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Omer
= Cult of Ray =
275 Posts |
 Posted - 04/30/2003 : 12:04:40
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This is a report on a couple of Jonathan Richman concerts I recently saw in Sicily, Italy, which completely sucked. Jo Jo now is officially a has been, a man whose future is behind him.
I was really looking forward to these concerts, as highlights of my Italian trip. I'm a huge fan of Richman's work with the Modern Lovers, but also of his Solo stuff. Up to very recently, Richman did some very decent work. His albums 'Surrender to Jonathan' and 'I'm So confused' were both very good. Of the few tracks I heard of the newest album 'Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadows', some are poor (Springtime in New York), some are OK (Couples must argue), and only the title track seemed to be a winner. But I was, nonetheless, expecting a really great show.
Unfortunately, both concerts were really bad. Basically the reasons can be outlines as follows: 1. Poor song selection 2. Too Many songs in Italian and Spannish 3. Not enough rockin' and 4. Really too short concerts. Jo-Jo simply did not take himself seriously, performing for the most part obscure songs in French, Italian, Spannish, and even Hebrew (probably for my sake), instead of the rock'n'roll I was expecting. The shows were also very short. The concert in Catania was about 80 minutes long, which the concert in Palermo, although somewhat better in quantity, was only about 50 minutes long! true, it was cheap (6 EUR), but personally, I'd much rather pay 50 or 60 EUR for a really good concert then spent money on a really average one.
the only Modern Lover songs he performed were Egyptian Reggae (why on Earth would you perform an instrumental when you only have two instruments? beats me) and very weak versions of Pablo Picasso, with lots of extra chords and much less Bluesy feel (the Palermo concert had a much better performance, though, and there was an extra lyric which I thought was cool "People may forget but they should know/ that not some fancy lover boy was Pablo Picasso"). He also did 'I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar' which was the absolute highlight of the Catania concert. The Palermo version was not as good, though, because it was filled with long instrumental breaks which really slowed the song down. John Cale knew what Jo Jo never got - that Pablo Picasso is the ultimate jamming song.
The Catania show did feature a surprise cover of Leonard Cohen's "Here It Is". The version was... interesting, but hardly good.
Ultimately, I was really disappointed. Jonathan Richman is a legend, but I've seen Highschool kids who performed better concerts.
Omer |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 13:37:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Omer
This is a report on a couple of Jonathan Richman concerts I recently saw in Sicily, Italy, which completely sucked. Jo Jo now is officially a has been, a man whose future is behind him.
Basically the reasons can be outlines as follows: 1. Poor song selection 2. Too Many songs in Italian and Spannish 3. Not enough rockin' and 4. Really too short concerts. Jo-Jo simply did not take himself seriously, performing for the most part obscure songs in French, Italian, Spannish, and even Hebrew (probably for my sake), instead of the rock'n'roll I was expecting.
the only Modern Lover songs he performed were Egyptian Reggae (why on Earth would you perform an instrumental when you only have two instruments? beats me) and very weak versions of Pablo Picasso, with lots of extra chords and much less Bluesy feel
Ultimately, I was really disappointed. Jonathan Richman is a legend, but I've seen Highschool kids who performed better concerts.
Omer
Omer,
Wow, sorry to hear of your disappointment. It sounds like you've never seen Jonathan live before. I haven't seen him in concert for a few years, but have talked to friends who have and they said he was as good as ever.
I'm not saying these shows you caught weren't a letdown, but I think it may be a bit harsh to declare Jonathan a washed-up has-been. Part of the problem may have been in your expectations of what you would get for your $.
It's pretty common knowledge that Jonathan all but abandoned his rock and roll roots years ago, and despite the full-band backing on his most recent records (provbably a concession to his old fans and the result of Neil Young giving him more money to record with than Rounder did) he usually performs as either a solo act with acoustic guitar or as part of a duo that includes a simple snare drum or just a kick drum, snare and hi-hat.
He has reduced his songs down to their most bare essence and most of them come out soundling like calypso music or the kind of thing you would hear in an Italian restaurant geared toward people with attention defecit disorder.
He revels in singing songs in languages he isn't quite fluent in, and rarely if ever – plays old Modern Lovers songs, no matter how hard people scream for them.
I've found Jonathan to be a wonderfully engaging and childlike performer who has never failed to entertain me - but then again, I had a good idea of what to expect beforehand.
Like he suggested of Paris - "give Jojo one more chance!"
