RICHARD BUTLER Former Psychedelic Furs singer plans to release a solo album

After the Psychedelic Furs disbanded, he indulged his love of art.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
The story goes like this: Off the fame of "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club," actress Molly Ringwald gave director John Hughes a Psychedelic Furs song with hopes he would use the song "Pretty in Pink" in a movie.
Instead, the teen angst-y director titled his next movie "Pretty in Pink," thus catapulting the Psychedelic Furs from semi-obscure and underground status into the mainstream. All of sudden, Van Halen-listening jocks were digging this detached English band.
"From being a young man wanting to be in a rock group to suddenly finding you're in one and people are all of a sudden paying you money to be in one is incredibly exciting and an incredible privilege," said Furs singer Richard Butler, calling from his home in Cold Spring, N.Y. "It was an absolute thrill."
After releasing seven albums, which included such cherished tracks as "Love My Way," "Heaven," and "The Ghost In You," the band members went their separate ways in the early '90s with Butler pursuing a solo project. However, the singer realized the material was more suited for a band, thus creating Love Spit Love, which did have a semi-hit single with "Am I Wrong."
Surrealistic
By the end of the decade, that group split leaving Butler to pursue his other passion outside of music: art. The 49-year-old says his style is "figurative, large, slightly surrealistic and slightly dark." After being told that also describes the Psychedelic Furs to a large extent, he laughed.
"It describes me, actually," Butler said. "I guess it all comes from the same place."
That same place also appears to be where contemporary musicians have been hanging out, with bands such as The Killers, The Bravery and Interpol aping '80s melodies and synth sounds. More so, the Psychedelic Furs' subtle influence over today's scene is largely ignored, but be assured you wouldn't have "Mr. Brightside" without "Pretty in Pink."
"I haven't really thought about it, to be quite honest, but I'm glad somebody is looking back on the '80s," Butler said. Not one for reminiscing about days past, the former Furs member said it creates a unique dynamic on the occasions when he reunites with his old band mates.
"It's funny because playing with the Furs, it's very much like nostalgia because we haven't made a new record," Butler said. "And that feels very strange."
Upcoming release
This brings us to Butler's return to the new music bin with his first official solo effort. While the self-titled album hits stores next month, the singer is hitting the road this spring, including a Tuesday show at the Beachland Ballroom.
As Butler talks about his new project, the word maturity keeps popping up into the conversation.
"I look at it as a very grown-up sort of album," Butler said. "When I was making it, I was more aware that I was reaching people my own age group who were feeling the same sort of things that I was feeling. If I was going out and writing songs about falling in love with somebody at school, I'd be a complete loser. It's not a record for teen angst."
Due for a comeback herself, perhaps Ringwald should take a listen and give Hughes a call.