Tears for Fears Travel Fans Quarterly Update – Q2

Dedicated to musician Shaina J. who also travelled from coast to coast to see the band. We wish her great success in life and we’re super happy that she is one us!

This was certainly the Anniversary Quarter. We have more anniversaries between late January and first of April it seems. Historically Q1 (January through the end of March) is a big deal for the band. So many great group projects and productions occurred at that time…and birthdays! Just take a look! *also, help us find the photographer for the headliner photo if you can. We’re trying to get in touch. Thank you!

  • Julian Orzabal birthday 21 January
  • Charlton Pettus’ Birthday 13 February
  • Ian Stanley birthday 28 February
  • Lauren Evan’s Birthday 3 February
  • Michael Wainwright 6 March
  • Chris Merrick Hughes 3 March
  • The Hurting Anniversary 7 March
  • SFTBC Anniversary 25 February – EWTRTW single released on the 17 March (wordle honoured)
  • The Tipping Point Anniversary 25 February

We also celebrate TFF’s first show anniversary at Moles in Bath UK which took place on the 1st of April in 1982. We’re horrified that the efforts to keep Moles open were not respected and they will indeed close unless something major changes. To say we’re angry is an understatement but it’s out of our hands.

  • Carina Round’s Birthday 20 April – Thank you to Lady Emily and Curt Smith for confirming. We’ll aim to have a proper cake day celebration for her online in future.

Shout out to these special fans who also have birthdays during that time. It was a joy celebrating them online!

  • Todd Skees 26 Feb – Todd holds many of the early documents from the Tears for Fears World Service. He was recently seen with us at the 2022 Atlanta show. Such a joy to have him around.
  • Michael Magno 8 March – his middle name is Roland and he is one of Atlanta’s greatest musicians. See his latest on Dunwoody TV
  • Radio Crème Brulee’s anniversary is on the 16th February – we’re grateful to them for keeping the band in rotation

As we have mentioned multiple times, Curt befriended Hazan Hillel Tigay of Palm Station. He is one of the cantors at the incredible IKAR_LA, an incredibly inclusive shul/house of prayer where those of multiple faiths have dialogue and discuss how to better our world (tikkun olam).  Palms Station’s latest album includes a song called Alive and Curt sings the lead on it. Andye will be showing the videos from his visits during the next fan chat. This song was featured in a profound episode of The Good Doctor on ABC season 7, episode 5. We had a watch party and fans of the TV series got quite a shock. Have your tissues on hand!

Curt announced earlier this year that he and his dear daughter Lady Diva Smith would be a part of the Michel Polnareff tribute album which was released on the 5th of April. They did an incredible cover Polnareff’s “La Poupee Qui Fait Non.” How does one top of the original? Give it to a member of Tears for Fears. It’s a sumptuous one… give it a listen on Apple Music, Amazon Music and it’s also on Spotify! We’ll be discussing Polnareff’s legacy on the upcoming fan family chat but in the meantime, visit our Instagram account to hear the original and then Curt and Diva’s version. Both are absolutely sublime and again, the family rockers created an impeccable piece of art with it!

Then Curt joined the US Army – Just kidding! He spent a day with them to learn more about what it is like to walk a mile or more in their shoes. There’s a great video he shared that discusses his experience. Shoutout to Traci S. and other fans who have served in the armed forces with the sole desire to protect the nation’s people. No one likes war. Healthy humanity’s goal is peace and it is a global issue when innocent people are threatened or harmed by evil. Let’s envision and make individual efforts to create a world where the only thing an army needs to do is help us with peace time efforts.

Jamie Wollam Drummer Genius

Jamie has been featured multiple times in publications for his incredible skill at playing the drums. He is an excellent percussionist and also has his own private off the beaten path studio where he perfects his craft like the genius he is. Last quarter we looked at videos from his personal space and learned how he works and creates the magic that he is known for. This month, like literally this week, we got to see even more as he collabs, works with and is further supported by A&F DrumCo and several others. Have a look at this incredible post featuring a fan top favourite, The Working Hour. Be sure to check out the latest on his website.

The Kids! In case you missed it, they’re all young adults now!

Diva’s latest posts were delightful and displayed some of her music. It’s brilliant. You can have a listen on her Instagram feed.

