Jonathan came to the 930 Club in Washington DC last night in fine form. He seemed happy and he looked good in his green shirt, and even Tommy was smiling off and on. There were some interesting new features to the show--- some good and some bad. Tommy had his drum set about 1-2 inches from the edge of the stage, and Jonathan was set up further back. At the beginning and several times during the set, Tommy would play a drum which doubled as his seat, called "Cajon", which I had not seen before. He played it by hand at about his knee level, and it gave a great sound. Unfortunately, the drums being in the foreground led to some diminution of Jonathan's voice in some cases, but not often. The drum seat was hollow and had a microphone behind it. So Tommy is really getting more visibility in the world of Jonathan shows now. Jonathan had to tell the 930 folks to shut off the A/C which is standard for most of the shows he does.
Also unfortunate was the lighting in the show. The whole time, there was backlighting of Jonathan, which led to blinding of the audience and to see Jonathan's face, I had to shade my eyes often or just see a silhouette. The lighting man was over-zealous, I thought, although Peter thinks that Jonathan himself asked for the backlighting so he could see the audience or to discourage photography. I was certainly discouraged by it. I would be curious if other Jonathan fans had noticed him being backlit like that in other shows, which would be a disappointing trend, for those of us who like to stand up front, especially. During the song "The Lilies of the Field", the light man showed some lilies behind Jonathan's head and people started to giggle a bit, so Jonathan turned around and saw it, then interrupted the song to ask the light man to please not show any pictures behind him like that. He just wanted straight, normal lighting. Maybe the light man was smoking something unusual last night!
I believe that Jonathan did 2-3 new songs last night, including "Boston in Wintertime", a song about a house of prostitution in Spanish, and an song he and Tommy worked on the night before, which includes the phrase, "Pretty is pretty for sure, but it isn't everything". All three songs were great, I thought. He did two encores, during which he did the brand new song about being pretty, and the second encore included "Nishi" and "Walter Johnson", a capella.
Here is a set list for those who like to know:
"The World is Showing Its Hand"
drum duet with rhythm sticks and cowbell by Jonathan
"Che Mondo Viviamo"
"Springtime in New York"
"Lesbian Bar" with cowbell
a French song-- about stars that shine like that (?)
"19 in Naples"
"Pablo Picasso"
"Give Paris One More Chance"
"Her Mystery Not of High Heels..."
"Boston in Wintertime"
"Egyptian Reggae"
"Let Her Go Into the Darkness"
drum duet
"Cosi Veloce"
"Lilies of the Field"
"Vincent Van Gogh"
house of prostitution song
"He Gave Us the Wine to Taste"
"My Baby Love, Love, Loves Me Now"
1st encore: song about pretty is pretty for sure, but isn't everything"
2nd encore: Nishi and Walter Johnson
----overall, a pretty good show, not the best, but not the worst either.
-- Sarah
Pictures from this show
Monday, July 11, 2005
Monday, May 02, 2005
Zum Interview....
Jonathan Richman
photos by Alissa Anderson, interview by Jeremy Crown.(an abridged version of this interview appears in the Fall 2004 issue of Herbivore.)
Jonathan Richman is in complete control of the situation: the dingy dimly lit venue, the standing sweaty faithful, and the sound guy, wherever the hell he is. The mics are turning on and off like a kid messing with a light switch, but Jonathan is still singing, no longer in front of the microphone but playing to the crowd. Onstage at the Make Out Room in San Francisco’s Mission District, Jonathan seems at home; dancing with his flamenco guitar off to the side, his left hand down by his leg with his palm out and fingers extended. He really is shaking his hips, like some sort of invisible hula-hoop. The man’s on fire, almost literally; it’s like 100 degrees in this place because he doesn’t want the fan on while he’s playing because of the noise. I don’t blame the guy, but my shirt is sticking to my chest. Somehow, his shirt is still separate, almost loose-fitting. From all the dancing, I guess. It’s no sweat for Jonathan though, he’s been at it for thirty years. Jonathan started playing music at age sixteen in and around Boston, spurred on by his heroes The Velvet Underground. Three years later at age nineteen he formed the Modern Lovers and recorded a demo with The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, unknowingly setting the stage for what would be a new way of looking at music: punk rock. Those years also marked a less publicized milestone—after talking to a rock club janitor he had befriended, he became vegetarian, a decision he has stuck with ever since. In the intervening years he has toured the world many times over and released almost two dozen albums, the most recent of which, this year’s Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love (Vapor/Sanctuary), is one of his best. Those not familiar with his storied career may at least recognize him as the balladeer in the Farrelly Brothers’ romantic comedy There’s Something About Mary, where he and his longtime drummer Tommy Larkins set the scenes with musical commentary and, ironically, play hot dog vendors at one point.The first time I met Jonathan, in my little shop in San Francisco, he was humming a single note while his wife tried on shoes. I remember he was eating a vegan donut and after he finished, walked over to me and said, “So what do you think of Matt Gonzalez?” (Matt is the President of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco and was the Green Party Mayoral Candidate at the time.) Jonathan had publicly supported Matt, playing a show as a fundraiser for him. We talked about the mayoral race and the current president and other political issues, themes that continue to this day between us. He’s a very political guy but not in any way that is very public. He may say things during one of his shows, like on the Take Me To The Plaza live DVD (Vapor) in which he talks about the war in Iraq. But his first real overtly political song comes on his new album with “Abu Jamal,” a slow pump organ-driven track about the imprisoned writer who has incited an anti-death penalty movement. Jonathan seems to be the type of guy that really stands for things and believes in them and is willing to go Downtown and flyer for them. At the same time though, he’s not a rigid dogmatist; rather his ideology is optimism. He believes in life being beautiful and maybe a little tragic; whether it’s “Springtime in New York,” “Lilies of the Field,” or “Dancing in a Lesbian Bar.” The beauty is there and in front of us all, it just takes Jonathan to remind us, to sing it in our ear (maybe in Spanish, maybe in Italian). Sitting in my shop again on a brisk San Francisco summer day, we talked about the politics of life and speaking for those who cannot speak: the animals, the glass bottles, the bowls of oats. And like the man says, if you’re ever in a jam, “just add raisins and you’re livin’ like a king.”
Being Vegan
Zum: Do you identify yourself as a vegetarian?
Jonathan Richman: It’s a great question. Right now I identify as vegan. I’m not strict, 100%. Every once in a while in some country, someone’s mother will make somethin’ and I’m not gonna ask grandma...you know like she’s there, she’s got her apron on and she spent four hours and I’m a guest at her house. I’m not gonna say, “Excuse me is there oleo Margarine and is there hydrogenated this-and-that. Nah, I eat somethin’. You know, I do the best I can. (laughs). Left to my own devices I’m mostly a vegan.We can talk about how it is traveling and staying vegan.
Zum: Is it harder now to be vegetarian and travel now?
JR: Oh it’s much easier. Like going to Germany in 1970, it was sausage and sausage and sausage and sauerkraut drenched in whatever. It’s easier now. There are health food stores on every corner, all over the world. All over where I travel anyway. Even if there aren’t, if you have to travel you can take a few things with ya. Like, take a bag of oats. You can just add water to ‘em, you don’t have to cook ‘em. You get a bowl and oats. Take some sea salt…Add water, you got a meal. (laughs) A few raisins, you’re livin’ like a king. (laughs)
Zum: When did you first think of yourself as a vegetarian.
JR: Well, when I was 17 I knew this older guy. He must have been old like 26 or 24 (laughs)… And it was at this rock club I hung out at and he was the janitor and later became a friend for life. And he said things to me like, “Hey, did you ever think of being a vegetarian?” and I said, “No, can you do it? Can you live like that?” and he said “Yeah..” I said, “and you don’t, like starve to death?” and he said, “No.” And he was a big strong muscular guy himself and he said, ”I’m one” and I said, “That’s great.” And so I tried it. My mother had a fit. All of the sudden, “you mean you don’t want the corn beef sandwiches?” You know, like she would always make. And I tried it without it, and I made the mistake that new vegetarians make which is going to yogurt and sugar, like fruit-flavored yogurt with lots of honey in things. Cause you want something other than just the raw carrot. And if it’s not gonna be meat, a lot of times the temptation is to go to lots of dairy products and especially you end up getting sweetened stuff for some reason, I’m not quite sure what it is. And that was not doing it. My mother called that one right, she said, “You’re getting sick because you’re eating too much sugar,” and she was right. So that was when I first got interested. I was more or less a vegetarian from then on.
Buying Chickpeas in Spain
Zum: I know you like Spain a lot and you have songs in Spanish on your new album. However, I found that in France, when I was just vegetarian, that it was hard to get across what vegetarian really meant.
JR: Yeah, in fact sometimes in France I can think of instances where a friend of mine would take me to a certain place and the guy who ran it was a friend of his. And my pal never brought me back there again ‘cause it was too embarrassing for him. They get too offended. They question your manhood…they have all kinds of problems with it. (laughs) It is a fixed system—it’s changing. But that generally is the way it’s always been. That’s restaurants, but you can go around this by going to a grocery store and get some oats and get a can of chickpeas…. There are loads of good things you can eat. In restaurants it’s much harder as you say ‘cause then there is a social question. “Is this person gonna be insulted?” A lot of times the chef will, but the grocery clerk isn’t gonna be offended when you just buy chickpeas.There are now vegan restaurants in Spain. We went to one in Salamanca. There are vegan restaurants in Madrid. There’s also in Spain, articles in the daily papers against bullfighting.
Zum: Do you think that’s a movement really?
JR: Yes, and this is a big change for Spain, that you could even find such articles on the editorial pages of the daily papers; and long articles too.
Zum: Do you notice a good response to that from people you talked to?
JR: Actually I didn’t talk to anyone, I just read the papers. But I noticed, well the city of Barcelona has already passed a resolution to make Barcelona a non-bullfighting city. It’s major. It’s not legally binding but there is a group that had enough of a majority that they could make a resolution like that.
The President
Zum: It’s hard… especially with the Bush Administration, I feel that Americans are always in everybody’s face as far as our opinions (i.e. Iraq, etc). I can’t change what Bush does but I think that maybe if I can present myself in a more even way then I'll feel as though I can give myself a better name as an American. You know what I mean?
JR: No, ‘cause too much emphasis is being placed on who’s president. I think we’ve been like this for years. Some presidents are worse public speakers than others, but the program is similar. There has been a basic party line, no matter which party it is.
Zum: Well, it’s hard to know what to do. You feel a little disenfranchised.
JR: Well, Paul McCartney said that being a vegetarian is one of the best single things you can do for environment and for other things. I don’t know how much we can do about what other people do, but I think we can do something ourselves.
Farm Sanctuary
Zum: I know you’ve gone to Farm Sanctuary in Orland (Northern California). How has that experience been for you, just spending time there?
JR: Farm Sanctuary is great. To be with those animals is something that affects you inside. Because you get to be quiet with them, they’re not in a tense situation where they’re about to be shipped off and be sold. So there is a sort of calm to the place. It’s very nice, I recommend it.
Little Lord Fauntleroy
JR: Why don’t I tell you what its like to travel around the states and get vegan stuff?
Zum: Yeah
JR: Ok, here’s what its like. You pack up some stuff first. You can get lots of stuff, you can get oats, you can get cans of beans, you can get all kinds of snacks if you’re driving, like corn chips and stuff. You can get instant hummus, you know, where you just add water…So to me one of the key things is getting your water out of bottles made out of glass. So, we travel around in a van now, I’ve had it for a long time—this van for several years. So that’s enough room so you can pack about a dozen glass bottles of water. Then the water…that’s got to be good. So we order from this company EcoWise in Austin, Texas. Their phone number is 512-326-4474 (laughs). Their brand of filter, just say “the one that Jonathan uses” and they’ll know what to send ya. (laughs) ‘Cause we order ‘em for friends, cause they even filter out MTBEs.That’s what’s in your drinking water because of gasoline. MTBEs were an additive to gasoline in certain high smog parts of the country like California. They knew how dangerous it was even way back but they insisted on using it anyway. They knew that it was dangerous enough so that it would get into wells and aquifers. So it’s in aquifers I believe as far east as Kansas. You don’t want it. It’s not water, you don’t want it. Get yourself a water filter that can filter out MTBEs.
Zum: And you just get this to put on your sink?
JR: In this case, yes. And like I say, I like that company Ecowise and I trust their stuff. So we’ve been using those filters for a while.
Zum: So you just make enough that you can go on your trip with it?
JR: Well, that’s good but then sometimes I’ll just stop at health food stores and get that purified water and in super markets I’ll get a refill there. But I think that vegans and other people should consider not using plastic bottles anymore. Both because you might notice it tastes different, and whatever taste it has, that’s something you might not want. And also, what could be a worse environmental disaster than 40 trillion plastic bottles every day being used just for drinking water to be thrown away.
Zum: And you can’t always recycle them.
JR: And even when you can, people have explained to me that it’s a limited thing with plastic how much good that recycling does. And also, one of the reasons I travel with my own glass bottles is because let’s say I’m playing at a night club and the usual way it’s done in the music business is there is a rider that goes along with your contract where you tell the club owner everything he’s got to provide for you. These are usually elaborate. We don’t have anything on ours. But usually people want all kinds of M&Ms and wine and things and one of the things they want is drinking water, and they’re fussy about it. But it’s all in plastic bottles. The lead singer then flounces around and drinks 1/8 of his bottle. All the other 7/8ths of it gets swept up by the crew afterwards you know. Little Lord Fauntleroy drinks 1/8 of it and the rest of it gets wasted. All this stuff gets demanded and people drink or eat 1/12 of it. I think people gotta stop using plastic bottles and I want to do my bit. Also I don’t want to drink that stuff myself. I guess it was some young schoolgirl who did a science report recently…I heard about this on the radio, on the effects of plastic. I don’t know the specifics of it, but it’s alarming. Even when it’s just when things are bottled with it. So I can’t say for sure, but that’s what I’ve heard. And let your stomach tell ya, just the taste of it tells ya something. So….you get your water, you get your oats or whatever you like…The thing is you can travel around the country and be a vegan. You can eat like a king that way. There are these different products, like Tartex makes these vegetarian pâtés in a can with yeast in. Yeast is good for vegetarians you know ‘cause you gotta have some of those vitamins. And there are different ways of getting yeast…Let me see, there are just so many things you can do. And then there’re lots of vegetarian/vegan restaurants now. The United States is actually full of ‘em, it’s spreading. Now almost anywhere in the States I’ve gone you say the word “vegan” and they know what you mean at least. They may not have seen one before, but at least they’ve heard of ‘em.
Business Opportunities
JR: I’m surprised San Francisco doesn’t have more information about macrobiotics. That’s one thing that if any of your readership out there is looking for an enterprise, I think there is room for a macrobiotic food shop and bookshop and restaurant here in the city.
Zum: Do you ever want to do anything like that? Open a business or…
JR: You never know, who knows what will happen. I’m still busy just learning how to play guitar…(laughs). Truly.
END
The original article, with photos, is available here...
http://www.zumonline.com/zine/?x=107
photos by Alissa Anderson, interview by Jeremy Crown.(an abridged version of this interview appears in the Fall 2004 issue of Herbivore.)
