INTERVIEW: Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld speaks ahead of upcoming New England dates (11.03 / 11.13)
Editor’s note: Our writer Cassandra Paiva chatted with Blue October lead singer Justin Furstenfeld in the calm before the storm, two weeks before the band kicks off their 70 date Foiled 20th Anniversary World Tour. Chilling in his studio at home after just picking the kids up from school, Furstenfeld reflected on the last 20 years, touching subjects like his dark and personal lyrics, growing and learning as a band, reflections on his past self, and the moments with family that make life worth living; as well as a sneak preview of what to expect on the tour.
Blue October are playing the following dates in the New England area:
State Theatre in Portland, ME on November, 3rd at 8 pm (TICKETS)
House of Blues in Boston, MA on November 13th at 7 pm (TICKETS)
CP: You’ve been a band for just over 30 years, but your big breakthrough didn’t happen until 10 years in. Looking back at that point in your life and career, what did that feel like?
JF: Back then it felt like, to be honest with you, I was like, “Umm, oh shit I just wrote something way too personal, and everybody bought it, and now, oh my God, I got to go promote this? Oh God, what did I do?” And I had written it about a girl, “Hate Me” right? I had written it about a girl who was so sweet to me and supportive. And I was with a new person, and she knew it, so it was like hell every time she would hear it. She’d be like, “I can’t believe “Hate Me” is so popular, it’s about her.” And I remember just being so dramatic back then. I should’ve just said, “Suck it up, it’s a good song.” But back then I was like, “I’m so sorry *cries*”
But you know, it was more about, “This is really fast, everything is super fast. It’s about something personal. How do you promote something personal? How do you market something personal? Answer normal questions about life and fun things, even though your song is about suicide?” You know.. It was just weird. It was amazing because it was succeeding. But I just remember thinking, “Oh.. I wish I kind of would’ve written a song like, *sings* ‘You and me baby ain’t nothing but mammals'” Remember that song? Because then at least I could go around and be like, “Yeah, it was fun! Woo!” Because every interview was like, “So, are you ok? Are you thinking of killing yourself right now?” And back then I was like, “Yes I am *cries*” So everything was soo dark. As soon as it came out and went Platinum, which means it sold a million records, I was like, “What?! Sold a million records?”
CP: That’s insane to think about.
JF: Right, but back then I was like, 30, I didn’t know what that meant, I just knew it meant more touring. I was a little bitch back then *laughs* So I broke my leg during that tour and we had to stop touring for like two years, during that album, the biggest album of our life. And then the music scene changed. And it went from Blue October to I don’t know, like dance-y stuff. So rock kind of died while I was recovering with my leg. So this 20 year anniversary is so special to all of us, seeing as if we’re sober, we all have children, we all are so deep into our craft as songwriters and musicians. Whereas back then, we were all just high, writing in our diary, and hoping everything goes well. So now we’re actually celebrating that this was a good album, and people loved it for the right reasons.
CP: Were there ever any moments, kind of on the other side of that coin before “Hate Me” catapulted, where you thought, “This is it, we’re done, nothing’s going to happen?”
JF: No, no, no, I was never wanting to get big. I was always like, “This is what I’m doing. This is a way of life. Y’all can leave if you want, but I”m going to be playing music and writing songs forever, even if I’m living in Prague and I’m playing at the local pub and I’m just getting paid by room and board. I will always just write music, and write poetry. And be this poet that travels and loves and loses, and you know, the romantic.” That was me. “I’m going to do it all, and I don’t need money, and I don’t need this.. And I don’t need all this attention. I’m just going to write really personal shit.”
There was never a time.. If anything, when we were dropped by the label the first time, I was like, “Oh, thank god. Now I can just breathe.” But the more I stayed true to that old Justin of, “I don’t care if we get famous, that’s y’alls’ job to sell it.” I just always had that mentality. I love that mentality of, “Y’all signed me for a reason, let me be me.” And so the more I got to be me, the better it went. The more I let them kind of make me work with people I didn’t agree with, the less good it got.
So heartache, and time alone, and a studio with an engineer. I lived in LA for about a year and I wrote all of these songs while I was there, just because I was going through it man, like everybody does. And when I turned it in, they were like, “What the hell is this?!” because it was so eclectic, and weird, and strange. And I remember the label president at the time, Sylvia Rhone, asked me, “What can I expect from ‘Into the Ocean’? Everybody says you have this song called ‘Into the Ocean.’ Why is it such a good rock song?” And I was like, “Because it’s not a rock song.” She’s like, “Explain it.” So I said, “It’s like a cross between Michael Jackson ‘Billie Jean’ and like ‘Africa’ from Toto.” And she thought I was joking with her, so she’s like, “Stop bullshitting me.” But I still believe that, that’s kind of a good comparison! So I think it’s always good when you don’t know how to explain what you’re doing, but it’s so good because you can’t explain it.
