Curt Smith of Tears for Fears gets in the right frame of mind for 'Psych'

Curt Smith in "Psych"

It was bound to happen: Curt Smith of Tears for Fears has made a guest appearance as himself on "Psych." Fans of the TV dramedy series already know how much Tears for Fears (best known for the ‘80s hits "Mad World," "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World") is part of "Psych" history. The pop/rock act (consisting of Smith and his longtime musical partner Roland Orzabal) has been referenced multiple times on the series, which stars James Roday (who plays fake psychic Shawn Spencer) and Dulé Hill (who plays Shawn’s sidekick Gus Guster).

In real life and on "Psych," Roday is a big fan of Tears for Fears. Smith’s guest appearance on the show is in an episode titled "Shawn 2.0," which airs September 1 on USA Network at 10 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Time. In a telephone conference call with journalists, Smith talked about how his "Psych" experience was, why he won’t go on ‘80s nostalgia tours, and what Tears for Fears will be planning in the future.

What can you tell us about the Tears for Fears version or the Curt Smith version of the "Psych" theme song? Obviously it’s become a very popular theme song. It’s a very fun theme song. How did you sort of want to reinterpret it?

Well, taking cues from James [Roday] primarily I made it as retro as I possibly could with some humor. So basically what we get is the visuals of the, you know, the closing credits and everything which the theme song goes over and then we play with that. So rhythmically, you’ve got to match that so that it all kind of fits in and there’s an explosion and different things. So basically it was a mixture of going back to very old synthesizers and adding some humor to that as well which, it was actually a really enjoyable experience I have to say.

Pictured clockwise, from left to right: Curt Smith, Nestor Carbonell, Dulé Hill and James Roday in "Psych"

You’ve done a little bit of acting. Do you think that this is something you want to do again? Do you think you’d maybe want to make a cameo in another TV series?

It depends if I ever get asked. I mean the joy of doing the "Psych" thing I have to say, is that I’d met them beforehand, James and ["Psych" co-star] Tim [Omundson], specifically. I met Dulé when I got up there. But they’re just, you know, a nice bunch of people. So it actually makes the whole experience easy and enjoyable. And in that sense I didn’t find it particularly hard especially as you say, playing myself. But playing other people, who can tell? But, you know, I’m kind of game for things.

Can you talk about how the guest spot came about for you and what it was like to work on set?

It initially came about that James and Tim from the show came to a Tears for Fears show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles and then somehow managed to wangle their way backstage. I have no idea but security was very lax that night. And I was introduced to James backstage. And then he said, "Would you come and do a guest spot on the show?" And I thought, "Well why not?" The show is amusing. The kind of humor is kind of right up my alley because it’s pretty much chock full of sarcasm. So it seemed like a good thing to do. I actually was tweeting while I was up there, and I think I summed it up in one sort of sentence when I said it was like being at a two-day frat party, which it pretty much was.

In what ways can you hear the impact of Tears for Fears in today’s music?

Well, I mean you hear it from newer bands. I mean I can hear our influences over certain newer music. But you know, it’s not something I’m sort of conscious of all the time. When you’re continuing to make music you don’t really think of, you know, the mark you’ve left. You’re really looking for the next thing. So I’m not really one for looking back that much and seeing if we’ve left an indelible mark on the music industry. I’d rather move on and keep doing what I do.

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears

What types of compromises do you and Roland Orzabal have to strike in order to make it work?

Well we don’t go on tour for long periods of time which is always a good thing. You know, we’ve been together for rather a long time now. At our age, doing very long tours is definitely not something that we’re into. And I mean I think trying to make it enjoyable. Doing shorter tours makes it enjoyable for us, and changing some of the older songs so that they relate to us more now emotionally than they would have done when we were in our 20s. Songs like "Shout" really don’t resonate with us the same way as it did back then when we were angry young men. So we change a few things and we basically update things.

How comfortable was it for you going into this kind of setting where you already knew your music was loved and you were basically surrounded by people who looked up to you?

Yeah, I mean I think that made it enjoyable. Yes. I don’t mind my ego being rubbed now and again. They were a nice bunch of people as well. So filming it was really easy. I think also what sort of helps is with all of the people on the show maybe apart from Tim to a certain degree because he does play a character that’s not exactly like him but, you know, what you see on the show is pretty much the way these people are off the show. So that made the whole experience a lot easier for me. I wasn’t dealing with seeing a bunch of actors act and then discovering they’re completely different people off the set. They’re really not. They’re pretty much the way you think they are.