Jonathan Richman is in complete control of the situation: the dingy dimly lit venue, the standing sweaty faithful, and the sound guy, wherever the hell he is. The mics are turning on and off like a kid messing with a light switch, but Jonathan is still singing, no longer in front of the microphone but playing to the crowd. Onstage at the Make Out Room in San Francisco’s Mission District, Jonathan seems at home; dancing with his flamenco guitar off to the side, his left hand down by his leg with his palm out and fingers extended. He really is shaking his hips, like some sort of invisible hula-hoop. The man’s on fire, almost literally; it’s like 100 degrees in this place because he doesn’t want the fan on while he’s playing because of the noise. I don’t blame the guy, but my shirt is sticking to my chest. Somehow, his shirt is still separate, almost loose-fitting. From all the dancing, I guess. It’s no sweat for Jonathan though, he’s been at it for thirty years. Jonathan started playing music at age sixteen in and around Boston, spurred on by his heroes The Velvet Underground. Three years later at age nineteen he formed the Modern Lovers and recorded a demo with The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, unknowingly setting the stage for what would be a new way of looking at music: punk rock. Those years also marked a less publicized milestone—after talking to a rock club janitor he had befriended, he became vegetarian, a decision he has stuck with ever since. In the intervening years he has toured the world many times over and released almost two dozen albums, the most recent of which, this year’s Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love (Vapor/Sanctuary), is one of his best. Those not familiar with his storied career may at least recognize him as the balladeer in the Farrelly Brothers’ romantic comedy There’s Something About Mary, where he and his longtime drummer Tommy Larkins set the scenes with musical commentary and, ironically, play hot dog vendors at one point.The first time I met Jonathan, in my little shop in San Francisco, he was humming a single note while his wife tried on shoes. I remember he was eating a vegan donut and after he finished, walked over to me and said, “So what do you think of Matt Gonzalez?” (Matt is the President of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco and was the Green Party Mayoral Candidate at the time.) Jonathan had publicly supported Matt, playing a show as a fundraiser for him. We talked about the mayoral race and the current president and other political issues, themes that continue to this day between us. He’s a very political guy but not in any way that is very public. He may say things during one of his shows, like on the Take Me To The Plaza live DVD (Vapor) in which he talks about the war in Iraq. But his first real overtly political song comes on his new album with “Abu Jamal,” a slow pump organ-driven track about the imprisoned writer who has incited an anti-death penalty movement. Jonathan seems to be the type of guy that really stands for things and believes in them and is willing to go Downtown and flyer for them. At the same time though, he’s not a rigid dogmatist; rather his ideology is optimism. He believes in life being beautiful and maybe a little tragic; whether it’s “Springtime in New York,” “Lilies of the Field,” or “Dancing in a Lesbian Bar.” The beauty is there and in front of us all, it just takes Jonathan to remind us, to sing it in our ear (maybe in Spanish, maybe in Italian). Sitting in my shop again on a brisk San Francisco summer day, we talked about the politics of life and speaking for those who cannot speak: the animals, the glass bottles, the bowls of oats. And like the man says, if you’re ever in a jam, “just add raisins and you’re livin’ like a king.”
Being Vegan
Zum: Do you identify yourself as a vegetarian?
Jonathan Richman: It’s a great question. Right now I identify as vegan. I’m not strict, 100%. Every once in a while in some country, someone’s mother will make somethin’ and I’m not gonna ask grandma...you know like she’s there, she’s got her apron on and she spent four hours and I’m a guest at her house. I’m not gonna say, “Excuse me is there oleo Margarine and is there hydrogenated this-and-that. Nah, I eat somethin’. You know, I do the best I can. (laughs). Left to my own devices I’m mostly a vegan.We can talk about how it is traveling and staying vegan.
Zum: Is it harder now to be vegetarian and travel now?
JR: Oh it’s much easier. Like going to Germany in 1970, it was sausage and sausage and sausage and sauerkraut drenched in whatever. It’s easier now. There are health food stores on every corner, all over the world. All over where I travel anyway. Even if there aren’t, if you have to travel you can take a few things with ya. Like, take a bag of oats. You can just add water to ‘em, you don’t have to cook ‘em. You get a bowl and oats. Take some sea salt…Add water, you got a meal. (laughs) A few raisins, you’re livin’ like a king. (laughs)
Zum: When did you first think of yourself as a vegetarian.
JR: Well, when I was 17 I knew this older guy. He must have been old like 26 or 24 (laughs)… And it was at this rock club I hung out at and he was the janitor and later became a friend for life. And he said things to me like, “Hey, did you ever think of being a vegetarian?” and I said, “No, can you do it? Can you live like that?” and he said “Yeah..” I said, “and you don’t, like starve to death?” and he said, “No.” And he was a big strong muscular guy himself and he said, ”I’m one” and I said, “That’s great.” And so I tried it. My mother had a fit. All of the sudden, “you mean you don’t want the corn beef sandwiches?” You know, like she would always make. And I tried it without it, and I made the mistake that new vegetarians make which is going to yogurt and sugar, like fruit-flavored yogurt with lots of honey in things. Cause you want something other than just the raw carrot. And if it’s not gonna be meat, a lot of times the temptation is to go to lots of dairy products and especially you end up getting sweetened stuff for some reason, I’m not quite sure what it is. And that was not doing it. My mother called that one right, she said, “You’re getting sick because you’re eating too much sugar,” and she was right. So that was when I first got interested. I was more or less a vegetarian from then on.
Buying Chickpeas in Spain
Zum: I know you like Spain a lot and you have songs in Spanish on your new album. However, I found that in France, when I was just vegetarian, that it was hard to get across what vegetarian really meant.
JR: Yeah, in fact sometimes in France I can think of instances where a friend of mine would take me to a certain place and the guy who ran it was a friend of his. And my pal never brought me back there again ‘cause it was too embarrassing for him. They get too offended. They question your manhood…they have all kinds of problems with it. (laughs) It is a fixed system—it’s changing. But that generally is the way it’s always been. That’s restaurants, but you can go around this by going to a grocery store and get some oats and get a can of chickpeas…. There are loads of good things you can eat. In restaurants it’s much harder as you say ‘cause then there is a social question. “Is this person gonna be insulted?” A lot of times the chef will, but the grocery clerk isn’t gonna be offended when you just buy chickpeas.There are now vegan restaurants in Spain. We went to one in Salamanca. There are vegan restaurants in Madrid. There’s also in Spain, articles in the daily papers against bullfighting.
Zum: Do you think that’s a movement really?
JR: Yes, and this is a big change for Spain, that you could even find such articles on the editorial pages of the daily papers; and long articles too.
Zum: Do you notice a good response to that from people you talked to?
JR: Actually I didn’t talk to anyone, I just read the papers. But I noticed, well the city of Barcelona has already passed a resolution to make Barcelona a non-bullfighting city. It’s major. It’s not legally binding but there is a group that had enough of a majority that they could make a resolution like that.
The President
Zum: It’s hard… especially with the Bush Administration, I feel that Americans are always in everybody’s face as far as our opinions (i.e. Iraq, etc). I can’t change what Bush does but I think that maybe if I can present myself in a more even way then I'll feel as though I can give myself a better name as an American. You know what I mean?
JR: No, ‘cause too much emphasis is being placed on who’s president. I think we’ve been like this for years. Some presidents are worse public speakers than others, but the program is similar. There has been a basic party line, no matter which party it is.
Zum: Well, it’s hard to know what to do. You feel a little disenfranchised.
JR: Well, Paul McCartney said that being a vegetarian is one of the best single things you can do for environment and for other things. I don’t know how much we can do about what other people do, but I think we can do something ourselves.
Farm Sanctuary
Zum: I know you’ve gone to Farm Sanctuary in Orland (Northern California). How has that experience been for you, just spending time there?
JR: Farm Sanctuary is great. To be with those animals is something that affects you inside. Because you get to be quiet with them, they’re not in a tense situation where they’re about to be shipped off and be sold. So there is a sort of calm to the place. It’s very nice, I recommend it.
Little Lord Fauntleroy
JR: Why don’t I tell you what its like to travel around the states and get vegan stuff?
Zum: Yeah
JR: Ok, here’s what its like. You pack up some stuff first. You can get lots of stuff, you can get oats, you can get cans of beans, you can get all kinds of snacks if you’re driving, like corn chips and stuff. You can get instant hummus, you know, where you just add water…So to me one of the key things is getting your water out of bottles made out of glass. So, we travel around in a van now, I’ve had it for a long time—this van for several years. So that’s enough room so you can pack about a dozen glass bottles of water. Then the water…that’s got to be good. So we order from this company EcoWise in Austin, Texas. Their phone number is 512-326-4474 (laughs). Their brand of filter, just say “the one that Jonathan uses” and they’ll know what to send ya. (laughs) ‘Cause we order ‘em for friends, cause they even filter out MTBEs.That’s what’s in your drinking water because of gasoline. MTBEs were an additive to gasoline in certain high smog parts of the country like California. They knew how dangerous it was even way back but they insisted on using it anyway. They knew that it was dangerous enough so that it would get into wells and aquifers. So it’s in aquifers I believe as far east as Kansas. You don’t want it. It’s not water, you don’t want it. Get yourself a water filter that can filter out MTBEs.
Zum: And you just get this to put on your sink?
JR: In this case, yes. And like I say, I like that company Ecowise and I trust their stuff. So we’ve been using those filters for a while.
Zum: So you just make enough that you can go on your trip with it?
JR: Well, that’s good but then sometimes I’ll just stop at health food stores and get that purified water and in super markets I’ll get a refill there. But I think that vegans and other people should consider not using plastic bottles anymore. Both because you might notice it tastes different, and whatever taste it has, that’s something you might not want. And also, what could be a worse environmental disaster than 40 trillion plastic bottles every day being used just for drinking water to be thrown away.
Zum: And you can’t always recycle them.
JR: And even when you can, people have explained to me that it’s a limited thing with plastic how much good that recycling does. And also, one of the reasons I travel with my own glass bottles is because let’s say I’m playing at a night club and the usual way it’s done in the music business is there is a rider that goes along with your contract where you tell the club owner everything he’s got to provide for you. These are usually elaborate. We don’t have anything on ours. But usually people want all kinds of M&Ms and wine and things and one of the things they want is drinking water, and they’re fussy about it. But it’s all in plastic bottles. The lead singer then flounces around and drinks 1/8 of his bottle. All the other 7/8ths of it gets swept up by the crew afterwards you know. Little Lord Fauntleroy drinks 1/8 of it and the rest of it gets wasted. All this stuff gets demanded and people drink or eat 1/12 of it. I think people gotta stop using plastic bottles and I want to do my bit. Also I don’t want to drink that stuff myself. I guess it was some young schoolgirl who did a science report recently…I heard about this on the radio, on the effects of plastic. I don’t know the specifics of it, but it’s alarming. Even when it’s just when things are bottled with it. So I can’t say for sure, but that’s what I’ve heard. And let your stomach tell ya, just the taste of it tells ya something. So….you get your water, you get your oats or whatever you like…The thing is you can travel around the country and be a vegan. You can eat like a king that way. There are these different products, like Tartex makes these vegetarian pâtés in a can with yeast in. Yeast is good for vegetarians you know ‘cause you gotta have some of those vitamins. And there are different ways of getting yeast…Let me see, there are just so many things you can do. And then there’re lots of vegetarian/vegan restaurants now. The United States is actually full of ‘em, it’s spreading. Now almost anywhere in the States I’ve gone you say the word “vegan” and they know what you mean at least. They may not have seen one before, but at least they’ve heard of ‘em.
Business Opportunities
JR: I’m surprised San Francisco doesn’t have more information about macrobiotics. That’s one thing that if any of your readership out there is looking for an enterprise, I think there is room for a macrobiotic food shop and bookshop and restaurant here in the city.
Zum: Do you ever want to do anything like that? Open a business or…
JR: You never know, who knows what will happen. I’m still busy just learning how to play guitar…(laughs). Truly.
END
The original article, with photos, is available here...
http://www.zumonline.com/zine/?x=107
Friday, April 22, 2005
The Tractor Tavern, Seatle, 13th & 14th December 2004
(Lifted from Plan B mag...)
He's not wearing a guitar strap.
How could he? It would destroy the fluidity of his dancing; dropping to his knees, twirling his acoustic, resting a foot on a handily-positioned paint pot; a flamenco flourish here, a strutted samba there; high kicking, low kicking; dropping his guitar altogether and pointing straight to his heart; urging us onwards with his eyes and broad smile, eyebrows arched; the very picture of projected happiness; never lost for a description of New York in the springtime, switching from French to Italian through arguments in Tel Aviv and Damascas with deceptive ease; clacking together electrified blocks and adjusting the soundboard to allow drummer Tommy Larkins even more clarity; shouting across to the side to close the back door.
This is my kind of heaven: two low-key shows from the man whose witty, poignant and minimalist vision of rock'n'roll has helped inform almost everything that I have loved about music ever since he started strumming his guitar, over three decades ago. Jonathan is in love with an ideal of rock'n'roll that ceased to exist the moment the Colonels took over from the street corner balladeers. Me too.
This is pure. This is precious.
The two nights blur into one: Jonathan leads the audience in a rendition of 'Happy Birthday'. Jonathan asks us plaintively "Will we return to our drab and stagnant ways?" while people laugh anyway. Jonathan blesses us under the sign of the cross after a gorgeous extended version of 'My Baby Loves Me Now' from the new album. Jonathan causes fans to chuckle afresh at stories he first told 30 years ago ('Girlfren', 'Pablo Picasso', wherein the troubadour makes great play of refusing to rhyme "Picasso" with "asshole" because – what d'ya know – it doesn't!). Personally, I could've taken a little more of the incisive two-minute pop of 'Give Paris One More Chance' and a little less cutesy 'Lesbian Bar' banter: but there again, it's a thrill to see Jonathan dance. (He was the first person ever to dance to Ramones.) Also, this artist continues to grow and refresh anew each time he breaks into one more false ending for (the tear-jerking) 'Let Her Go', each time Tommy shoots him a sidelong glance and teases a few minutes out the snare.
Earlier, I was asked if I'm ever nervous before interviews: Yoko Ono at the Dakota is my standard reply. Add to that, Jonathan at a friendly, warm Seattle pub venue: completely unprepossessing and able to make every audience member feel he's serenading them alone. I'm unable to say hi. He's an entertainer – and the mask may not be the reality. (Although a rare glimpse into the dressing room shows Jonathan and Tommy wreathed in smiles.) I don't want to break the spell.
The fact neither night is sold out (whereas such achingly ordinary-by-comparison shows by Neko Case and Iron & Wine, at larger venues, are) is not a damning indictment of anything. It just shows how special Jonathan is, that he continues to entertain and perform for us: and for us alone.
Words by Everett True.
http://www.planbmag.com/content/view/55/40/
.............................
And here's a neat review from the previous year... same venue, different Mag...
Copacetic Zine...
Reviews
Jonathan Richman, Tuesday, January 21, 2003 • Tractor Tavern, Seattle
Last night, before seeing our beloved Jo-Jo, we managed to watch the first half-hour of American Idol. Here were thousands upon thousands of young adults, all desperate and vying to be the next pop sensation. We watched a little of it, then put on our sneakers to walk a block over to the amazingly cool Tractor Tavern here in Ballard. What an amazingly cool little club! All their employees were as nice as could be, and very professional. I'm impressed!
After a delightful opening act of two charming Hispanic men singing traditional Mexican folk songs, the amazing, legendary Jonathan Richman took the stage with his loyal sidekick, Tommy Larkins. Now, here's a man who would never make the cut with the AI Judges. His voice, while rich and expressive, is also quirky and distinctive. His look has never been trendy, and hasn't changed a bit in the last 30 years: here is a man who always looks classic and never ages, not even with the grey goatee he's now sporting. But, you know, to me, this man personifies entertainment. He is the ultimate performer, pouring his heart into it, keeping a close eye on the crowd, making sure people are happy. Mike and I talked briefly with him once after a show in Austin, TX, and when I thanked him for putting on such a great show, he told me, "I just want to make people happy." To me, he's definitely an American idol, as cheesy and insanely corny as that sounds!
And I definitely think Jonathan made everyone happy last night! He actually played two sold-out shows here in Seattle (we tried to get in last night too, but couldn't manage). The crowd was packed with fans who could sing along to every word (and like the guy behind me, sometimes did!) Some of the fans were a little too enthusiastic, constantly shouting at Jonathan and Tommy, even during the quiet parts of their songs and stuff. Not cool! As someone shouted out from the crowd, "No talking to the bus driver!" AMEN!
