Last Saturday, Mike Carmody spoke to Richard Butler on the phone to discuss the upcoming Psychedelic Furs concert at the Tower Theater, the new Furs LP, and their immediate future plans. Here are just a few of the highlights of the conversation:
MC: Tell us a little about your group's history.
RB: Well, we've been playing as a group for four and a half years now. We all come from London, and we really enjoy playing music together. We have three albums out (The Psychedelic Furs, Talk Talk Talk and Forever Now) and we look forward to coming back to Houston (The Furs played in town last year, but I couldn't find out where).
MC: About your new album, do you see the Furs sound changing? how did Todd Rundgren influence that sound?
RB: Todd produced the record and helped us by playing the keyboards and he also arranged some of the horn charts, but the recording itself was basically cut-and-dry. All of the songs were already written before we ever got into the studio, so our "sound" wasn't affected greatly.
MC: I have noticed that your music is receiving more radio play and the group seems to be breaking away from the confines of the underground.
RB: Yes, well I’m certainly very glad that more people are listening to us, but I don't think that it's the result of us trying to write songs to capture a particular audience. Our music has developed because we have, and I think that it's a natural process. We are trying to focus our song writing more on melodic themes and we're also trying to use more orchestral devices in the music as opposed to the darker, stark melodies that we used to.
MC: Who is involved in the Furs songwriting?
RB: I write most of the lyrics, and since I sing, I am pretty much involved in that aspect of the song writing. John Ashton, our guitarist, writes most of the melodies, I would say, but my brother, Tim, who plays the bass, has also written few things, so I would have to say that the Furs sound is a group effort.
MC: Are the Furs bringing any other musicians on the tour?
RB: Yes, we have Gary Windo with us playing saxophone. Gary has recorded with us before and we are glad to have him with us. We also have Ann Sheldon who will be playing cello, and we are also happy to have Ed Buller playing synthesizers with us.
MC: How has the tour been going so far?
RB: We've been very busy with this tour. We toured England before arriving in the states two months ago. We have dates to play in North America until February, but we have planned a short break after we play Texas. We are going to play Houston, Austin, and Dallas, then we take a rest for two weeks to go to New York to do some recording for the next LP, we have some songs written and we hope to work on a few ideas while we're in the studio. Then we go on the road again to wrap up the tour.
MC: Do you guys have any other special projects planned, such as movies, videos, dramatic productions, etc.?
RB: No, we just hope to finish the road jobs and start working on the new record.
MC: About the tour, do you plan to use any extraordinary stage devices?
RB: Actually, we did that kind of show last year. This time, since we are travelling with our guests, we want to make certain that everyone on the stage gets seen, if you follow. But, then again, the show will not be your standard, run-of-the-mill rock concert. We do have some great surprises, so come on out and see.
MC: Richard, I’ve always been curious about the name, The Psychedelic Furs. How did you chaps come to call yourselves by that name?
RB: It's really a reaction against some of the punk bands who put down the music and the culture of the psychedelic sixties. I mean, you can't just ignore or reject the entire era.
MC: So the name reflects a flashback to the decade of the sixties?
RB: Well, it's not what I would call a flashback, because the music is entirely different, but the name itself represents an antagonism against the message of the hardcore punkers who want to hate an entire period of rock 'n roll. Some of the band from that period had very strange names also.
MC: Is there anything you would like to say to Houston before the show next week?
RB: Yes, don't believe what you hear about us. Come to the concert and judge for yourselves. It's going to be a very exciting show.
I mentioned everyone in the Furs except the drummer, Vince Ely. Sorry about that, Vince. I will certainly be looking forward to hearing you and your mates on Friday, November 26, at the Tower Theater. I would also like to thank Martin for his help in arranging the interview, and Richard for making this possible.