Updated: 07/26/00
An interview with Richard Fortus, members of Love Spit Love and now The Psychedelic Furs.
Highwire Daze: Let’s get the whole history straight about this Reunion and the past history you have with The Psychedelic Furs. 1. What band were you in when you first opened for The Psychedelic Furs. What Tour was it For The Furs and what year?
Richard Fortus: I was in a band on Atlantic Records called Pale Divine. We supported the Furs on their last American tour for the World Outside record in '92. I would play with Pale and then would play a few songs on violin with the Furs during their set.
HD:Who's idea was it to get Love Spit Love going and why after only two albums did Love Spit Love break up?
Richard: About 6 months after that tour, Richard Butler phoned me and asked if I'd be interested in writing with him for a solo record that he was going to do. We began working together on some songs and eventually, Richard said that he didn't feel right about calling it a solo record since we had written everything together (and with Tim), and it seemed like more of a band project. Richard came up with the name.
HD: You started your own band or when in a new band after the break up of Love Spit Love what was the band and what was the album you put out?
Richard: Love Spit Love didn't really "break up". It just sort of stopped.
Frank Ferrer and I had been playing with a couple of friends in a band called Honky Toast. We had started playing shows together around NY during the time between recording "Trysomeatone" and the tour for that record. When we
finished the tour, we played some more shows with Honky Toast and we had a lot of labels that were aggressively pursuing us. We had been doing it just for fun, but the money started to get to be such a substantial sum, that we couldn't turn it down. Trysomeatone got very little support from Maverick and it didn't seem like anything was going to be happening in the immediate future, so we decided we might as well do a Honky Toast record. The record
(What'cha Gonna Do, Honky?) was released on Sony/550 records. We toured a little bit, not much happened with the record.
HD: Dave Crowley said it was hard for you to get onto doing this reunion tour why and so whose idea was it for the Psychedelic Furs to get back together again and tour?
Richard: I'm not sure what Dave would mean by "it was hard for you (me) to get onto doing this." Maybe he meant that they had a hard time getting me to do it? I work a lot around NY doing sessions for other people's records and doing commercial music and music for films and video games. I don't make as much money touring as I do when I'm here in the city. When they first approached me about doing a Furs tour, I didn't think I would be able to. However, everything ended up working out. I'm really looking forward to the tour. I love these songs; I grew up listening to them. The Furs have been one of my favorite bands since I was about 13. It is a joy and an honor to play this music.
HD: Since 3 members of Love Spit Love are tour with and making up the Psychedelic Furs line up, Will the Psychedelic Furs play any of the Love Spit Love songs?
Richard: We might do "Am I Wrong".
HD:Before hooking up with The B 52's and The Go-Go's Summer Tour you are doing some headlining shows are they being recorded for a possible Psychedelic Furs Live Album? and during this tour till the beginning of august are you doing any Pay Per View Concerts or Live Radio Broadcast of this Psychedelic Furs Tour?
Richard: I don't think they are being recorded. You never know though.
HD: Since your tour with Love Spit Love members you could do a Love Spit Love Reunion Tour after The Psychedelic Furs Tour ends. Could you or has any been set up?
Richard: Uuhhhh, no.
HD: Since the Psychedelic Furs did do some full headlining sets at the beginning of this tour, is there any chance here in Los Angeles or close by that they will do some more on there way back to the east coast?
Richard: We are doing a string of dates at the end of the B-52's/Go-go's tour.
We are working are way back across the country. Staying mainly in the South I believe.
HD: Are the Psychedelic Furs working on a new album and or is Love Spit Love working on a new album and are you currently with another band working on a new album?
Richard: The Furs will probably be doing a new record in the fall. I just
finished a record that is now out by an artist named BT. I might be touring with him in the fall. I'm trying to work that in around possibly doing the Furs record. BT is awesome; he is definitely setting the bar for electronic music at the moment. I also am doing a record with a new artist on Warner Bros. Records called Laura Dawn. I begin that the day I get back from the Furs tour. I just did a show with her in Tokyo last week, she is very talented. I also am partners in a studio here in Manhattan. We only record our own music there. We do music for TV commercials, films and video games.
The company is called Compound (www.compound.com). It keeps me very busy and very creatively satisfied.
Thanks to Richard Fortus for taking the time to answer these questions! See them August 3rd at The Greek Theater!!!
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