Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman at Ed's, Winona, Minnesota (2014)
Background information
Born (1951-05-16) May 16, 1951
Natick, Massachusetts, United States
Genres Rock, folk, new wave, proto-punk, garage rock
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter
Instruments Guitarist, vocalist, saxophonist
Years active 1970–present
Labels Beserkley, Warner Bros.
Associated acts The Modern Lovers

Jonathan Michael Richman[1] (born May 16, 1951)[2] is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded the Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic, backing. He is known for his wide-eyed,[3] unaffected and childlike outlook, and music that, while rooted in rock and roll, is influenced by music from around the world.

Biography

Early life

Born in Natick, Massachusetts, into a Jewish family,[4] Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-1960s. He became infatuated with the Velvet Underground, and in 1969 he moved to New York City, lived on the couch of their manager, Steve Sesnick, worked odd jobs and tried to break in as a professional musician. Failing at this, he returned to Boston.

The Modern Lovers

Main article: The Modern Lovers

While in Boston, Richman formed the Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band. Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and the Cars, respectively.[2]

In 1972 they recorded a series of demos with producer John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground). Among these songs were the seminal "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso" which were eventually released on the group's post-breakup album, The Modern Lovers (August 1976).[2] The album was strange for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" — based on just two chords – is an homage to "Sister Ray") at a time when glam and progressive rock were the norm.

Later in 1972, the group also recorded with producer Kim Fowley; these demos were eventually released in 1981 as The Original Modern Lovers. Despite playing live regularly, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a recording contract. By late 1973, Richman wanted to scrap the recorded tracks and start again with a mellower, more lyrical sound, influenced by the laid-back local music he had heard when the band had a residency at the Inverurie Hotel in Bermuda earlier in the year. This stymied efforts to complete a debut album, and led to the breakup of the original Modern Lovers in February 1974.

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter with Beserkley Records. His first released recordings appeared on 1975's Beserkley Chartbusters compilation, where he was backed by members of Earth Quake and the Rubinoos; these four songs also appeared on singles on the independent Beserkley label.

In January 1976, Richman put together a new version of the Modern Lovers, which included original Modern Lovers drummer, David Robinson, along with former Rubinoos bassist Greg 'Curly' Keranen and Leroy Radcliffe on guitar. The albums produced by the new group found Richman turning away from electric rock music towards gentler acoustic textures, with a strong rooting in 1950s rock and roll (Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA" was part of his repertoire).

The album Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers was released in May 1976 (three months before the earlier The Modern Lovers sessions were finally released) but David Robinson left the group soon thereafter, due to frustration with Richman's quest for lower volume levels, and joined with Ric Ocasek in forming the band the Cars.

After several months as a trio, Richman found a new drummer, D. Sharpe, an avant-garde jazz player on the Boston scene, who later went on to become a member of pianist Carla Bley's band.

Rock and Roll with the Modern Lovers was released in 1977 and, just as this record began to climb the charts in Europe, Keranen left the group (to attend college). A subsequent live album, Modern Lovers Live, was released in 1978, with Asa Brebner on bass.[2]

Jonathan Richman, live at the Soft Rock Cafe, Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1983)

In the United Kingdom, Richman was recognised as a progenitor of the punk rock scene, and several of his singles became hits. "Roadrunner" reached Number 11 in the UK Singles Chart, and its follow-up, the instrumental "Egyptian Reggae", made Number 5 in late 1977.[5] "Egyptian Reggae" was a version of Jamaican musician Earl Zero's reggae song "None Shall Escape the Judgment"; Zero was credited as co-writer on Richman's later versions of the track.[6][7]

Back in Your Life was released in 1979 under the "Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers" moniker, but only about half the disc featured a backup band. The rest was solo work.

Solo

Richman singing solo in 2014

Following the Modern Lovers' final breakup, Richman went on sabbatical for a few years, staying in Appleton, Maine, and playing at local bars in Belfast, Maine.

He returned to recording in 1983 with Jonathan Sings!, followed by Rockin' and Romance (produced by Andy Paley and engineered by Daniel Levitin). These were followed up with US tours and a brace of pop recordings (It's Time for Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, and Modern Lovers 88 from 1986 and 1988 respectively). After the latter release, the "Modern Lovers" moniker was finally retired, and having begun a true solo career, he returned to a variety of musical genres: country music with 1990's Jonathan Goes Country, and Spanish translations of his earlier work (as well as traditional Spanish language songs) with Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar! (1993).[2]

In 1993, he contributed the track "Hot Nights" to the AIDS-Benefit Album No Alternative produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Always possessing an ardent cult following, Richman has become better known in recent years thanks to a series of appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Another major profile boost was a key part in the Farrelly Brothers' 1998 film There's Something About Mary, where he played half of a two-man Greek chorus with drummer Tommy Larkins, that commented on the plot while performing in the framed action itself. He also appeared briefly in a bar scene in a previous Farrelly Brothers film, Kingpin, and performed the song "As We Walk to Fenway Park" for their 2005 comedy, Fever Pitch.

