Renaissance lizard

>> Already acclaimed for his ’80s punk band, a TV series and his work with Jim Jarmusch, John Lurie is now basking in the success of his visual art

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING NEW:
Lurie’s The Erotic Poetry of Hoog

John Lurie is a chameleon: He was the frontman for jazz punk group the Lounge Lizards, he directed the cult classic Fishing With John, he’s been a composer and actor for films such as Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger Than Paradise and Down by Law. But things came to a grinding halt for Lurie in 1994 when he was diagnosed with an unusual strain of Lyme disease. Faced with unpredictable energy levels, John was unable to continue making music or acting. Devastated and housebound, Lurie began to paint—he has always dabbled in visual art, but now it’s become his main creative outlet. His colourful gouaches, with their amusing titles and odd themes, come to Canada for the first time with The Erotic Poetry of Hoog, opening today, June 28, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

Mirror: Your first solo show in NYC sold out in 10 minutes. Did that surprise you?

John Lurie: The frenzy that people were buying them with was alarming. They were fighting at the desk of the gallery like children, screaming, “I saw it first.” But no, I can’t say I was surprised.

M: People are most familiar with your work as a musician and actor/director. How did you make the leap to visual artist?

JL: I believe you have me mistaken with someone else. I am mostly known for being an excellent dancer, in some neighbourhoods more than others.

M: Do you find painting as satisfying as making music?

JL: When music is perfect and the band is hovering above the stage and roaring forward with a ferocity and love that cannot be denied, then music can be beyond satisfying. I have never had the experience of visiting God’s house for a little while with painting.

M: The title of your exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is The Erotic Poetry of Hoog. Who’s Hoog?

JL: Hoog is the man in the painting.

M: Could you speak a bit about your process? What sparks your creativity?

JL: See, I don’t know how to answer this, things come to me, I don’t search for them. As far as process, I usually have an idea of a certain combination of colours. I put them down and see what I have. See what the paint gave me and move from there.

M: Who would you say your influences have been?

JL: They are so wide and varied that it is hard to make a list, and different things struck me at different times. When I was very young, I was interested in Van Gogh and Paul Klee.

M: Do you see yourself making any more music or films?

JL: I don’t think that is going to be possible.

M: You’ve recently published a very humorous art book called Learn to Draw. I heard rumours of a memoir in the works, is this true?

JL: Yes, this is true, but I have put it aside for the moment. It’s called What Do You Know About Music, You’re Not a Lawyer. I’m about three-quarters finished.

M: Is there one Lounge Lizards album that you believe was the peak for the band?

JL: There are bits from Voice of Chunk and parts from Queen of All Ears that are my favourites. The real peak periods of the band were never captured in recordings, I am more than sorry to say.

M: What’s next?

JL: Not sure, I would like not to have any future dealings with the arrogant and incompetent. Which can be quite difficult in the arts, though dealing with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has been nothing but wonderful. I am considering becoming a professional poker player.

M: Can we go fishing John?

JL: No.

The Erotic Poetry of Hoog runs from
June 28–Sept. 13 at the MMFA