Huey Morgan and Brian 'Fast' Leiser talk Fun Lovin' Criminals' Come Find Yourself track-by-track
Introduction
Fun Lovin' Criminals are the product of a heady cocktail of influences: back in 1996, everything from blues, funk, hip-hop and jazz got stirred up and served real smooth to form the basis of the band's debut, Come Find Yourself, as popularised by Pulp Fiction-sampling single, Scooby Snacks.
Now, 20 years since the album's release, the album is getting the deluxe treatment, and the trio are set to perform the whole record on tour - here, frontman/guitarist/radio personality Huey Morgan and keyboardist Brian 'Fast' Leiser let us in on their thoughts on each track from FLC's classic debut.
The 20th Anniversary Edition of Come Find Yourself is out now on Edsel
The Fun Lovin' Criminal
“This is one of the first songs written by myself [Fast] and Huey in the fall of 1993. The blending of genres like country, hip-hop and rock was an unintentional blessing as the pieces fit nicely in the track.
“Add the horn fanfare in the chorus and lyrics about our trials and tribulations working in the Limelight nightclub, and you have what is considered to be our theme song.”
Passive/Aggressive
“Like the title suggests, this song blends 2 different vibes. You have the chilled-out beats of the verses leading into the heavy rock chorus.
“A fun song to perform live and one that has been played in most of our shows for the past 20 years.”
The Grave And The Constant
“A soulful song about Huey's time in the Marines. The blending of jazz and soul elements worked very well from the start. Another song written in our first sessions in the fall of 1993.”
Scooby Snacks
“It's funny that we got our record deal before the song was written. I [Fast] was messing around on beats at home in front of the TV. I had Reservoir Dogs on and was listening to it while the instrumental was playing in the background. It was cool.
“I sent Huey the track; he wrote the lyrics inspired by a colleague we worked with at The Limelight who was a bit of a mental security guard. The label heard it and loved it, and the rest is history.”
Smoke 'Em
“A song about jumping out of airplanes, but has become our ‘smokers' anthem’ in our live shows. Also written in our first session, it had a great lounge vibe with fat beats and a great horn/guitar outro.
“It's one of my favourites to perform live, as I [Fast] channel the ghost of Ray Manzarek from The Doors with the left-hand key bass, right-hand electric piano.”
Bombin' The L
“A song about spraypainting subway trains in NYC. The track has a cleared sample of Freebird, which was amazing to have been able to use.
“Huey wrote a letter to the widow of Ronnie Van Zant explaining his love of the band and Ronnie’s vocal. She gave us her blessing to use the sample - something unheard of if it were attempted today!”
I Can't Get With That
“Yet another stoner jam! We love writing soulful songs that musically are full of space and vibes. Lyrically, it is important, as it relates to the injustices in the world, like racism.
“One of the best guitar solos ever played by Huey, and a great live song.”
King Of New York
“Ladi Dadi! Growing up in NYC in the 90s was a great time. The Gambino Family was still very much around and the boss was John Gotti. More of a tongue-in-cheek homage to the mafia in NYC, we liked blending the funk/rock elements to make something unique.”
We Have All The Time In The World
“Our label, EMI, asked if we wanted to do a cover for the album. Originally, we refused, but Huey and I [Fast] had been listening to a boxset of James Bond songs and felt we could do this one justice.
“The John Barry/Hal David combo is always a recipe for a good song, and Louie Armstrong’s voice is imperfect like Huey's, yet very original in its tone. I love the trumpet part and always look forward to performing it live.”
Bear Hug
“A hip-hop track with slide guitar and harmonica! Huey was ill on the day he recorded the vocal - very fitting for the overall energy of the track.”
Come Find Yourself
“The title track of the album and a great song live, especially with Frank's killer drums! A very chilled-out introspective track, both musically and lyrically.”
Crime And Punishment
“Badass beats and another example of two different vibes in one song. It starts with a heavy combo of rock guitar/bass/drums and melts midway into a funky hip-hop jam.”
Methadonia
“Another side of the band is our interest in blues music. This song showcased our musicianship and appreciation for the music of old. No samples, all live.”