Right away these guys were on my good side. You can't possibly imagine how nice it was to have an interview scheduled and for it to actually happen as planned.
With some bands you clear your agenda to make time for the interview at their convenience, then they call two hours late and screw up your whole day. Not Moxy Früvous.
I suppose I shouldn't have been suprised. According to the Social Science Society, who is sponsoring Moxy's Halloween show at The Zoo, their needs list is quite humble: kiwi fruits, bananas, Perrier water and a kettle for tea. With such simple requirements, how could they be rude or inconsiderate?
So, I picked up the receiver, and just as a pleasant voice began to introduce himself, beeeeeeppp - my answering machine went off. In mid-sentence, the man on the other end screeched "OUCH!" Thus began my interview with Jean Ghomeshi, Früvi. The singular of Früvous, I learned when arranging the interview with the band's manager in Toronto.
My first question, as I expect many fans would ask, was very simple: "Where has Moxy Früvous been?" Fans know that their self-titled indie, an amazing piece of satire, made its debut in 1992 and quickly became a coveted prize among those fortunate enough to find one. A year later the same six songs appeared in record stores nation wide, this time accompanied by the nine more that became known as "Bargainville". What happened next?
After signing a five-record international deal with Warner Music, the band toured Canada until last December. Since then they've been touring the U.S., U.K. and Denmark. "It's been kind of funny doing press for it etc., like it's a new album, because we've moved on a bit, we've got some new material and we're ready to record the second one." He pauses to reflect, "well, we're not ready to, but we want to."
With tickets being close to or sold out at nearly all their shows, Moxy Fruvous has shattered the concerns of the critics. "Last year (at) this time when we were talking about the fact that we were going to go to the U.S. and then to Europe in `94, there were people (critics) who were saying that it's a very Canadian kind of group and our lyrics are Canadian-centric, and people aren't really going to get it in those other territories. But, that's proven not true, our type of satire and (the) lyrical content we do seems to go over really well, especially in England."
Ranking in the big leagues with an iternational tour under their belts, Moxy Fruvous were rudely reminded that no one is too big for misfortune. They've been back in North America now long enough to have done five shows and to have all of their equipment stolen.
Strangely, the theft didn't seem to bother Ghomeshi. He just laughed about it. "Yesterday in Philly we came down to our little mini-bus and they'd smashed the side windows and stole all our instruments and props so Murray, one of the guys in the group, went around to the thrift shops in Philadelphia and bought some stuff and it was all little three dollar Halloween costumes, (it's not like we're supposed to be professionals or anything), for the show in Washington, and it was so funny... at one point we were just laughing and so was the audience, because we looked so ridiculous... it was a hilarious moment."
The audience at the Windsor show should be in for just as much fun, with some things old and some things new. Details were sketchy, but something about Rush Limbaugh and a certain U.S. "polluticrat" are on the agenda. Sounds like a good time.
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