Biography
Cy Curnin fronted the British new wave outfit the Fixx, handling vocals and keyboards, yet the ensemble frequently drew parallels to visually driven 1980s groups including A Flock of Seagulls and Duran Duran. Despite his disdain for the extravagant wardrobes favored by those acts, Curnin launched his own venture, Cy Wear, which focused exclusively on headwear; the enterprise, however, never matched the scale of his recordings. Throughout the decade the Fixx blanketed new wave airwaves with memorable, chorus-driven tracks addressing nuclear conflict and isolation, as “Stand or Fall” and “Red Skies” channeled Cold War anxieties about worldwide destruction through accessible melodies. Although the band’s clips received steady rotation on MTV, Curnin remained less recognizable than contemporaries such as Bono of U2 and Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears. He and his bandmates cultivated a deliberate facelessness, favoring musical depth over visual appeal. After issuing six albums with the Fixx, Curnin stepped away for a break in the early 1990s. Mid-decade found him appearing on a VH1 segment to showcase his hat collection. The Fixx reconvened in 1998 for the release of Elemental, marking Curnin’s widely praised reentry into music.