Curt’s second daughter, wonderful Lady Wilder, is now finishing up her senior year at college. Her final University project is on display at the Gund Gallery and we all were privileged to view it virtually. See if you notice familiar faces. Have a closer look. Congratulations to her! The family is clearly proud and we are too! It’s a joy to celebrate her success!

Roland’s eldest son, Raoul is often sharing his latest work with followers. Take a look at the latest and be sure to let him know if you’re interested in buying one for your home. They are a wonderful addition! Several of us have at least two!

We look forward to Roland’s second son Pascal’s latest music when he is ready to share. Watch this space and his!

Marvelous Mother Margaret’s Beautiful Work

Roland’s marvelous mother, beautiful Lady Margaret, was also quite busy with a tapestry. She finished it recently after nearly a decade of detailed and delicate work. It was sold to fan Amanda Jayne BT and the proceeds are going to women’s charity. It came with a beautiful handwritten card with thanks. Such a lovely piece of art to keep for a lifetime. It is museum worthy! Stunning work Mother Margaret!! Exquisite!

Tears for Fears Alumni Update

Oleta Adam’s is out performing and you still have a chance to see her live. Be sure to keep up with her schedule on her official website and social pages. We’ll also be sharing show dates as always.

John Baker of Graduate and The Korgis has also been quite busy. They have had some wonderful shows and many fans have been showing up together to enjoy. Be sure to like and subscribe to their social pages and get in on the good stuff! Check out his May interview on Radio Bath with Dave Mason!

The Korgis are getting lots of media attention and were recently on BBC Breakfast. There’s even a shoutout to Roland Orzabal and we learn a few tidbits about how their work came to life. We really appreciate this band. Stay onboard their fan train. It’s connected to Tears for Fears and we’re here with them both for life!

Julian Orzabal and Jon Birch have released two new pieces of work with their music group, The Upside Down Clinic. Checkout their latest video. Their music is really great to get yourself going in the morning. You can support them on bandcamp and also get merch from their online shoppe.

Love this photo of Jon and Julian

Superfans Soaring into the Stars

Our lady Tamara was recently in the UK spending time with fellow fans, musicians, friends and the blessed team at Radio Bath. Be sure to check out her wonderful interview with Dave Mason. She gave us some incredible shoutouts and we appreciate it. Tamara goes above and beyond in every capacity and we’re so excited that she has such a wonderful relationship with Bathonians and the UK fan team. She is a wonderful representative of true Tears for Fears fandom. Her interactions begin about 41mins into the session. There’s always a lot of fun when Radio Bath is involved. Join the Radio Listening Party every Friday with Dave Mason and the Tears for Fears Travel Fans. It’s our way of enjoying the warmth of friendship despite being an ocean apart. Thank you Tamara and Dave Mason!

While there, we got to learn of Dion Smith’s newest work and Tamara’s involvement! Dion is working on new music and has an EP coming out this May. Congrats to him and all his hard work. Check out Lady Tamara helping out in the studio! Super neat!

Also shoutout to Dion’s wife, Paula Smith, for all her hard work in photography. She has professionally photographed so many amazing artists that have a relation to the world of Tears for Fears. Notably she photographed Billy Idol during one his stops where one of Lauren Evan’s many talented friends, Kitten Kuroi, was part of his BVs team. Tamara and team were there for that too. Billy Idol, Kitten and team will be in Atlanta this week at the Shaky Knees Festival where we saw Tears for Fears back in 2019.

Sharron Foxx is another super fan that is also super busy. She manages a fan group dedicated to Lauren Evans and you can also hear her work with the Pink Floyd Tribute Band – Wish You Were Here. She recently gave Andye the moderator a virtual pass backstage at their Ohio show in that incredible theatre. It was awesome! Big shoutout to Sharron for joining in on the Tears for Fears fun and representing the music world’s appreciation of the band.

Sharron, or Shaye as friends call her, takes part in lot of our admin calls which are now on Zoom. We’ve been working on a new project. If you’re interested in giving your testimonial on how the band has impacted you and how much you love their music, feel free to be a part of the project. Send your testimonial to papasfans@gmail.com with your name and “TFF Testimonial” in the subject line. It’s the Tears for Fears Travel Fan email account and we’ll look for those to add to the celebration and summer band birthday fun. Also, feel free to start sending in your birthday wishes to Curt and Roland as they both turn 63 years young this year. Looking forward to seeing and hearing from everyone.

