‘Do you miss heroin?’: Rick Owens interviews musician Spike Fuck

In a revealing exchange reported by dazeddigital.com, renowned American fashion designer Rick Owens sat down with Melbourne-based post-punk musician Spike Fuck to explore themes of sobriety, gender identity, and artistic expression. Their conversation, spanning decades of personal evolution and creative collaboration, offered a candid glimpse into the complexities shaping the artist's current work and life.

Owens, often called the Lord of Darkness in fashion circles, has maintained a longstanding admiration for Spike Fuck, whose debut album Evidence launched earlier in the month. Their friendship, rooted in a shared appreciation for cathartic expression, began nearly a decade ago when Owens’ visual director introduced the musician's work. Spike later featured in Owens’ Spring/Summer 2017 campaign, cementing their creative rapport.

The dialogue touched on Spike Fuck’s shifting relationship with gender identity. Formerly identifying with she/her pronouns and embracing aspects of transgender experience, Spike now views gender through a more fluid lens. The artist described an initial phase marked by a desire to align physical form with a female identity via medical interventions. However, this path gave way to a deeper quest for self-acceptance beyond binary definitions. Spike’s recent embrace of tailored suits and presentation outside traditional gender norms reflects this evolution, emphasizing comfort in personal embodiment rather than conforming to prescribed categories.

This transformation was intertwined with significant personal milestones, including a period of celibacy and a turn towards spirituality. Spike revealed that exploring faith was part of a broader attempt to find stability after struggles with addiction and mental health. Owens echoed this sentiment by sharing his own journey with sobriety, noting a recent return to moderate alcohol consumption as a form of recalibrating joy and easing anxieties rather than escapism.

Their conversation delved into the nuanced role of substances in creative and personal life. Both acknowledged experimenting with drugs during the pandemic, with mixed feelings about their effects. Spike found that revisiting altered states contributed to a rekindling of musical inspiration after a hiatus, while Owens recounted a challenging LSD experience that reinforced his preference for sobriety.

Smoking, an aspect of lifestyle often associated with rebellion and allure, also arose in their talk. Spike admitted to adopting cigarette use more for the persona it projects than the nicotine itself, aligning with a cultivated image of sophistication and defiance. Owens shared his own ritualistic approach to smoking, framing it as a pleasurable sensory experience tied to specific moments rather than habitual use.

The pressures of touring and public performance were another focal point. Spike described apprehensions about an intense upcoming schedule, the busiest in his career, reflecting on the physical and emotional toll of travel and live shows. Owens compared the demands of fashion presentations to athletic training, highlighting the discipline required to maintain performance quality.

Despite the challenges, Spike’s commitment to connecting with audiences remains strong, nurtured by a close partnership with his girlfriend and creative collaborator, who also performs alongside him. Their onstage harmonies represent a rare and cherished alignment of personal and professional lives, underscoring the importance of intimate artistic bonds.

Ultimately, the interview illuminated a shared ethos between Owens and Spike Fuck centered on authenticity, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of meaning through art. Their frank discussion about identity shifts, sobriety, and the interplay of self-destruction and creativity offers a valuable perspective on the complexities behind the music and fashion that captivate contemporary culture.