jonathan richman: is this guy a class fucking act or what?

I've never seen him live but the rumour is he's playing Glastonbury so here's hoping.

By the way, love your prose, wish I could write like that when pissed.

Kris.

So, I guess my answer is "what". *smiles glassily, backs quickly but politely out of the room*

Yes, and you see that people who are great performers, or something else superlative, often blow away your conceptions of liking or disliking the domain in which they work. Your first paragraph indicates your reluctance to buy into received opinion about "greatness", "importance", etc., and it's true these opinions are often the result of stupid canon-happy past-never-experienced pseudo-worship, but sometimes people who are called great really (still) are when you get to see them. So yeah, Jonathan Richman is great, but what you're really writing about is how suprised you were that your contrary-ness was disarmed in spite of yourself. Hope it happens more often.

[sputtering]...he INVENTED punk rock on The Modern Lovers!

(i was referring to the post above yrs actually, m.)

This is something of which I am well aware. I was describing Jonathan circa now, as opposed to what may be fairly described as a bit of an anomaly in his career. He's never done anything like that record since. "Government Center" may be one of the happiest, most compassionate songs ever written, but it's probably the only thing on the record that wouldn't seem out of place if Jonathan busted it out today. I certainly don't see him playing "She Cracked," "Hospital" or "I'm Straight." Maybe "Girlfriend," but "Pablo Picasso"? I don't think he would curse onstage anymore!

I was at this gig too, Chris and I agree that it was brilliant (inc. Sex Machine cover). Was a tad disappointed that he didn't play "That Summer Feeling" which was the first song of his I heard, but with such a long career & large repertoire such things are inevitable I suppose.

(revive!)

In fact, his sheer un-rock n' roll attitude is what makes him so punk rawk.

Plus, he can write a fuckin mean song.

most memorable, about 6 years ago (a little before "there's something about mary) he did 2 back to back 2 hour sets with a 10 minute break. yes, 4 hours of music. like jess alludes upthread, he held the audience in his hand the entire performance. he is a classic charmer: dashing, bravado, swagger, he makes the boys and girls swoon alike.

(and Matos, I wasn't aware of the man ever using the guitar-keys-bass-drums line-up since the Jerry Harrison years, so I thought it would be clear)

Jonathan Richman
American Music Club
Chuck Prophet & Stephanie Finch
Noe Venable

Great American Music Hall, SF, Nov. 30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

cf. Modern Lovers 88
-- M Matos (michaelangelomato...) (webmail), November 17th, 2003 3:47 PM. (M Matos) (link)

huh? modern lovers 88 rocks!

Revive -- Everyone can stand a little more Jonathan in their lives!

With great hesistation, i've been laboring to assemble a complete vinyl set of his albums for the last 12 years - which will likely approach completion about the same time somebody lays out a proper reissue series or boxset.

i could stand some more jess in my life! i want to hear him talk about "cuddlecore".

thanks for reminding me, Jonathan is playing here next week and I need to buy a ticket.

Thanks for the revive, christoff. Never seen this thread before. Nice to read something so well-written, enthusiastic and smart 1st thing in the morning (helps that I agree w/ everything he says). Kinda puts a shine on the day.

yeah that is “comment so very much in character” (and great at it).

yeah that is “comment so very much in character” (and great at it).

Now I finally know what to say to him so as not to annoy, if and when I get to see him again.

Has there been any mention about the ~mysterious~ new photo book of the new VU at the Boston Tea Party in 68/69 sourced from 325 original 35mm negatives taken by a 16yo obsessed fan/fledgling musician going by "The Modern Printer" from suburban Mass?

Some of the last shows with Cale and some of the first shows with Yule.

The foreword is by former VU manager Steve Nelson, quite a few of these were used for the Todd Haynes doc.

$100 (PPF+F), limited to 500 copies, ships from Spain (not Chico). Private pressed (no UPC/barcode/ISBN).

place order:
themodernprinter (at) gmail.com

PPF&F:
inevitablevucatalogue (at) gmail.com

https://i.imgur.com/wLilWoX.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/BVLisTw.jpeg

yes, I think this was mentioned in the "VU trainspotting" thread

I want it of course, but I'm downsizing

i hear ya!

I tried emailing and the address didn’t work. Maybe they’re all gone?

Try the other address!

74 years old today!

A goddamn gorgeous beautiful national treasure of a man.

he built a stone wood-fired bread oven in my buddy's backyard

Elite level JR story there

yeah he's apparently a master of some kind of pre-Civil War American dry stone masonry.. I don't know what it cost but it sure wasn't free

if my math is right, he's 75 today!
whatever age he is, he's a class fucking act

@Andy are your buddy's initials BD?

no but close

I feel like Jerry Harrison might also live somewhere in the Bay Area? I've seen him at a couple shows

yeah 75 today! Happy Birthday

xp Jerry Lives in Mill Valley

and Richman is in Chico

Richman also runs a business, Arcane Masonry, in Chico, making bread ovens as well as other projects.

I ~believe~ he still has his house in the Mission, like when he does those 2 week residencies at the MakeOut Room.

and when i say the Mission, I mean Eureka Valley

Jonathan Richman and Bob Mould are two of my favorites, but I also strongly associate them with cities known for painfully freezing winters (Boston and Minneapolis), so I guess it's no surprise they'd end up in one of the nicest places weather-wise in their later years. (Mould has lived in a lot of cities though.)

The whole pizza oven thing has become an official ILX meme over the years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8-icalTkCc

I’ve never seen Jonathan do this song about Keith Richards

genuine loss for words. there are the day-to-day tributes and then the ones where i have to show my completely disinterested children that this is a gold standard.

<3

FWIW Omnivore Recordings is having a 60% off spring cleaning sale on select CD's and the three Beserkley albums in their inventory are included.

Well, there are four Beserkley albums there, but the first "Modern Lovers" album is not.

Ah, didn't realize they reissued the live album too, so there are indeed four. Do you mean the one with the original line-up? Omnivore didn't license that one. (When I said "their inventory" I mean Omnivore's.)

(Live one isn't on sale though.)

Ah.

the only artist left on my bucket list, I hope to travel to Canada next time he plays there (seems there will never be another Europe tour)

playing this Friday at Siesta Valley Bowl - Orinda, CA