For Ian Astbury, The Cult Is Not a Legacy Act

Even in middle life, Cult frontman Ian Astbury flashes the wide-eyed bemusement of an adolescent punker struggling to identify with stodgy, sensible grown-ups. As his band of three decades preps the release of its 10th album of elegant hard rock, he’s a starburst of creative ambition and hyper-curiosity, frustrated by the fiscal realities of digital-age music commerce and the stylistic expectations foisted upon veteran acts.