan page for trivia question publication prompts. Winners can only win twice in a season. When a second set of trivia and the prize associated with it are ready, it will be highlighted in blue.

• Trivia Question Set I: Prize -Autographed Wild World CD & Lyrics set (password: Wild) -No Winner, prize roll over
• Trivia Question Set II: DelaQ CD -Into the Blue (password: BlueHot)
• Triva Question Set III: Curt Smith solo CD and Kook coffee mug
• Trivia Question Set IV: Roland Orzabal’s Tomcats Screaming Outside or The Graduate (pre-TFF)

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We’re Celebrating “The Hurting” today worldwide. So is the band! Check out the new website http://www.tearsforfears.com where you can connect on multiple platforms like Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. Check out this article: http://theseconddisc.com/2013/03/07/reissue-theory-tears-for-fears-the-hurting-30th-anniversary-edition/

Carri’s gift of glitter to the 2nd cover for this album.

We band travellers got a little upgrade too. We are now tearsandkooksintl.com …we’ll be metamorphing into some fun new things. BEST OF BAND FAN MOMENTS is all this weekend plus a look at Tears For Fears fan meetups that take place in Brasil. Stay tuned. Follow @tearsforfears on twitter for official band news. Don’t believe anything unless you hear it from @curtsmith or @tearsforfears first. We will be right behind it with RTs and other updates as it relates to travelling fans. Have fun and Enjoy!!!

Jan & Roland in Manila

TFF’s Charlton after the show with Liz, Brigitte and Judi

Tears for Fears meetups are back in full swing in so many parts of the world.  These mini-events are conducted by regional clubs as a way to keep everyone in touch while enjoying the energy of the band’s music. They are attended by 3 to 35 individuals at  local bar, restaurant, clubhouse, hotel ballroom, and sometimes right after a show. Coincidentally, Charlton came by… how cool is that? At some events, DJs are hired to play and spin remixes of songs and in some cases new musicians inspired by the band are on hand with a guitar ready to go with their own salutes to the group. Meetups can take on the form of small conferences which usually take place around shows i.e. Vegas/Hendersonville. These gatherings can sometimes last for days with members getting to know each other rather well.

A recent MeetUp was in Sorocaba Brasil at Back Road Bar. It was attendeed by Tears For Fears superfans Gregori Lisboa, Ju Vannucchi, Carolina Mantovanni, Nilda de Fatima Amorim, Claudia Beneli, Alexandre Chagas, Glaucia Souto, Giovani Marcello, Silvia Vannucchi, Bruno Ernandes and others. One of the members was responsible for the banner and what a beautiful job they did with it. Look at that!

Sorocaba Meetup (Brasil)

Hanging out at Back Road Bar -Brasil TFF Meetup

Much like the dedicated travelling fans, Brasil’s fans i.e.  our fan team lead Marcio Campos and his Sorocaba pal Gregori Lisboa, are known for their awesome love and energy for Tears For Fears. Ask just about any Brasilian who lived in the country during the 80s and 90s…they’ll tell you how much the country loves the band. Now, those fans  have families of their own (i.e. Marcio), They’ve brought their children along for the fun, turning TFF’s concerts into a family affair.

Our handsome pal Gregori shows us some souvenirs

At the Sorocaba meetup, members brought souveniers and other cool things to swap and share with each other. Some of the  other meetups featured sing-a-longs, DVD screenings of the band’s past concerts and movies in which their music has been used i.e. Weird Science. A few from the stateside team watched The Private Public, a film in which Curt smith played the part of a University Professor,  at an Atlanta Clubhouse tea room in late 2010. There are plans to put a few meetups together in honour of Curt’s next appearance on the USA network’s popular television show Psych.

If you and your fellow Tears For Fears fan pals are getting together soon let us know. We look forward to more gatherings, larger conferences, more shows and music from those inspired by the band and of course the band themselves!

Don’t forget the cake!

Arte em Acucar even got Curt’s Doc Martins…now you know that’s clever!

