"It's the folk gods saying that keyboards have no place at folk festivals."

-- 8/28/99 Schwenksville, PA

It's hard to find quotes; not many of the Fruvous shows have been as meticulously archived as the ones from mid-1997 were. If anyone else has some good, preferably verbatim quotes, send 'em here

Murray: (to mike during the kid's song) My dad could beat the shit out of your dad.

8/31/2000 Rochester, NY

Jian (after rambling): "I'm sorry, was I rambling?"
Murray: "I just did my taxes in my head."

4/30/00 Allentown, PA

KoS: "Who is curious about my epilogue?"
Murray: "I remain curious, King."
KoS: "You're still curious?"
Murray: "Yes, I remain curious despite having heard it over 3,000 times."

6/17/00 Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Jian: (looking at a giant inflatable rubber climbing mountain, the tip of which was darker than the rest of it) What is that thing?
Mike: It's a giant teat.
Murray: (Laughing) teat? Look, there's a guy scaling the giant "teat".
Mike: Ohh.. he fell and he had just made it to the nipple of the giant teat.
Murray: Don't you hate it when that happens?

4/29/00 Fredonia, NY

Jian: Good evening, sold out Chicago crowd!!
Murray: Not that we're saying you sold out. I think you've kept your integrity completely.

10/10/98 Chicago, IL

Jian: Hey, Mur-man, there's like a whole bunch of people, like, talking on your side and I'm thinking there's a really good bar up the street they could talk in.
Murray: (indulgently) Or they could stay here.
Jian: Maybe you're not holding your people...like, over there, Dave's people are really obedient.
Dave: Hey guys! How's it goin'? How's the mucilage?
Murray: My people...I believe in freedom of choice for my people. Do as you will, My People!

10/10/98 Chicago, IL

"I don't remember the '90s, but they've given me photos."

5/2/00 Annapolis, MD

Jian: We got a letter from one of our fans that said "My favourite part is when you guys go 90." (laughs) How do you "go 90?"
Murray: We have no idea what that means.
(During an improv about "going 90")
Murray: Boy...boy...boy... I want you to go 90 on me. The last time only felt like 85.

2/26/00 Chicago, IL

Jian: Because we care about our country, Canada...I hope that I can say that. There's so much pandering to the Americans tonight already in the first 5 songs...
Murray: If I could just interject and say, "I love America." If I could just throw that in. Go on with what you were going to say.

11/13/97 Philadelphia, PA

(After going on for a good 10 minutes about his love for the movie "Some Kind of Wonderful," Jian seems to forget why they're there...)
Jian: So...
Murray: Oh yeah, the concert?
Jian: Oh right. You guys didn't have to go anywhere did you? 'Cause...
Murray: Great. Twelve people clapped. Everyone else has to go.

11/13/97 Philadelphia, PA

Jian: This is one of the times that we don't go song to song.
Murray: You can talk to a friend. You could make a new friend. You could order a drink. Of just shuffle about...from foot to foot.
Jian: (mockingly) "Shuffle aboot."
Murray: Or you can mock the band. Take this opportunity to mock the band. Yeah. We talk funny. (in best northeastern accent) "This beat's wicked. It's wicked good."

3/8/98 Northampton, MA

Dave: I would like to officially thank all of those who bought me a drink. Thank you. Happy Birthday to you too.
Murray: All seven of them. You realize what you're doing to your other investment: the show you paid for tonight.
Dave: I think the encore's going to be pretty interesting tonight!

2/20/99 Toronto, ON

Maxx: I know what you're doing today--stripped down in studio A as you are--is much more a cappella and acoustic than what you do on the albums, but has the percentage gone down?
Mike: The percentage has gone down in relation to the whole.
Murray: (laughing) As percentages are wont to do.
Mike: As percentages sometimes are. But the amount of a cappella tunes has been pretty much the same, you know, 3 or 4 a night. Sometimes that's pushing it.
Dave: I'll say!
Mike: But the so-cappella. There's usually one or two of those.
Murray: Rockapella. There's one.
Jian: Mexicapella. Mexicapella.
Dave: Jazzapella.
Mike: Then the sexapella, which we'll be getting into a little later.
Murray: After we strip down.

6/8/98 Colombus, OH

Jian: We really have an eye toward marketing, which of course is why we named the group Moxy Fruvous. We thought that was a catchy name that people could remember.
Murray: We're trying to crack the German market.

11/13/97 Philadelphia, PA

Murray: I don't expect to be this overwhelmed again until I get married.
Woman: To who?
Murray: It's part of the raffle.

2/98, Frucon I, Toronto, ON

Murray: Thanks for the drink. The shot and the lollipop are the same flavor. That's very nice...However, I cannot feel my hand.

2/19/00 Toronto, ON

Murray: Could I have more accordion in my monitor please? A little more accordion...
Dave: Finally! How long have I waited for someone to utter these words?
Murray: You know, it was only last week I realized you play accordion in the band.

11/5/99 Urbana, IL

Jian: First rule of Fight Club: Don't talk about Fight Club.
Murray: Second rule of Fight Club: Use Fight Club soap.

