FROM THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS TO LOVE SPIT LOVE WITH RICHARD FORTUS

Updated: 11/14/01

This interview was done in November of 1994. This originally appeared in Highwire Daze Magazine Issue # 37.

Richard Butler possesses one of today’s more recognizable voices. It’s gritty tenor defined the numerous hits of the now ex-Psychedelic Furs. With the break away from The Furs, Richard freed himself from the constraints of being in an established band and set about setting and building a new platform for his singular musical and lyrical vision. This new vision has now brought forth the making of Love Spit Love. The featured members of this new band are Frank Ferrer on drums, Tim Butler on bass (only recorded and played on this first album) and a great guitarist Richard Fortus. After the sold out show a The Troubadour the night before, I caught up with Richard Fortus to do this interview in person the next morning at The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood before the band left for San Francisco.

What Is Your Favorite Psychedelic Furs Song?

Fortus: Um! I really don’t know if I have a favorite Psychedelic Furs song. I guess, I Get A Room off of The World Outside which was the last Psychedelic Furs album and the last record that the Psychedelic Furs toured for. I thought I Get A Room was a beautiful song. Then also however, I also enjoy the professional album Talk Talk Talk which I thought was fantastic. This was a very influential album for me growing up.

Both that For ever Now and the first album. Songs like The Fall off of the first album. I sort of lost it with The Psychedelic Furs near the forth album Mirror Moves. I liked Mirror Moves but I wasn’t crazy about it like I was with the firs three albums. The came Midnight To Midnight actually forgotten about, However, there is one great song on the album called All of the Law. Then I really got back into the band with the nest album Book Of Days which I thought was their best album. Unfortunately not enough people cared for either Midnight To Midnight or Book Of Days albums. Coming off of Midnight To Midnight which they hated (the band) that it didn’t have any singles basically. So then the band went into Columbia Records/Sony and said look were going to make an album that is probably not going to have any singles on it and its going to be a very alternative album. Columbia said fine do it. So the album Book Of Days really did not get any push from the record label at all.

When You Are On Stage Performing Are You In Control Of The Band?

Fortus: Cue wise and tempo wise.

What Are Your Favorite Love Spit Love songs?

Firtus: Jigsaw. Because it is different to anything else out there right now. There is nothing out there that can also either relate to it either. It is also like a weird hybrid type of a song. It is like Tom Waits meets a British cabaret.

How Long Did It Take After Hooking Up With Richard Butler To Write The First Album For Love Spit Love? Plus How Long Did It Take To Get The Production Done For This New Project?

Fortus: After the finale last tour for the last album A World Outside by The Psychedelic Furs Richard actually called me. Richard said to me that he wanted to put something new together and would I be interested. Well I said sure and so we did hook up. This call was so completely out of the blue. I had gotten to know Richard a little bit while playing violin on a few songs during the tour for A World Outside. It was not like we were real close or anything. But, we started working right away after the end of the last Furs tour.

When Did Love Spit Love Start Touring?

Fortus: The Viper room was the very first show that we ever did. Basically that was a warm up type of show really before the actual tour. Now we have been doing the club tour market. According to our tour manager we are going to be on the road until next September. So Another year on the road at least.

Is Love Spit Love Working On Any New Material While On The Road Touring?

Fortus: Yeah! Actually we are really excited about trying the new material. It is really very exciting how it is going we are all so excited. Even last night at The Troubadour show we did. One of the new songs is called Song. Song is a working title for a new song called A New Day or we just might keep it as the title Song too. With the next Love Spit Love album we are going to make it a bit more experimental than this first record. It might be all most Jazzier than this one as well in a way. The second release will be more open and less formulated and even less structured. Less typical pop structure for sure. Even doing a recomposed type of thing with it. We are not repeating anything basically. It will be more like us Furry. We are excited about stretching out into that direction.

Is Richard Butler Challenging You?

Fortus: We are actually challenging each other. I think we will a lot. Challenge each other even more so with the second album. It will show up a lot more for sure with the next record I am sure of it.

We Had The Opportunity To Check Out Both Shows Here In Southern Cal. We Saw The Coach House Down South A Bit In Orange County And Last Nights Show At The Troubadour In West Hollywood Last Night. I Thought That The Shows Were Actually Felt Very Structured. Was This Done Intentionally?

Fortus: On Yeah! We tried a lot of different things including even different song list. The night before at The Coach House we were doing a taping for West Wood One Radio. So that show was like sort of being on a leash sort of speak. No one had a good time at that show. The Coach House is set up so poorly too. The next show was at The Troubadour. This was a really good show. Everybody had a great time. We were trying to do some small venues on this tour and this one works great for that sort of thing. The small venue show were done to let the crowd get more into it. This would let the intimate group feel the buzz that we are trying to put out. After the small venue tour the crowd will know better what we are about. We will be back again I am sure that we will.

Imago records had originally set this interview up for HIGHWIRE DAZE as a telephone interview. Special thanks to Richard Fortus for letting us do this interview in person in Hollywood. While at the interview I did get the chance to talk to Richard Butler but they had to leave for San Francisco and my recorder was turned off in respect that Richard Butler didn’t want to do any interviews. Now go out and buy and catch the buzz that Richard Fortus was talking about that you can get and feel from the debut release self titled cd Love Spit Love.