“To Hell with that ‘Old’ Sh!t, You’re xx years YOUNG!” -Andye That’s right, you’re only as “old” as you feel and from what we can see Curt is feeling (and looking) just fine…

Birthday Card number 23 comes from Japan… Manami

Okay that’s not the way we would normally start a birthday wish but isn’t it fitting? On behalf of the Fan Travel Team we want to wish our Good Man Curt Smith a great birthday. While several fans spent the week in Curt’s third home city, Los Angeles, hanging out and enjoying the sun, Curt was away in Italy with his beloved family. For the entire 5+ days he sent photo after photo, update after update. We got to see great scenes and sites as he took us along with him. Be sure to scan his twitter newsfeed for all of the great photos…

In addition to going to Italy via internet with this magnificent man, we were treated to an online party hosted by Carri D (Silver Kitty Sherlock) and Joyce of the Manila Fan Travel Team. Both ladies put together a spectacular virtual event with a magical FB wall filled with love and greetings for this legendary rock star. Fans all over the globe are flocking to his wall to upload grand montages featuring their favourite pictures of Curt Smith. It’s been  an action packed month for fans and the band! We wish all those travelling back and forth from coast to coast…and in his case continent to continent…

SAFE TRAVELS!!

created by Carri D

So what’s new with this cool guy? He’s headed home to continue working on the next Tears For Fears album with his pal Ravishing Rollie Sunshine/Roland O. We like to think of them as “BFFs for life…” He also has a solo album on the way called “Deceptively Heavy” and we’re just eagerly awaiting its release as we do just about anything the band puts together.

Curt Smith’s new album -coming soon

Cheers to you Curt Smith, Joyeux Anniversaire, Sana Helowa ya Curt wa Happy Birthday!

::throws skittles::

Craziest Birthday Quote,
“Go tell Curt and his gorgeous wife to get up on that table and dance dance dance!!” -AA

::all giggles::

There was a video of fans dancing that went along with that quote but in the excitement of it all, things just got wild  and out of control…we’ll stick with this Arabic Birthday Song featuring languages of active fan team members and the infamous “!!!zaghareets!!!”

bolos de Arte by Arte em Acucar

One of the first downloads in Brasil by our Travel Fan Team Member Marcio Campos

Our Good Man Curt Smith’s latest solo album is out, it’s here, it’s ready for digital download in several countries. We want to hear from you. Have you listened to it, what are your thoughts…exactly how much do you love the album?

Several of us already heard a few of the tracks live and they stuck to our souls. We were fortunate over the past year or so to hear ‘Beautiful Failure’ (Live at McCabe’s) and read the lyrics of ‘Porn Star’ on the Good Man’s Facebook wall. We’ve also heard a fan favourite, ‘My Point Being’ and the second “Kook Track of Choice” -’Well Enough’ (Live at McCabe’s). Before each song, the Good Man allowed us further into his world with background stories on how the lyrics came to be. It was such a touching moment and very surreal for many of us. It’s been an impressive and fun ride counting down to this day. Now we can have these magnificent songs (and his memories, which feel like a touch of his soul) in our own musical library. The album is currently available digitally worldwide (Japan is waking up to their copy as this is being typed) on Tuesday 16 July -which again is right now in parts of Asia…superkook Manami of Japan is already downloading it this very moment.

The blessed brotherly smooch from Tour 2011 -fans continously say it was one of the best moment of the tour. Amen.

But that’s not all…unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Tears For Fears are currently working on a new album with a possibility of a tour in October or Rocktober as it is being adoringly named by fans. Here’s the deal…a few people are a bit concerned. So…let’s say the album is released in September… then it goes immediately to tour in October? Is that the plan? No one has said so but some are worried that this is just too soon. The album needs time to stick…one month isn’t enough. It needs TV interviews, it needs social media buzz, merch and tons of other things right? Not necessarily. Some bands have been fairly successful with this “immediate release and tour” method because they interact EVERYDAY on a number of social media platforms and engage with fans. The fans already had snippets of songs and enough exposure to the new album that taking it on the road shortly after it dropped led to great concert turn out. But a few of us are like…but isn’t that a lot of work? Shouldn’t this be a fun music project not an adrenaline rush of stress to produce an album and hurry up with a tour? At the end of the 3 week long chat, we felt if Tears for Fears treat this album the way that Curt markets his solo albums (sharing parts of it in advance, interacting with fans, etc) then this is gonna be absolutely awesome because we’ll already be “half way there” (at least) and will have shared snippets with our family, friends and others creating further buzz ‘on the street level.’

