Ezra Furman

We need a lot more visibility of queer people in public life. People gotta get used to it. ”

I feel like one thing that messed me up was living in a homophobic and transphobic society, and just being the object of mockery and disgust in your average sitcom or movie or person at school. ”

It's one of the guiding philosophies of my life - not fearing any authority on earth. ”

I just don't care that much about the band name. I'm not so precious about it. The Harpoons were different people, but The Boy-Friends were and are the same people as The Visions. I changed it to The Visions when we made 'Transangelic Exodus' because I guess we didn't feel so friendly and boyish anymore. ”

I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you. ”

A repressed person overcoming their repression always makes good music. ”

Jews like to write and sing. In America, a lot of us have been eager to show that we're part of American culture. But it all goes back to King David writing Psalms. ”

My two most fervent interests are pop music and traditional Judaism. Hell of a pair of fervent interests. ”

Judaism is a way of thinking, more than anything else, that I think is entirely distinct, and the more you know of it, the more you can enter into that kind of thinking. ”

I was thinking very carefully about going into education, becoming a teacher, maybe becoming a rabbi. ”