Jojo charmed with a great set-list of classics like "Pablo Picasso", "Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eyeshadow", "Rooming House on Venice Beach" and tons more. When he sang "Springtime in New York", a couple who had traveled from said city just to see him shouted out, "New York misses you!" and Jonathan, in a cute wide-eyed shocked way, replied into the mic, "It does?!" Hee! He's so cute!
He and Tommy seemed to be in great moods last night. Jonathan was really chatty, which I love, and was beaming endearing grins all night. Tommy looked like he was trying hard not to laugh most of the time. At one point in the show, Jonathan called out in his thick Bostonian accent, "How ya doing over there, Tommy?" and Tommy replied, "Great, how about you?" and they smiled at each other. It was so sweet! And Jonathan broke it down during "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar", doing a pretty extended dance groove for us! He was just feelin' it last night! : D
Oh, and when he did "Let Her Go Into the Darkness" he broke it down in the middle and did this hysterical spoken bit, saying "Okay, now, don't be this guy..." and then going into a fake-speech-to-the-girlfriend thing. "'Cause you know, she's just gonna come back with this..." and then Jonathan went all high-pitched and girly, saying, "You can't control me!!!" The audience was totally cracking up! And then Jonathan said, "You know, as we speak, a conversation like that is happening right now in...Madrid!" and then Jonathan did the two voices again, but in Spanish!!! Then he goes, "And it's also probably happening...in France!" and then he starts in again in French! Holy moly, this man is multi-lingual! He also did Hebrew!!! Ab-so-lutely hysterical!
They played for about 90 minutes, and not a bad moment in the set! After receiving a roar of applause, Tommy left the stage, and JoJo closed out the set with a performance of "Walter Johnson" with the audience helping out on the "bom babom babom babom babom babom babom"'s. JoJo seemed really into it, stopping the song, saying, "Okay, here's a quick story about Walter..." and then "Okay, one more story..." and sharing these cute little anecdotes about this former baseball player from the early 1900's. Jonathan is so amazing. It just blows my mind that he's in his 50's, like my parents are, and that he's been writing and performing music longer than I've been on this planet. He has such obvious love and passion for performing, and it warms my heart to him every single time we see him. Like I told Mike after the show, Jonathan is the Walter Johnson of indie rock! Whatta charmer!
And then we came home and watched the rest of the American Idol season premiere. And I couldn't help but remember the lyrics from one of the songs JoJo sang for us earlier that night (paraphrased here, 'cause my memory's not good), "It's better to love, than to be loved." Something for these poor kids to remember when no one remembers their name a year later.related links•
http://www.copacetic-zine.com/concerts/jojoinballard.php
check out some more pics of the show at photophonic.com!
He's not wearing a guitar strap.
How could he? It would destroy the fluidity of his dancing; dropping to his knees, twirling his acoustic, resting a foot on a handily-positioned paint pot; a flamenco flourish here, a strutted samba there; high kicking, low kicking; dropping his guitar altogether and pointing straight to his heart; urging us onwards with his eyes and broad smile, eyebrows arched; the very picture of projected happiness; never lost for a description of New York in the springtime, switching from French to Italian through arguments in Tel Aviv and Damascas with deceptive ease; clacking together electrified blocks and adjusting the soundboard to allow drummer Tommy Larkins even more clarity; shouting across to the side to close the back door.
This is my kind of heaven: two low-key shows from the man whose witty, poignant and minimalist vision of rock'n'roll has helped inform almost everything that I have loved about music ever since he started strumming his guitar, over three decades ago. Jonathan is in love with an ideal of rock'n'roll that ceased to exist the moment the Colonels took over from the street corner balladeers. Me too.
This is pure. This is precious.
The two nights blur into one: Jonathan leads the audience in a rendition of 'Happy Birthday'. Jonathan asks us plaintively "Will we return to our drab and stagnant ways?" while people laugh anyway. Jonathan blesses us under the sign of the cross after a gorgeous extended version of 'My Baby Loves Me Now' from the new album. Jonathan causes fans to chuckle afresh at stories he first told 30 years ago ('Girlfren', 'Pablo Picasso', wherein the troubadour makes great play of refusing to rhyme "Picasso" with "asshole" because – what d'ya know – it doesn't!). Personally, I could've taken a little more of the incisive two-minute pop of 'Give Paris One More Chance' and a little less cutesy 'Lesbian Bar' banter: but there again, it's a thrill to see Jonathan dance. (He was the first person ever to dance to Ramones.) Also, this artist continues to grow and refresh anew each time he breaks into one more false ending for (the tear-jerking) 'Let Her Go', each time Tommy shoots him a sidelong glance and teases a few minutes out the snare.
Earlier, I was asked if I'm ever nervous before interviews: Yoko Ono at the Dakota is my standard reply. Add to that, Jonathan at a friendly, warm Seattle pub venue: completely unprepossessing and able to make every audience member feel he's serenading them alone. I'm unable to say hi. He's an entertainer – and the mask may not be the reality. (Although a rare glimpse into the dressing room shows Jonathan and Tommy wreathed in smiles.) I don't want to break the spell.
The fact neither night is sold out (whereas such achingly ordinary-by-comparison shows by Neko Case and Iron & Wine, at larger venues, are) is not a damning indictment of anything. It just shows how special Jonathan is, that he continues to entertain and perform for us: and for us alone.
Words by Everett True.
http://www.planbmag.com/content/view/55/40/
.............................
And here's a neat review from the previous year... same venue, different Mag...
Copacetic Zine...
Reviews
Jonathan Richman, Tuesday, January 21, 2003 • Tractor Tavern, Seattle
Last night, before seeing our beloved Jo-Jo, we managed to watch the first half-hour of American Idol. Here were thousands upon thousands of young adults, all desperate and vying to be the next pop sensation. We watched a little of it, then put on our sneakers to walk a block over to the amazingly cool Tractor Tavern here in Ballard. What an amazingly cool little club! All their employees were as nice as could be, and very professional. I'm impressed!
After a delightful opening act of two charming Hispanic men singing traditional Mexican folk songs, the amazing, legendary Jonathan Richman took the stage with his loyal sidekick, Tommy Larkins. Now, here's a man who would never make the cut with the AI Judges. His voice, while rich and expressive, is also quirky and distinctive. His look has never been trendy, and hasn't changed a bit in the last 30 years: here is a man who always looks classic and never ages, not even with the grey goatee he's now sporting. But, you know, to me, this man personifies entertainment. He is the ultimate performer, pouring his heart into it, keeping a close eye on the crowd, making sure people are happy. Mike and I talked briefly with him once after a show in Austin, TX, and when I thanked him for putting on such a great show, he told me, "I just want to make people happy." To me, he's definitely an American idol, as cheesy and insanely corny as that sounds!
And I definitely think Jonathan made everyone happy last night! He actually played two sold-out shows here in Seattle (we tried to get in last night too, but couldn't manage). The crowd was packed with fans who could sing along to every word (and like the guy behind me, sometimes did!) Some of the fans were a little too enthusiastic, constantly shouting at Jonathan and Tommy, even during the quiet parts of their songs and stuff. Not cool! As someone shouted out from the crowd, "No talking to the bus driver!" AMEN!
Jojo charmed with a great set-list of classics like "Pablo Picasso", "Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eyeshadow", "Rooming House on Venice Beach" and tons more. When he sang "Springtime in New York", a couple who had traveled from said city just to see him shouted out, "New York misses you!" and Jonathan, in a cute wide-eyed shocked way, replied into the mic, "It does?!" Hee! He's so cute!
He and Tommy seemed to be in great moods last night. Jonathan was really chatty, which I love, and was beaming endearing grins all night. Tommy looked like he was trying hard not to laugh most of the time. At one point in the show, Jonathan called out in his thick Bostonian accent, "How ya doing over there, Tommy?" and Tommy replied, "Great, how about you?" and they smiled at each other. It was so sweet! And Jonathan broke it down during "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar", doing a pretty extended dance groove for us! He was just feelin' it last night! : D
Oh, and when he did "Let Her Go Into the Darkness" he broke it down in the middle and did this hysterical spoken bit, saying "Okay, now, don't be this guy..." and then going into a fake-speech-to-the-girlfriend thing. "'Cause you know, she's just gonna come back with this..." and then Jonathan went all high-pitched and girly, saying, "You can't control me!!!" The audience was totally cracking up! And then Jonathan said, "You know, as we speak, a conversation like that is happening right now in...Madrid!" and then Jonathan did the two voices again, but in Spanish!!! Then he goes, "And it's also probably happening...in France!" and then he starts in again in French! Holy moly, this man is multi-lingual! He also did Hebrew!!! Ab-so-lutely hysterical!
They played for about 90 minutes, and not a bad moment in the set! After receiving a roar of applause, Tommy left the stage, and JoJo closed out the set with a performance of "Walter Johnson" with the audience helping out on the "bom babom babom babom babom babom babom"'s. JoJo seemed really into it, stopping the song, saying, "Okay, here's a quick story about Walter..." and then "Okay, one more story..." and sharing these cute little anecdotes about this former baseball player from the early 1900's. Jonathan is so amazing. It just blows my mind that he's in his 50's, like my parents are, and that he's been writing and performing music longer than I've been on this planet. He has such obvious love and passion for performing, and it warms my heart to him every single time we see him. Like I told Mike after the show, Jonathan is the Walter Johnson of indie rock! Whatta charmer!
And then we came home and watched the rest of the American Idol season premiere. And I couldn't help but remember the lyrics from one of the songs JoJo sang for us earlier that night (paraphrased here, 'cause my memory's not good), "It's better to love, than to be loved." Something for these poor kids to remember when no one remembers their name a year later.related links•
http://www.copacetic-zine.com/concerts/jojoinballard.php
check out some more pics of the show at photophonic.com!
Friday, March 18, 2005
Jonathan Richman Grows Up
Addicted To Noise Philadelphia correspondent Chris Nelson reports: The last time Jonathan Richman played the Theatre of the Living Arts in Philadelphia, he left the stage for intermission, only to return a few minutes later. Squinting into the spotlight, he asked, "Would anybody mind if we moved these chairs?"
That night was the first time Jonathan had been booked in the TLA, a former movie theater that holds 800 people standing, or 400 when temporary chairs are set up. Since Jojo used to play a Philly room that held just a hundred people, it must have seemed natural to arrange the TLA for its smaller, seated capacity.
It didn't, however, seem natural to Jonathan. "You see," he explained, "I need to see people dance,and you can't dance with all these chairs on the floor." Now, rock stars are known for encouraging people to rip up their seats, but Jonathan was politely asking for the management's permission to do so. "I'll help move 'em if you want. We can all pitch in, and stack 'em in an orderly fashion on the side. What do you say?" he asked the crowd. Five minutes later the floor was cleared, the chairs were stacked, and both Jojo and the audience were much happier.
When the Modern Lovers founder returned to the TLA on Tues. night (April 9), almost a year to the day from the collective chair-piling gig, the management made sure that the chairs were not set up. They know Jonathan now.
For his part, Jonathan seems to know his loyal audience wherever he goes. He certainly sensed that Philadelphians, aghast at a snowy evening this late in the year, would love nothing more than to see him to start the show with "That Summer Feeling."
Jonathan's onstage relationship with his fans rivals that of artists like Springsteen or the Grateful Dead, although his is on a much more intimate and human scale (in contrast to the dramatic, often larger than life, scale of Springsteen's shows, or to the communal nature of Dead concerts).
For example, three songs into the set, Jonathan knelt down at stage right to tune his guitar. Breaking the silence, someone a few feet back on the floor asked quite graciously, "Hey, Jonathan...?"
Jonathan: "Yeah?"
Fan: "Will you play 'When Harpo Played His Harp' sometime tonight?"
Jonathan: "OK."
When he was finished with his guitar, Jonathan stood up, walked over to the microphone, and immediately began a delicate, and then eventually rocking, delivery of "Harpo."
This is a standard transaction at a Jonathan Richman performance. That's not to say that Jonathan strictly caters to his fans. Several songs later, someone asked as politely as the first request maker for "Dodge Veg-O-Matic." Jonathan smiled broadly, but shook his head before beginning "Fender Stratocaster" instead.
Without question, Jonathan's biggest assets as a performer are his honesty and sincerity. That's especially true for the latest stage of his career, largely defined by his string of releases since the late '80s on Rounder Records. Contrary to the first phase, which gave us Jonathan the proto-punk, or to the middle years, which saw him turn to child-like themes, this current period finds Jonathan examining ever more adult, and sometimes dark, subject matter.
Take his second number of the show, "Let Her Go Into the Darkness." With its title refrain cautioning against protection, and followed by the difficult advice to "Let her learn from all the things there," the song pricks the listener under the skin to explore very intimate, real life moral decisions. "To Hide a Little Thought," from the same album (last year's You Must Ask the Heart), delves into similar territory. Because of the honesty and intimacy of both Jonathan's writing and delivery, these songs have the potential to strike the listener's heart in darker places than the work of more sinister sounding bands such as Ministry or Korn. Indeed, Jonathan Richman has the skill to probe ethical dark sides as well as Springsteen did with his Tunnel of Love material, although Jonathan's explorations may be even scarier because his performances are more intimate and less dramatic than Bruce's.
Of course, Jonathan can rock out in his own way, too, as evidenced by his inclusion of songs like "Vampire Girl," "Fender Stratocaster," and "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar" at the TLA. Watching Jojo step away from the microphone to ditch his guitar, than shake his hips and belt lyrics a cappella, is one of the prime reasons to go to his shows.
And while Jonathan's long been known for traveling by himself, lately he's been bringing drummer Tommy Larkins on the road with him. Larkins, a master of understated and attentive playing, superbly complements Jonathan's presence. At the TLA, even his drum solo was subtle.
The pair's last song before a single encore was a tender new number called "Surrender." You'll be able to find it on Surrender To Jonathan, Jojo's upcoming release for Neil Young's Vapor label. If you've never caught Jonathan's show before, catch it now. And if you bone up on the Jojo songbook ahead of time, feel free to make polite requests. There's a good chance he'll indulge you.
-- Music News of the World Addicted to Noise 10 April 1996
That night was the first time Jonathan had been booked in the TLA, a former movie theater that holds 800 people standing, or 400 when temporary chairs are set up. Since Jojo used to play a Philly room that held just a hundred people, it must have seemed natural to arrange the TLA for its smaller, seated capacity.
It didn't, however, seem natural to Jonathan. "You see," he explained, "I need to see people dance,and you can't dance with all these chairs on the floor." Now, rock stars are known for encouraging people to rip up their seats, but Jonathan was politely asking for the management's permission to do so. "I'll help move 'em if you want. We can all pitch in, and stack 'em in an orderly fashion on the side. What do you say?" he asked the crowd. Five minutes later the floor was cleared, the chairs were stacked, and both Jojo and the audience were much happier.
When the Modern Lovers founder returned to the TLA on Tues. night (April 9), almost a year to the day from the collective chair-piling gig, the management made sure that the chairs were not set up. They know Jonathan now.
For his part, Jonathan seems to know his loyal audience wherever he goes. He certainly sensed that Philadelphians, aghast at a snowy evening this late in the year, would love nothing more than to see him to start the show with "That Summer Feeling."
Jonathan's onstage relationship with his fans rivals that of artists like Springsteen or the Grateful Dead, although his is on a much more intimate and human scale (in contrast to the dramatic, often larger than life, scale of Springsteen's shows, or to the communal nature of Dead concerts).
For example, three songs into the set, Jonathan knelt down at stage right to tune his guitar. Breaking the silence, someone a few feet back on the floor asked quite graciously, "Hey, Jonathan...?"
Jonathan: "Yeah?"
Fan: "Will you play 'When Harpo Played His Harp' sometime tonight?"
Jonathan: "OK."
