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Jonathan Richman (and seeing him live)

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!

@tyler

STAFF

Mar 8, 2024

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Michael rose, painter

Really into his otherworldly dreamy portraits. He makes good jams, too. 🎶

@carlyayres

Feb 4, 2024

♥️

Jonathan richman

much to be said about him, both in his utter sincerity and songwriting prowess, I recall finally understanding him when I found a letter he sent to the Velvet Underground in an art museum, at once, so much joy, and so much complexity even just before the Modern Lovers days!

@joepeters

Mar 8, 2024

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I’m building a project road map for 2025

I have all this creative energy and I need to plan my projects in a way that feels like a game

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