All Drummers/Authors Are Friends

In the summer of 2022, I had the pleasure of meeting Lol Tolhurst, one of the founding members of The Cure and the drummer on the band's first eight albums. Lol attended my Palm Springs book event with our mutual friend, Joe Wong, who also happens to be a talented drummer. With a warm smile, Lol inscribed his memoir, Cured, for me with these words:

All drummers/authors are friends.

Fast forward to last week, where I found myself seated next to Lol in front of a packed crowd at Brooklyn's Powerhouse Arena bookstore celebrating his second book, GOTH—A History. Despite having participated in nearly 60 book events, I must admit I was considerably more nervous about interviewing Lol than I typically am at my own gatherings. We’d met twice before, and he was quite chatty on both occasions. But that didn't necessarily guarantee that he'd open up in front of a live audience. I couldn't help but wonder: What if I prepared ten thoughtful questions only to receive brief, thirty-second responses? What if I prepared twenty questions, and Lol answered each in just a few concise words? What if I ran out of questions altogether and had to resort to my collection of drummer jokes?

When the playlist—which included everything from Siouxsie and the Banshees to Joy Division to Bauhaus—faded down, it was showtime. Not surprisingly, Lol was a talkative sweetheart who entertained the audience (and me) with wonderful stories about The Cure’s early days, his first time seeing Joy Division in Manchester, and an outlandish tale that took place in Los Angeles and involved Budgie, Tommy Lee and several other drummers. Indeed, as Lol pointed out, all drummers are friends.

I’ve never seen more dyed hair and black clothing at a book event, and many audience members proudly wore Cure T-shirts and carried records under their arms in hopes of having them signed. My favorite moment of the evening was during the audience Q&A, when a woman described her coming of age as a Black goth in a midwestern town. As she spoke, I observed Leila Taylor—the author of the excellent book, Darkly—Black History and America’s Gothic Soul—who happened to be seated in the same row. Leila’s eyes lit up with excitement, creating the only instance in which I tuned out of Lol’s response, and instead relished in the moment these two people unknowingly shared.

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October is back to school month for me. I’m excited to speak at several universities and a few other venues, including Jack White’s Third Man Records in Detroit, where I’m hoping to record my conversation with Ann Delisi live to vinyl. Some events are during the day, so please check local listings. Most events are free and open to the public. Details and updates can always be found HERE.

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Mon Oct 9: Oklahoma City, OK / University of Central Oklahoma

Tue Oct 10: Austin, TX / University of Texas, Austin

Tue Oct 17: Tucson, AZ / University of Arizona / Tucson Humanities Festival

Wed Oct 18: Los Angeles, CA / UCLA

Thu Oct 19: Detroit, MI / Third Man Records, in conversation with Ann Delisi

Fri Oct 20: Madison, WI / Wisconsin Book Festival

Wed Oct 25: Durham, NC / Duke University, in conversation with Mark Anthony Neal

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My memoir My Life in the Sunshine is out now. I’d love it if you picked up a copy at your local independent bookstore. It’s also available at all the big places, and for your Kindle as well. There’s an audiobook that I spent 20 hours of my life reading (it’ll only take 7 hours to listen). You can listen to the 5-minute intro for free on Spotify.

I hope to see you somewhere soon.

Nabil Ayers / Brooklyn

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