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a very rad artist, musician, poet and many more things beyond that! such beauty and empathy and generosity to the core. a very important artist, I think. ๐ฑ
May 2, 2024
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New Jersey may have Bruce, but Massachusetts has Jonathan- a guy who has always been unapologetically himself whether it was being totally sober in the 70s, writing pleas for tenderness in a genre known for bravado, dancing in lesbian bars, or driving down to NYC every weekend to be Velvet Underground's biggest fan before anyone else was. a guy who despite being a rock legend, spends his days installing pizza ovens around the san fransisco area.
I've seen him live a few times now, and watching him play his sweet silly songs in an unapologetically sincere + sort of autistic way is somehow just as transgressive as the proto-punk he invented with The Modern Lovers over 50 years ago. I can't help but smile ear to ear for his entire set. effortless humor and charm.
Something that's also stood out to me after seeing him live a few times now, is the way he recontextualizes the classics. When he played "Old World" in 2022 he changed the lyrics to recognize how some things should be left in the past rather than simply romanticizing it. And last night he played with the iconic "Pablo Picasso" to focus less on the swagger of Pablo, and more on how that type of guy is actually kind of an arrogant creep. Angel Prost (of Frost Children) wrote a great essay on Jonathan's reinvention for her email-only newsletter a few years ago, if you'd like to read it I'm sure I can dig it up for you.
From last night-
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an oil painter. I was obsessed with colors.
Then I heard Velvet Underground and saw you can paint with a guitar
Anyways...if more people were a bit more like Jonathan the world would be a better place. A huge inspiration to me!
Mar 8, 2024
Really into his otherworldly dreamy portraits. He makes good jams, too. ๐ถ
Feb 4, 2024
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I found Jesse Welles via Instagram a few months ago, and fell in love with his rocky vocals, JJ Cale sounding guitar & Bob Dylan-esque lyrics. The videos on his instagram are filmed in locations that make me feel as though Iโm the only one watching for miles around. His words are intelligent, and draw attention to things we forget; both politically and day-to-day. Start with: Whistle Boeing/Payola/Bugs.
Dec 29, 2024
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Nothing does it like taking a nice sharp knife to an orange and slicing it into segments, and then cutting off the skin and white pithy bits, so youโre just left with a plate full of juicy orange. tastes so fresh and feels like it does something good mmm!
Dec 16, 2024
This sweet, sweet book.
this is a book about a gentle outsider, a Londoner who has a very small world, which centers around a small axis. his flat, his office job and the cafe he eats his lunch at every day. But he quietly yearns for more. one day, he stumbles across the British Film Institute (BFI) by chance. (the best cinema in the world?!?) and he sees the world anew. He feels like he belongs. itโs a sweet portrait of one sweet man, Brian. and itโs a beautiful survey of cinema. Hereโs an example page for you โจ
Apr 8, 2024