10/3/99 Edmonton, AB

Murray: Before we start, I have a bit of business. My monitor isn't working, and so if that could be fixed as soon as possible. Not that it's...
Dave: Also there's a bit of a rainstorm over Ji's head there too, yeah.
Jian: You know what's so cool about you Murray? Had that been one of the other members of the band, I'm not gonna say who, things woulda been thrown, you know?
Murray: Yeah.
Jian: There woulda been a lot of screaming in the microphone...
Murray: But that woulda been cool, that's rock and roll.
Jian: Yeah, and you're...
Murray: See for me, I wait two songs and then ask politely. That's not rock and roll.
Jian: That's right...how Northern Lights of you.

5/6/99 Clifton Park

Jian: Moxy Fruvous is an eclectic band, as pointed out by your Metroland. Who gave us the best...we fucking love this quote...it's not particularly friendly but...it was a good quote. It was like "This band...any band that cusses like sailors and..." what was...?
Murray: "Drops obscure literary quotes."
Jian: Yeah..."Calling them eclectic is an understatement." That's...that's really gonna draw the crowds to the gigs.
Dave: The...the wrong thing is that we don't swear like cocksucking sailors...that's crazy...I don't get that fucking reference.
Murray: That's really insulting to sailors.

5/6/99 Clifton Park

Jian: These guys can't dance.
Mike: The guy on the left is a little butch, and it reeks of pre-choreography. I'm out of here.
Murray: Leaders in the field of pre-choreography, Moxy Fruvous came to Al-bany last night.
Jian: (derisively) Al-bany?? What's Al-bany?
Murray: Well it's spelled the same.
Jian: It sounds like alchemy or something.

5/6/99 Clifton Park

Murray: (british) Someone's left their nipple on stage. It's awfully big...awfully big. It's not a judgement.
Jian: Sure, there are a lot of people out there with big nipples feeling bad now.
Murray: I said it's not a judgement...
Jian: That's what you say...
Murray: That's true, I did judge it. It's a bad big nipple.

12/4/99 Clifton Park

Murray: Could I get more acoustic guitar please? In a way that the audience doesn't recognize that I'm asking for it? That would be fantastic.
Jian: Murray I'm having a bit of a crisis, man.
Murray: Really?
Jian: Yep.
Mur. What's going on?
Jian: Well you can corroborate that I'm really a deep person who has, you know, a mind and who's really...I'm not just a superficial--
Murray: What's the problem?
Jian: Hair product trouble.
Murray: Ooof. Nothing worse.
Jian: I know, well, especially for me. I knew it would be really hot up here, and you know, my middle eastern boy kind of thing, my hair tends to go into an afro. So I put the hair product in that makes it not go into an afro but I did it only a few minutes before we came out, so it's like seeping down onto my face. It's kinda wet and gooey, ya know? I've barely ever felt that before.
Murray: I mean if you want my advice, go for the afro. That's what I would say.
Jian: Yeah.
Murray: Don't be afraid of the afro.
Jian: It may be time for the afro!
Murray: See, if I could do afro I would...And as you see I'm sort of trying to go 'fro. (poofs hair up as high as it can go) It's just not working. All I get is the mad scientist.
Jian: You...you can do he whole Christopher Walken thing that I can't get away with.
Murray: That's true, but that's about 5 years from being "in".

12/4/99 Clifton Park

Jian: Murray, I can't see you but I understand you're on stage...and uh...quite frankly with all the spotlight attention you've been getting lately it's..it's good to see Dave for example..
Dave: That's right, that's why I wore a white shirt (garble garble)
Jian: You know? Usually it's all about your side of the stage.
Murray: I..I do feel overexposed.
Jian: And this is a good way of mitigating it.
Murray: I asked for the speakers to be moved in front of me.

11/26/99 Ottawa, ON

Dave: Mur-man, your people are here tonight.
Murray: I pay them, it's not unusual to expect them to show up.

5/4/99 Cambridge, MA

Jian: And those are just some of the sounds that you can get if you buy the new... "Poland" keyboard.
Murray: Enjoy great sound and turn around the Polish economy.

2/20/99 Toronto, ON

Jian: Here comes another aborted attempt to play Horsehoes.
Murray: There will be a Duran Duran song if this doesn't work.

8/10/97 Toronto, ON

Dave: What have you got on, Mur-man?
Murray: Oh, it's an old couch I found and stitched together.

7/8/98 Toronto, ON

Jian: Fruvous is a speed on a blender, right Dave? Puree, Liquefy, Fruvous.
Murray: The top just blows off.
Mike: All right, who Fruvous'd the cat?
Murray: Got whiskers on the fruit, come on.

7/27/97 Hillsdale, NY

Murray: We know America wants to subjagate Canada and put all of us to work in your salt mines.
Jian: We only have three tanks, just come on, take us over.
Murray: We know it's coming, it's almost worse if you wait.

7/27/97 Hillsdale, NY

Murray: This is a funk song, the way funk used to be.
Jian: 3 weeks ago.
Murray: When funk was at its apex.
Jian: A lot has changed in the past 3 weeks.
Murray: Funk has fallen. But we are the masters of funk.

05/14/97 Albany, NY

Jian reads from a Robertson Davies' book that a fan threw on the stage.
Murray, reading some more to himself: Wow, it turns into a soft porn novel.

04/26/97 Rochester, NY

Photo Credit: Caroline Moore