Roland and Curt on stage at OC Fair

When we discussed this in several private fan groups we (including a few fans who are also in the music industry, bands and general media) still felt that the album needs some traditional advertising time coupled with MEGA social media presence so that it is truly visible online and, in turn, will be well-received in the crowd. Given the band members are top notch legends, they don’t need anyone to tell them that. They know what they need and we know they know…there’s just this hope that the album will be given time to gel…and not rushed and shoved on tour in its entirety leaving people fumbling over lyrics or heaven forbid leave people to whom the album hasn’t reached sitting down watching versus up singing, being thoroghly in love with the lyrics. One person stressed, “The band deserves outstanding amounts of love not just fans halfway into the new album. Maybe the whole thing shouldn’t go on tour so soon?” To that we say, “They know what they’re doing…they’ll make it work.” More importantly and hopefully to calm the nerves of those that may think we have lost our minds in discussing such a pause, WE KNOW TFF are professionals, WE KNOW they are intelligent “LEGENDS” who will make the right choices and come out like the ROCK ROYALTY they are. This will be an exciting time so let’s just claim it right now; it will be a successful album on the road and off when and wherever they decide to take it and we’re’still not opposed to waiting til 2014. This is a piece of GOLD they are carving, refining and detailing at this very moment. We support them 100% beyond the best of our ability…always!

2nd meetup in Sorocaba Brasil

In FanLand, more meetups took place in Brasil, the Tears for Fears meetup captial of the world. You can tweet Ju V. for information on the most recent one. For information on Brasil’s branch of the Travel Fan Team, Marcio is your man!

When we’re not hanging out in person having tea (or waiting on it), running up and down the streets of Los Angeles sharing skittles and shipping macarons francaises (our official TFF travel fan cookie) to each other, we’re hanging out online chitchatting with GoodMan Curt Smith, band family and fellow fans…about anything and everything from politics to family pictures. Join us: Follow @papasfans on Twitter, Tears for Fears & Kooks on Facebook and most important, FOLLOW THE BAND:

Curt Smith -@curtsmith
‘Curt Smith’ on Facebook (fan page)
Twitter (@tearsforfears)
“Tears For Fears music” on instagram
Tears For Fears on Facebook
*JW, Charlton and CJV are also on Twitter along with past drummer Manny Elias and other members of this life long team. -Enjoy!

Tweet us your download screen when you get it! We’ll put your name in a fan pool and one fortunate Kook will get a hard copy of the album mailed to you when it is available as a gift from the TFF Travel Fans.

One of the first downloads in Brasil by our Travel Fan Team Member Marcio Campos

Album Title: Deceptively Heavy …that “feels” like something Curt would say. A sort of “Curtism” or one of his comebacks to the many questions and notes he gets all day long on varioius social platforms. So, it was no surprise that many of us were drawn into the fan fare that proceeded the album. He had us at the title.

Deceptively Heavy -Curt Smith’s latest solo album

Beautiful Failure -yes, we remember that he wrote it for his daughter. I can’t remember if he sang this in 2011 or only in 2012. Seems like we heard it live twice. I was thrilled sometime later when Curt said it would be included. It’s a very touching song and several of us said it’s just…well, beautiful!

Listening to this feels like we’re having a conversation with Curt…as if he invited us over for tea and was just expressing his feelings toward her and concerns for her emotions. Not wanting feedback or advice, just getting concerns for his preciouos daugther off of his chest. This is a treasure in that he shared something so personal. It’s heartwarming for parents and those who are childless alike.

Suffer The Silence
This feels like advice to the busy bodies of the world, always in someone’s business with commentary or asking questions they already have the answers to but just “need” to be a part of the conversation for the sake of inclusion. It feels like a kind way to say, “Mind your own business…and grow a conscious antenna while you’re at it.” Who knows, the meaning was not listed…and that’s fine. This allows the listener to take the song as it best fits his or her own situation. Regardless, it’s catchy and you can easily find yourself singing it at random. It’s also a piece of therapy after a long day of putting up with the world’s ills.

