In cryptic conversation with Ezra Furman

Image: Ezra Furman 

Ezra Furman is not a musician you come across everyday in more ways than one: firstly there's his wacky on-stage cross dressing matched by his frivolous personality, and his music is also refreshingly distinctive too. 

Since disbanding Ezra Furman and The Harpoons, the Chicago born musician has found himself producing multi-influenced revivalist music that prospers from his poetic lyricism and unquestionable originality.

His latest album drop Perpetual Motion People is his most accomplished piece of work to date, a genre waltzing collection of creative nous that journeys musical landscapes clearly enjoyed by the burgeoning troubadour. 

After being wowed by Perpetual Motion People we wanted to get inside the mind of Ezra Furman to better understand his undeniable quirkiness and creative process that lends itself to such an album; oh and we also suggest that you take the answers with a pinch of salt... 

Where does the name ‘Perpetual Motion People’ come from, is it a personal reflection, elements of the album certainly paint you as an energising person?

It's the name of an old sheepdog my grandmother used to have. She said she'd pay me $6,000 to name the album after her former pet. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Despite the name being pinned on energy, the album varies in mood, what’s the reasoning behind that?

After a careful market analysis we determined that a modern album with a ratio of one slow song to every three more upbeat songs tends to be maximally profitable as compared with albums that are all slow or all fast. Frankly, it was a commercial opportunity we couldn't refuse.

Your albums are known to contain an index of subject matter in the liner, why is that and what are some of the stand out subjects explored in the new album?

My parents were both professional index-writers. Few people know this because index-writers are so often freelance and uncredited, but any author whose book has an index paid an indexer for that service.

It's a dying art and my lifelong dream is to carry on the tradition. I began making records as a way to make a name for myself as an indexer, since the book world is already so saturated with indexers and it would be hard to stand out. At this point I'm almost ready to make my official debut in that field, the field of actual book-indexes, and I couldn't be more excited.

Upon listening, ‘Perpetual Motion People’ appears to be informed by multiple genres and harks back too many different eras. How did you initially plan the direction of the album and was this the intended result?

Sorry it was too many. The basic skeleton of the album was recorded in eight sessions of spontaneous chanting, which we then auto-tuned, overdubbed saxophone and separated into the thirteen “songs” you hear on the record today.

There’s no denying that your music appeals and triumphs in the present day, do you see yourself as a revivalist at all?

Absolutely. I don't think enough people are familiar with classics of the past like LCD Soundsystem, Joanna Newsom and Frank Ocean. I just think that was a more soulful era and anything I can do to emulate those sounds of yesteryear makes me feel fulfilled as a backward-looking artist.

You’re heading to the UK to play multiple dates, i’m sure everyone will be raring for a rendition of your new album, are you looking forward to it and what songs are you particularly excited to showcase?

We're planning to avoid the straightforward presentation of songs that we've leaned on in the past, in favor of a new approach. The five of us will be speaking the lyrics in rhythmic unison with no musical accompaniment. It will definitely cut down travel costs and things we have to carry around. It was a logistical opportunity we couldn't refuse.

The colourful sheep at Latitude slightly reminds me of your on- stage attire. Could you shed light on one of your wonderful outfits you’ve got in store for this summer?

I'm thinking a giant diaper and a bra made of seashells.

Thanks Ezra, congratulations on the album!

Ezra Furman plays Latitude Festival, taking place at Henham Park from Thursday 16th - Sunday 19th July.