When he was finished with his guitar, Jonathan stood up, walked over to the microphone, and immediately began a delicate, and then eventually rocking, delivery of "Harpo."
This is a standard transaction at a Jonathan Richman performance. That's not to say that Jonathan strictly caters to his fans. Several songs later, someone asked as politely as the first request maker for "Dodge Veg-O-Matic." Jonathan smiled broadly, but shook his head before beginning "Fender Stratocaster" instead.
Without question, Jonathan's biggest assets as a performer are his honesty and sincerity. That's especially true for the latest stage of his career, largely defined by his string of releases since the late '80s on Rounder Records. Contrary to the first phase, which gave us Jonathan the proto-punk, or to the middle years, which saw him turn to child-like themes, this current period finds Jonathan examining ever more adult, and sometimes dark, subject matter.
Take his second number of the show, "Let Her Go Into the Darkness." With its title refrain cautioning against protection, and followed by the difficult advice to "Let her learn from all the things there," the song pricks the listener under the skin to explore very intimate, real life moral decisions. "To Hide a Little Thought," from the same album (last year's You Must Ask the Heart), delves into similar territory. Because of the honesty and intimacy of both Jonathan's writing and delivery, these songs have the potential to strike the listener's heart in darker places than the work of more sinister sounding bands such as Ministry or Korn. Indeed, Jonathan Richman has the skill to probe ethical dark sides as well as Springsteen did with his Tunnel of Love material, although Jonathan's explorations may be even scarier because his performances are more intimate and less dramatic than Bruce's.
Of course, Jonathan can rock out in his own way, too, as evidenced by his inclusion of songs like "Vampire Girl," "Fender Stratocaster," and "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar" at the TLA. Watching Jojo step away from the microphone to ditch his guitar, than shake his hips and belt lyrics a cappella, is one of the prime reasons to go to his shows.
And while Jonathan's long been known for traveling by himself, lately he's been bringing drummer Tommy Larkins on the road with him. Larkins, a master of understated and attentive playing, superbly complements Jonathan's presence. At the TLA, even his drum solo was subtle.
The pair's last song before a single encore was a tender new number called "Surrender." You'll be able to find it on Surrender To Jonathan, Jojo's upcoming release for Neil Young's Vapor label. If you've never caught Jonathan's show before, catch it now. And if you bone up on the Jojo songbook ahead of time, feel free to make polite requests. There's a good chance he'll indulge you.
-- Music News of the World Addicted to Noise 10 April 1996
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Jonathan Richman: Hopeless romantic
Michael Felci
The Desert Sun
February 12, 2005
Since the inception of the original Modern Lovers in the early '70s, songwriter/frontman/guitarist/mastermind Jonathan Richman has enjoyed a unique status as unlikely proto-punk pioneer.
Yet at his innermost core, the former Velvet Underground devotee has remained a hopeless romantic (not unlike Rimbaud) who's precious music refuses to be bound by the popular trends of the day.
All of Richman's legendary eccentricities were on proud display Thursday at Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown, as he (and an accompanying drummer) doused the appreciative crowd with a canon of classics - all done, of course, in the key of Richman.
Sounding like a stripped-down acoustic version of the White Stripes, the duo opened with a strange spiritual hymn, titled "He Gave Us The Wine to Taste."
Repetitive and sparse, the song's instrumental breaks provided an opportunity for Richman to showcase his more than capable rhythm guitar sensibilities.
The pair then slipped effortlessly into "Pablo Picasso," a fan favorite since the early days of the Modern Lovers back in Massachusetts.
Chronicling the Spanish painter's unparalleled luck with ladies, the track beamed with nonsensical lines like, "Though he was only 5 feet 3, girls could not resist his stare... Pablo Picasso never got called a..."
Shaking wildly, face contorted and fingers moving fast as ever, Richman then moved onto elongated versions of "I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar" and "Let Her Go" before tackling several cuts from his 1993 Spanish-language album, "Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar!"
Finally and perhaps strangest (which is saying something) was "Give Paris One More Chance," in which the spastic singer recalls only enjoying the city of love the second time around. (No word yet on whether the the French Bureau of Tourism plans on using the track as part any advertising campaigns.)
Conspicuously absent from the set were more well-known numbers like "Ice Cream Man" and the seminal pop-punk classic "Roadrunner."
However, when it was all sung and done, the people had gotten what they wanted - the real Jonathan Richman.
--
Thanks to Adam for this!
The Desert Sun
February 12, 2005
Since the inception of the original Modern Lovers in the early '70s, songwriter/frontman/guitarist/mastermind Jonathan Richman has enjoyed a unique status as unlikely proto-punk pioneer.
Yet at his innermost core, the former Velvet Underground devotee has remained a hopeless romantic (not unlike Rimbaud) who's precious music refuses to be bound by the popular trends of the day.
All of Richman's legendary eccentricities were on proud display Thursday at Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown, as he (and an accompanying drummer) doused the appreciative crowd with a canon of classics - all done, of course, in the key of Richman.
Sounding like a stripped-down acoustic version of the White Stripes, the duo opened with a strange spiritual hymn, titled "He Gave Us The Wine to Taste."
Repetitive and sparse, the song's instrumental breaks provided an opportunity for Richman to showcase his more than capable rhythm guitar sensibilities.
The pair then slipped effortlessly into "Pablo Picasso," a fan favorite since the early days of the Modern Lovers back in Massachusetts.
Chronicling the Spanish painter's unparalleled luck with ladies, the track beamed with nonsensical lines like, "Though he was only 5 feet 3, girls could not resist his stare... Pablo Picasso never got called a..."
Shaking wildly, face contorted and fingers moving fast as ever, Richman then moved onto elongated versions of "I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar" and "Let Her Go" before tackling several cuts from his 1993 Spanish-language album, "Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar!"
Finally and perhaps strangest (which is saying something) was "Give Paris One More Chance," in which the spastic singer recalls only enjoying the city of love the second time around. (No word yet on whether the the French Bureau of Tourism plans on using the track as part any advertising campaigns.)
Conspicuously absent from the set were more well-known numbers like "Ice Cream Man" and the seminal pop-punk classic "Roadrunner."
However, when it was all sung and done, the people had gotten what they wanted - the real Jonathan Richman.
--
Thanks to Adam for this!
Friday, December 31, 2004
Jonathan Richman, Citizen
from OC Weekly
The modern lover lives in the modern world
by Jim Washburn
Jonathan Richman has been listening a bunch to Aqnazar, a one-named, timeless-voiced singer/accordion player from Tajikistan. It’s not the easiest stuff to find, so he thought you might want to know the website for Aqnazar’s French distributor: www.budamusique.com.
Jonathan hadn’t made it past the "www-dot" part, though, before being interrupted by peals of laughter from his household, this because web addresses spring from his mouth about as often and easily as live kangaroos do. He does not care for computers, has never used one, nor to my knowledge has he previously uttered a word of the computer-speak the rest of us take for granted. "Anything for Aqnazar," he explains.
It’s a changing world. When Jonathan and his long-suffering drummer Tommy Larkins appear at the Santa Ana Gypsy Den this Sunday and Monday, longtime fans may be equally surprised to see them tooling around in a Mercedes-Benz. Jonathan’s never much stood for luxury items, but again he has a ready excuse.
"It’s an old diesel Mercedes, and I’m running it on bio-diesel. You can run it with pure vegetable oil if you convert it for about $700, but you can run it as it is on this fuel called bio-diesel, which is mostly vegetable oils and some alcohol. So I’m running on no petroleum products. If it spills in your garage and your animals lick it, they won’t even get sick. It’s non-toxic! How about that!"
Bio-diesel is clean-burning, frees us from foreign oil, comes from a renewable source (mainly corn and soy) and, Jonathan says, smells like fried stuff.
Does it come falafel-scented?
"You need the converter for that."
I used to wonder if Jonathan was an idiot. At Anaheim’s Beggar’s Banquet record store in the late ’70s, we laid in a pile of his cutout Berserkley label albums for $1 apiece, so we slit a few open. Oh, the merry laughs we shared with customers, listening again and again to this naive nerf singing about little dinosaurs, true love and how it was the morning of our lives. Har de har har.
Then one day, sort of like what happens when you watch the Reverend Gene Scott long enough, I realized, "This guy is lots smarter then me." Everything I truly valued in rock & roll was right there: magic, adventure, rhythm, mystery, intimacy, emotion—without the amped-up armor or smug poses most rock was dressed in then. And he had life figured out. His song "Affection" said everything one really needs to know in life, which he pretty well reiterates in the title of his upcoming Vapor label album, Not So Much to be Loved as to Love.
When I first interviewed him in the early ’80s, the first thing he said was "If this starts sounding too much like an interview, I’m hangin’ up." His songs may be open, naked and direct, but his interviews have tended to be famously less so, with good cause. Critics’ misquotes and preconceptions aside, he’s been guarded in talking about anything that could intrude on the rapport that occurs between listener and song, which oftimes seemed to be most things.
Maybe he’s decided songs are more durable than that. Talk a good song to death, write books about it, drag it through a Hummer commercial—it’ll still hit your heart. Or maybe these dire times are impelling him, as they should us all. Whatever the reason, he’s talking—and singing—about things he hasn’t previously.
On his recent concert DVD, Take Me to the Plaza, for example, you’ll find him voicing his opposition to the war in Iraq with the song "Not in My Name." Tuesday, he’s playing a benefit in Hollywood for Voice of Democracy, also featuring the documentary Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War, Green Party firebrand Medea Benjamin and others. Jonathan’s added his name to the anti-war organization’s masthead, alongside Noam Chomsky, Dustin Hoffman and others. (You’ll find heaps of info at www.vodemocracy.org.)
"Not in my name, indeed," he says of the war the Bush administration has foisted on the world. That his songs now venture into the topical "surprises me, too. All I know is that what I have to do with my songs is tell how I feel. That’s all I’ve ever done. As long as it’s how I feel, then to me it’s one of my kind of songs no matter what the subject is."
After living for a long time in ultrarural parts of northern California, he moved a few years ago to the Bay Area and is loving it, from being able to sit in with musician friends and absorb new musical styles to taking to the streets in the anti-war demonstrations.
"It’s really satisfying to be able to feel a part of things and not just read about it. If you only read the major newspapers and watch TV news, I don’t think you’re seeing how America really is. I think it has a whole lot more little groups trying to help one another, a lot more unity and communication, than you would believe, given what you see on TV. On Martin Luther King Day, it was great to see the Longshoremen support the Safeway strikers in Southern California, but you didn’t see that in the news much.
"Lots of good things are going on. Medea Benjamin is part of an organization called Global Exchange. Among other things, they insure that the products sold in their stores are ones where the people who made them get a fair working wage: fair trade, not to be confused with free trade. I think when Americans learn about the difficulty other people have getting paid what they should, there’s a certain number who will respond to that."
I mentioned something about how Wal-Mart is driving the whole planet the other way, to which he rightly responded, "Yes, but they’d be helpless if people didn’t shop there. You can’t just blame corporations because every advantage they have—advertising, lobbying—they got through having money, and they got the money from people buying their stuff. I’m saying the buck stops here, with us Americans. If we don’t like it, then we’ve got to make sure we don’t use or support it. That’s why I’m driving the bio-diesel car now."
We got on the subject of a bootleg DVD of live Rolling Stones performances from the early ’60s and how maracas just aren’t deployed as well these days. I get maudlin if left to dwell on how much more fun things used to be.
Many of Jonathan’s songs wax nostalgic for days gone by, but he’s not anxious to see them come back. When he lived in the Sierra hinterlands, one of his far-flung neighbors was the great activist folkie U. Utah Phillips, who was prone to point to advances in racial and women’s rights, organic foods, and such, and suggested, "Maybe we’re winning and we don’t even know it."
"That’s the exact phrase I keep in mind," Jonathan said. "Name an era, pick a year that seems like fun. That Stones stuff was made in 1963-64, right? At that time, black entertainers in Las Vegas couldn’t stay at the hotels they were performing at. It was the same time the freedom riders were murdered in the South. Some things may have been better then, but a lot of things were definitely worse."
The media, of course, has changed, as in: good luck hoping to ever hear anything good on commercial radio again.
"So? There are still a lot of things that people can do. People give shows in their houses. There are always ways around things. It’s not time to despair."
Not So Much to be Loved as to Love will likely be released in April or May, and it will feature Jonathan and his nylon-stringed guitar, Tommy on drums, the wondrous sometime Tom Waits sideman Ralph Carney on horns, and Miles Montalbano on bass. It’s got an atmosphere, Jonathan says, and if you’ve seen his live shows, you know he knows a thing or two about atmosphere.
So what about the songs?
"Some are in Italian. Some are in French. Some are in English. That’s about it."
But wait, there’s more. How does the CD compare with his live shows?
"It’s easier to put in your pocket."
Jonathan Richman, with Tommy Larkins on drums, performs at the Gypsy Den, 125 N. Broadway, Ste. D.,
Santa Ana, (714) 835-8840. Sun.-Mon., 9 p.m. $10. All ages; They also perform in a benefit for Voice of Democracy at Laemmle’s Fairfax Theater, 7907 Beverly Blvd., Hollywood, (310) 842-8794. Tues., 7:30 p.m. $10.
--
Thanks to Adam for this!
The modern lover lives in the modern world
by Jim Washburn
Jonathan Richman has been listening a bunch to Aqnazar, a one-named, timeless-voiced singer/accordion player from Tajikistan. It’s not the easiest stuff to find, so he thought you might want to know the website for Aqnazar’s French distributor: www.budamusique.com.
Jonathan hadn’t made it past the "www-dot" part, though, before being interrupted by peals of laughter from his household, this because web addresses spring from his mouth about as often and easily as live kangaroos do. He does not care for computers, has never used one, nor to my knowledge has he previously uttered a word of the computer-speak the rest of us take for granted. "Anything for Aqnazar," he explains.
It’s a changing world. When Jonathan and his long-suffering drummer Tommy Larkins appear at the Santa Ana Gypsy Den this Sunday and Monday, longtime fans may be equally surprised to see them tooling around in a Mercedes-Benz. Jonathan’s never much stood for luxury items, but again he has a ready excuse.
"It’s an old diesel Mercedes, and I’m running it on bio-diesel. You can run it with pure vegetable oil if you convert it for about $700, but you can run it as it is on this fuel called bio-diesel, which is mostly vegetable oils and some alcohol. So I’m running on no petroleum products. If it spills in your garage and your animals lick it, they won’t even get sick. It’s non-toxic! How about that!"
Bio-diesel is clean-burning, frees us from foreign oil, comes from a renewable source (mainly corn and soy) and, Jonathan says, smells like fried stuff.
Does it come falafel-scented?
"You need the converter for that."
I used to wonder if Jonathan was an idiot. At Anaheim’s Beggar’s Banquet record store in the late ’70s, we laid in a pile of his cutout Berserkley label albums for $1 apiece, so we slit a few open. Oh, the merry laughs we shared with customers, listening again and again to this naive nerf singing about little dinosaurs, true love and how it was the morning of our lives. Har de har har.
Then one day, sort of like what happens when you watch the Reverend Gene Scott long enough, I realized, "This guy is lots smarter then me." Everything I truly valued in rock & roll was right there: magic, adventure, rhythm, mystery, intimacy, emotion—without the amped-up armor or smug poses most rock was dressed in then. And he had life figured out. His song "Affection" said everything one really needs to know in life, which he pretty well reiterates in the title of his upcoming Vapor label album, Not So Much to be Loved as to Love.
When I first interviewed him in the early ’80s, the first thing he said was "If this starts sounding too much like an interview, I’m hangin’ up." His songs may be open, naked and direct, but his interviews have tended to be famously less so, with good cause. Critics’ misquotes and preconceptions aside, he’s been guarded in talking about anything that could intrude on the rapport that occurs between listener and song, which oftimes seemed to be most things.