Click play ^^ to watch the highlights from the latest TFF fan family chats in Q1! Good times!

Also happening in fan land…fans are touting their Tears for Fears tattoos. Here’s Olivia Jane’s (L) and Shaina’s (R). We know many of you are planning to get one this summer. You can also get a henna tattoo. Superfan Karla got a great one recently and shared with the Tears for Fears fan forum on Facebook. Whatever you decide to do, take your time. Think about it and try some temporary ones first before making your final decision. It’s Tears for Fears so you want it to look terrific like these!

That’s all we’ve got for the moment. Enjoy this fun clip of NFL Player DeMarcus Ware saluting the band as the Koala on The Masked Singer! Speak to you soon!

Thank you for reading and watching! Be sure to follow @tearsforfears (TW X) @tearsforfearsmusic (IG) @curtsmithofficial (fb) @curtsmith (TW X) @curtsmith (IG) for official information, happenings and updates. Lauren, Carina and Jamie all have accounts as well.

Follow @papasfans for fan travel resources, meetups and fun! We’re also on Instagram @tfftravelfans

Cheers!

Video – I Love You But I’m Lost

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*Moderator’s Thoughts
To underestimate the intuition of Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal is foolish. These two didn’t dive into the deep – they set up shop in that space and are truly ruling the world with some REAL TALK! These two know stuff…a lot of stuff. They are walking third eyes. They not only “know” stuff that’ll not only make you think but will slam your arse down on the curb or have you laid out on the sidewalk …wait for it…shook af!

#ILYBIL – is almost like a spiral down into the rabbit warren. The video speaks volumes without saying too much or even changing scenes. It’s all in that bar and a back room with insightful characters. It looks to touch on the dilemma of the Twin Flame concept. Also, you’ve got the cute mature couple who are enjoying their life in fashion, the JFashionista in the Tokyo Street capris and captivating spectacles casually minding her own business but you know she has all the answers as she’s seen it all before, the love interest to whom the main character clearly can’t commit because well…there’s a number of scenarios here. We don’t see any type of drug or addiction here…it looks like complications from ASD. Then there’s the lovely bartender who grows a third eye and we can only again suspect that it can be from a number of perception issues. Perception is one of the key themes of this video and it is brilliantly done. For me, it’s like looking at the answer to some serious situations occurring in my “waking life.” After speaking to so many other fans they too can resonate which speaks to the power of the band’s ability to do this on a massive level!

There is so much going on with only a whisper of the Good Man Smith and Sir Orzabal in a promotional frame. For me personally, the story hits home in regards to people so caught up in self-absorption they don’t even realise it or are inconsiderate to those their self-harm actually hurts. They may be medicating for legitimate purposes but they are killing everyone else emotionally as they attempt to live. It also speaks to the existence of people who seem to get in their own way – I actually met someone like that…wait for it…on the 5th of November long before this song was released. I have the proof. Not to mention that the dance the couple engage in has a level change that is unique to a particular partner dance from my culture – again, I’m just shook! This whole video and its messaging has eerily and yet comfortingly (probably not a word) hit home for me in a way that makes me feel we are all spiritually connected more than any of us could ever comprehend. It’s like looking at a scene from my life from the past few years.

Each time I look at it, I cry, it’s hard to watch because it just gets in your head and touches the core. Everyone I spoke to locally and online says it is so relatable it’s jarring…again we are all spiritually connected and can resonate with these scenes.

What does this video say to you, do for you, make you feel?! These are just two songs from the coming album…TWO…brace yourselves guys…these upcoming concerts following the release of the album are gonna look and FEEL VERY DIFFERENT. Be ready to set up shop in the deep…they have turned that BIG CHAIR into a chariot ride into some mind blowing surreal situations by which many of us shall be touched. Gonna be a powerful and emotional clap section at these shows…

Now, we can’t deny this video is still unavailable to many stateside and that is excruciating and it feels rude even if it isn’t or directly tied to negligence on anyone’s part. So, Gwen – a wonderful and generous fan who stays in touch and continues her TFF Travel Fan excursions this coming year during tour 2018 – has provided this link that allows stateside fans to view it with ease. She is this month’s Travel Fan MVP!

Again, discuss, cry, chat, shout and let it all out…this album is about to take us places. Embroidered handkerchiefs will be available…

Thanks for reading,
AA, Tears For Fears Travel Fan Moderator