Roland Orzabal never wanted to write a memoir.
A book about astrology, yes. But digging into the fluctuating tenure of Tears for Fears, the sorrow in watching his wife slip away and revisiting his Ambien addiction? Not really at the top of his to-do list.
So Orzabal, 64, placated his agent, wrote a few introductory chapters and realized he could integrate his deep knowledge of astrology into the story of his life as the co-founder, guitarist and co-singer-songwriter in one of the most quietly consequential bands birthed in the ‘80s.
The resulting “Welcome to Your Life: Love, Death and Tears for Fears” (HarperCollins, 288 pp. out Aug. 4), bears the tagline “An Astrological Memoir” as testament to Orzabal’s understanding of the world.