As children my grandparents were refugees. Eventually they got to the U.S. – in 1950 or something. They grew up as refugees. Their earliest memories are of living in a home with their family. It’s in my blood, I guess, to have a fear about encouraging fascism. Ezra Furman Read Quote
I see a skill developing of writing about not just feelings that I’m feeling, but things that I deeply care about as well. Ezra Furman Read Quote
I write good songs out of fear… fear of failure. Because if they’re not good enough, you feel yourself starting to fall. Ezra Furman Read Quote
The Velvet Underground is probably the best band that’s ever existed, assuredly the best American one. Ezra Furman Read Quote
I get stage fright really bad sometimes, so touring has been hard on me in a lot of ways. But despite that, I love performing. Ezra Furman Read Quote
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 Read Quote
I just don’t care that much about the band name. I’m not so precious about it. The Harpoons were different people, but The Boy-Friends were and are the same people as The Visions. I changed it to The Visions when we made ‘Transangelic Exodus’ because I guess we didn’t feel so friendly and boyish anymore. Ezra Furman Read Quote
My focus is matters of the heart and matters of the spirit, emotion and passion and stuff like that. But I think I’ve been getting better at being more specific about what it is I care about. Such as the welfare of refugees and solidarity between threatened populations. Ezra Furman Read Quote
We take a lot of inspiration from punk rock and early rock ‘n’ roll from the ’50s and early ’60s. Ezra Furman Read Quote
I feel like one thing that messed me up was living in a homophobic and transphobic society, and just being the object of mockery and disgust in your average sitcom or movie or person at school. Ezra Furman Read Quote
