Interview: Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld Is “Any Man In America”

“ What inspired the title, was me looking at the facts of how there are so many children in America growing up away from their fathers.
” Justin Furstenfeld Recently we caught up with Justin Furstenfeld, lead singer and founder of Blue October to talk about the release of the band’s sixth studio album Any Man In American. Don’t let the title fool you, Furstenfeld is not just “any man.” This man is an accomplished songwriter and performer, not to mention bandleader and a source of inspiration for none other than Twilight Saga author Stephenie Meyer (more on that inside). Read on for Furstenfeld’s revealing answers to our questions, and find out what inspired the new album and watch their new video for the song “The Chills.”

Street Date: Give us the scoop on UP/DOWNrecords and how it got started.
Justin Furstenfeld: I put what I had leftover from that “Hate Me” song, and I was always told to be smart and invest in yourself so I did. Got the best team around me to be sure things got done. Mainly, I had to make sure that honesty and art were upheld. That is the goal and the final outcome achievement of UP/DOWNrecords and we don’t stop until it has been achieved. We think it has with Any Man In America, which is why we are so very proud of the album.

SD: What inspired the title for the album (and song) “Any Man In America”?
JF: What inspired the title, was me looking at the facts of how there are so many children in America growing up away from their fathers…much more than you think there is. Experiencing it, even to this day, makes it so difficult to speak up for myself so I choose to express my voice through a microphone.

SD: We hear there’s a cute story behind the drawing on the album cover — care to share it?
JF: Yeah its real cute. Tim’s daughter, Bluebelle, so happened to be my daughter’s first play date on one of her rare visits. After which, Bluebelle drew a portrait of what she saw me as. And called me “UP/DOWN” – which became the name of my record label.

SD: What was it like to work with producer Tim Palmer, and were you familiar with his body of work prior to starting this album project?
JF: Uh…David Bowie? Uh…Pearl Jam? Who isn’t? And the sweet accent of his. Combined with his humbling coolness set the vibe for the album itself. Seeing as if everyday I entered the studio, it was like he was Johnny Marr and I was Morrissey. Subsequently, he played all the guitars on our album so he could be cooler Johnny Marr in my book.

SD: You’ve been closely associated with author Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) – is it safe to say you’ve each been a source of creative inspiration for the other? Is there anything in particular about her work that inspires you?
JF: Yes. The way she keeps her family involved in her work is really admirable and inspiring.

SD: Do you enjoy creating music videos for your songs, and do you have any funny/sad/embarassing stories from the set of one of your video shoots?
JF: I enjoy making videos when its organized and people know what they’re doing. I’d say so far, so good.

Fun stories…I’d say would be speeding on a scooter through the woods during a Texas drought with fourteen sparklers hanging from my mouth and surviving.

Sad would be the tight budgets and getting notes to some of the editors.

SD: Imagine I’m a big music fan who’s never seen Blue October before, and my friend is taking me to one of your shows. What sort of first impression do you hope I get from your live show?
JF: Depends on what kind of person you are. If you’re an emotional person you’re going to love the sheer catharsis of our live show. If you’re an emotionally stable person with nothing wrong in their lives go eat a burger and listen to George Strait. However, there are more of the latter than people realize. Which is why we have a real growing community of amazing fans.

1. Everything (AM Limbo)
2. The Feel Again (Stay)
3. The Money Tree
4. For The Love
5. Drama Everything
6. The Chills
7. The Flight (LNK to MSP)
8. Any Man In America
9. You Waited Too Long
10. The Honesty
11. The Getting Over It Part
12. The Worry List
13. The Follow Through