If "Psych" asked you back in the future to do another cameo, would you do it?

Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Curt Smith at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego

What can you say about your experience on the "Psych" panel at this year's Comic-Con?

 It was amusing, I have to say. I actually got there and thought that the Psych panel consisted of talking in front of a few hundred people. Obviously, I was a little shocked to see how many people were there. But I thought it was funny the way that the, you know, because we did that trailer video - the way it came out of that into it. It was quite amusing.

You said in an interview where you said that James Roday was like a big, fluttery fan girl when he went up to you after the concert. Can you elaborate?

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, I’m guessing. Yeah. But that’s kind of the way James is. And then he next thing he did was he came to my house to sort of talk seriously about it; this was after the concert. And I think it was about 90 degrees and he came up in his big skiing jacket and a woolen hat, trying to look all cool in the baking sunlight. It was quite amusing. But we got on well was the main thing.

Is it true that you tested to be a judge on ""American Idol"?

No. I mean it wasn't a test as such. They asked me to go in and they wanted to talk to me about it. I honestly don’t see that I am the kind of person they’re looking for to be honest if you look at the names mentioned. I don’t think I would put myself in that kind of bracket of individuals. So I don’t think the kind of thing I would offer would be the direction they’re going in.

James Roday and Curt Smith at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego

Were there any surprises or things that you didn’t expect to experience on "Psych" while you were there?

I think the main one was having to film the little trailer thing for the Comic-Con, I’m guessing. The Comic-Con trailer when I’m supposed to be acting all cool and I didn’t quite know what James and Dulé were going to get up to, and at the end of it, Dulé is humming the back of my chair, and I’m supposed to be keeping a straight face, was probably one of the hardest things I’ve done.

You really embraced social media and as we all are starting to do even more. How do you see it affecting the culture, even for something you’re doing in music?

Well it’s a far more direct way of bringing people together. It’s no longer having to go through seven layers of hell to get to an individual. It used to be in my case if we talk purely music, that you would have to go through, you know, you’d have to go through a record company which means the publicist. And then they’d have to talk to someone else and then they’d have to talk to the manager. And then they’d work out exactly, you know, they’d spend time working out what your circulation was and everything else. And nowadays someone just tweets me a question and I answer it. It seems a lot simpler.

How different was doing a TV show from making a music video?

Well, you have to talk. That’s the biggest difference … What’s hard is that you’re talking someone else’s lines; someone else has written them for you. I mean, luckily in my case, because that bit’s so small, that I can say, "Well do you mind if I say it the way?" I would actually say, "It because it will be easier for me." And I was playing myself so that’s not a stretch. Acting acting is a different. I’m not sure that I’d be able to do that, but who knows?

Curt Smith in Sydney, April 2010

Were you aware of "Psych" using "Shout" before you were on the show?

Yes. Yes, I thought that was hilarious. I actually got that sent that by someone which I think it was my manager, I believe … James doing Roland and Dulé doing Michael Jackson and it was pretty hilarious, especially...

What was your overall experience and of doing "Psych" and what does it mean to you overall?

The experience was great. I just flew up to Vancouver for two days, because the shock/horror is it’s actually not really filmed in Santa Barbara. And it was just a couple of nights in Vancouver. When you’re actually filming, I’ve got to say it was a boiling hot day so that was not that pleasurable that bit of it when you’re sitting in the sun trying not to sweat. But it was kind of easy. I was already used to it with videos before. Although in a short video you’re normally called upon a lot more often than you are doing one part in a show. So it was an awful lot of sitting around in a trailer waiting to get called.

But I guess that’s the nature and people are used to that. That was a little sort of strange that you spent most of the time doing nothing. But, you know, the filming was great. And as I mentioned earlier, you know, the guys on the show are pretty much that way anyway. So they’re very easy to deal with. And the whole thing was pretty pleasurable I have to say. Plus, we all went to dinner afterward, which was nice.

Curt Smith, James Roday, USA Network President of Original Programing/Universal Cable Productions Co-Head of Original Programing Jeff Wachtel, Dulé Hill and dancer/choreographer Jason Samuels Smith at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego

"Mad World" has been a great song for years, and in the last few years it seems like it’s made kind of a comeback being in "Donnie Darko" and on "American Idol." What are your thoughts were on the resurgence of that song?

