The Fiery Furnaces

We found that interviewing Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, the sibling duo known as The Fiery Furnaces, was an experience quite similar to that of listening to their latest release, "Blueberry Boat," ranked highly on many critics? "Best of 2004" lists and described by The LA Times as being "inspired by an acid trip through a funhouse."

We caught them as they were driving through the desert on their way to Santa Fe. And as the phone faded in and out, we discussed lyrical inspiration while sitting atop the ivory throne, cats who have a fondness for peeing in guitar cases, and other important things, like adopting dogs, but only after some serious contemplation.

PETA2: So, how's it been going?

Fiery Furnaces: It's been going well. There have been nice people coming to see us. We haven?t gotten into too many fights, and the van hasn?t broken down.

P2: How many fights have you gotten in?

FF: Ummmm ... a few. Nothing too bad, though. No fist fights (laughter).

P2: Did either of you have any companion animals when you guys were growing up, or do you have any animals now?

FF: Oh yeah, when we were growing up. We don't have any animals now. We're both very dog crazy. We had a cat and a dog growing up. Our cat, Rodney, was very interesting, actually. He chose my mom to like and didn't like Eleanor that much.

P2: For no reason at all?

FF: Oh no. There is a very good reason. Eleanor says it's not true, but . I remember when Eleanor got her first electric guitar. I think I gave it to her for her birthday. A friend of mine had this case he wasn't gonna use, this real nice guitar case. . So Eleanor took it home and apparently she left it open. . She fixed it up-she made it so it fit her guitar perfectly and was all funny colors-but apparently Rodney didn't like the attention being paid to the case and he peed in it. So that's what he thought of Eleanor's would-be music career apparently.

P2: Uh-oh.

FF: Yeah, so it's tough to have a dog or a cat while traveling and all that. I don't know how people do it. When I'm able to, I want to adopt a couple greyhounds. That's my next animal friend.

P2: How did you find out about adopting greyhounds, or why would you want to go that route?

FF: I had adopted a retired foxhound from Texas. I had him when he was 10 till when he died at 13 from cancer. So it was through that that I learned about sports dogs or working dogs, and of course the most prominent of them are greyhounds. I like the personalities of dogs who haven't necessarily been with people all their lives. . Like this foxhound, Jargon, he was very much his own man, so to speak. He was interested in you and so forth, but he definitely had his own interests, which mainly involved going out in the fields and chasing things.

P2: Why would you suggest that people adopt a greyhound or go to a shelter instead of buying an animal from a pet store or a breeder?

FF: A dog that you get from a shelter . their personalities are often so interesting and they're very singular. But the main reason is that they are there waiting for a home. So adopting a working dog that's older or someone who's wound up in the shelter seems like much better footing to start out your relationship with your canine or feline friend as opposed to buying them because you imagine they are gonna look good with you on your sofa or when you're walking down Fifth Avenue.

P2: Could you tell me what inspired you to write, "My Dog Was Lost and Now He's Found"?

FF: The lyrics of that song were inspired a little bit by my dog Jargon. I remember when I adopted him. You know, when you adopt a dog, you're excited about it. But then you do also have frustrations because maybe you don't realize what you've gotten yourself into. And, so it's also about the kind of remorse you feel at sometimes being annoyed at walking your dog at 6:30 in the morning when it's 15 degrees below zero. . Not that he wanted to go out then either. . But sometimes, just like anyone you're living with, you get frustrated with them.

P2: It's a really big responsibility to adopt a dog, especially for college students. A lot of college students will adopt an animal and then not be able to take care of him or her over summer break or after they graduate.

FF: Well, you don't want to discourage someone from taking the initiative and doing that, because adopting a dog is really an opportunity to restructure your life in a way that is very rewarding. I think as long as you think of it like that, then it's a great thing to do. Dogs are so social and so keyed on you that they become a huge part of the structure of your life, so that's a very rewarding experience-especially if you're younger and you've never had responsibilities for someone or something. It's a different sort of emotion. . As long as you know it's not a toy but someone that is going to come into your life and look at you for everything. You have to think about it very seriously.

P2: Are there any other animal issues that are important to you or Eleanor?

FF: Well, I've been a vegetarian since I was a kid.

P2: What made you become vegetarian?

FF: I just couldn't deal with the idea of eating another animal when I didn't need to.

P2: How do you feel about people who wear fur?

FF: I think it's absurd and there's no need for it. It's as simple as that. It's absurd that a rabbit fur hat needs to be a fashion item. It's surprising that you have to go back again and again to remind people and educate people that the fur industry is an extremely cruel business.

The Fiery Furnaces will be touring the states through April before playing Coachella in May. For show dates, please visit fieryfurnaces.com. And to keep up with the Fiery Furnaces, and all your favorite bands, sign up for PETA2 E-News!