Hold It Together
This is another enjoyable one. Curt says, “Done for an Indy movie called Meth Head. A couple dealing with one person’s meth addiction. Initially I thought I’d play the addict but Carina did it so much better than I ever could. I’m the voice of reason (there’s a first).”

This is one that we didn’t get a preview of from that film. He told us about it (as much as was legal to release at the time) and we were intrigued. The song itself is aboslutely brilliant, the opening…the whole thing. I mean don’t you get chills? We sure did. It’s a really strong piece that we seriously fear will be overlooked in the music world simply because the world isn’t looking in the right direction. I mean, there’s no reason this shouldn’t get heavy air time. Congrats to Carina Round for her brilliant contribution. This is good!

My Point Being
Curt says: One of the tracks written after my mother died. Having arguments with my brothers about stupid shit & realizing we’re family no matter how much they can piss me off.

Now, we totally got it all wrong at the start. We heard this song not long after his blessed mother passed away. There was a lot going on for many of us. Several fans (including myself) lost family/parents at that time. It was a bitter hell scrambling with those emotions and this rather came at the right time. There was speculation as to what the song was about because at that same time on the fan walls, there was chatter about this that and the other amongst loud cries from many countries wishing for the return of TFF to their areas. It was chaotic. Curt gave some meaningful responses and not long after that this song also came about so we weren’t sure if this was directed toward some of the fan comments (some of which were just superfanatically loud, commanding and outrageous) or something else entirely.

While we respect that it was for his mother we also found it perfect for bringing quiet to the hectic board. Seems like we all went in a peaceful direction right after that.

All Is Love
This is a great song, period. The fan boards all agree, it just feels good. I personally think it works for film and TV. I know I’ve played it as background music at various meetings and gatherings. I see the world as one big film anyway and Curt’s music often works as a coping method for times that just need to be reviewed “standing back” and away from the situation…if that makes any sense. Others I spoke with said again…this just “helps.” We all agree it would be nice to see this used as a part of a “feel good” campaign. I will aim to suggest this for future things in my own media dealings and hope for the best.

Porn Star
Curt says: A song about politics & our President. I was (and still am to a limited degree) a big supporter of Barack Obama, to the extent of gaining citizenship to vote for him. What I’ve realized since then is that the American political system is so broken that the only thing that gets you anywhere in Washington is money. There could be a poll stating that 80% of the country is in favor of something (you’ve seen them) but lobbyists & money will still win the day. I may be in love but he’s always going to go for the money.

This is huge…BIG! Fans loved it. We all agreed it was just freakin’ phenomenal and wanted to get deeper into the lyrics…to truly know what brought this song about. Leave it to Curt to put it into perspective…he spoke volumes with every line and even his opinion of POTUS. It sparked a little bit of political debate but we didn’t spend too much time on it…there was no name blaming or finger pointing by fans of various political backgrounds, instead, just lots of questions regarding the direction of the world and the nation. I must say you also get a good glimpse at how far a passionate CS will go to help a cause. It’s impressive and powerful. Go forth Good Man, Go forth. You have a swarm of people listening and eager for your leadership and opinions. We’ve often toyed with the idea of “What if Curt Smith were President and Roland was Sec of State? Hmm…”

Kook Coffe Mug

Another conversation with Curt it seems…a blessing to hear him speak (or sing) openly about something very dear to him. Listen to the instruments in the background and at what time he chose for them to enter…is that a bagpipe? There’s a march in there…you can see everything in these lyrics. It’s very touching and rather painful. We thought at first this was a song from the movie Meth Head also, somehow we thought it had something to do with that movie, but no this is, as mentioned above, about his mum. We knew it was certainly something heavy…and tough.

Very few of us in the TFF Travel Fan crew have had perfect upbringings and our adult lives have had “enough” challenges. In fact, several of us gathered based on the miseries we experienced as a child and just needed others around us who could relate or “get” where we were coming from. The band’s music pulled us through those crazy times. Not much has been said about this song verbally but you can sort of sense everyone is pensive and going back to another time and place when this song comes on or comes up in discussion.

