― unknown or illegal user, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
yeah, that was a little disconcerting too. i was totally expecting the uber-geek to walk on stage, when out came this dapper fellow (if a little "intense" in the blank stare dept.) i'm sure he could have become the makeout king of montana with any girl in the place, and he certainly had the crowd eating out of his hand.
i had forgetten i wrote this little epic when i woke up from my 11pm nap.
― jess, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― dave k, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
As for my pal Andrew L's understandable interest in his chest, can I just mention that I HAVE TOUCHED JR'S BARE CHEST! Mmmm...
― Martin Skidmore, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
I've seen JR about five times, and was only disappointed once. He has nothing to do with punk, except that he occasionally sings a song called "Velvet Underground." He is a troubador. He sets down his guitar and dances, accompanied only by his own singing and clapping. He's charming, and cute like a bunny. But he tackles serious subjects (cf. "My Little Girl's Got a Full Time Daddy Now", "The Neighbors") that most songwriters wouldn't touch. And he's an extremely nice guy.
― J, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mark, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Keiko, Sunday, 7 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
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.
― Kris England, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― lawrence kansas, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
So, I guess my answer is "what". *smiles glassily, backs quickly but politely out of the room*
― Dan Perry, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mark, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jess, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Chris Sallis, Monday, 8 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
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.
― arch ibog, Tuesday, 9 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
[sputtering]...he INVENTED punk rock on The Modern Lovers!
― M Matos, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jess, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
(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!
― J, Friday, 12 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
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.
― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 9 June 2003 07:39 (twenty years ago) link
(revive!)
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:06 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:09 (twenty years ago) link
― pauls00, Monday, 17 November 2003 23:18 (twenty years ago) link
In fact, his sheer un-rock n' roll attitude is what makes him so punk rawk.
Plus, he can write a fuckin mean song.
― David Allen, Monday, 17 November 2003 23:27 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:37 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:38 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:41 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:41 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:42 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:44 (twenty years ago) link
― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:45 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:46 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:47 (twenty years ago) link
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Monday, 17 November 2003 23:49 (twenty years ago) link
― Carey (Carey), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 02:42 (twenty years ago) link
― fiddo centington (dubplatestyle), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 02:44 (twenty years ago) link
― A Nairn (moretap), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 02:58 (twenty years ago) link
― kephm, Tuesday, 18 November 2003 20:25 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 20:50 (twenty years ago) link
― christoff (christoff), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 22:11 (twenty years ago) link
― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 22:37 (twenty years ago) link
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.
― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 22:45 (twenty years ago) link
(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)
― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 01:02 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 01:24 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 01:25 (twenty years ago) link
― Speedy Gonzalas (Speedy Gonzalas), Wednesday, 19 November 2003 08:48 (twenty years ago) link
Jonathan RichmanAmerican Music ClubChuck Prophet & Stephanie FinchNoe Venable
Great American Music Hall, SF, Nov. 30
― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 20 November 2003 01:50 (twenty years ago) link
Sorry to fanfic, but if this was a Rydodisk project circa green jewel case era 1991 there would undoubtedly be a compainion compilation of the best songs from all of these (which would rule). Sings! is by far the best, but "Back In My Life" is my favorite song from all of these.
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 21:18 (ten months ago) link
Coincidentally, I've been listening to these records for the first time over the past several days. Just gave Jonathan Sings! my first listen this afternoon. "The Neighbors" cracked me up. "Important In Your Life" from the s/t and "Afternoon" from Rock 'n' Roll have been my other favorites so far.
― JRN, Thursday, 4 May 2023 00:00 (ten months ago) link
Sings > Live > Rock n Roll > Back In Your Life > JR & TML
They’re all good, but Sings & Live are the classics out of this run. Live is seriously underrated and sometimes it’s my favorite thing he’s done. The never ending Ice Cream Man is sooooo good!
Rock n’ Roll has a really nice set of instrumentals.
― Cow_Art, Thursday, 4 May 2023 01:04 (ten months ago) link
Back In Your Life has my least favorite JR song, "Nature's Mosquito." I normally have a high tolerance for his cutesy stuff but the cloying quality to his singing on this one pushes it over the edge. "I Like Gumby" from a Gumby tribute album is also rough going.
Favorite tucked away song: "Our Dog Is Getting Older" from a various artists thing called Colours Are Brighter.
