from the book 'Cured - The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys' (Lol Tolhurst)
We were due to support Wire again at the next gig they had in London. We decided we should go in something else rather than the murderous Crow-mobile and got another friend to drive us to London. Unfortunately, his van broke down and we missed playing the gig entirely.
Parry was furious, and told us in no uncertain terms, "You have to be more professional."
from unknown source
Smith, Tolhurst and Dempsey were so startled by the Wire experience, in fact, that they almost crashed their van on the way home from the show - money being so short at this stage, they were required to drive home after most shows, a risky endeavour that would shorten Dempsey's term in The Cure. The next night they went one worse - they didn't even show up for the gig. But the cause of their no-show was out of their hands. They were relying on a Horley local, a man with a van named Phil, to get them to the show at the London Polytechnic. But his motor broke down on the trip north and by the time they reached the venue, Wire was already on stage. The Cure's offer to play after the headliner was firmly, politely refused. Backstage, Chris Parry was fuming at the trio's amateurish approach. If the band was that casual in the future, he shouted, "You'll never get another booking again." Having vented his anger, Parry and the band adjourned to a pub, where Smith, Tolhurst and Dempsey - showing more than a little spunk, given the night's calamity and their label head's mood - floated the idea of "turning professional".
thanks to Petr H.