Heaven’s Sake Iconic Image

Wild
Curt says: About my amazing younger daughter (both my kids are amazing btw) Wilder. I didn’t want to write a song about one child because I’d be in deep shit. This one is about the sometimes trying but mostly adorable contrarian in our family.

This is such a bright song. The instruments and overall make up of it is uplifting and full of thought. It brings about very sweet sentiments. Glad to know it was indeed about his daughter. You can certainly “feel” the love, bewilderment and joy in the relationship between father and fun daughter here. Makes you want to spend a day with them and experience it as well. Bless that family! Huge thanks to Curt Smith for again sharing his loved ones with us. It’s really special and makes us all feel closer to the fashionable Smith Family Rockers.

Mannequin
Curt says: “I love the manic in your kind of crazy” – the title is an amusing play on the lyric & became the inspiration behind the album sleeve. The song itself is about my mother-in-law who also passed away last year. She suffered from manic depression/bi-polar disorder her whole life, but when she was up she could be one of the funniest people you would ever meet. I prefer to remember her that way.

We had no idea what this was about. Was it a reference to the cover, that gorgeous statue of a doll in the Ben Sherman shirt? My first thought was how I personally felt about superfan Carri…the contagious mega-excitement in her written words and yet how calm she is in person but on paper you’d never know she was so tranquil, much like the starting lyrics. It’s rather fun settling in with both. Others said they had no idea what to think about it…all wanted to know exactly to WHOM and WHAT was this song referring? We never expected an answer …besides, we just totally loved jammin’ out to this song any chance we had. I personally can’t do that anymore. I just have too much respect for his wife and family that it makes me feel kind of odd rockin’ to her legacy, again if that makes any sense at all…I don’t know.

Secrets
Reminds me a little bit of his song “Coming Out” which is one that many of us listen to when we travel to Los Angeles…a sort of preparation for being in Curt’s presence…calms us down.

The meaning of this song is not listed so we’ll just take it as it is. For me, it’s “keep your mouth shut…not everything needs to be televised and broadcast…whatever the heck it is.”

We only spoke to about 20 people and the concensus remained consistent. The album is MUCH brighter LITE-er to a degree than “Halfway Pleased.” It’s also much more dancable than Mayfield…and perhaps one of the more enjoyable albums in our Curt Smith solo collection because you can do so much with it. Deceptively Heavy has something for everyone in a major way. It’s commercial/film/TV ready, it’s club fit and fan club perfect!

Tell us your feelings about the album and don’t forget to look out for the hard copies coming to Amazon! Can’t wait!

Thanks for reading,
Andye

We barely know how to act on this day…it comes every year and we go absolutely nuts with excitement and joy that knows no bounds. The traditions continue with birthday cards, artwork, video compilations and more. This is the day that feels as though the whole world is Head Over Heels for Roland Orzabal. Cumpleanos Feliz to the Honourable Earl of “Everything That Is Right In the World.”

Our team members Carri and Manami lead this year’s 2013 Jour d’Orzabal with the following. 2nd Card by Manami from the Japanese branch of the Tears for Fears Fan Travel Team.

Designed by Carri -Sherlock, the Silver Kitty

Want to send a VERY special SHOUTout 2 thee illustrious Roland Orzabal!! A MEGA talented MOST ILLUMINATING and UNFORGETTABLE *Fascinating* artist, genius of a mystic man. CHEERS & HAPPY 52nd B-day, Roland Orzabal !! We are so Proud of you. Lookin’ hella AMAZINGLY!! Sultry strong voice of the heavens…and beyond…sigh* *still* 2 this Day & Age, you’re My Ultimate SOUL enraptured captivatingly singer of All-time. Cheers to infinity to have My #1 FAVE BAND TFF 2 conquer and Rule Our world, again! Much, Luvs. Have a FAB Celebration! xx CaRRi xx

Designed by Manami of the Tears for Fears Travel Fan Team Japan Branch

(From Andye)
It’s impossible to forget the kindness that the Honourable Sir Orzabal has shown to me, they are memories that last a lifetime. From the fun singing opportunity to fast-chats backstage. It’s been lifechanging and encouraging. I’m very appreciative and I celebrate this day with my fellow fans, filled with gratitude and awe. Bonne Anniversaire, Kol Sana ya Rollie Sunshine & Many Happy Returns. Our appreciation for you and Curt (plus team) has no ending. So hashtag that! -AA

*Be sure to sign one of the many online cards. Click here!