Maybe he’s decided songs are more durable than that. Talk a good song to death, write books about it, drag it through a Hummer commercial—it’ll still hit your heart. Or maybe these dire times are impelling him, as they should us all. Whatever the reason, he’s talking—and singing—about things he hasn’t previously.
On his recent concert DVD, Take Me to the Plaza, for example, you’ll find him voicing his opposition to the war in Iraq with the song "Not in My Name." Tuesday, he’s playing a benefit in Hollywood for Voice of Democracy, also featuring the documentary Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War, Green Party firebrand Medea Benjamin and others. Jonathan’s added his name to the anti-war organization’s masthead, alongside Noam Chomsky, Dustin Hoffman and others. (You’ll find heaps of info at www.vodemocracy.org.)
"Not in my name, indeed," he says of the war the Bush administration has foisted on the world. That his songs now venture into the topical "surprises me, too. All I know is that what I have to do with my songs is tell how I feel. That’s all I’ve ever done. As long as it’s how I feel, then to me it’s one of my kind of songs no matter what the subject is."
After living for a long time in ultrarural parts of northern California, he moved a few years ago to the Bay Area and is loving it, from being able to sit in with musician friends and absorb new musical styles to taking to the streets in the anti-war demonstrations.
"It’s really satisfying to be able to feel a part of things and not just read about it. If you only read the major newspapers and watch TV news, I don’t think you’re seeing how America really is. I think it has a whole lot more little groups trying to help one another, a lot more unity and communication, than you would believe, given what you see on TV. On Martin Luther King Day, it was great to see the Longshoremen support the Safeway strikers in Southern California, but you didn’t see that in the news much.
"Lots of good things are going on. Medea Benjamin is part of an organization called Global Exchange. Among other things, they insure that the products sold in their stores are ones where the people who made them get a fair working wage: fair trade, not to be confused with free trade. I think when Americans learn about the difficulty other people have getting paid what they should, there’s a certain number who will respond to that."
I mentioned something about how Wal-Mart is driving the whole planet the other way, to which he rightly responded, "Yes, but they’d be helpless if people didn’t shop there. You can’t just blame corporations because every advantage they have—advertising, lobbying—they got through having money, and they got the money from people buying their stuff. I’m saying the buck stops here, with us Americans. If we don’t like it, then we’ve got to make sure we don’t use or support it. That’s why I’m driving the bio-diesel car now."
We got on the subject of a bootleg DVD of live Rolling Stones performances from the early ’60s and how maracas just aren’t deployed as well these days. I get maudlin if left to dwell on how much more fun things used to be.
Many of Jonathan’s songs wax nostalgic for days gone by, but he’s not anxious to see them come back. When he lived in the Sierra hinterlands, one of his far-flung neighbors was the great activist folkie U. Utah Phillips, who was prone to point to advances in racial and women’s rights, organic foods, and such, and suggested, "Maybe we’re winning and we don’t even know it."
"That’s the exact phrase I keep in mind," Jonathan said. "Name an era, pick a year that seems like fun. That Stones stuff was made in 1963-64, right? At that time, black entertainers in Las Vegas couldn’t stay at the hotels they were performing at. It was the same time the freedom riders were murdered in the South. Some things may have been better then, but a lot of things were definitely worse."
The media, of course, has changed, as in: good luck hoping to ever hear anything good on commercial radio again.
"So? There are still a lot of things that people can do. People give shows in their houses. There are always ways around things. It’s not time to despair."
Not So Much to be Loved as to Love will likely be released in April or May, and it will feature Jonathan and his nylon-stringed guitar, Tommy on drums, the wondrous sometime Tom Waits sideman Ralph Carney on horns, and Miles Montalbano on bass. It’s got an atmosphere, Jonathan says, and if you’ve seen his live shows, you know he knows a thing or two about atmosphere.
So what about the songs?
"Some are in Italian. Some are in French. Some are in English. That’s about it."
But wait, there’s more. How does the CD compare with his live shows?
"It’s easier to put in your pocket."
Jonathan Richman, with Tommy Larkins on drums, performs at the Gypsy Den, 125 N. Broadway, Ste. D.,
Santa Ana, (714) 835-8840. Sun.-Mon., 9 p.m. $10. All ages; They also perform in a benefit for Voice of Democracy at Laemmle’s Fairfax Theater, 7907 Beverly Blvd., Hollywood, (310) 842-8794. Tues., 7:30 p.m. $10.
--
Thanks to Adam for this!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Alive & Kicking – Jonathan Richman
December 13 & 14, Tractor Tavern
By Chris McCann
from Nadamucho.com
In one of the songs on his newest album (Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love), Jonathan Richman sings, “He gave us the wine to taste, not to talk about it.” On one level the lyrics tell the story of a wine tasting, but they can also be read as a gloss of Richman’s three-decade career making music that begs for empathy, not analysis.
Listen to any of his albums and you realize this immediately - his plaintive, painfully sincere voice embraces in one song the difficult truths of a mature relationship (as in “Couples Must Fight” off of Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow) and in the next the joys of a peanut butter sandwich (“Love Me Like I Love” from I’m So Confused). Richman (or “Jojo” to his devoted fans) writes about what it’s like to live in this world and why it’s worth it.
Richman’s career started back in the early ‘70s when he animated the seminal Boston punk band The Modern Lovers with his disaffected, lonely songs about drug-addicted girlfriends and fractured relationships. However, as the years progressed, Jonathan in many ways regressed into a fascination with the childlike, as he penned songs like “Abominable Snowman in the Market” and “My Little Kookenhaken.”
In the late ‘80s and ‘90s, he continued his exploration of the vast and ever-shifting geography of his passions with a foray into country music, an album of songs entirely in Spanish, and dozens of tunes about everything from parenting to cappuccino bars. Since he moved to the Vapor label in the mid-90s, he’s made four strong, quirky albums that detail his enduring love affair with the world.
His newest album includes songs about Vincent Van Gogh (actually a re-recording of an older song found on the out-of-print Rockin’ & Romance album from The Modern Lovers), a protest song (“Abu Jamal”), and a typical Jonathan offering that celebrates the glory of newly mowed lawns and ozone (“The World Is Showing Its Hand”). On other tracks, he croons sweetly in both Italian and French, backed ably by bassist Greg “Curly” Keranen, who first played with Jonathan in the ‘70s, and touring partner Tommy Larkins on the drums.
But you must see Jonathan live to truly understand the source of his enduring popularity. He ambles out onto the stage and strums the first few, simple chords of a song about springtime in New York or rocking out at the Government Center. Then he stops and grins. Or tells a story. Or does an improvised jig while Larkins brushes the drums behind him. The songs don’t just come to life when he’s up there on stage - they positively dance.
Jonathan’s playing two shows at the Tractor this week, and as always, he’ll be pouring out his heart for all of us. Don’t think too much about it - just go taste the wine.
Note: Jonathan Richman plays the Tractor Tavern December 13 & 14.
--
Thank you to to Adam for this.
By Chris McCann
from Nadamucho.com
In one of the songs on his newest album (Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love), Jonathan Richman sings, “He gave us the wine to taste, not to talk about it.” On one level the lyrics tell the story of a wine tasting, but they can also be read as a gloss of Richman’s three-decade career making music that begs for empathy, not analysis.
Listen to any of his albums and you realize this immediately - his plaintive, painfully sincere voice embraces in one song the difficult truths of a mature relationship (as in “Couples Must Fight” off of Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow) and in the next the joys of a peanut butter sandwich (“Love Me Like I Love” from I’m So Confused). Richman (or “Jojo” to his devoted fans) writes about what it’s like to live in this world and why it’s worth it.
Richman’s career started back in the early ‘70s when he animated the seminal Boston punk band The Modern Lovers with his disaffected, lonely songs about drug-addicted girlfriends and fractured relationships. However, as the years progressed, Jonathan in many ways regressed into a fascination with the childlike, as he penned songs like “Abominable Snowman in the Market” and “My Little Kookenhaken.”
In the late ‘80s and ‘90s, he continued his exploration of the vast and ever-shifting geography of his passions with a foray into country music, an album of songs entirely in Spanish, and dozens of tunes about everything from parenting to cappuccino bars. Since he moved to the Vapor label in the mid-90s, he’s made four strong, quirky albums that detail his enduring love affair with the world.
His newest album includes songs about Vincent Van Gogh (actually a re-recording of an older song found on the out-of-print Rockin’ & Romance album from The Modern Lovers), a protest song (“Abu Jamal”), and a typical Jonathan offering that celebrates the glory of newly mowed lawns and ozone (“The World Is Showing Its Hand”). On other tracks, he croons sweetly in both Italian and French, backed ably by bassist Greg “Curly” Keranen, who first played with Jonathan in the ‘70s, and touring partner Tommy Larkins on the drums.
But you must see Jonathan live to truly understand the source of his enduring popularity. He ambles out onto the stage and strums the first few, simple chords of a song about springtime in New York or rocking out at the Government Center. Then he stops and grins. Or tells a story. Or does an improvised jig while Larkins brushes the drums behind him. The songs don’t just come to life when he’s up there on stage - they positively dance.
Jonathan’s playing two shows at the Tractor this week, and as always, he’ll be pouring out his heart for all of us. Don’t think too much about it - just go taste the wine.
Note: Jonathan Richman plays the Tractor Tavern December 13 & 14.
--
Thank you to to Adam for this.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Song Club: I Eat with Gusto, Damn! You Bet
from Ramon's Jonathan Chord Pages
Jonathan Richman version - Lyrics (spoken poem)
Hello Everyone, it's time for poetry
I submit to you the following it's entitled:
"I Eat with Gusto, Damn! You Bet"
By one Jonathan Richman.
When I eat like I do it,
I use not fork nor spoon
No grace or culture to it
When I call my own tune.
For I eat with gusto, damn you bet
A regular K-9 cruncher
Except truth be told I'm sloppier yet
Than many a dog food muncher
I eat a pound I eat a ton
And no there ain't much I cuts up
And while I'm having merry fun
Bystanders puke their guts up.
The FBI sent someone by
Who handles health affairs
I had not finished my cream pie
When he chanced up the stairs
Why did he turn the other way?
Why did he leave so quick?
Will he come back another day?
Did something make him sick?
I eat with gusto damn you bet
A regular doggie diner
"No don't bring me napkins waiter sir,
Just bring some trash can liner."
Whilst wandering by a juice bar
I spied a tempting beverage
Since I would have been last in line
I used my fearsome leverage
For in my pocket was some food
Which I took from the wrapper
The patrons watched it being chewed
And of course headed for the crapper.
For I eat with gusto damn you bet
For gusto I'm the boss
For yay my nose it is in the salad
And lo my chin it is in the sauce
I eat with gusto damn you bet
We're sailing around the cape
"Keel-haul him," said the Bosun
"There must be no escape."
One sunny day in Paris an elegant cafe
A phone call there a phone call here
And the gendarmes took me away
I said "qu'est-ce qui se passe ici"
I said " mais qu'est-ce que c'est"
They said "Such eateeng eet ees creeminalle
And crime eet does not pay."
For I eat with gusto damn you bet.
My banner yay unfurled
My shirt is covered with mustard
And my hair with ketchup curled
Goodbye to Egypt, Greece and Rome
The ancient world goodbye.
May squalor be my summer home
And filth be my neck tie.
For I eat with gusto damn you bet.
Uh, And Uh, I eat with gusto damn you bet
My country tis of thee
I eat for social progress
I eat for victory
Somebody died who watched me eat
In a restaurant one spell
He woke up and saw me eating beans
And knew that he'd gone to hell
For Uh, "He eats with gusto damn we bet."
They're calling from the south
They want to stop my gusto
They want to close my mouth
"You eat with gusto, yeah that's great
Now let us off this bus."
Wait a minute I haven't finished eating up stuff yet.
"We'll call you, don't call us."
--
Has anyone seen JR do this live?
Back to Jojoblog
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Review: Lincoln NE 20 November 2004
by gr_chereck:
I caught Jonathan's show in Lincoln, Nebraska this past weekend. (This was my 4th JR show, my 2nd at Knickerbocker's in Lincoln.) First of all, I should mention that sometime during the 2-year wait between this show and the last one my dad and I attended (in Kansas City, MO), I had told my mom that the next time I got an opportunity to see Jonathan, I would take her along...
Well, on the night of this show, my parents and I made it to Lincoln 2 and 1/2 hours before Knickerbocker's opened its doors, so we checked out a used-record shop where Mom and I went ahead and bought our tickets. (Dad had thought that money would be too tight for all 3 of us to attend, so he decided it would be best for him to accompany us to Lincoln and then wait in the bar while we watch the concert...) Anyway, shortly before the doors finally opened, Mom and I were waiting in the car; Dad was wandering around outside, having a smoke -- and who should he run into but Jonathan himself! He instantly recognized Dad and thanked him for the copy of Leonard Cohen's Ten New Songs CD that we had given him at the Kansas City show 2 years ago; he also offered to make the 3 of us his "special guests" and let us see the concert for free. Dad told him that we had already paid for 2 tickets, and Jonathan offered to let Dad in for free; but Dad said he would rather take my ticket and have me be Jonathan's guest! :D
Before the show, I watched Jonathan do soundchecks; he signed my copy of Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love (I told him I loved it, he said he was especially proud of it), and he talked with my parents and me about music. He mentioned that he receives a lot of CDs and stuff like that from his fans, and he usually gives them away -- but he had fallen absolutely in love with the Cohen CD Dad and I had given him.
The opening act was Jesse DeNatale, a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter (who played from 10 to 10:35 p.m.). Just one guy with a guitar and a harmonica, he sounded like a folkier Tom Waits, or a less-nasal Bob Dylan -- needless to say, Dad and I especially enjoyed his set. :)
Then Jonathan came out with Tommy, and they played from 10:50 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. Numerous times throughout, Jonathan would step away from his mic to dance to Tommy's drumbeat, or to sing directly to the audience without the aid of amplification. There were also a few times where he would be playing percussion or a random tune on his guitar to Tommy's drumbeat and he would say something like, "This isn't connected to a song -- we're just foolin' around!" He also ad-libbed spoken bits and altered lyrics during several numbers (as usual). XD
Some highlights: During "Let Her Go Into The Darkness," Jonathan improvised a hilarious, lengthy spoken bit that went from English to French to Italian; before he went into "In Che Mondo Viviamo," he said he had wanted to write a song about "what a world we live in," but he thought it made for a crummy title, so he decided to write it in Italian; as he played "Les Etoiles," he translated some of the lyrics into English; and at one point he mentioned that someone who was in the audience that night (*wink*) had given him a great Leonard Cohen CD, and that he loved one song on it in particular... and he went into his cover of "Here It Is" (which was done in a radically different arrangement from Cohen's original, but Jonathan played and sang it with a lot of depth and feeling). :D
After the show, I had my picture taken with Jonathan (whom I thanked again for the autograph and congratulated on an excellent show), and then with Jesse (the opening act); then Dad bought a copy of Jesse's CD and had him autograph it for me. All in all, a wonderful night! :)
###
This is an approximate setlist from the Knickerbocker's show on
Saturday night:
Key:
O - Songs I also heard at the 10/4/01 Omaha show
L - Songs I also heard at the 2/28/02 Lincoln show
K - Songs I also heard at the 11/23/02 Kansas City show
* - Brand-new and/or previously unrecorded songs
Egyptian Reggae -- O,K
Give Paris One More Chance -- O
Springtime In New York -- O,L,K
My Baby Love Love Loves Me
Let Her Go Into The Darkness -- O,L,K
The World Is Showin' It's Hand -- K
In Che Mondo Viviamo
I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar -- O,L,K
Here It Is -- * (cover of a Leonard Cohen song) :D
Silent Treatment -- *
He Gave Us The Wine To Taste
My Love For Her Ain't Sad -- K
Ocean Beach -- *
Les Etoiles
El Joven Se Estremece -- K
Joy Over Sorrow -- *
You Are The Light Of The World -- *
No Hablo Mi Palabra Del Amor(?) -- * (new Spanish song)
Her Mystery Not Of High Heels And Eye Shadow -- O,L,K
Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love -- K (encore)
-- gr_chereck
I caught Jonathan's show in Lincoln, Nebraska this past weekend. (This was my 4th JR show, my 2nd at Knickerbocker's in Lincoln.) First of all, I should mention that sometime during the 2-year wait between this show and the last one my dad and I attended (in Kansas City, MO), I had told my mom that the next time I got an opportunity to see Jonathan, I would take her along...