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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mereubu
= FB QuizMistress =
USA
2677 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2003 : 14:42:57
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Yeah, Jojo isn't always Mr. Consistency. I've seen a couple of great shows and one that was enough of a disappointment that I left early. (He had a full band that time, and was clearly just having a very bad night.) Of course, I never expected anything but a man and a guitar and goofy stories about Paris, so I've been generally pretty pleased with my JoJo experiences. I enjoy the lo-fi hi-jinks and have never had to pay more than about $12 for it. If he came through town tomorrow, I'd take another gamble on him.
Sorry to hear you had such a bad time, Omer. I hope that he was just having an "off" night.
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blackpurse
= Cult of Ray =
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 05:18:59
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quote:
Originally posted by peter radiator
He revels in singing songs in languages he isn't quite fluent in, and rarely if ever – plays old Modern Lovers songs, no matter how hard people scream for them.
I've found Jonathan to be a wonderfully engaging and childlike performer who has never failed to entertain me - but then again, I had a good idea of what to expect beforehand.
Like he suggested of Paris - "give Jojo one more chance!"
~ Peter Radiator
I agree with Radiator here. First, the way omar described this is pretty much what I'd expect from Richman. He hasn't been to Milwaukee in quite some time and I could use a Richman fix. I'm not sure what you were expecting....
I haven't seen him since he did begin to explore songs in other languages and such, but I sure would like to. I think its charming that he would bother to learn songs in the local languages (you said this show was in Italy: how wonderful that he went and learned songs in Italian for an audience of native speakers! Now THAT'S professional!). I've never seen Richman with a band, and that's OK with me. I agree with many here, give the guy another chance, and don't go in with any expectations of what he's "supposed" to do. Part of the wonder and charm of Richman is the child-man that he is: you don't know what to expect, but if you open up your heart you will leave smiling. |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 14:35:54
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quote:
Originally posted by blackpurse
Part of the wonder and charm of Richman is the child-man that he is: you don't know what to expect, but if you open up your heart you will leave smiling.
One of the first times I saw Jonathan it was in a small club, and even though it held about 350, only about 50 people showed up (this was in 1990). He had never played in the town before and the vast majority of the audience were diehard Modern Lovers fans. They spent the entire night yelling requests for songs he no longer had a personal connection to, and it began to really upset him.
He tried to convince them that it didn't do any good to shout titles at him, he was only going to play what he wanted to, but that didn't stop them. Finally, out of desperation, he played "She Cracked" and made sure everyone knew he was just doing it to get these folks off his back.
I felt badly for him. It's kind of like when folks used to go to FB shows and holler for Pixies songs before he ever started to reconcile his past life with his current one.
After the show, which was very good, but a little depressing considering the rowdy crowd, I helped him load his gear into his car, and he asked me how I liked the show. I told him that it was really great, but I was a bit disappointed that he didn't play one of my favorite tunes of his, "I Wanna Sleep In Your Arms."
He told me (in his classic third-person stance) "Jonathan hasn't played that song in at least seven years." Then he opened the trunk of his car, took out the guitar case he had just packed away, took out his guitar, knelt down at my feet and propped it on his knee.
He struggled with the chords at first, but ultimately played the entire song to me in a whisper while staring straight into my eyes. This was in a shitty, dark alley behind the nightclub. At one point, someone opened the back door which was right by us, and Jonathan stopped playing, turned and asked the guy if he could please leave us alone for a minute. The guy looked confused and went back inside. Then he finished the song.
"That was just for you," he said. And then he got in his car and drove off.
As a fan/audience member, I don't think I've ever felt more sincere appreciation from a musician than that. It will forever color my perception of what it means to be an entertainer. Perhaps that's why I cut Jonathan some slack. There aren't many people who would do that after a terribly unfulfilling show to a virtually empty room.
He's in his own world.
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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the swimmer
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1602 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 17:29:18
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| That was the best story I have heard in a very long time. Thanks for sharing it with us. It was very nice. |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2003 : 20:05:19
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quote:
Originally posted by the swimmer
That was the best story I have heard in a very long time. Thanks for sharing it with us. It was very nice.
I'm glad you appreciated it. It's truly one of the most unusual things that has ever happened to me.
A few years after that I was talking with a friend whose band had been touring the country for the first time. All of the members of her group were just thrilled beyond belief to be out on the road, and they were regaling me with tales from their outing.
One of them mentioned that they had caught an outdoor gig by the great Richard Thompson somewhere up north (maybe D.C.), and had gotten to talk to him after the show. Knowing that the lead singer was a huge Richard Thompson fan, I asked her what was said and her impressions of the man.
"Nope," she said. "I can't share it. I've already told about three people and it's starting to wear off." She then proceeded to tell me her theory of how retelling personal anecdotes of great importance causes their memories to become less real. She believed that in the process of explaining them to somebody, that's when tiny bits of fantasy and embellishment start to creep in, and ultimately render the original memory so tainted that you can't trust your own recollection.