*Hear TFF cover something truly special “Ready to Start” by Arcade Fire

*Reserve a limited Edition box set of The Hurting now

Thanks for reading, Band FAQs to come!
-AA

Happy Anniversary Team CS!

16 and 17 September are certainly anniversary concert days for many of us as well as a great anniversary for those who participated in the “Team Curt Smith” project of 2010 (described on the @papasfans twitter profile). We raised $1000 in about 3 weeks time to benefit a project in Haiti organised by TwitChange and a few community leaders in Atlanta. Only $600 or so dollars were accepted from our gift but we were very happy to help a great cause and win the prize which included a welcomed bond with Curt Smith of Tears for Fears of whom we have loved since our youth, some of us, since our toddler years.

Since then we’ve been contributing to various organisations and doing our part to make the world a much more enjoyable place for those near and far. Some projects have included small personal donations to the Tory Burch Foundation, Friends of Longacre Hall (that project is now changing to a different location), The Angel Tree program and anything else that we either saw on Curt’s fan page or something tweeted/brought to our attention through his social updates and friends.

Curt Smith has certainly helped bring out the best in us. We’re working hard to continue to give to charity groups, share what we have and be inclusive within fan land. We’re a happy, grateful kerfuffle of Kooks led by a great man, and an outstanding band with great minds and endless talent. Much love to Curt Smith, Roland Orzabal and the entire Tears for Fears team, through this band we’ve realised our dreams.

Cheers!

Thanks for reading!

Little Lady Diva Smith also celebrated a birthday this past week. Many warm wishes and many happy returns to this angel.

Roland and Curt Animated

Earlier today (after a week of excruciating anxiety by fans world wide anticipating what the 11am press release would relay), Tears for Fears published the following:

The response to our first two covers this year was incredible and extremely overwhelming… Thank you all so much for still supporting us! We’d like to officially debut the third cover song we did when we got back in the studio together… Here’s our take on Animal Collective’s ‘My Girls.’ Listen and watch the video created by Vinyl Williams below. http://youtu.be/GL_N1dVtddM

Second thing, our friend Matthew Dear and the lovely girls of Tegan and Sara did this brilliant cover of Pale Shelter that we’d like to share with you.

Listen now on our Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/tearsforfearsmusic/matthew-dear-pale-shelter/s-thbzk

And finally… we’d like to officially announce that we are writing and recording new original material to be released in 2014!

Music Link – Cover http://www.stereogum.com/1604431/tears-for-fears-my-girls-animal-collective-cover/mp3s/

Music Link Pale Shelter http://www.stereogum.com/1604541/matthew-dear-feat-tegan-and-sara-pale-shelter-tears-for-fears-cover-stereogum-premiere/mp3s/

No, this isn’t “new” for many of us, but man are we extremely grateful for an “official press release.” In addition to the ULTRA cool new cover tunes and shared gifts from their friends, many of us were pretty pleased that there is something “official” to answer those who may not be as ensconsed with the rest of the club. You know those people, asking continously “When is the next album? Will you re-unite and create something new?” Sadly anyone that asks these questions is immediately put into some sort of online corner of shame and horror as fans wail in with “They’ve already done a new album, it was ELAHE! Where the hell have YOU been?” (insert snotty snear) Yeah, people take this band seriously to the nth degree and beyond. Asking a question like that is as “nails on the chalkboard” as “Are Curt and Roland friends again yet?” Even that one gets to me…

Let us forget all that , sweep in the solo and “new” music that was made while embracing ELAHE (our proof of ‘Saving Grace’) and brace for the next album to come…PATIENTLY!

Many of us agreed a long time ago…that no matter when new album is released…even if it’s December 2014 that’s fine…we’ll take it! We will not rush the band, we will not pester the living daylights out of them. We’ll ride this wave of online unity and be the bandfan shipmates we have grown to be. So, don’t forget to follow on twitter (@tearsforfears & @curtsmith). You can join online fan fun by getting involved with @papasfans (our travel fan account). For quite a few of us, this is a way of life, a continuous joy and all are welcomed…as long as you’re acting on your best behaviour.

