Ezra Furman to pen book on Lou Reed LP

Ezra Furman Debuts 'The Prisoner', announces US Tour

Ezra Furman has announced an extensive 2016 tour in support of his latest release Perpetual Motion People. To celebrate, he has shared the B-side to “Restless Year” entitled “The Prisoner”. The swinging track sees upbeat acoustic arrangements underpinned with a layer of dark nuance as he sings “I am prisoner in the basement of this house.”

Furman and his band are in the middle of West Coast dates including an LA appearance at The Echo tomorrow night. Along with the newly announced dates, he has also been confirmed for an appearance at SXSW next year.

“The opening lines of my records tend to be summary statements,” says Furman. “Every year has been restless, physically and even more internally.” Hence the title Perpetual Motion People, “That’s who it was made by and that’s who it’s for. People who feel they can never settle. I’m restless in most aspects. I don’t tend to live in one place for long. I am always changing the way I present my gender. My religious life is intensely up and down in terms of observance and personal convictions. I’ve always viewed the idea of truth itself as something wobbly, always slipping out of our grasp. That’s what the songs are about: a head that is haunted, a society I cannot join, a lover who is perpetually in the act of leaving. A central idea is the fugitive or runaway, in a hideout built in the midst of an unfriendly or alienated world.

Though reluctant to single out tracks, given they’re all equally loved, Furman admits that ‘Ordinary Life’ “is a concept I’ve been trying to get out for a long time.” He cites transgender American author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist Kate Bornstein: “She’s struggled a lot with depression and suicidal thoughts, she said, “Do anything you have to do to make your life worth living, break the law, run away from home, destroy your possessions; just don’t be mean to people”. I meet a lot of fans in need, and in pain. I feel desperate a lot too – desperate to shake people by the shoulders and try to explain something, I’m just not sure what.”

Ezra Furman has been announced as the author of the upcoming 33 1/3 book on Lou Reed’s Transformer. Having been a lifelong Reed fan, Furman is an ideal choice to pen this title in the seminal and influential book series. You can find out more information on the release here.

US Tour Dates
Tue 12-8 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah*
Wed 12-9 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo*
Mon 2-8 – Cleveland, OH – Happy Dog
Tue 2-9 – Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
Wed 2-10 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom#
Wed 3-16 – Sun 3-20- Austin, TX – SXSW
Sun 3-20 – Dallas, TX – Spillover 2016
Mon 3-21 – Springfield, MO – Outland Downstairs ^
Tue 3-22 – Columbia, MO – Cafe Berlin^
Wed 3-24 – Milwaukee, WI – Company Brewing^
Sat 3-26 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall ^
Sun 3-27 – Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House ^
Mon 3-28 – Toronto, ONT – Silver Dollar ^
Tue 3-29 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz ^
Wed 3-30 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall ^
Thu 3-31 – Allston, MA – Great Scott ^
Sat 4-2 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy ^
Sun 4-3 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern ^
Mon 4-4 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook ^
Tue 4-5 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl ^
Wed 4-6 – Nashville, TN – The Stone Fox ^
Thu 4-7 – St. Louis, MO – The Demo ^

* with Guy Blakeslee
# with Nude Beach
^ with Sleepy Kitty

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