By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
October 30, 1994
Moxy Fruvous sings about Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Seuss, eats fried buttery brain and once spent a whole day busking, only to net a Canadian dime and a Kleenex – used, no less.
“That’s all right,” guitarist-vocalist Michael Ford said, laughing. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”
He can laugh about it now that his Canadian vocal quartet is starting to win recognition in the United States. But there was a long time when Americans reacted to the name of his band with, “Moxy what?”
Moxy Fruvous made its U.S. debut opening for Nick Heyward earlier this year. With its perfect four-part harmonies, quirky songs and energetic stage performance, they stole the show from the former Haircut 100 leader. Moxy Fruvous will return for a concert at 8 p.m. Sunday at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport.
“We’ve had a lot of fun on the road, although some of our fans are as unscrupulous as we are,” Ford said. “I had this really nice vest that a friend had designed for me, and this great felt dunce cap I really loved. I left both onstage. After a gig, this guy came running up to the stage and said to the police, `Hey, can you throw me my stuff there?’ and the cop just tossed it to him.”
Oh, and about that band name? The boys change their tune, depending on who they’re talking to. To a California journalist, they claimed they named themselves after a Long Beach reporter named Elaine Fruvous. And Ford told the Sun-Times they named themselves after “Reginald Fruvous, who was from the Chicago area and invented the mesh that is used in the nets in the NHL.”
So why isn’t the group called Reginald Fruvous, then?
“Copyright problems,” he said, not missing a beat. “Besides, then people would expect us to perform with goalie nets and all that.”