Photo from Tears For Fears, KROQ & Portugal. The Man archives

Other News:
-Curt Smith’s Solo Album Deceptively Heavy is available on Amazon.

-Roland Orzabal spent time in the city with his sons. We respect his privacy so that’s all we’re saying there. Nothing else to see, please scroll on.

-Curt Smith was featured on KROQ’s recent Holiday special. Many of us watched it live, here’s the youtube video thanks to the band ‘Portugal. The Man’

Other Related Info:
Julian Orzabal and his band mates (Eric Senet & Alisa McCathern) are the stars of Trinity Falls. They’ve also released new music. You can find all that information by clicking on their name (in blue there).

Curt is on a Sabbatical from social media til after the Holidays. His sweet angel turns a year older at the end of December as does Roland’s niece. So Happy Birthdays all around.

And Congrats to Amur, of our Tears for Fears Fan Travel Team in Manila. She just got married! <3

Have a great Holiday Season!
Cheers!
(AA)

“There is no drug, no substance, no medication, no anything that compares to the mind-blowing euphoric music that is Tears for Fears…their sound will take you places, literally and figuratively.”
-Alice Salt

(From the Band) We’re making the stems of Pale Shelter available for you to remix. Submit to our Beatport Remix Contest for a chance to win an official Universal Music Group release & a KORG Kaossilator Pro http://btprt.dj/JofyK9

From Moderator: There is other news to come and when we can share it we will…just waiting on final words, permission(s), etc. Keep Calm and Remix On! This’ll be fun.

We had endless online fun this year with lots of Pysch interactions and extra media mentions kicking off the start. In March we had a new place to follow the band, Tumblr. They also established an official Facebook page and twitter activity escalated.

Carri’s gift of glitter to the 2nd cover for this album.

We celebrated 30 years of The Hurting and as the months went on saw tons of collaboration and notable new bands eager to cover Tears For Fears’ music. We were able to enjoy the behind-the-scenes activities and connect with Spotify where we met the mutual influencers. Though some fans were horrified that anyone would dare touch the sacred songs, the band helped everyone understand how grateful they and the other 50% of the fans were that new groups were showing their appreciation and admiration by covering these untouchable pieces of audio art. To top that, there were a substantial amount phenomenal covers by the band themselves, including Arcade Fire’s ‘Ready to Start’ and more.

Photo from Tears For Fears, KROQ & Portugal. The Man archives

Among the communication from the band we were surprised by spontaneous #CurtChats during any down moments that Curt had. This was really generous of the good man as he often incoporated us into his evenings…his sweet angels right by his side completing their nightly homework. It added such a personal touch and an enormous amount of love from the Smith Family to us. We are very appreciative beyond words. We also got to spend time with Curt simultaneously at the KROQ event through the power of streaming video. The holiday show featuring Curt Smith on stage with Portugal. The Man was outstanding. Fans across the USA and beyond stayed up to sync with the time zone and watch. Soon after that were more chances to chat. We loved that! *We did attempt to compile a FAQ page from the questions in 2013 but they added up to more than 255 inquiries+ and the answers are still being archived. No estimated time of delivery on that.

Curt also introduced us to our 2013 Holiday Gift which for TeamCS turned into the gift that keeps on giving. We rolled over some cash from the 2012 project to the Maceo cause. This project was mostly funded by Carri (USA) and Marcio (Brasil). Those large donations were outstanding and are being deducted from the fan account from Maceo’s team monthly. Again, big thanks and what a lovely example of team spirit with Curt as an inspiration.

Other plusses from Fans and in Band Land included new music from Alisa and Captain Julian w/their pal Eric Senet, forming Trinity Falls. Curt Smith’s Deceptively Heavy hit home with many, making an impression on old and new fans of all ages.

We are very hopeful about 2014, with fans continuously asking for a tour. We’re certain that if it is profitable for the band to run around to various cities across many lands, they will. We’re not in a rush though. We just want the new music and a merch store, both of which were confirmed by Tears for Fears and in particular Curt Smith. Anything more will be a bonus…a much welcomed bonus even if it’s 2015.