CP: That makes sense. So, 20 years is a good chunk of change, you’ve had many life experiences since then, have any of the songs from that era taken on new meanings to you now that you’re older and more experienced?
JF: Yeah, every one of the songs! Because back then, one of my recovery therapists when I was getting sober told me, “Man, you’ve based your whole career on regurgitating your pain. Do you ever turn it off? Because you’re kind of funny when you turn it off. You ever think about maybe just turning it on when you’re on stage, and then being you, or are you this pain?” And it just blew me the fuck away, I was like, “What do you mean there’s another me? I’m this sad guy.” But then I remember before I was using, and before I met toxic people, and before I lost myself in drugs and depression, that there was a funny guy. It was pretty cool to get sober and then play a song like “Hate Me” and go, “Damn, that’s really, really touching.”
CP: And like, “Look how far I’ve come.”
JF: Yeah. And not necessarily from a, “Woe is me. Oh look how good I’m doing,” I just know how far I went down the ladder, I know where I was, and I don’t really need to tell anybody because it’s pretty ugly and dirty. So when I sing that song, the amount of hope and honesty in that song alone, just that one, makes me so proud to know that I didn’t give up on myself, and that I had a brain and that I used it for the right reasons.
CP: And I think from fans’ standpoints, other people who have gone through the same thing can really connect with you.
JF: Right, and the people who don’t connect with it, they tend to think we’re overdramatic. But that’s cool, because they don’t have to go through things like insecurities, depression, self doubt. But the people that do, they find kind of like this group of people who are like, “Oh cool, I’m not alone.” You know?
CP: Yeah. Reflecting back on your life so far, is there maybe a piece of advice that now you would give your 2006 self?
JF: Yeah, suck it up, break up with that woman, stop using drugs, and utilize the fact that you are working with a billion dollar corporation and they have their hands on people like Pharrell, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Pearl Jam, and utilize them as a tool to work with these other artists. Learn. Get out there. Write more. Stop going home and being sad boy. There’s nothing creative about that. Suck it up, man, life’s good. Enjoy it. Go utilize the tools at your service and tell the label that you work with that you want to work with all these other people. That’s what smart artists do, and then they get to go work with and collaborate with people. And it’s pretty cool, man.
CP: Do you have any collaborations that you’d love to do or ones that you might’ve done?
JF: Of course. I would love to do collaborations with Radiohead, with Thom York. I’d love to do collaborations with Peter Gabriel, for Christ’s sake. There’s tons of people that I’d love to do collaborations with. It’s just, the music business is different now. I own my own label now, so if I’m not on your label, why are you going to try to give me some attention? It’s been 30 years. I pretty much put myself out there. There’s a lot of people that I’d love to work with. That said, in this world, people get only so much time. Why do they want to share their time with someone else when they.. that’s the kind of thing. Unless you’re an unknown artist, then people are like, “Yeah, let’s work together!”
CP: Jumping into the touring side, you guys are about to launch into a 70 date run, which is a little bit insane. How do you prepare for something like that?
JF: You go into the studio, rehearse the songs, which we’ve done, and you find that all of a sudden these songs are pretty good, and you’ve never really played them with your guys before and holy crap, this feels really good. And then you hire an amazing crew to make sure you’re taken care of on the road, and that all the lights and all the bells and whistles are taken care of. And you have a management team and an agency that’s pretty amazing at getting the word out. And then you go out there and don’t try to make it all more important than it is, just be humble and play the songs that they want. And be positive about it! Don’t go be like you used to where you played the songs and cried on stage because you’re going through so much crap. Let ’em know there’s hope.
CP: Hey, I heard the story of your parents believing in you. There wasn’t a dry eye around me!
JF: *laughs* There’s sometimes in shows where you do need to tug on people’s hearts, but not out of self deprecation and despair, out of embracing what you have right now before you lose it.
CP: Did you have to relearn how to play some of those songs?
JF: Oh hell yeah! I had to go to Google and look up what the damn chords were for some of them! *laughs* I’m kidding.. no, I’m not kidding. Once we got together, there were a couple times where I looked at Matt and Will and was like, “I am so sorry that I wrote this like this. I don’t really know. I was high. I’m sorry.” And then we figured it out together.
CP: What songs are you most excited to play that maybe didn’t get the light of day?
JF: “She’s My Ride Home.” “Hate Me” never got its real light of day on the road. Neither did “Into the Ocean.” I’m just excited to play the album from start to finish, and to be proud of it instead of living it.
CP: I mean, other than the album from start to finish, are there any little secrets or anything you can give away about what to expect?