I'm a JR super fan and I've got just about everything there is to get, without collecting different cover variations and whatnot. One thing that has eluded me for a long time is an Academy Awards "for your consideration" promo CD. It contains instrumental music from How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Dr. Doolittle, and There's Something About Mary. The Jonathan Richman section contains:
There's Something About Mary 11. Mary Walks Down The Stairs 1:5012. Theme... Tucker... Crutches 1:0013. Ambulence 2:0114. Herpes Sweet 0:5615. Mary Sweet 1:4916. Excellent News 0:2217. Brett Faru 0:1618. Jam - A Minor 2:19
I even wrote to the one person on Discogs that has this but they never wrote me back. I check periodically on Ebay but it's pretty hard to search for. You wind up with the individual soundtracks or a glut of For Your Consideration discs.
― Cow_Art, Thursday, 4 May 2023 01:47 (ten months ago) link
Yeah, from when he was produced by Ric Ocasek,right? "Let her go into the darkness..."
― dow, Thursday, 4 May 2023 02:08 (ten months ago) link
xp do you have that damn Penthouse live LP? it's eluded me twice on Discogs...
(if you do, plz YSI)
― Perverted By Linguiça (sleeve), Thursday, 4 May 2023 03:40 (ten months ago) link
I didn't even know about that one! The only bootleg LP I have is Songs for Laura, which is pretty good.
― Cow_Art, Thursday, 4 May 2023 11:58 (ten months ago) link
Live is seriously underrated and sometimes it’s my favorite thing he’s done. The never ending Ice Cream Man is sooooo good!Tell them, Cow_Art.
― Because the Nighttoad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 4 May 2023 12:13 (ten months ago) link
^Yep Live is the best, "The Morning of Our Lives" one of the most uplifting songs I know
― J. Sam, Thursday, 4 May 2023 13:06 (ten months ago) link
I love Sings and the followup quit a bit because of the backing vocals. Jonathan paired with a female voice is really nice. "That Summer Feeling" is dreamy.
"Monologue About Bermuda" from Having A Party is very good, and has a great explanation for why his music shifted after recording The Modern Lovers. He plays a bit of "She Cracked" in it in a very self-mocking way.
― Cow_Art, Thursday, 4 May 2023 14:03 (ten months ago) link
People always mention moving to SF softened him, but I also wonder how much fatherhood fostered Jojo's stylistic shift.
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 4 May 2023 14:43 (ten months ago) link
100%... this is the album I tend to favor, for the same reasons (not that I've heard 'em all, by any means)
― Are You There God? It's a-Me, Mario (morrisp), Thursday, 4 May 2023 15:55 (ten months ago) link
(Sings, that is... will have to look up which is the follow-up)
The songs on Jonathan Sings! also have a certain degree of, I guess, "sophistication" that a lot of his other stuff is lacking for me... and I don't even mean that as a criticism, I'm just not into the really simple/silly songs as much.
― Are You There God? It's a-Me, Mario (morrisp), Thursday, 4 May 2023 16:54 (ten months ago) link
If you mean shifting gears from The Modern Lovers VU style rock to what came immediately afterwards, that was way before he was a dad. Listen to Bermuda Monologue on youtube, he explains it better than I can. But the short of it is: OG Modern Lovers wound up at a miserable gig playing at a resort in Bermuda. It was not a good fit. But Jonathan heard some of the local guys music and realized how much more there was in terms of rhythm and tone; he realized that his band was stiff and rigid and he wanted to get away from that.
I love that first (not really an) album, but I’m happy he moved on.
― Cow_Art, Thursday, 4 May 2023 18:00 (ten months ago) link
This is one of those discussions that I'll be looking for two years from now and have no idea what thread it was in.
― Lily Dale, Sunday, February 25, 2024 8:32 PM
Post a controversial music opinion
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Monday, 26 February 2024 05:57 (one month ago) link
Oh well, some prefer other genres to nasal voiced rocker gone acoustic singing alone .
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 27 February 2024 21:08 (one month ago) link
Ya think?
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 27 February 2024 21:09 (one month ago) link
And that's . . . OK.
― nickn, Tuesday, 27 February 2024 21:11 (one month ago) link
And here's why
― H.P, Tuesday, 27 February 2024 23:19 (one month ago) link
What wait did you say?
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 27 February 2024 23:24 (one month ago) link
This is a brand new shirt!