Well, on the night of this show, my parents and I made it to Lincoln 2 and 1/2 hours before Knickerbocker's opened its doors, so we checked out a used-record shop where Mom and I went ahead and bought our tickets. (Dad had thought that money would be too tight for all 3 of us to attend, so he decided it would be best for him to accompany us to Lincoln and then wait in the bar while we watch the concert...) Anyway, shortly before the doors finally opened, Mom and I were waiting in the car; Dad was wandering around outside, having a smoke -- and who should he run into but Jonathan himself! He instantly recognized Dad and thanked him for the copy of Leonard Cohen's Ten New Songs CD that we had given him at the Kansas City show 2 years ago; he also offered to make the 3 of us his "special guests" and let us see the concert for free. Dad told him that we had already paid for 2 tickets, and Jonathan offered to let Dad in for free; but Dad said he would rather take my ticket and have me be Jonathan's guest! :D
Before the show, I watched Jonathan do soundchecks; he signed my copy of Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love (I told him I loved it, he said he was especially proud of it), and he talked with my parents and me about music. He mentioned that he receives a lot of CDs and stuff like that from his fans, and he usually gives them away -- but he had fallen absolutely in love with the Cohen CD Dad and I had given him.
The opening act was Jesse DeNatale, a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter (who played from 10 to 10:35 p.m.). Just one guy with a guitar and a harmonica, he sounded like a folkier Tom Waits, or a less-nasal Bob Dylan -- needless to say, Dad and I especially enjoyed his set. :)
Then Jonathan came out with Tommy, and they played from 10:50 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. Numerous times throughout, Jonathan would step away from his mic to dance to Tommy's drumbeat, or to sing directly to the audience without the aid of amplification. There were also a few times where he would be playing percussion or a random tune on his guitar to Tommy's drumbeat and he would say something like, "This isn't connected to a song -- we're just foolin' around!" He also ad-libbed spoken bits and altered lyrics during several numbers (as usual). XD
Some highlights: During "Let Her Go Into The Darkness," Jonathan improvised a hilarious, lengthy spoken bit that went from English to French to Italian; before he went into "In Che Mondo Viviamo," he said he had wanted to write a song about "what a world we live in," but he thought it made for a crummy title, so he decided to write it in Italian; as he played "Les Etoiles," he translated some of the lyrics into English; and at one point he mentioned that someone who was in the audience that night (*wink*) had given him a great Leonard Cohen CD, and that he loved one song on it in particular... and he went into his cover of "Here It Is" (which was done in a radically different arrangement from Cohen's original, but Jonathan played and sang it with a lot of depth and feeling). :D
After the show, I had my picture taken with Jonathan (whom I thanked again for the autograph and congratulated on an excellent show), and then with Jesse (the opening act); then Dad bought a copy of Jesse's CD and had him autograph it for me. All in all, a wonderful night! :)
###
This is an approximate setlist from the Knickerbocker's show on
Saturday night:
Key:
O - Songs I also heard at the 10/4/01 Omaha show
L - Songs I also heard at the 2/28/02 Lincoln show
K - Songs I also heard at the 11/23/02 Kansas City show
* - Brand-new and/or previously unrecorded songs
Egyptian Reggae -- O,K
Give Paris One More Chance -- O
Springtime In New York -- O,L,K
My Baby Love Love Loves Me
Let Her Go Into The Darkness -- O,L,K
The World Is Showin' It's Hand -- K
In Che Mondo Viviamo
I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar -- O,L,K
Here It Is -- * (cover of a Leonard Cohen song) :D
Silent Treatment -- *
He Gave Us The Wine To Taste
My Love For Her Ain't Sad -- K
Ocean Beach -- *
Les Etoiles
El Joven Se Estremece -- K
Joy Over Sorrow -- *
You Are The Light Of The World -- *
No Hablo Mi Palabra Del Amor(?) -- * (new Spanish song)
Her Mystery Not Of High Heels And Eye Shadow -- O,L,K
Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love -- K (encore)
-- gr_chereck
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Review: Space, Portland, 13 Nov 2004
Found via Google News:
Monday, November 15, 2004
Richman rewards fans, old and new
By AIMSEL PONTI
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc
REVIEW
Jonathan Richman
Where: Space
When: Sat., Nov. 13
Delving into Jonathan Richman's past is like taking a class in the history of new wave and punk. This guy had his hands in both movements back in the 70s and at 54 he is still a viable act that left an impressive crowd at Space wanting more on Saturday night.
Richman, originally from Natick, Mass., formed a band called The Modern Lovers in the early 1970s. Also in the band were Jerry Harrison, who went on to join Talking Heads, and David Robinson who ended up with The Cars, two other huge notable new wave acts to have New England roots.
Richman flies under the radar of the mainstream but has a devout cult-following.
It wasn't so important to be well-versed in Richman history to enjoy his show; one just had to be open to the experience. Although it's tempting to find a more impressive vocabulary word, the best way to describe the show was downright delightful. The beauty in many of his songs are their simplicity; that's the genius.
Richman does not give his songs unnecessary window-dressing, but delivers honest, straight-from-the-heart songs about love, life and things that touch and inspire him.
With his acoustic guitar and the keen percussion from drummer Tommy Larkins, Richman touched on many points in his career as a solo artist and member of The Modern Lovers.
His voice is sweet and sometimes almost childish but that's just the thing that makes it work. A friend described Richman as David Byrne meets Lou Reed meets Adam Sandler. That made perfect sense, as it combines elements of musical talent, a timeless coolness and a quirky sweetness.
Performing about 25 songs over a 90-minute set, Richman gave us Modern Lovers classics like "Pablo Picasso," and "Springtime" interspersed with plenty from his latest record Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love. Songs like "Vincent Van Gogh," "My Baby Love Love Loves Me," and "Behold The Lilies Of The Field" were all well-received.
He also is somewhat of a multi-linguist, singing the new ones "Cosi Veloce," (Italian) and "Les Etoilles." One of the best songs of the night was from 1992's I Jonathan record, "I Was Dancing At The Lesbian Bar," both funny and danceable.
Two other gems were "The Night Is Still Young" and "Nineteen In Naples" from his 1998 I'm So Confused release.
Richman had such a comfortable stage presence, disarming with a sincere airiness to go with his expressive eyes.
His words tell it like it is: "He loved, he loved life so bad, he had twice the color other painters had," sang Richman. Throughout his show he encouraged the audience to keep the beat, which many people did. It was an unexpectedly absorbing evening of music. Make no mistake, though, Jonathan Richman's No. 1.
---
With thanks to Adam.
<<< Return to Jojoblog
Monday, November 15, 2004
Richman rewards fans, old and new
By AIMSEL PONTI
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc
REVIEW
Jonathan Richman
Where: Space
When: Sat., Nov. 13
Delving into Jonathan Richman's past is like taking a class in the history of new wave and punk. This guy had his hands in both movements back in the 70s and at 54 he is still a viable act that left an impressive crowd at Space wanting more on Saturday night.
Richman, originally from Natick, Mass., formed a band called The Modern Lovers in the early 1970s. Also in the band were Jerry Harrison, who went on to join Talking Heads, and David Robinson who ended up with The Cars, two other huge notable new wave acts to have New England roots.
Richman flies under the radar of the mainstream but has a devout cult-following.
It wasn't so important to be well-versed in Richman history to enjoy his show; one just had to be open to the experience. Although it's tempting to find a more impressive vocabulary word, the best way to describe the show was downright delightful. The beauty in many of his songs are their simplicity; that's the genius.
Richman does not give his songs unnecessary window-dressing, but delivers honest, straight-from-the-heart songs about love, life and things that touch and inspire him.
With his acoustic guitar and the keen percussion from drummer Tommy Larkins, Richman touched on many points in his career as a solo artist and member of The Modern Lovers.
His voice is sweet and sometimes almost childish but that's just the thing that makes it work. A friend described Richman as David Byrne meets Lou Reed meets Adam Sandler. That made perfect sense, as it combines elements of musical talent, a timeless coolness and a quirky sweetness.
Performing about 25 songs over a 90-minute set, Richman gave us Modern Lovers classics like "Pablo Picasso," and "Springtime" interspersed with plenty from his latest record Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love. Songs like "Vincent Van Gogh," "My Baby Love Love Loves Me," and "Behold The Lilies Of The Field" were all well-received.
He also is somewhat of a multi-linguist, singing the new ones "Cosi Veloce," (Italian) and "Les Etoilles." One of the best songs of the night was from 1992's I Jonathan record, "I Was Dancing At The Lesbian Bar," both funny and danceable.
Two other gems were "The Night Is Still Young" and "Nineteen In Naples" from his 1998 I'm So Confused release.
Richman had such a comfortable stage presence, disarming with a sincere airiness to go with his expressive eyes.
His words tell it like it is: "He loved, he loved life so bad, he had twice the color other painters had," sang Richman. Throughout his show he encouraged the audience to keep the beat, which many people did. It was an unexpectedly absorbing evening of music. Make no mistake, though, Jonathan Richman's No. 1.
---
With thanks to Adam.
<<< Return to Jojoblog
Monday, November 08, 2004
It's A Thing He Has ...
by Your Diva, Robin Pastorio-Newman
When Jonathan Richman tours, people go a little crazy. He usually plays one date in an area and moves on to the next, leaving packs of rabid fans stomping individual feet and muttering naughty words. Last time he came through New Jersey Jonathan --
"Who?" you yawn.
"Jonathan Richman," Your Darling, Your Diva, Your One True Love sighs.
"Jonathan Richman who?" you insist.
"We’ve been through this before. Did you see There's Something About Mary despite its being a humiliation humorfest? He’s the gentleman walking around and playing guitar. His music has been featured on many soundtracks. His song 'Ice Cream Man' currently graces a Kohl’s commercial, and if you’d ever devoted two important hours to watching Repo Man, you would have heard 'Pablo Picasso.' His song 'Roadrunner' is one of the best things ever recorded. It’s not about a bird."
"Oh. That guy. Listen, I’ve been busy..." you opine, but really, let’s move on, shall we? Last time Jonathan came through here, he’d played the Court Tavern in New Brunswick and that was that for this area, which meant the Court was packed to the rafters with crazed Jonathan fans who weren’t polite about wanting to hear any noise their quiet hero made.
You: Are you going to see Jonathan Richman on Thursday?
Your Friend: Nope. Don’t feel like being shushed.
Jonathan plays early shows. It’s a thing with him. Other artists and bands want to play later, Jonathan plays earlier, so the bar got calls all day long about what time he’d go on. The official party line held that he’d take the stage between 9 and 10. Our party sat down on upstairs barstools at 8:30 and the upstairs bar filled to uncomfortable, then hassling-the-doorman capacity before 10. The door to downstairs opened after 10. Then real weirdness began.
The downstairs air conditioner was off. Thursday, the temperature soared to 100 degrees in some places and by 10:30 p.m. hadn’t dropped much. The bartender reported that Jonathan wanted the AC off, "Some kind of phobia or something." Oh. A phobia. Well, he’s allowed, right? You’d order your rock stars factory-fresh and full of phobias if you could, wouldn’t you? Sure. As the basement filled and time passed, the temperature and humidity made the normally dank room feel like an indifferent Texas teenager’s forgotten terrarium, where a couple hundred people passed for the tiny frogs. Finally, close to 11:30, Jonathan strapped on the guitar. A voice from the crowd: "What’s with the air conditioner?"
"I had them turn it off because air conditioners can be quite loud. We’re going to have a musical experience, not a comfortable experience." Which statement kind of answered his next question: "Why doesn’t anybody dance anymore?"
You got me, brother, but I’m busy in this face-plant where I fainted from the heat.
The crowd loved song after riotous song. "I Was Dancing In the Lesbian Bar" caused a roaring singalong. Soon, the heat, the late hour, the incompatible fans, some indefinable something caused some lunkheads in polo shirts to talk near the stage, louder than the performer, who was most certainly well-miked. And it wasn’t just one lunkhead, there were lunkhead pockets throughout the room. Conversations about stocks and options floated down the bar. It was bizarre, and who has the patience of the forebearance to pay $10 for a show they can’t hear over some drunken idiot’s lame financial advice? It was about this time it became clear our evening was nearing its conclusion.
So there you are in a club basement with 200 of your closest friends packed body to body and you’re each wondering if the life insurance your job offers will pay your beneficiaries in the event you die a beer-soaked sweltering death when you could’ve just as easily gotten up off your barstool and made a break for the exit and since staying until you pass out is probably walking that fuzzy accident/suicide line beyond which your unprepared family has to cough up the cash for interment you get up and go home Later you may discover the two pints of water you drank while watching a few minutes of Julia Child on Biography -- very interesting, by the way -- does not stave off the kind of dehydration that keeps even the experienced swinging rock fan in bed most of the next day.
But it was Jonathan. And people go a little crazy.
©2003 Robin Pastorio-Newman
---
Did you like this? We knew you would. Thank you to Rob, and to Sean from Altrok.
For more delicious dish from Jojoblog's Diva, read this.
<<< Go back to Jojoblog to leave a comment
When Jonathan Richman tours, people go a little crazy. He usually plays one date in an area and moves on to the next, leaving packs of rabid fans stomping individual feet and muttering naughty words. Last time he came through New Jersey Jonathan --
"Who?" you yawn.
"Jonathan Richman," Your Darling, Your Diva, Your One True Love sighs.
"Jonathan Richman who?" you insist.
"We’ve been through this before. Did you see There's Something About Mary despite its being a humiliation humorfest? He’s the gentleman walking around and playing guitar. His music has been featured on many soundtracks. His song 'Ice Cream Man' currently graces a Kohl’s commercial, and if you’d ever devoted two important hours to watching Repo Man, you would have heard 'Pablo Picasso.' His song 'Roadrunner' is one of the best things ever recorded. It’s not about a bird."
"Oh. That guy. Listen, I’ve been busy..." you opine, but really, let’s move on, shall we? Last time Jonathan came through here, he’d played the Court Tavern in New Brunswick and that was that for this area, which meant the Court was packed to the rafters with crazed Jonathan fans who weren’t polite about wanting to hear any noise their quiet hero made.
You: Are you going to see Jonathan Richman on Thursday?
Your Friend: Nope. Don’t feel like being shushed.
Jonathan plays early shows. It’s a thing with him. Other artists and bands want to play later, Jonathan plays earlier, so the bar got calls all day long about what time he’d go on. The official party line held that he’d take the stage between 9 and 10. Our party sat down on upstairs barstools at 8:30 and the upstairs bar filled to uncomfortable, then hassling-the-doorman capacity before 10. The door to downstairs opened after 10. Then real weirdness began.
The downstairs air conditioner was off. Thursday, the temperature soared to 100 degrees in some places and by 10:30 p.m. hadn’t dropped much. The bartender reported that Jonathan wanted the AC off, "Some kind of phobia or something." Oh. A phobia. Well, he’s allowed, right? You’d order your rock stars factory-fresh and full of phobias if you could, wouldn’t you? Sure. As the basement filled and time passed, the temperature and humidity made the normally dank room feel like an indifferent Texas teenager’s forgotten terrarium, where a couple hundred people passed for the tiny frogs. Finally, close to 11:30, Jonathan strapped on the guitar. A voice from the crowd: "What’s with the air conditioner?"
