Interviews

fun. Interview

• 7th Jun 2010

Fun. From New York, USA have a fresh, fun new sound. I got singer Nate Ruess to answer some questions to introduce the band to the UK, and give us some more information about them.

Hi Nate, firstly you were all once in different bands, so how did fun. originate?
N: All those bands had toured together and I think the three of us always eyed each others’ talents as things we would like to work with if we had ever gotten a chance. What was cooler than that was the same sense of humor we've ended up sharing.

You had a run of UK dates in March, all in London, why didn’t you do other cities?
N: We needed to ease ourselves into the situation. I'm the only one who had previously been here. And the first time, for whatever reason, wasn't great for me. So we stayed in London for the week, got an incredible taste of England, and we are now eagerly coming back.

You had sell out shows in London on some nights, was that a surprise for you?
N: Oh yeah. Big time. We were freaking out in excitement. And the audience was so cool. So supportive. And the type of people that I personally want to be fans of our music.

Now you’re back again do you have any expectations?
N: A little bit. We thought no one would know who we were last time, and we were pleasantly surprised. So this time we want to believe that our last trip paid off a little.

What were the highlights of the UK?
N: The food, when good, is always a highlight. I think we made some friends last time too. Having friends places helps you feel less alone. Crowds help too.

There are 3 members of Fun. but live you have 6 on stage normally, are the session musicians always the same?
N: No, we like to change it up. Everyone is so talented and we are very lucky to have them. But we haven't started writing a new record so we haven't really thought a lot about it. We've had tunnel vision with touring.

Who does their bits on the album?
N: Everyone does a little of everything. ‘Cept me, I don't know how to do anything other than write and sing.

The new album is just about to be released over here in the UK, it’s great, with a wide variety of sounds, but what were your influences?
N: The enjoyment we get as music fans is an influence in itself. It makes us thirsty to try everything. And I think from that you get a variety of sounds and not a lot to focus on where it might have come from. For a song that might sound like Queen, there could be a heavy NOFX influence in the verse. It's very unpredictable which makes for diverse listening among us.

Is there a difference being in Fun. to say, The Format or other bands you’ve been in?
N: So many differences. Take out the fact that we both write, tour, and record, and almost everything feels different. For better or for worse it's a different band. And we are having a great time doing it.

What are you plans for the rest of 2010? Any festival appearances?
N: Fingers crossed. I'd love to come to England again and I think our “people” have discussed coming back twice more before we start recording a new record.

And finally, why did you decide on the name Fun.? It’s difficult to find on Google…
N: Ha yeah. That was Jack’s idea. The idea started with “ice cream” but morphed to “fun.”. We liked the name so much that we didn't bother to think about how difficult it might be to search it.