handsome furrrrrrrrrz.

Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry of Handsome Furs are not your typical indie rock couple.  Named after one of Perry’s short stories, Handsome Furs have been cranking out jams since the duo released their 2007 debut Plague Park. Their 2009 release Face Control upped the ante with addicting experimental, dancey guitar and synth heavy rock bangers. When this duo isn’t busy busting their asses making sweet electro indie rock love all over the WORLD, (seriously, you can check out their web documentary series “Indie Asia” on CNN.com), Perry keeps busy as a writer while Boeckner recently retired from some Canadian indie rock band you might have heard of once or twice, (Wolf Parade, cough cough).

Out of all the male/female relationship rock duos out in the indie scene today, (Matt & Kim, Mates of State, YACHT), you two are by far the most badass. How does being in a relationship affect your creative collaboration process when making music?

Alexei: Shucks and thanks. Seriously. I think our musical relationship is much the same as our relationship in general: we tend to run things on the hot and heavy. It makes the most sense for us to try to get all of our guts out in our music – all the sex and bad demons and high energy. I think we’re dang lucky that we both have the same work ethics; having both come from a string of shitty jobs we never undervalue the fact that we get to do what we most love for a living. We work insanely hard, and happily, at this and I feel pride in seeing Dan be most himself on stage. It really is living the dream.

Did you ever think that Handsome Furs would turn into as big of an act as you have?

Alexei: Oh man, we still show up in a shitty economy sized rental car with a few knapsacks full of gear to every show – now matter the size of the venue or festival - so I don’t think we’ve gotten so big really! But to answer your question honestly, it’s been a truly wonderful thing to be able to get crowds the size we have in many different places on earth. It’s wildly alarming. Showing up in, say, Chiang Mai Thailand or Cluj Napoca Transylvania and having even a handful of folks do English-as-a-second-language renditions of our songs will never stop surprising me. It is an honour that people pay attention to us. I mean we’d do this regardless, but it is flooring every night that people feel kinship with what we have to say.

I read that you two got your band name based from a title of one of Alexei’s short stories—what was the premise of the story and how did you decide to turn that into your band name?


Alexei: It’s a rather bleak premise really. Basically this one-lunged woman stops being able to tell the difference between living and dying before a flood allows her neighbouring zoo animals to escape and trample her to a very much needed death. It turned into our band name because I think we both share the struggles the protagonist did and understand how important a happy calamity is in life. Even if it’s death.

If you two ever have kids, will you let them become members of Handsome Furs?

Dan: No. Never. Unless we have some kind of fast growing, multi armed super baby.

You two toured your asses off back in support of Face Control back when it dropped in ’09. I must have seen you four or five times in the next year alone—since wrapping up that tour what have you two been up to? Is there a new record in the works? If so, when can we expect to hear it?

Dan: We're going to start recording as soon as we get back from Chicago. Day after the show, as a matter of fact. From the airport to the studio.

How will the upcoming tour fare in comparison to the last time HF was on the road? Any new material?

Dan: The Chicago show is a one off or us. We will be playing about 50% new songs though....

Do you two have any pre-show rituals when out on the road?

Dan: Stretching. Booze. Cigarette. Pre-show kiss.

We’re doing this interview via email as opposed to on the phone because you two have limited phone access. I imagine you two must be somewhere pretty awesome doing super rad things. After over a year of being off the road (as HF), what sparked this new tour and what are you looking forward to the most?

Dan: We decided to tour the Balkans in December because...well. we got offers and really wanted to go back to some of our favorite place like Belgrade and Bucharest. Writing this from a hotel room in Istanbul, day of show here. Today I'm looking forward to digging through a shop full of old Turkish 45s and eating a fish sandwich on the Bosphorus.

Any Chicago specific plans you’d like to knock out?

Dan: I'm definately getting Al Pastor tortas at Bravo Gallo. Telenovas on a 8 foot high flatscreen are best when you are loaded and hungry after the show.