"I had them turn it off because air conditioners can be quite loud. We’re going to have a musical experience, not a comfortable experience." Which statement kind of answered his next question: "Why doesn’t anybody dance anymore?"
You got me, brother, but I’m busy in this face-plant where I fainted from the heat.
The crowd loved song after riotous song. "I Was Dancing In the Lesbian Bar" caused a roaring singalong. Soon, the heat, the late hour, the incompatible fans, some indefinable something caused some lunkheads in polo shirts to talk near the stage, louder than the performer, who was most certainly well-miked. And it wasn’t just one lunkhead, there were lunkhead pockets throughout the room. Conversations about stocks and options floated down the bar. It was bizarre, and who has the patience of the forebearance to pay $10 for a show they can’t hear over some drunken idiot’s lame financial advice? It was about this time it became clear our evening was nearing its conclusion.
So there you are in a club basement with 200 of your closest friends packed body to body and you’re each wondering if the life insurance your job offers will pay your beneficiaries in the event you die a beer-soaked sweltering death when you could’ve just as easily gotten up off your barstool and made a break for the exit and since staying until you pass out is probably walking that fuzzy accident/suicide line beyond which your unprepared family has to cough up the cash for interment you get up and go home Later you may discover the two pints of water you drank while watching a few minutes of Julia Child on Biography -- very interesting, by the way -- does not stave off the kind of dehydration that keeps even the experienced swinging rock fan in bed most of the next day.
But it was Jonathan. And people go a little crazy.
©2003 Robin Pastorio-Newman
---
Did you like this? We knew you would. Thank you to Rob, and to Sean from Altrok.
For more delicious dish from Jojoblog's Diva, read this.
<<< Go back to Jojoblog to leave a comment
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Vintage 2000
From: Brad
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000
Subject: Paris show
Hi, Brad from Brussels contributes this cut and pasted review of last night's show in Paris...
For the first time, last night I drank from the cup of a Rich-man. I lapped up the contorted facial expressions, the self-depricating attempts at French, those marvoulous hip shaking dance gyrations, and some special silent pauses for effect.
I strategically scheduled a meeting in Paris yesterday knowing there was a JoJo gig in town. I showed up sans-ticket, wearing my suit, tie, and pointy shoes. The small group waiting outside the door thought I might be able to buy a chance at Affection when the doors opened an hour later at 7.
I slipped into a nearby pub and did a quick superman bathroom change. I had toted my briefcase and a bookbag along, laden with brown ribbed turtleneck sweater, faded jeans and my comfy 1940's football umpire shoes. (The get-up description is for Pam and Rich's info, sorry, rest.)
I downed two quick pints, making sure to leave some cash to enter. 45mins later, after waiting in the rain and chatting with some French fans, I was inside Cafe de la Danse. It held 500-800 mainly early to middle aged folks, with a smattering of other age groups. An American guy, mid-30s, two rows in front of me, was accompanied by his sharply dressed white haired mother. Another group of Americanos seemed to include a dad, a vampire gal and a teenage brother in shorts and tennys.
Otherwise, the sit-down crowd was primarily 40somethings, a decent smattering of gen Xers, mainly French. The venue was 80% bleacherish seats with a dance area in front. The opening band, Dodge Vego-matic, did surfy guitar and synthesized instrumental stuff. They were pretty young, French, and the short set was appreciated by me.
When the stage was cleared, leaving a solitary mic and amp for Jo and the little stand-up trap set for Tommy, we all got ready for some fun. JR came out smiling and strumming in an oversized white T. If my memory is right he launched into UFO man with no introduction, then followed it with a really lively 19 in Naples including beaucoup commentary in French and a great improvized confrontation dialogue in Italian.
He worked hard to speak mainly French, bantering almost entirely to the natives, with English appearing in certain song lyrics only. He played quite a mix of stuff, including some new tunes and a few Spanish ones too.
As far as I can remember it was something like this:
UFO man
19 in Naples
Let Her go into the Darkness
Give Paris one more Chance (lots of French jabbering)
Blue Moon
Pablo Picasso
Girlfriend
You Can't talk to the Dude
- a new one something about it's OK for couples to fight
- another mystery one, something about a girl preferring "faded things" and rejecting high heels and mascera
Vampire Girls
I was Dancin in a Lesbian Bar (great moves appreciated by all)
She Cracked
Barcelona
When She Started to Ride (one of my favorite horsey songs)
Important in Your Life
- - He closed with some French ones, and encored once in French too, changing into a snug black T and flexing his veiny forearm muscles a bit.
Tommy provided a few points of interest, once guffawing at JoJo when he was mid-sip on some wine, sending it spraying on the stage. Another time, he tossed his drumstick and barely caught it, then acted it up in style. Otherwise he was very low key, letting Jonny chat and do some aca-pella stuff without a beat. JoJo's chattiness gave Tom time to drink wine, which he was pretty persistent at. Jo on the other hand maybe sipped 3-4 times all night.
Rich, you are right, the impressive guitar work featured strongly in the whole evening. I was tuning in for the word play and lyrics, which came out in English only 30 percent, but anyway, his delivery and overall special approach was easy to translate. I actually got the impression that the French were craving his standards in English, noting a few crowd calls for "Affection", "Astral Plane", Neighbors" and "Ice Cream Man".
I pretty much sat by myself and smiled throughout, engaging in no conversation, but eavesdropping on the 3 american dudes in front of me. A time or two I thought I felt JoJo's communicative stare, but can't be sure. The set was shortish - but not too short. I felt satisfied and ready to see him tonight in Brussels.
-- Brad
###Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000
Subject: Paris show
Hi, Brad from Brussels contributes this cut and pasted review of last night's show in Paris...
For the first time, last night I drank from the cup of a Rich-man. I lapped up the contorted facial expressions, the self-depricating attempts at French, those marvoulous hip shaking dance gyrations, and some special silent pauses for effect.
I strategically scheduled a meeting in Paris yesterday knowing there was a JoJo gig in town. I showed up sans-ticket, wearing my suit, tie, and pointy shoes. The small group waiting outside the door thought I might be able to buy a chance at Affection when the doors opened an hour later at 7.
I slipped into a nearby pub and did a quick superman bathroom change. I had toted my briefcase and a bookbag along, laden with brown ribbed turtleneck sweater, faded jeans and my comfy 1940's football umpire shoes. (The get-up description is for Pam and Rich's info, sorry, rest.)
I downed two quick pints, making sure to leave some cash to enter. 45mins later, after waiting in the rain and chatting with some French fans, I was inside Cafe de la Danse. It held 500-800 mainly early to middle aged folks, with a smattering of other age groups. An American guy, mid-30s, two rows in front of me, was accompanied by his sharply dressed white haired mother. Another group of Americanos seemed to include a dad, a vampire gal and a teenage brother in shorts and tennys.
Otherwise, the sit-down crowd was primarily 40somethings, a decent smattering of gen Xers, mainly French. The venue was 80% bleacherish seats with a dance area in front. The opening band, Dodge Vego-matic, did surfy guitar and synthesized instrumental stuff. They were pretty young, French, and the short set was appreciated by me.
When the stage was cleared, leaving a solitary mic and amp for Jo and the little stand-up trap set for Tommy, we all got ready for some fun. JR came out smiling and strumming in an oversized white T. If my memory is right he launched into UFO man with no introduction, then followed it with a really lively 19 in Naples including beaucoup commentary in French and a great improvized confrontation dialogue in Italian.
He worked hard to speak mainly French, bantering almost entirely to the natives, with English appearing in certain song lyrics only. He played quite a mix of stuff, including some new tunes and a few Spanish ones too.
As far as I can remember it was something like this:
UFO man
19 in Naples
Let Her go into the Darkness
Give Paris one more Chance (lots of French jabbering)
Blue Moon
Pablo Picasso
Girlfriend
You Can't talk to the Dude
- a new one something about it's OK for couples to fight
- another mystery one, something about a girl preferring "faded things" and rejecting high heels and mascera
Vampire Girls
I was Dancin in a Lesbian Bar (great moves appreciated by all)
She Cracked
Barcelona
When She Started to Ride (one of my favorite horsey songs)
Important in Your Life
- - He closed with some French ones, and encored once in French too, changing into a snug black T and flexing his veiny forearm muscles a bit.
Tommy provided a few points of interest, once guffawing at JoJo when he was mid-sip on some wine, sending it spraying on the stage. Another time, he tossed his drumstick and barely caught it, then acted it up in style. Otherwise he was very low key, letting Jonny chat and do some aca-pella stuff without a beat. JoJo's chattiness gave Tom time to drink wine, which he was pretty persistent at. Jo on the other hand maybe sipped 3-4 times all night.
Rich, you are right, the impressive guitar work featured strongly in the whole evening. I was tuning in for the word play and lyrics, which came out in English only 30 percent, but anyway, his delivery and overall special approach was easy to translate. I actually got the impression that the French were craving his standards in English, noting a few crowd calls for "Affection", "Astral Plane", Neighbors" and "Ice Cream Man".
I pretty much sat by myself and smiled throughout, engaging in no conversation, but eavesdropping on the 3 american dudes in front of me. A time or two I thought I felt JoJo's communicative stare, but can't be sure. The set was shortish - but not too short. I felt satisfied and ready to see him tonight in Brussels.
-- Brad
###Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.
Saturday, September 18, 2004
vintage 2003
From: Joel
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003
Subject: Re: Jojo: make out room
Hey all..
First, thanks to Shawna for posting about the shows there.. these shows were NOT announced by Les' postcard mailings. At least we didn't rcv one. If anyone else did, please let me know, so I can make sure we are still on the list.
I may be between Kevin and Shawna in my live JR likes and dislikes, but I'm WAY WAY behind them when it comes to posting my review of the show last Wednesday at the Makeout Room in San Francisco...
I am one of the spoiled ones who has seen Mr Richman many many times.. so spoiled that I actually complain about hearing some of the "hits" too many times (Let Her Go into the Darkness, You Can't Talk to the Dude, Lesbian Bar, and even Pablo Picasso now, though I would never have said that 4 or 5 years ago) .
So, I LOVED the fact that he was playing almost all new songs, or songs at least that I don't know (I don't have "Her Mystery..." yet). Also new was the fact that Tommy was playing a sit down drumkit. Maybe he got tired of standing at all these shows. I loved the old kit he had, and how he could do a lot with so little, but he did a great job on these too...
We too were disappointed that the show did not start at 8:30 like we were told, but we are lucky we didn't have to get up early the next day, so we stayed through both sets.
Here is what I can remember of the set list. I counted about 11 songs in the first set and 8 or 9 in the second. This doesn't count where it quotes some other song on the guitar, and you can't quite place what song it is. I'm sorry to say though, I sure can't remember them all, especially the foreign language ones.
First set
- ------------
- - the song about not so much needing to be loved but to love
(Which started off with him talking about how he used to wander around a lot)
- - the song about being loved more than he prayed for
- - Pablo Picasso
(after this point the order, or even the set list may be way off)
- - Take me to the Plaza
- - "he gave us the wine to taste"
(I'd heard this one before)
- - The song about the stars, in French,
- - song in Italian
I'll trust Shawna when she says it was Veloce Veloce - an Italian song about things going too fast
- - Song about Dali, and how about his paintings opened up the Doors to Jonathan dreams..
Don't think I'd heard this one before.
- - Song about Abu Jamal
- - ?
2nd set
- -----------
- - Egyptian Reggae
- - Old World
which in 20+ years of seeing him, I'd never seen him do, but the updated lyrics made it feel like a new song almost.
- - ?
- - Springtime in NY
Always a nice one. He switched guitars for this song, from the electric back to the acoustic.
- - ?
- - ?
- - Lesbian Bar.
- - ?
We were standing to the side when JR came right by us with his guitars.. my GF, who is a year or two younger than him, joked to him about "finally, someone my age." He had a quick flirty comeback about how she had years left to go..
So, he did a lot of new songs. But even so, I think he did slip in a lot of familiar material (sorry Shawna, a lot of it was in the 2nd set): Pablo Picasso, Lesbian Bar, Springtime in NY, Old World, Egyptian Reggae. That's a least a quarter of his song list. And by this time, Take me to the Plaza sounds like a familiar song too.
But Kevin was right, he was trying out a lot of new stuff, and he even said, somewhere in the first set, (I'm paraphrasing) "how if you've seen him and Tommy before, you know they don't do much of show, but this is even less of a show than normal." In the middle of trying to explain this, someone shouted out "Lesbian Bar!!" and Jonathan replied, without skipping a beat, "And that is exactly what it is not."
I think what he meant is that we're using this as an opportunity to work on the new stuff. Well, if that is the case, sign me up for next time.
Early on, he called out to a few people.. a couple of women, and he said they had to get together to "practice"... and then tried to make a joke, how Tommy and he were going to the studio, so they had to get together to "practice"... email doesn't do justification to the tone he put on the word "practice".. he thought the idea was funny. And then he called out to a friend "Ralph" to come and play horn with them on a song.... though I can't remember what song... Great reviewer, aren't I? Heck, if I was taking notes, then JR would be mad because I wasn't just enjoying it the way he doesn't like people fussing with tape decks..
He did do a number of extended guitar noodling, which I like to a limited degree (more than Shawna, but less than Kevin it appears). He only did it a few times where I thought, okay, get back to the song now..
But he didn't really talk that much... When he intro-ed "Take me to the Plaza, " he did talk about how people are spreading out, how people are moving further out, and commuting further out, and how that's okay, for them. But not for him (he didn't mention how he used to live in the boondocks, and how it was nice and all, like he has before). He wants to live close to people, on the same block, or maybe even the same building, and how people can pull pranks on him and stuff (thought he didn't say at 3am like he has before..). Then he went into the song, and it was great, one of the best of the night for me.
Then one of the worst "he gave us the wine to taste." A good song, but he repeated too much. I can see this becoming like You Can't talk to the Dude.
He also introed the song about the stars... how they burn so brightly, and for so long, and how they must be really tired, after all this time, but they do it because they love life so.. (sound familiar?). I didn't understand a word of the French, but the intro helped me understand the emotion of it.
I actually thought the song about Abu Jamal was very interesting.. it actually wasn't even a full song, I don't think he had more than two verses and chorus, if even two verses... and I don't think it was overtly political.. . I might not have heard all the words (hey the show started later that it was supposed, I had to use the rest room at some point... 8-)).
But I don't remember him saying anything directly against the death penalty (though I'd guess he opposes it). All I remember him singing about is how surprising it was for him to hear this man sentenced to death speak... so dignified, and so eloquent... .. it was clearly a song in progress (this is the one, where he told Tommy to slow down the tempo, two or three times, before saying "okay, from the top") and it may never happen on a record (Remember "Not in Baghdad, Not in My Name.."), but it seemed to me there was real emotion here for Jonathan. So, while not his best song, and yes, a little heavyhanded, it was still moving.
Then he said "Break!" and away they went.
When they came back for the second set, he strapped on a different guitar... a thin bodied electric!? I couldn't tell if it was hollowed out or not, it looked thick enough that it could have been, but it wasn't his big full bodied acoustic he seems to be using more lately.
Then he did kick into a long version of Egyptian Reggae, which he seemed to enjoy. Then right into Old World, which shocked me.. and for his guitar solo, he stepped on the old pedal, and a did a bunch of fuzz... I hadn't seen that for a while and he seemed to be having fun with it.
Sadly, I don't remember much more of the 2nd set (hey, I said we stayed, I didn't say we stayed alert) other than Springtime in NY, which was very nice, and then he jumped into Lesbian Bar, despite what he said earlier... and he seemed to really have a good time playing it... even jumping down onto the lower level of the small stage to dance a bit. He did a lot of bass style playing, where he picks the deeper strings like a bass..
All in all, I thought it was a really good show, and if I had seen it earlier in the week, I would have come back for another night.
Hope I didn't ramble too much for those of you who don't get to see him,....