Didn’t I just take this shirt out of the package, Modern Lovers?
yeah, yeah, yeah
― Mark G, Tuesday, 27 February 2024 23:43 (one month ago) link
dum de-dum-dum, de-dumma-dum day
― doleful lundgren (Matt #2), Tuesday, 27 February 2024 23:49 (one month ago) link
Ohhhh, New England.
― nickn, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 01:55 (one month ago) link
Little Kookenhagen is so damn sweet.
― Cow_Art, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 02:05 (one month ago) link
I didn't realize Bell House had four shows booked for him, and the first and last aren't sold out. Setlist.fm seems a bit incomplete for his recent shows, but is it worth going multiple nights on the same tour or is it pretty much the same show each night?
― birdistheword, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 04:21 (one month ago) link
I would imagine there are significant differences, but have not put that to the test
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 04:25 (one month ago) link
I dream of flying to the US to see Jonathan some day
― corrs unplugged, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 09:25 (one month ago) link
He used to play in London quite regularly in the 80s, at least. First time I saw him was the best - supporting JR & Modern Lovers supporting Orange Juice at the Hammersmith Palais. He hadn't actually been to the UK for a while at this point, and it was almost a 'comeback' gig - and he was absolutely full Jonathan, almost glowing with good vibes. He got a rapturous reception, and we were not alone in being there for him rather than the headliners. I rather regret we didn't stay for Orange Juice now, but we just didn't think ANYBODY could follow what we'd just seen.
― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 09:39 (one month ago) link
I saw him on Glasgow years ago. It was the period when he used to have a mike set up at this feet to pick up the sound of him dancing. Don't know if he still does that. I also know people who hung out with him afterwards and said he was almost uncomfortably intense - maybe a post gig thing.
― The British Boy of Film Classification (Tom D.), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 09:42 (one month ago) link
Pre-gig too iirc
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 28 February 2024 12:02 (one month ago) link
I saw him in Brooklyn many, many ages ago. He was great, and I hooked up with someone who was massively out of my league, so technically it was the greatest show I've ever been to.
― Chuck_Tatum, Wednesday, 28 February 2024 14:05 (one month ago) link
I was only able to catch tonight's show and it was amazing. He may be in his 70's, but between his voice and his dance moves, he seemed as youthful as ever. His face obviously looks older, but surprisingly as I watched him up close, he reminded me of Henry Fonda around the eyes - he has the same twinkle in them that Fonda carried into his 70's.
Anyway, thanks to the MTA, traveling there kind of sucked, so I made the most of it - loaded up on merch (got the last Modern Lovers T-shirt my size) and stuck around with a few fans who wanted to meet him afterwards. During the show, there was a guy with an eyepatch off to the side that looked like David Johansen - when Richman came out, that guy was with him, and I said out loud "you know, that guy looks like David Johansen," to which someone replied "he IS David Johansen." I didn't know they even socialized together so that was pretty mind-blowing. He went straight home but Richman hung around for a bit and was very sweet. Class act all the way.
― birdistheword, Monday, 11 March 2024 05:23 (two weeks ago) link
Must've forgotten this - they played on the same bill once back in the day:
http://www.furious.com/perfect/newyorkdolls.html
― birdistheword, Monday, 11 March 2024 05:29 (two weeks ago) link
One more detail, when someone asked him to sign a CD of Precise Modern Lovers Order (Live In Berkeley And Boston), he said "THIS album captures how we REALLY sounded," or something like that, and he repeated it with a bit more emphasis, so I'd take that as a very strong recommendation.
― birdistheword, Monday, 11 March 2024 07:45 (two weeks ago) link
Indeed.
Must've forgotten this - they played on the same bill once back in the day:http://www.furious.com/perfect/newyorkdolls.html🕸
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 11 March 2024 09:25 (two weeks ago) link
was there last night as well. Jonathan was on fire. have seen him many times over the years, but that was near the top. his affection for the "old world" came up in recent discussion here. Jonathan is very much in the old world needs to go mode these days.
― bulb after bulb, Monday, 11 March 2024 12:13 (two weeks ago) link
thanks for sharing your experiences
as I think I've stated many times already it's a big dream of mine to see him someday
not so likely to happen
so I enjoy these second hand reviews
― corrs unplugged, Monday, 11 March 2024 12:55 (two weeks ago) link
I’ve seen him many times but haven’t been paying attention recently so am also appreciating the reviews
― The Ginger Bakersfield Sound (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 11 March 2024 16:18 (two weeks ago) link