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I was pretty much into punk rock and that's all I cared about. I was into Green Day and the Ramones. I wanted to get a guitar so I could play punk songs because this kid taught me power chords at summer camp.
Ezra Furman -
I was thinking very carefully about going into education, becoming a teacher, maybe becoming a rabbi.
Ezra Furman
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I guess I just do being a man different than some.
Ezra Furman -
I wrote 'My Teeth Hurt' in April 2018 when my teeth hurt and I didn't have dental insurance.
Ezra Furman -
My main theme as a songwriter seems to be a feeling of homelessness, of being in motion. The feeling of being somehow unmoored, a radical internal freedom that is very painful and also joyful.
Ezra Furman -
I don't like the notion that artists have a responsibility to be political.
Ezra Furman -
Listening to songs is like eating and writing songs is like vomiting. You're putting a ton of stuff in, it combines in unpredictable ways, and comes back out in a big mess.
Ezra Furman -
I could write a joke song really easily, but I think something that might be true for my generation is that there's a certain irony or detachedness expected of us, even though we really feel sincere. So the only way to sincerity is through a joke.
Ezra Furman
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I believe an authentic Judaism would legislate total equality for queer people.
Ezra Furman -
There is something embarrassing about asking for money, but if I hadn't done that, I would have not continued to be a professional musician.
Ezra Furman -
I've been writing songs since I was a teenager, so one kind of song I've written a lot is about, I don't know, teen angst feelings - feeling unsure of yourself and immature.
Ezra Furman -
I think there's a large worry in queer communities about imitating straight people, when queerness has its own identity and maybe can be a radical force that should be dismantling stuff that locks people into structures.
Ezra Furman -
Ezra Furman And The Boy-Friends was a band with a specific mission - to be a really good rock'n'roll band. And we achieved it.
Ezra Furman -
I think of myself as someone who's trying to be a great songwriter and a great performer. And I mean really great.
Ezra Furman
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I thought as a kid, "Maybe I don't want to start a punk band necessarily. I just want to learn to be a great songwriter," and got really into trying to figure out how that could be possible.
Ezra Furman -
I want to make the greatest record ever made. It's the only thing I can think about.
Ezra Furman -
I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.
Ezra Furman -
I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you.
Ezra Furman -
In terms of keeping kosher, I've basically just been vegetarian. I want to be fully vegetarian anyway, though sometimes my mom makes chicken soup and I have to eat it. I just love it.
Ezra Furman -
I always maintain that artists do not have any responsibility to do anything except cause no harm and do whatever we want to do as artists.
Ezra Furman
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You have to make a character of yourself if you're going to be known to strangers.
Ezra Furman -
I don't think I'll ever be able to fully explain the way that the Velvet Underground's records opened a door in my head. But it has something to do with Lou Reed as a mythic figure: a person who fitted no category, who defied limits and trends and definitions.
Ezra Furman -
I am frustrated at misconceptions of me, and being cast in a role.
Ezra Furman -
I'm a big fan of Louis CK - I think he's a master of standup.
Ezra Furman