-- Jg
###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003
Subject: Re: Jojo: make out room
Hey all..
First, thanks to Shawna for posting about the shows there.. these shows were NOT announced by Les' postcard mailings. At least we didn't rcv one. If anyone else did, please let me know, so I can make sure we are still on the list.
I may be between Kevin and Shawna in my live JR likes and dislikes, but I'm WAY WAY behind them when it comes to posting my review of the show last Wednesday at the Makeout Room in San Francisco...
I am one of the spoiled ones who has seen Mr Richman many many times.. so spoiled that I actually complain about hearing some of the "hits" too many times (Let Her Go into the Darkness, You Can't Talk to the Dude, Lesbian Bar, and even Pablo Picasso now, though I would never have said that 4 or 5 years ago) .
So, I LOVED the fact that he was playing almost all new songs, or songs at least that I don't know (I don't have "Her Mystery..." yet). Also new was the fact that Tommy was playing a sit down drumkit. Maybe he got tired of standing at all these shows. I loved the old kit he had, and how he could do a lot with so little, but he did a great job on these too...
We too were disappointed that the show did not start at 8:30 like we were told, but we are lucky we didn't have to get up early the next day, so we stayed through both sets.
Here is what I can remember of the set list. I counted about 11 songs in the first set and 8 or 9 in the second. This doesn't count where it quotes some other song on the guitar, and you can't quite place what song it is. I'm sorry to say though, I sure can't remember them all, especially the foreign language ones.
First set
- ------------
- - the song about not so much needing to be loved but to love
(Which started off with him talking about how he used to wander around a lot)
- - the song about being loved more than he prayed for
- - Pablo Picasso
(after this point the order, or even the set list may be way off)
- - Take me to the Plaza
- - "he gave us the wine to taste"
(I'd heard this one before)
- - The song about the stars, in French,
- - song in Italian
I'll trust Shawna when she says it was Veloce Veloce - an Italian song about things going too fast
- - Song about Dali, and how about his paintings opened up the Doors to Jonathan dreams..
Don't think I'd heard this one before.
- - Song about Abu Jamal
- - ?
2nd set
- -----------
- - Egyptian Reggae
- - Old World
which in 20+ years of seeing him, I'd never seen him do, but the updated lyrics made it feel like a new song almost.
- - ?
- - Springtime in NY
Always a nice one. He switched guitars for this song, from the electric back to the acoustic.
- - ?
- - ?
- - Lesbian Bar.
- - ?
We were standing to the side when JR came right by us with his guitars.. my GF, who is a year or two younger than him, joked to him about "finally, someone my age." He had a quick flirty comeback about how she had years left to go..
So, he did a lot of new songs. But even so, I think he did slip in a lot of familiar material (sorry Shawna, a lot of it was in the 2nd set): Pablo Picasso, Lesbian Bar, Springtime in NY, Old World, Egyptian Reggae. That's a least a quarter of his song list. And by this time, Take me to the Plaza sounds like a familiar song too.
But Kevin was right, he was trying out a lot of new stuff, and he even said, somewhere in the first set, (I'm paraphrasing) "how if you've seen him and Tommy before, you know they don't do much of show, but this is even less of a show than normal." In the middle of trying to explain this, someone shouted out "Lesbian Bar!!" and Jonathan replied, without skipping a beat, "And that is exactly what it is not."
I think what he meant is that we're using this as an opportunity to work on the new stuff. Well, if that is the case, sign me up for next time.
Early on, he called out to a few people.. a couple of women, and he said they had to get together to "practice"... and then tried to make a joke, how Tommy and he were going to the studio, so they had to get together to "practice"... email doesn't do justification to the tone he put on the word "practice".. he thought the idea was funny. And then he called out to a friend "Ralph" to come and play horn with them on a song.... though I can't remember what song... Great reviewer, aren't I? Heck, if I was taking notes, then JR would be mad because I wasn't just enjoying it the way he doesn't like people fussing with tape decks..
He did do a number of extended guitar noodling, which I like to a limited degree (more than Shawna, but less than Kevin it appears). He only did it a few times where I thought, okay, get back to the song now..
But he didn't really talk that much... When he intro-ed "Take me to the Plaza, " he did talk about how people are spreading out, how people are moving further out, and commuting further out, and how that's okay, for them. But not for him (he didn't mention how he used to live in the boondocks, and how it was nice and all, like he has before). He wants to live close to people, on the same block, or maybe even the same building, and how people can pull pranks on him and stuff (thought he didn't say at 3am like he has before..). Then he went into the song, and it was great, one of the best of the night for me.
Then one of the worst "he gave us the wine to taste." A good song, but he repeated too much. I can see this becoming like You Can't talk to the Dude.
He also introed the song about the stars... how they burn so brightly, and for so long, and how they must be really tired, after all this time, but they do it because they love life so.. (sound familiar?). I didn't understand a word of the French, but the intro helped me understand the emotion of it.
I actually thought the song about Abu Jamal was very interesting.. it actually wasn't even a full song, I don't think he had more than two verses and chorus, if even two verses... and I don't think it was overtly political.. . I might not have heard all the words (hey the show started later that it was supposed, I had to use the rest room at some point... 8-)).
But I don't remember him saying anything directly against the death penalty (though I'd guess he opposes it). All I remember him singing about is how surprising it was for him to hear this man sentenced to death speak... so dignified, and so eloquent... .. it was clearly a song in progress (this is the one, where he told Tommy to slow down the tempo, two or three times, before saying "okay, from the top") and it may never happen on a record (Remember "Not in Baghdad, Not in My Name.."), but it seemed to me there was real emotion here for Jonathan. So, while not his best song, and yes, a little heavyhanded, it was still moving.
Then he said "Break!" and away they went.
When they came back for the second set, he strapped on a different guitar... a thin bodied electric!? I couldn't tell if it was hollowed out or not, it looked thick enough that it could have been, but it wasn't his big full bodied acoustic he seems to be using more lately.
Then he did kick into a long version of Egyptian Reggae, which he seemed to enjoy. Then right into Old World, which shocked me.. and for his guitar solo, he stepped on the old pedal, and a did a bunch of fuzz... I hadn't seen that for a while and he seemed to be having fun with it.
Sadly, I don't remember much more of the 2nd set (hey, I said we stayed, I didn't say we stayed alert) other than Springtime in NY, which was very nice, and then he jumped into Lesbian Bar, despite what he said earlier... and he seemed to really have a good time playing it... even jumping down onto the lower level of the small stage to dance a bit. He did a lot of bass style playing, where he picks the deeper strings like a bass..
All in all, I thought it was a really good show, and if I had seen it earlier in the week, I would have come back for another night.
Hope I didn't ramble too much for those of you who don't get to see him,....
-- Jg
###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Jojoblog FAQ
1. What are blogs?
Where have you been? Blogs are frequently updated web pages on which authors publish entries in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
2. What is Jojoblog?
Jojoblog is a special interest zine-blog put together by fans of Jonathan Richman. It is a team effort, which means there are multiple posters who combine their talents as friends and work together in a shared creative collaboration. It is a noncommercial and private collective publication.
3. Who may comment on Jojoblog entries?
Any reader may leave a comment using the Pub Jojo Comments function under each post.
4. Are Pub Jojo Comments monitored?
Pub Jojo Comments are not monitored, but can be deleted by an administrator if inappropriate.
5. Who can post entries to Jojoblog?
Any blog team member can post. If someone is interested and not already on the blog team, they can ask an administrator for a Blogger invitation to gain access. Also, anyone can also ask an administrator to make an entry for them. Team members are encouraged to make their own posts whenever possible. Temporary or test posts are fine and can always be changed or deleted. Team members decide whether their own posts are suitable. It is important that the ongoing blog be generated by the team and not be dependent on admins.
6. How should I format posts?
The post entry should have a short descriptive title. Titles may be edited by admins after posts are made for clarification and archiving/ indexing of categories, but the text body itself will not be edited for content except for visual formatting if necessary.
Suggestion: Write your post on a text editor like Notepad, then copy and paste it into the "Edit HTML" tabbed screen if you want to preserve formatting. Since some posts inexplicably vanish into the ether when published, be sure you have a backup somewhere before you push the "Publish Post" button. Use the "Preview" button to see how it will appear before finally posting. Use citations for quotations. Respect copyright. Ask an admin for help if you want.
7. Are post entries monitored?
Posts are not monitored but posters will be asked to edit their own remarks after they are published if they are inappropriate.
8. What is an inappropriate post?
Personal hostility is inappropriate. Also spamming the blog - using it for any unrelated form of advertising - is considered inappropriate.
9. How do I post images?
Ideally by hosting them on your own webspace and including a link (url) to the images in your post. Ask an admin if you need help posting images, or send them to Alan or RB for formatting and posting. Artwork of any kind is welcome.
10. How long should a post entry be?
It is suggested but not required that the entry be not more than a few paragraphs on the main blog page. Longer pieces are welcome, and encouraged, and should be posted by putting an introductory paragraph on Jojoblog with a link to the rest of the story. There are different ways this can be done. For example, if the story is already hosted on a separate web space, you can post a link to it on the blog. Or you can send Jojoblog the text and admins will take care of it for you, separating it into 'front page' and 'backstage'. Sometimes a post will be published in its entirety for a time, then subdivided later to make the main blog archives more accessible to people browsing them.
11. How do I put a song on Jojoblog?
You can link to a song - hosted elsewhere - for members to download provided you are either the copyright holder, or have the permission of the copyright holder to do so. You can send the url to an admin for posting if you prefer. The song does not have to be a Jonathan song.
12. How do I decide if something should go on the blog?
If in doubt, ask. Things can be posted and taken down if you change your mind. This is YOUR blog. It belongs to the fans. It does not belong to the administrators. It does not belong to Jonathan. Make it what you want it to be.
13. How do I bookmark individual posts and their Comments?
Under each post is the datestamp for the post. Click on that datestamp link and it will take you to the individual web page for that post only. Bookmark or copy the individual url that results at the top of your browser window.
14. What if I have more questions about Blogger?
Post your questions to Jojoblog, or in Pub Jojo Comments, or by e-mail to an admin. They might be added to future versions of the FAQ. Blogger Help has a Search Function that you can access if you have an account. All team members signed on to Blogger have a free account. Blogger/ Blogspot/ Google are constantly making changes and "improving" their service. Sometimes this gets confusing and the blog is temporarily slow, or balky, or even completely down. Glitches are part of everything and they get resolved. If Blogger is uncooperative, try again later. Sometimes it returns in a few minutes, sometimes the next day.
Note: Blogger invitations sometimes fall through the cracks, we have no way of knowing when and if this happens. If your invite fails to arrive let an admin know so it can be re-sent.
15. Who are the administrators of Jojoblog?
RB, Alan, Jacques, and Bob. See sidebar for their email addresses if you need to contact them.
Note from RB: This FAQ is in need of updating. Alan Edwards wrote the original Scottish genteel version but preferred to stay in the background by choice. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to alan-e when he passed away on 23 January 2008. The new admin group consists of original Modern Lovers RB, Bob, and Jacques; the fresh lineup now includes Patrick Bainée of France, Alberto Torio of Spain and Allan Hough of San Francisco, California.
16. Who contributed to this FAQ?
RB, Alan, Brian, Simon, and Bob
17. What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is not so much to be loved as to love.
click here to return to Jojoblog
Where have you been? Blogs are frequently updated web pages on which authors publish entries in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
2. What is Jojoblog?
Jojoblog is a special interest zine-blog put together by fans of Jonathan Richman. It is a team effort, which means there are multiple posters who combine their talents as friends and work together in a shared creative collaboration. It is a noncommercial and private collective publication.
3. Who may comment on Jojoblog entries?
Any reader may leave a comment using the Pub Jojo Comments function under each post.
4. Are Pub Jojo Comments monitored?
Pub Jojo Comments are not monitored, but can be deleted by an administrator if inappropriate.
5. Who can post entries to Jojoblog?
Any blog team member can post. If someone is interested and not already on the blog team, they can ask an administrator for a Blogger invitation to gain access. Also, anyone can also ask an administrator to make an entry for them. Team members are encouraged to make their own posts whenever possible. Temporary or test posts are fine and can always be changed or deleted. Team members decide whether their own posts are suitable. It is important that the ongoing blog be generated by the team and not be dependent on admins.
6. How should I format posts?
The post entry should have a short descriptive title. Titles may be edited by admins after posts are made for clarification and archiving/ indexing of categories, but the text body itself will not be edited for content except for visual formatting if necessary.
Suggestion: Write your post on a text editor like Notepad, then copy and paste it into the "Edit HTML" tabbed screen if you want to preserve formatting. Since some posts inexplicably vanish into the ether when published, be sure you have a backup somewhere before you push the "Publish Post" button. Use the "Preview" button to see how it will appear before finally posting. Use citations for quotations. Respect copyright. Ask an admin for help if you want.
7. Are post entries monitored?
Posts are not monitored but posters will be asked to edit their own remarks after they are published if they are inappropriate.
8. What is an inappropriate post?
Personal hostility is inappropriate. Also spamming the blog - using it for any unrelated form of advertising - is considered inappropriate.
9. How do I post images?
Ideally by hosting them on your own webspace and including a link (url) to the images in your post. Ask an admin if you need help posting images, or send them to Alan or RB for formatting and posting. Artwork of any kind is welcome.
10. How long should a post entry be?
It is suggested but not required that the entry be not more than a few paragraphs on the main blog page. Longer pieces are welcome, and encouraged, and should be posted by putting an introductory paragraph on Jojoblog with a link to the rest of the story. There are different ways this can be done. For example, if the story is already hosted on a separate web space, you can post a link to it on the blog. Or you can send Jojoblog the text and admins will take care of it for you, separating it into 'front page' and 'backstage'. Sometimes a post will be published in its entirety for a time, then subdivided later to make the main blog archives more accessible to people browsing them.
11. How do I put a song on Jojoblog?
You can link to a song - hosted elsewhere - for members to download provided you are either the copyright holder, or have the permission of the copyright holder to do so. You can send the url to an admin for posting if you prefer. The song does not have to be a Jonathan song.
12. How do I decide if something should go on the blog?
If in doubt, ask. Things can be posted and taken down if you change your mind. This is YOUR blog. It belongs to the fans. It does not belong to the administrators. It does not belong to Jonathan. Make it what you want it to be.
13. How do I bookmark individual posts and their Comments?
Under each post is the datestamp for the post. Click on that datestamp link and it will take you to the individual web page for that post only. Bookmark or copy the individual url that results at the top of your browser window.
14. What if I have more questions about Blogger?
Post your questions to Jojoblog, or in Pub Jojo Comments, or by e-mail to an admin. They might be added to future versions of the FAQ. Blogger Help has a Search Function that you can access if you have an account. All team members signed on to Blogger have a free account. Blogger/ Blogspot/ Google are constantly making changes and "improving" their service. Sometimes this gets confusing and the blog is temporarily slow, or balky, or even completely down. Glitches are part of everything and they get resolved. If Blogger is uncooperative, try again later. Sometimes it returns in a few minutes, sometimes the next day.
Note: Blogger invitations sometimes fall through the cracks, we have no way of knowing when and if this happens. If your invite fails to arrive let an admin know so it can be re-sent.
15. Who are the administrators of Jojoblog?
RB, Alan, Jacques, and Bob. See sidebar for their email addresses if you need to contact them.
Note from RB: This FAQ is in need of updating. Alan Edwards wrote the original Scottish genteel version but preferred to stay in the background by choice. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to alan-e when he passed away on 23 January 2008. The new admin group consists of original Modern Lovers RB, Bob, and Jacques; the fresh lineup now includes Patrick Bainée of France, Alberto Torio of Spain and Allan Hough of San Francisco, California.
16. Who contributed to this FAQ?
RB, Alan, Brian, Simon, and Bob
17. What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is not so much to be loved as to love.
click here to return to Jojoblog