Well, it’s going to get even bigger after when it’s in "Psych" also, but it will be the acoustic version of it, not to give the plot away or anything. It’s gratifying, I guess. I mean, it’s a testament to the strength of the song that it can be done in various different ways and it still has the same, you know, emotional draw. I like to hear other people’s versions of it providing they’re good. And I think that, you know, Gary Jules’ version was great. And Michael Andrews. And I think that Adam Lambert kind of did our version of it which I thought was pretty cool also. So I’m good with it.

Was there a memorable moment or a favorite moment that you had during your time on the set of "Psych"?

I mentioned one earlier, the Dulé humping my chair. Mr. Roday, who tends to adlib a lot, had a few funny moments. I don’t know if this one made the cut by the way so whether it’s in the show or not, but he’s supposed to be the slobbery fan girl when he meets me. And he said, "I think he says it’s you, the fleshy you!" It’s very hard to keep a straight face when someone says that to you, which was my job at that point in time. But yeah, I mean just it being amusing was the most memorable part of it.

That wasn’t too far off from what the experience was like when he met you after the concert in L.A., right?

Yeah, a little bit. Although in reality, he’s a little cooler than the character he plays.

Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears

What does the rest of the year hold for you and Tears for Fears?

Well, we’re just finishing up this tour which ends [September 12, 2010-. And then I’m back to L.A. I actually have a Web show that’s on every Wednesday night starting again [September 8] called "Stripped Down Live.: It’s a music show that I host. So I’ll be doing that every week. And I’ve got some solo things in L.A. But I’m probably going to be pretty much based back in Los Angeles for the rest of the year, until we probably go out on tour again next year.

Why isn’t Roland Orzabal participating in "Psych"?

Roland’s in England. He lives in England. So the timing and everything else kind of didn’t work. I mean, it would have involved him having to come to us basically doing the recording transatlantically, which is not ever a good thing. Plus "Psych" had a very tight time schedule to deliver the song. And he hates flying with a passion, my partner. So the idea of him flying just all the way from London to Vancouver for a day and a half probably wasn’t at the top of his list of things I need to do because he’s the world’s worst flier.

So is he jealous of you representing Tears for Fears?

No, I don’t think so. Normally these kinds of things, I tend to enjoy more than he does. So that would be normal.

Curt Smith in Sydney, April 2010

Was this "Psych" appearance" something you did just for fun or will you be pursuing acting?

Who can tell? I mean, I did it for fun. We’ll see what people think. I won’t be watching, but I might but I don’t normally like to see myself talking, because I’m used to seeing myself sing. I think I do that OK. The talking side … I guess it’s the same for anyone. You know, if you ever listen to your voice on an answering machine, everyone thinks we sound dreadful. That’s sort of the way I think when I hear myself speak. And in that sense, I don’t know. But we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes and what the response is. I did enjoy the experience, I have to say. So if it means doing other things and never watching them then maybe that’s a route to go.

What does acting do for you that music doesn’t?

Well it’s just a chance to do something different. One of the other joys of social media is that a lot of these things come up. People get to you because they have direct contact with you and ask you to do things that are pretty much outside of your comfort zone. And I think that for me I sit there and look and go, Well, why not? Why not try it?" … But it was enjoyable because it’s something different. So I look at the sort of appearance on "Psych" as the same kind of thing where it’s outside of my comfort zone, but why not try it?

Has re-scoring the "Psych" theme sparked any interest in you possibly doing any other scoring for shows or movies?

I would love to, I have to say. I’ve definitely had in the back of my mind that I would love to do that at some point. It’s a question of finding the right avenues to do it. You know, we did thoroughly enjoy redoing this song and having the visuals there to work with. It just adds that extra element to the music that you have to incorporate which made - again makes it something a bit different which is fun. So yeah, I would love to do that.

Curt Smith in Sydney, April 2010

The first two Twitter collaboration singles that you’ve released so far have been wonderful. What kind of timeline you’re working towards actually doing a complete album or even the next single?

Yeah. I’m definitely going to continue in the same vein. You know, obviously I’m going to readdress it once I get back from touring. I had to take a break because of the tour. But yeah, I definitely want to keep doing some collaborations and probably make an album where they’re a bit to release some kind of special edition of it at the end. But as I’m doing it which is, you know, another new thing for me, I’m just going to release it as, you know, as I finish a track I’ll release it. And I’m going to do that for every song. And then if it seems like a wonderful cogent piece of work at the end then I’ll release it as some form of CD package.

