Blake Murphy Sports Writing

In the latest episode of Columbia House Party, hosts Jake Goldsbie and Blake Murphy close out their blink-182 arc by circling back to another of the band’s most prominent influences, The Cure’s 1989 masterpiece, Disintegration. Part two, as Robert Smith tells it, of a three-part trilogy that spans 18 years and eight of their 13 records, Disintegration is The Cure at their best, with Smith’s songwriting and vocals at their peak and the ambition of the overall musical environment pushing the album to a new height for the group. Find out more about which of Smith’s anxieties pushed him toward this sound for the album, the carousel of band members over their 40-plus years together, and whether The Wedding Singer holds up on this week’s podcast.