Les Savy Fav’s Tim Harrington and Syd Butler

Episode notes

(Photo: Frenchkiss / The Orchard)

Les Savy Fav recently released OUI, LSF, their first album in 14 years.

The band has been together since 1995.  They’re from New York City. In the mid aughts the scene they were a part of was called dance punk –  a world of bands that were mostly either dancy and fun, or artsy and sincere. Les Savy Fav was the rare act that were both. 

Tim Harrington fronts the band, and his performances are something else. He does wardrobe changes on stage – sometimes wears next to nothing. He crowd surfs on ladders or mattresses. Jumps into adjacent rivers… if a river happens to be in the vicinity. 

(Photo: Jesus Ambrosio / Instagram)

On the latest episode, Jesse chats with Tim Harrington and bassist Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav. Harrington is in his 50’s now and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder not too long ago. He opens up about taking better care of himself. Butler and Harrington also get into the new record, which was recorded in Harrington’s attic – please don’t tell his landlord.