Day of the Dog?

Interview mit dem Chamäleon unter den Singer & Songwriter

Ezra Furman & the Boyfriends

Am Donnerstag, 30. Jänner gastiert der US-amerikanische Ausnahme Singer & Songwriter Ezra Furman mit seiner Band The Boy-Friends in der filmbar im Kino im Kesselhaus. Im Zuge der cinezone zeigt das Programmkino davor um 18.45 Uhr den Film "Inside Llewyn Davis", der sich mit dem Leben und Scheitern eines fiktiven Musikers beschäftigt.

Der junge Musiker provoziert mit seinen kritischen Texten, macht sich lustig und komponiert zwischen die Genres: er will sich einfach nicht festlegen und erfindet sich immer wieder neu. Mit seinem 2. Soloalbum "Day of the Dog" tourt Ezra Furman nun durch Europa. Er macht Musik für Menschen, die sie wertschätzen und meint, dass die Menschen seine Musik verstehen - egal wo. Was er von "Inside Llewyn Davis" hält und was sein Lieblingsfilm ist, erfahrt ihr hier!


diekremserin: First of all, thank you for your time to answer my questions before you play in front of the Kremser audience at Kino im Kesselhaus. You will perform in a small location in a rural town in Austria – does this particular location differ from your latest performances? What do you expect from your audience?

Ezra Furman: The goal is to have music at the ready that can connect with people regardless of circumstances or culture. My songs are designed for a certain kind of person, a thoughtful and manic and emotional type of person, like me. I’ve met people like that in the city and in small towns. Location doesn’t matter. We’re everywhere.

dk: You toured through Europe and the US with your band “Ezra & the Harpoons” in the last few years. Why did you decide to take “time off” and start your career with out “& the Harpoons”? How would you estimate the differences between your debut album “The Year of No Returning” and the albums with your band?

EF: The band was the band, but they went on to do other things besides music to contribute to society. I didn’t want to keep the name if it wasn’t the same people. Also, I want to be free to play with or without a band, to play music with anyone or no one. As Ezra Furman & the Harpoons, we wanted to be a rock’n’roll band. Now, going by my own name, I feel more allowed to make whatever kind of music I want, whenever I want, with whoever. I’m a freedom addict, when it comes to music. Also, I wanted to be more like Patti Smith.

© Rosie Wagner via inkmusic.at

dk: Your new album called „Day of the Dog“ will be released in Austria, Germany and Switzerland on Jan, 24. – it will be the 4th album within 5 years. Where does your everlasting inspiration and energy come from?

EF: The inspiration and energy come from God. The same force that lit the stars drives me forward and grants me any success I may have. The fact that I release an album every year comes from the fact that I’m chronically jealous of the Beatles, who usually had two a year.

dk: You offer your fans and listener a wide range of manifold musical art works. And Chicago is where you come from. Who would you call your idol(s)? Who has influenced your style and your way to write and compose? Does your heritage inspire you?

EF: I listen to music almost constantly, and I listen to a lot of different stuff. It all gets mixed into my head. There is a long list of people who particularly made me understand how I could become a songwriter and musician. Lou Reed, John Lennon, Randy Newman, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Jack White and Dan Bern are some of them.

dk: Singer and songwriter are in a minor position in Austria. There are very little ways to acquire sponsorship. How would you compare the US-American situation to that?

EF: The situation is the same everywhere. Rarely do people take notice of a guy like me. But for the people who do notice, it means a lot. I may not be making money, but I’m exchanging that true currency of the heart that music mysteriously contains, and that’s why I’m in it.

dk: You have been called a provocateur. Do you think your music is provoking? In “American Soil” you criticize the American people. Have you been insulted or pilloried due to those lyrics?

EF: Yeah, I’m wanted for treason by the U.S. government. The CIA can’t find me because I sleep on people’s couches and only spend one night in each town.

dk: I like how you interact with comments your fans posted or sent to you. Especially this one: “Anonymous asked: do you believe in God?” I was surprised and fascinated how honest and detailed you answered. Do you appreciate the ways of interaction in social media? Do you make use of them?

EF: Most of my hatred for social media amounts, in the end, to self-hatred. I hate the way I use social media. I look at things I don’t care about for hours with hardly a thought in my head. But it can be used well, and once in a while I pull through and have a meaningful interaction with someone on it.

dk: Which title of your new album would you call your (today’s) favorite and why?

EF: I like “Tell ‘Em All to Go to Hell,” because it’s a reminder to myself not to make myself crazy with other people’s judgments of me. Worrying what people think of us is a full-time job that we should all quit without notice. And Tim's sax part is just perfect.

dk: Concerning the film shown: “Inside Llewyn Davis” Do you know the film by the Coen-Brothers? If so, do you see parallels between the character and yourself?

EF: I just saw it. I hope I quit before I start to hate music that much. I don’t want there to be parallels, but they are. Sometimes I get tired and bitter. A big part of my job is to fight those feelings off.

dk: Since you will be playing in a cinema: what’s your all-time-favorite film(s)?

EF: “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. Simply sublime.

dk: Thank you for your time!




Tickets für die Veranstaltung am 30. Jänner gibt's hier
VVK Preis: 14,50,-
AK Preis: 16,00,-