What did you think about James’ and Dulé’s performance of "Shout"?

It was fantastic. You know, I mean especially Dulé doing Michael Jackson and as I mentioned earlier … I was in hysterics at that bit. But, you know, and then James’ take on Roland was pretty amusing, and the whole "American Duos/American Idol" thing was funny.

Is there any chance that James and Dulé will join you on tour sometime?

Well, we did our one performance at Comic-Con, but that’s not to say it ends there but who knows? Maybe if we ever get to play Vancouver, they’ll come on.

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears

When do you think you’ll be working on the next Tears for Fears album?

We’ll see. I mean right now, Roland’s plan is to go back to England and then we have some more touring to do next year. But as we tour we tend to write more. So who knows? We’ve not got it sort of planned right now because we’re both sort of busy.

Instead of everything being so structured, do you kind of play it as it lays?

For us it’s far better. Yeah. We can’t really get into anything too structured purely because of geography. And the fact that I’m in Los Angeles and Roland’s in England. So we tend to sort of play it by year. We know what we’re doing for the rest of this year, individually and together. And then next year, we’ll decide what we’re doing next year. We’re too experienced now to not to think that making plans seems a little silly because things happen all the time. You never know what’s going to happen. So we tend to plan maybe six to nine months in advance at the most. Anything after that is - it’s all up in the air.

A lot of times when celebrities play themselves, they end up playing these sort of very exaggerated, larger-than-life versions of themselves. So is that what you’re going to do or is it more of a low-key, true to you?

I’m kind of playing more of a shrunken, smaller-than-life version of me. Because in real life I’m incredibly outgoing, as you can tell. But in the show, I’m kind of demure and quiet. No, I think that it’s a relatively fair representation of me I suppose. The exaggerating and the sort of over-acting, I don’t think I’d be so good at. I think the whole point of playing yourself is to try and be yourself; otherwise, it just kind of looks a bit strained. And hopefully, I didn’t do that. I guess we’ll find out.

Curt Smith in Sydney, April 2010

Last year, you and Roland toured the West Coast; this year, you’re doing the East Coast. Are you still going to alternate coasts each year, or is there a possibility in getting you on both sides of the country in one year?

Well to be honest, I don’t know off the top of my head … I don’t know what our plans are next year. I mean, when we do the West Coast like we did last year, it was really enjoyable and it’s kind of easy to do. It’s very pleasant in the summertime on the West Coast. And all of us are based in Los Angeles, apart from Roland or the band. So that makes it kind of easy. But the talk right now next year is South America and European festivals.

So I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see if that doesn’t come off maybe the West Coast. But yeah, it would be nice to do both in one, but unfortunately America is so big that that would take us over our allotted how long we can take it on the road … Normally, four to six weeks is our limit; otherwise, we start feeling like it’s a bit of a job. And we’re trying to keep it enjoyable.

Does doing the shows with Tears for Fears sort of preclude you doing any extensive solo tour or anything like that?

Oh, no, because that’s different, you know. I mean, a lot of the sort of time you want to spend on the road also is the time you want to spend with all the people you’re with on the road. It tends to get too routine and a little dull by the end of sort of six weeks. And I think that if you go off and do something else and it involves traveling and playing in different cities … I think that would be a different scenario because the dynamics are different.

Curt Smith in Sydney, April 2010

There’s been talk of package tour from the ’80s with the Human League, Flock of Seagulls, and about four or five bands. Have you all been approached to do that? And would you be ever interested in doing that?

I’ll answer the first one. Have we approached about doing it? Yes, on many, many occasions. Part two of the question is we haven’t done it so I feel you can figure that one out. You know, no. Most of them just don’t appeal to me at all. No.

Is it because of the money?

No, actually the money isn’t bad. But I never want to feel like I’m sort of stuck in an era. And someone does that and it’s like this is the "name the decade" tour. And I’m like, "Excuse me, we’ve done valid things outside of that decade and are still continuing to make music and still continuing to record new music." So I just don’t like it. I find it depressing … For me, I think that would be a little soul destroying. And I have no interest. Life’s too short. I’d rather be enjoying myself.

And of course, now you’re busy doing some acting …

Exactly. Yeah. I’m now aiming for an Oscar.

Photo credits: Photos #1, 2, 4, 5, 7: USA Network. Photos #3, 8, 11: New Door Records. All other photos: Getty Images.