Ezra Furman wrote a book about Lou Reed's 'Transformer,' playing SXSW (BV day party included)
Ezra Furman, currently on tour behind this year’s Transangelic Exodus, stopped by NYC’s Brooklyn Steel on Wednesday (3/7). Playing in front of a beautifully-designed set backdrop, Ezra played many cuts from the new record, such as the driving “Suck the Blood from My Wound” and anthemic single “Love You So Bad.” Ezra also played some older favorites like “My Zero,” and covered Kate Bush’s “Hounds of Love.” You can view fan-shot photos and videos, and the show’s setlist, below.
Ezra Furman has also penned the most recent installment in the 33 1/3 book series, which focuses on Lou Reed‘s Transformer. Here’s the book’s official synopsis:
Transformer, Lou Reed’s most enduringly popular album, is described with varying labels: it’s often called a glam rock album, a proto-punk album, a commercial breakthrough for Lou Reed, and an album about being gay. And yet, it doesn’t neatly fit into any of these descriptors. Buried underneath the radio-friendly exterior lie coded confessions of the subversive, wounded intelligence that gives this album its staying power as a work of art. Here Lou Reed managed to make a fun, accessible rock’n’roll record that is also a troubled meditation on the ambiguities-sexual, musical and otherwise-that defined his public persona and helped make him one of the most fascinating and influential figures in rock history. Through close listening and personal reflections, songwriter Ezra Furman explores Reed’s and Transformer‘s unstable identities, and the secrets the songs challenge us to uncover.
You can preorder the book now.
Ezra will be in Austin next week for SXSW, including the first of BrooklynVegan and Margin Walker’s “Lost Weekend 2” day parties (3/15) at Cheer Up Charlies. Also playing that Thursday are Okkervil River, Speedy Ortiz, US Girls and more. It’s free (RSVP) and you can also stream it live. Ezra is also part of Willie Nelson’s “Luck Reunion” fest at his ranch during SXSW.
You can also catch Ezra at Atlanta’s Shaky Knees, Barcelona’s Primavera Sound, Oregon’s Pickathon, UK fest End of the Road, and more. Updated dates are listed below.
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Ezra Furman @ Bowery Ballroom 3/7/18 – Setlist
I Wanna Destroy Myself
Maraschino-Red Dress $8.99 At Goodwill
Haunted Head
No Place
Peel My Orange Every Morning
Compulsive Liar
Driving Down to L.A.
Hounds of Love (Kate Bush cover)
Walk on in Darkness
Come Here (Get Away from Me)
I Lost My Innocence
And Maybe God Is a Train
Psalm 151
My Zero
The Great Unknown
Love You So Bad
Suck the Blood from My Wound
Tip of a Match
ENCORE
Day of the Dog
Ordinary Life
Restless Year
Tell ’em All to Go to Hell
Ezra Furman – 2018 Tour Dates
Mar 10 – Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
Mar 11 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
Mar 14 – 17 SXSW
Mar 14 – SXSW Hotel Vegas
Mar 15 – Cheer Up Charlies (BrooklynVegan Day Party)
Mar 17 – SXSW Parish
May 4-5 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival
May 6 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
May 8 – Vancouver, BC – The Fox Cabaret
May 9 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
May 10 – Arcata, CA – The Miniplex
May 13 – San Francisco, CA – Independent
May 15 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
May 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