JF: That we’re not only playing the Foiled album, but then we’re coming back on stage and, it’s going to be a very, very long evening, just know that. And the Foiled album is just masterfully locked and beautifully lit, and the artistic direction is just gorgeous. It’s nothing dramatic, it’s just beautifully cinema. And then we come back on stage and we just rock your face off with all the songs that we love that are not on Foiled, like all the hits. So it’s just going to be like a big celebration. And then we’re going to go away for a while. We’re going to give everybody a break from Blue October for a year or maybe even two. Let them kind of realize that we’ve put 10 albums out since Foiled. Let them rediscover that and sink their teeth into that. And then put an album out in 2028, and then go back on tour again.
CP: Have you been writing or considering anything for an upcoming album or..?
JF: It’s done. Yeah, it’s done, and then we have like 80 more songs.. I’m just constantly writing in the studio, so it’s like I don’t know what else to do. Remember when I said the only thing I wanted to do was write and travel? Like that’s literally all I do. And I’m a dad. I’m not good at marriage, I’ll tell you that much. But that’s ok, it’s not for everyone! But I am one hell of a dad and I’m one hell of a songwriter. Oh, my son just gave me a thumbs up *laughs*
So if I can keep fueling this fire and feeding the machine consistent good work, and only catering to our ecosystem of people who believe in us, if I can keep it like that and not worry about the people that we need to be cool around or not worry about the whole race for #1.. When I left Universal, I only wanted to write and play for the ecosystem of people that believed in us. It’s such a beautiful thing when you know that that’s who you’re writing for. Not to become famous or huge, or bigger or richer. The definition of success is your kids being safe and you’re surrounding yourself with people that love you, you have friends, and you get to make music for a living.
CP: I’ve heard it from other artists that they want to make stuff that they like and if other people like it, then that’s making it.
JF: Yeah, I get to do that every day. But I’m smart enough to know that some of the stuff I like is pretty damn weird and it won’t sell. I’m smart enough to go, “That’s strange, let’s save that for later when you do that side project called *garbled noises*” I want to make music like The Cure made me feel when I heard Disintegration for the first time. But I never want to be one of those people who spin so many plates at once that they forget that the main plate has cracked because of the weight of all the other ones. It’s got to be focus time for Blue October until we take two years off and then I can do whatever the hell I want. I just never could understand people who do like 20 things at once and they can’t do any of them good because they’re concentrating on getting so many things done that they forget they have 7, 6, and 8 to do.
CP: In more of another reflective moment, what are some stand out moments for you, whether personally or with the band, over your career?
JF: First of all, having a hit with Universal and succeeding. And knowing that I had a hit that was about something so dear and beautiful. And not a hit that meant nothing, that I’ll have to do for the rest of my life, that I hate. I sure am glad I didn’t go write that quick song that makes everybody happy and a lot of money. I’m so glad that it happened to be two songs that are just beautiful to my heart and that it kind of set the precedent for what has to come after that. I really love that about us. And the second thing I’m most proud of is starting a record label with my managers and really tackling it with integrity and not focusing on the race.
CP: So the record label, do you only produce your own stuff or do you have other artists? Are championing other people?
JF: Let me say this right now, I would love to meet an artist who isn’t lazy. I’m serious. I’ve met so many good artists, and then I find out that they’re just on SoundCloud, and they’re just chilling at home, not really pushing it, don’t really care, don’t know what getting in a Toyota Corolla and traveling the country and playing for two people means. There’s no work ethic anymore. I’ve signed one artist and that went sideways because they just didn’t do anything. And then they’re calling me going, “Why am I not a star?” Because everybody’s mama says their shit don’t stink. I would love for you right now to tell me, “Hey I’ve got this guy. He’s going to come to your show. He’s got this demo, he wants you to produce it. He’s fire. He tours all weekend. And his numbers are growing because he loves it.” I would flip out, if someone told me that, and gave me a demo and it was good, because then I would actually do something with another artist. The fact that there’s so many artists out there that look at social media as their work ethic, oh my God..
I used to get really mad because there are no young artists out there that are just great anymore. Except for, I mean you have your Frank Oceans who came through, and your Tyler the Creators who came through who are geniuses, they’re just incredible people. You have Cigarettes After Sex who came through and they’re like, “What! Where did they come from? They’re amazing, holy shit!” But where’s the new Elliott Smith? Where’s like, the folk guys? There’s so many women out there and I love it. So many women that are finally getting out there going, “You know what man, step away, it’s my turn.” And I love that for women. And I think men have really screwed up a lot of every aspect of the entertainment industry, and their egos and whose head is bigger. But as far as me discovering artists, if I sign you and you end up letting me down, I’ll hate you, I will literally despise you *laughs* because you wasted my time. And I hate that about myself, but that’s who I am.
CP: *laughs* so on a lighter note, what artists have you been listening to?
