![Modern Lovers: Modern Lovers [album cover art]](http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj23/deeplyrootedradio/modernlovers.jpg)
Whether you’re a fan of punk rock or a student of rock n roll, the name Jonathan Richman should most definitely ring a bell. Jonathan has been making music for over three decades now and is probably best known as the founder and leader of the highly influential band The Modern Lovers. (The Boston-based band first formed in 1970 also included Jerry Harrison who would later join The Talking Heads, John Felice of Real Kids fame, and David Robinson, one of the co-founders of The Cars. That’s Richman on the right side of the photo)
The band’s seminal album, its 1976 self-titled debut, was recorded in 1973 but was released after the original line-up had already went their separate ways. Produced in part by John Cale of the Velvet Underground, The Modern Lovers LP included some of the band’s best known songs including “Pablo Picasso” and “Roadrunner” and it would go on to become a touchstone for many of the artists in the the punk/new wave movement (Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and the Sex Pistols all recorded covers of Richman’s songs from this album). Journalist Chris Colin, who wrote about Jonathan Richman in a 2001 article in Salon even went so far as to label Richman the “Godfather of Punk” due in large part to the three chord simplicity found in many of The Modern Lovers’ early tracks.
Following the break-up of the original Modern Lovers in 1974, Richman put together a new band that performed as Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers through the late 80’s. Since 1989, Richman has been recording and touring primarily as a solo act, accompanied only by drummer Tommy Larkins. He has performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on a number of occasions (Conan is a big fan) and his songs, known for their wide-eyed, childlike sense of humor, have been included on PBS’s Sesame Street. In 1998 Richman appeared in and wrote the title song for the Farrelly Brothers film, There’s Something About Mary.
Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins perform at the Gravity Lounge on Saturday, October 11 at 7:30pm. $15. And one last thing, if you go to see his live show don’t be surprised if you hear some songs sung in Hebrew, Italian, Spanish, or French. [I’ve collected a trio of videos featuring the music of Jonathan Richman after the break]
————
I’m a Little Airplane Now (from Sesame Street)
I Was Dancing at the Lesbian Bar (from Late Night with Conan O’Brien)
Roadrunner (from The Modern Lovers self-titled album, 1976)
Popularity: 16% [?]
Tagged as: concert, Gravity Lounge, Jonathan Richman, Music, punk rock, The Modern Lovers, video
Oh boy, I sometimes forget about that album cover with David Robinson and Jerry Harrison, looking so young and fresh.
You’ve got to hand it to Richman for being a true artist. After all these years, still plugging away. Having so many of his cohorts, and band members, gaining wealth and recognition, while he….hasn’t. Though I would imagine he is still collecting decent royalties from the Sex Pistol’s cover of Roadrunner.
I wonder if he thought, in the early 70s, that he’d ever be playing someplace like the Gravity all these years later? Not a knock against the Gravity at all, it’s just odd that he is so influential and writes such great songs that he’s playing such small places. Oh well, that’s the music business!
i doubt he minds, touring constantly. he never seemed to go in for mainstream acceptance, never wanted to be pigeon-holed into one sound. plus, he always seems to be having such a good damn time doing whatever it is he’s doing at the time. beatific.
oh how happy am I that you chose lesbian bar!! I love the way he performs that song. I’ve seen him 3 or 4 times, but missed last night’s show for a variety of reasons. Hope everyone that went enjoyed it. Jonathan is fantastic.