The Cure – Exploding Boy, by Knute Rimkus

As is my wont, I recently got hooked on a song released many years ago, a totally new discovery to the clueless me. The Cure’s “Exploding Boy” popped up on KEXP and I thought, “Holy shit, Robert Smith’s still got it.” Of course, the song was released probably circa 1980 as a B side.

Anyway, going to YouTube and checking out the young Mr. Smith (pre-makeup even) mesmerizing a crowd, I thought, “Will I ever see the Cure?” Well, they’re playing at Sasquatch Saturday. I didn’t want to pay $150 for a ticket, but I found an ad in Craigslist for a writer to cover the festival — no pay, but the ticket would be covered.

I sent my resume and some writing samples and got a quick reply from the creative director of Beat Off! magazine. She told me how their regular contributor dropped out last-minute, yadda yadda yadda and would I be interested? Also could I send some photographs I’ve taken and could I cover more than one day of the show? I sent some shots and told her I could cover two days. No answer. I sent a follow-up and got an unsigned response that said, “The position has been filled.” WTF!

– Knute Rimkus