Our gratitude toward the band and their continous interaction and updates are very appreciative from the throwback Thursdays (#tbt) to letting us know the progress of the new music. We even now have a chance to contribute to the remixes. It’s all GOLD to us and as long as permitted we will continue to stand right along side with support and admiration.

Big thanks to the team in Japan who provided artwork and 365 music updates, Juli-Juli and Manami, our fan lives are better because of you. Big thanks to Carri who spends countless hours focused on band news and updates from the sister sites of fans and social media boards and is always very generous in her donations to fan projects inspired by Curt Smith. Shout out to TAO and HUGE THANKS to the Orzabal family for countless interactions and being so down to earth and fun every single time, every single encounter. Our dedication knows no bounds, we are there for them. Cheers to an amazing year ahead inclusive of travel fan team fun in 2014!

Happy Birthday to Curt’s Angel Wilder who turned a year sweeter last week.

Thanks for reading…
(AA)

*If you have any questions about 2013 and before, type them into the search box to find blog posts that answer your inquiries or send a tweet to @papasfans (or email our FB fan page) in regard to travel fan updates and activities we’ve covered.

Happy New Year…

This month in the land flowing with music and all things lovely…
We celebrated Julian Orzabal’s birthday (21st of Jan) with some online fanfare, wall wishes, shoutouts on facebook and twitter. We also celebrated Robert Orzechowsky’s birthday, both milestone years for Captain Julian and Robert. Para Bems a Voces, Feliz Anniversario, Kol Sana wa Bonne Anniversaire. We appreciate them both.

Speaking of appreciation, did you get a good look at the numerous entries in the Pale Shelter remix? Take a look at this link! These great fans appreciated the song so much they entered their own versions of this legendary classic in the music world. There is a list of beautiful selections with fans voting on which one they liked the most. What was your favourite? Leave a comment and let us know why you liked it, we’ll discuss it on our facebook page. #DidYouKnow: Captain Julian created a great remix  too just for fun (not for competition). Robert also created one, he’s been remaking a lot of TFF songs in the past year. You may remember some of the material he wrote for the fan team last year. Check it all out, leave comments, interact and stay involved with the band’s offerings. Lots to dive into (conveniently online) each week.

If you subscribe to the Tears for Fears official website you got the ‘BluRay‘ email regarding The Hurting. This entire masterpiece is now on BluRay disk and can be purchased immediately. So, if you are among the die-hards who know the value of owning this priceless item,  get your copy today. The album was re-released this past year and we’ve been celebrating it to no end. It was a great 30th birthday for their fantastic work of which we can’t  ever get enough…just too good!

Maceo’s mum sent us a card…we loved it!

On to more good things…Maceo’s mother sent #TeamCS (The Curt Smith inspired charity group found on @papasfans) a kodak style picture postcard. One of the items on the Maceo Project list is to make a documentary. We are looking forward to this and wish them the best in putting it together. Very excited, we’ll have to look into buying a copy as soon as it’s ready. As always, we remain very grateful to Good Man Curt for the introduction.

Other things to purchase may include Tears for Fears merch. In a recent #CurtChat, The Good Man, let us know that a merch store is in the works. There is no estimated time of arrival on it and frankly…many of us are fine with that. We’re just glad there will be one. Items that many of us requested back in 2012 include:
hats, calendar/planners, umbrellas, blankets, travelling cups (like the awesome blue one shown in the photo – most of us got one on tour that year), tour jackets and more gorgeous colourful t-shirts. We also asked for pre-orders with the hopes that in case one item is more popular than the other, merch isn’t “waiting.” We trust there wouldn’t be much of it sitting around and items will go fast, but still, pre-orders seem the most cost-effective way to manage merch.

And that’s the news from the travel fans in bandland!! Follow @tearsforfears @curtsmith and like the official facebook fan pages. You can follow us (the travelling fans  of the band) @papasfans and join us on FB! We’re a 365 Days a Year of Tears for Fears kinda crew so stop by anytime with a hi or hello, browse our tour photos, link to a #CurtChat and have a splendid online good time!

Thanks for reading! Cheers!
(AA)

We appreciate Captain Julian!