JF: I will always love Thom York, Radiohead. I will always love Frank Ocean and Cigarettes After Sex. I love Phoebe Bridgers like a lot. I just think she’s so cool because she just doesn’t care to be famous. She’s just so chill and so mellow. I have respect for a lot of artists like Kacey Musgraves, I love her. I’m just going to start listing a bunch of women, because women are killing it. I love Ella Langeley, I just love that Texas song! There are a lot of bands, you know Clairo?
CP: Yes! She’s from Mass.
JF: She’s one of those people who just showed up and you can tell that it runs in her veins. She has to do it. There’s an artist that I’m taking out on tour with me through this Foiled Tour called Danny Malone and he’s the most brilliant man in the world. And I would love to sign him, I’m just going to have to see what his work ethic is like. But I’m going to try it. I’m kind of going like, “Hey, do you want this tour?” He’s like, “What? Yeah!” So if he comes out there and kills it, I have no problem going, “Hey, maybe we should do something together.”
There’s a lot of cool bands and artists out. I can’t think of any more right now. But I love old stuff like jazz, Dave Brubeck, and Chet Baker, and Ella Fitzgerald. And The Smiths, and The Cure, and Idaho, and Red House Painters, and Cocteau Twins, I can go on forever.
CP: Where have been some of your favorite places to tour to?
JF: New York City is my favorite, just because I love New York. Prague is the most beautiful place that I’ve kind of been to. One of the biggest places that meant a lot to me was when I played the Ryman in Nashville, because that’s where my dad wanted to go see Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and he never got a chance to do that. So when I played there I was like, “Uh, man, if you were still alive, it would be pretty damn special. And I did it sober, dad! Holy shit, how did I do that?!” Because he was a DEA Officer, my dad was a cop, so it’s just a double whammy.
CP: What’s it like taking your kids on tour? Are they just kind of used to it or do they think it’s cool?
JF: They love it. I can’t really take them on tour anymore, like the whole tour, but whenever we play in town, they come to it and it’s great. My daughter, the goth one, wants to be a singer. I took her to see Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, because she loves them, and she was in heaven. I was like, “You like these guys? What the hell, you’re 14 and you like these guys? You’re crazy! But I like it, sure. Are you hanging upside down like a bat in your room too?”
CP: What do they think of your music? Have they really dove deep into listening to it or? You’re open and honest with everyone, so I’m assuming they understand.
JF: My oldest daughter gets it, because she’s lived with me, just me and her. And my two other kids, they understand I’m in a band, but I don’t think they realize how significant the lyrics and the meaning is, because they’re not to that age where they need to. But my oldest daughter, yeah, she’s like, “Bro, I don’t know how you put that shit out there. That’s kind of personal, you sure you want to do that?” It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life!
CP: Do you ever run new songs by her?
JF: Always! I get in the car and I play it for her first, then my mom. It’s crazy.
CP: And your mom just shakes her head.
JF: My mom, since I’ve been like 12, 10, when I first started writing songs, I played them for her. And she was listening to songs about teen suicide, about cutting my wrists, and all this dark, weird shit. And she’s like, “I love it, honey. It’s beautiful. Keep going!” Because that’s the only way she knew what I was thinking was through these dark ass songs. “Yeah, we’re going to get you in some therapy. That was a great song!” “I support anything you do, just keep writing songs so I know what’s going on.”
CP: That was your outlet.
JF: Yeah, exactly. I hope that my middle daughter has that same thing. *Took a pause because his son started throwing rocks in the driveway*
CP: Well I’m out of questions, anything you want to add?
JF: But yeah, life is good. I’m blessed to be able to be going on this tour, 20 years later. What’s even crazier is that more people than ever are buying tickets for this show. That’s insane because we never toured for this album, so people are like, “You mean you’re going to play the whole album from when I was 20 and I wanted to see it? Now I’m 40 and I’ve got kids, fuck yeah I’m going to bring them! Let’s do this!” And we’re not too cool, so after the shows, I go out there and shake every person’s hand and say, “Thank you for being in my life.” Because it’s more than just, “Oh, look at me, I’m in a band.” There’s nothing cool about Blue October. Blue October is just honest and vulnerable. There’s nothing cool about us. We’re older people, it’s all good, man. I’m not shaking my ass and trying to look young. I’m going to speak poetry, sing to you, and hopefully it taps into your heart. And then I’m going to say thank you. There’s nothing cool about that. It’s just honest.
CP: I mean, maybe a little ass shaking *laughs*
JF: You know, I’ve got to shake my ass a little bit. It’s when I’m twerking kind of, and I look back at you, that’s when it really affects you. I look at you, but I look kind of scared. *laughs*
But yeah, we’re grateful. We’re just going to go back out on tour and celebrate this album, take some time off, and then continue with our lives.