Richman has continued his release schedule all along, with You Must Ask the Heart (1995), Surrender to Jonathan (1996), I'm So Confused (1998), Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow (2001), and Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004). In 1998 a live album of Modern Lovers recordings from the early 1970s was released, Live at the Long Branch & More. There is also a DVD of a live performance, Take me to the Plaza (2002).

Richman's minimalist songwriting style has been described as whimsical and childlike.[8] He himself has stated, "I don’t write, really. I just make up songs."[9]

Richman frequently tours with drummer Tommy Larkins.

Personal life

His first marriage was to Gail Clook of Vermont, in 1983, with whom he has a daughter, Jenny Rae. This marriage ended in divorce sometime shortly before the release of Surrender to Jonathan (1996).

In 2003, Richman married Nicole Montalbano of Chico, California.[10][11] She contributed backing vocals to the album Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004).

Influence

Richman in Barcelona, 2009

Richman's work with the first incarnation of Modern Lovers is a major influence on punk rock. One critic called him the "Godfather of Punk".[12] Artists as diverse as the Sex Pistols and Joan Jett have covered "Roadrunner". Boston ska-punk band Big D and the Kids Table have covered "New England" live and on their Gypsy Hill EP. A version of "Pablo Picasso" performed by Burning Sensations was included in the 1984 cult film, Repo Man. David Bowie covered "Pablo Picasso" on his album Reality. Velvet Underground founding member John Cale has a version of the song on his 1975 album, Helen of Troy, and continues to include the song in his live shows. Iggy Pop has performed "Pablo Picasso" live and wrote an extra verse for it. Echo and the Bunnymen covered "She Cracked" in concert in 1984 and 1985 and Siouxsie and the Banshees have a version of the song on Downside Up.

Richman's music has set the tone for many alternative rock bands, such as Violent Femmes, Galaxie 500, They Might Be Giants ("Roadrunner" reportedly inspired John Flansburgh to become a musician), Weezer, Tullycraft, Jens Lekman, singer Frank Black (who composed the tribute song "The Man Who Was Too Loud"), Brandon Flowers, Art Brut, Craig Finn of the Hold Steady & Lifter Puller and Nerf Herder who composed a song about him, titled "Jonathan", which appeared on the band's second album How To Meet Girls. British country rock band the Rockingbirds released the single "Jonathan, Jonathan" in tribute to Richman in 1992. The Silos also covered the Modern Lovers' "I'm Straight".

As a producer himself, Richman and drummer Tommy Larkins produced Vic Chesnutt's final album Skitter on Take-Off in 2009 which appeared on Vapor Records. Chesnutt opened for Richman at concerts many times during his later years.

"Roadrunner" is on the soundtrack of School of Rock. In the commentary, director Richard Linklater mentions it is often called "the first punk song" and wanted to include it for that reason, along with all the other seminal rock songs in that film.

A tribute album, If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2001.

Rapper M.I.A. featured the opening lyrics from 'Roadrunner' in the song 'Bamboo Banga' on her 2007 album, KALA.

Discography

Studio albums

Jonathan Richman in Tokyo, sometime in the 80's
Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Modern Lovers

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers

Jonathan Richman

Live albums

(These last three live albums are from the same three 1971-3 performances, but add and subtract a few different songs. The last two, combined, contain all the songs.)[2]

Compilations

Singles

US issues except where stated

References

  1. ↑ ASCAP records for Jonathan Richman Archived November 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 814–815. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  3. ↑ Henriquez, Ryan S. "Concert review at". Popmatters.com. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ Steven Lee Beeber, The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk, Chicago Review Press, 2008, pp.49-62
  5. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 462. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ↑ "The Originals by Arnold Rypens". Originals.be. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  7. ↑ "View topic – Egyptian Reggae – Jonathan Richman video clip !". Blood and Fire. May 16, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  8. ↑ "World on a String". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  9. ↑ "Interview With Jonathan Richman | Synthesis Weekly". Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  10. ↑ "Descendants of Peter Montalbano - aqw03.htm". Montalbano.org. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  11. ↑ "CN&R > Music > '2 big sets, 2 big nights' > 01.30.03". Newsreview.com. January 30, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Brilliant Careers: Jonathan Richman", Salon, September 4, 2001.
  13. 1 2 3 4 http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/jonathan%20richman%20%26%20the%20modern%20lovers/

Further reading

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