Words//Daisy Carter
Instagram//@daiisymayc
Instagram//@daiisymayc
"Rock 'n' roll but not like the rest, and to me, America at its best"; so the 29-year-old bisexual Orthodox Jew Ezra Furman describes himself in his Twitter bio. And oh, did I not mention? He also defines himself as gender-fluid, and, as such, frequently plays shows sporting his increasingly recognisable cherry-red lipstick.
So, he's accurate to say the least, but despite being "not like the rest", the singer-songwriter based in Chicago (Illinois, USA) is by no means alone in using his exploration of music and performance as a platform to challenge traditional gender and genre stereotypes.
So, he's accurate to say the least, but despite being "not like the rest", the singer-songwriter based in Chicago (Illinois, USA) is by no means alone in using his exploration of music and performance as a platform to challenge traditional gender and genre stereotypes.
Drawing inspiration from the likes of Morrissey, Bob Dylan and the late, great Bowie, Furman has very much earned himself a place alongside these icons as one who refuses to conform. He cites The Velvet Underground as the band with whose music he became wholly entranced for the first time, when, as a teenager, he discovered the ineffable Lou Reed. It's this absolute ambiguity, boarding on mysticism, of both their records, and Reed, which Furman strives to imitate - a lyric from his song 'Ordinary Life' being, let's wreck all those preconceived notions they bring to it.
Even the accepted term of how someone 'defines themselves' is not quite applicable to Furman, given he's a self-confessed anomaly; “I'm not quite decided on a gender identity, I may never decide, and that’s all right with me.” Growing up, he felt the notion of masculinity was merely a set of rules confining him, trying to suppress anything even remotely feminine; it's only over the past few years that he's begun to publicly perform more, dressing in a way traditionally associated with women *cue cherry red lipstick*.
However, Furman's keen to emphasise that this choice is not a professional decision made to set him apart from other artists or further his career, but just as much a part of his everyday life as music is, therefore it would seem strange not to combine the two.
Other than expressing his own identity, the main reason he presents himself publicly dressed in a feminine way is to, if at all possible, provide a relatable role model for those who also feel that they don't quite fit the gender binary classification and offer support/consolation to “queer kids”.
Even the accepted term of how someone 'defines themselves' is not quite applicable to Furman, given he's a self-confessed anomaly; “I'm not quite decided on a gender identity, I may never decide, and that’s all right with me.” Growing up, he felt the notion of masculinity was merely a set of rules confining him, trying to suppress anything even remotely feminine; it's only over the past few years that he's begun to publicly perform more, dressing in a way traditionally associated with women *cue cherry red lipstick*.
However, Furman's keen to emphasise that this choice is not a professional decision made to set him apart from other artists or further his career, but just as much a part of his everyday life as music is, therefore it would seem strange not to combine the two.
Other than expressing his own identity, the main reason he presents himself publicly dressed in a feminine way is to, if at all possible, provide a relatable role model for those who also feel that they don't quite fit the gender binary classification and offer support/consolation to “queer kids”.
Furman says his faith is not a part of his life he struggles to maintain or feels burdened by, but the opposite. Although strict religion wasn't a part of his upbringing, his parents emphasised the education of Judaism over the observance of it; now, he uses his beliefs to help him learn about everyday life and views spiritualism as a source of wonder and enjoyment.
Recently, he has become a more observant Jew, and now tries to consistently keep Shabbat (the Sabbath - or Friday evening and Saturday - which Jewish people reserve for a day of rest and view as an incredibly important, special part of their faith), meaning sorry folks, Furman has no plans to play a show or travel on Shabbos again.
In spite of his extraordinary personal life, or indeed perhaps partly because of it, Furman has a fair few albums to his name; Banging Down the Doors (2007), Inside the Human Body (2008), Moon Face (2009) and Mysterious Power (2011) were all recorded with his old band, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons. Right now, he's part of Ezra Furman and the Boyfriends, who, over the past couple of years, have banged out three more wicked albums exploring the utter abnormality of everyday life - The Year of No Returning (2012), Day of The Dog (2013) and Perpetual Motion People (2015).
Recently, he has become a more observant Jew, and now tries to consistently keep Shabbat (the Sabbath - or Friday evening and Saturday - which Jewish people reserve for a day of rest and view as an incredibly important, special part of their faith), meaning sorry folks, Furman has no plans to play a show or travel on Shabbos again.
In spite of his extraordinary personal life, or indeed perhaps partly because of it, Furman has a fair few albums to his name; Banging Down the Doors (2007), Inside the Human Body (2008), Moon Face (2009) and Mysterious Power (2011) were all recorded with his old band, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons. Right now, he's part of Ezra Furman and the Boyfriends, who, over the past couple of years, have banged out three more wicked albums exploring the utter abnormality of everyday life - The Year of No Returning (2012), Day of The Dog (2013) and Perpetual Motion People (2015).
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's over here in Europe that Furman seems to have enjoyed most success, rather than his native USA. As time goes on more and more people are becoming aware of his unique, almost genre-less sound; it is this, coupled with the growing number of LGBT or gender-queer public figures, such as Caitlyn Jenner and Grayson Perry, which make Era Furman and his music all the more relevant today.
Ezra Furman - The Socials
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Ezra Furman - The Socials