I never put too much credence into that theory, but just in case, I have rarely spoken of that Jonathan Richman thing. However, through the miracle of the internet, I can now tell it once, and untold people will have the opportunity to hear what I believe is an extremely charming tale.
Now I can leave it alone again for another 10 years or so.
There is a part of me that has always wondered if Mr. Richman has any memory of our little exchange, and if so, how his version would differ from mine.
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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misterwoe
= Cult of Ray =
Greece
675 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 09:45:30
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Yeah, great story. I've just recently really gotten into Jonathan Richman. I think his eccentricity alone would be enough to keep me entertained. Either way he seems to be a very talented and unique musician, and I really hope I get the chance to see him play.
It makes me mad when people go to shows and scream out requests, especially when it comes to musicians such as FB and JR. We should consider ourselves lucky that these guys are still playing considering how unsuccessful their records have been. Most musicans would quit and do something else, but not guys like these. They truly are real people making real music. In a world dominated by corporate sellouts, what I like to call manufactured bands, we really need to take the time and thank these guys for playing in bars every night. That is what a really show is. Not some huge thing at an arena where people 80 bucks for nosebleed seats, but a close intimated bar setting. That is a real show. Those are the ones I never forget.
How about some Ether? |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 11:14:17
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quote:
Originally posted by misterwoe
We should consider ourselves lucky that these guys are still playing considering how unsuccessful their records have been. Most musicans would quit and do something else, but not guys like these. They truly are real people making real music. In a world dominated by corporate sellouts, what I like to call manufactured bands, we really need to take the time and thank these guys for playing in bars every night. That is what a really show is. Not some huge thing at an arena where people 80 bucks for nosebleed seats, but a close intimated bar setting. That is a real show. Those are the ones I never forget.
I agree. For what it's worth, here's a quick list of a few bands I think are some of the most overlooked and underappreciated acts in the field of rock/alternative rock. Many of them are still slugging away, because they view themselves as artists who just happen to work in the medium of music as ooposed to folks who play music for a living.
You might enjoy many of these acts, and I believe they're all worth checking out:
Webb Wilder
The Swimming Pool Q's
The Feelies
GAM
The Coolies
Brian & The Nightmares
Gong
Felt
Eugene Chadbourne
Jon Wayne
Sonic's Rendezvous Band
The Rat Race Choir (the one with Sonny Vincent and Cheetah Chrome)
Pylon
The Jody Grind
The Monks of Doom
Glen Phillips Band (not the guy from Toad the Wet Sprocket)
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 11:31:10
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mr. radiator - that story is incredible. i'm really speechless
-brian |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 11:58:00
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| Yeah, I started to reply something along those lines when I read it last night, but I couldn't word it the way I wanted to (not a regular occurence for me) so I just left it. A touching and ... melancholy (?) ... story. |
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JamesM
= Cult of Ray =
308 Posts |
Posted - 05/02/2003 : 12:15:14
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Hey, great story, Peter. Oh, and just so you know, the Monks of Doom are supposed to be reuniting sometime (of course, Victor's been saying this for the past three or so years) for a couple of shows and are releasing a covers album of mostly old and some new stuff. Apparantly, they can't get Immy away from Counting Crows long enough, though. Victor's solo albums (and Greg's, too) are worth checking out too, in fact, I like them better than the MoD records.
-Jimmy M. |
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2003 : 14:38:57
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quote:
Originally posted by JamesM
Hey, great story, Peter. Oh, and just so you know, the Monks of Doom are supposed to be reuniting sometime (of course, Victor's been saying this for the past three or so years) for a couple of shows and are releasing a covers album of mostly old and some new stuff. Apparantly, they can't get Immy away from Counting Crows long enough, though. Victor's solo albums (and Greg's, too) are worth checking out too, in fact, I like them better than the MoD records.
-Jimmy M.
I talked to Victor the other day, and he echoed all of what you mentioned, which is great news! It's funny that they started the covers record back around the time of "Forgery", but it just got sidetracked. Back then I believe it was supposed to be titled "What's Left For Kicks", which I thought was a great name for such an EP.
I can only hope that if they reunite it will be with Crispy behind the drums. Frank Funaro's doing a very good job with the CVB reunion, but Monks music is simply not his style.
One of the biggest disappointments of my musical career came in the early 1990s, when my band was supposed to be the opening act on the Southern leg of the Monks' tour in support of "Meridian". To get to play before those guys every night and watch them mop the floor with us from the side of the stage would have really been like heaven to me.
At the very last minute, we got axed, and a band from Chapel Hill, NC that was on the same tiny indie label as the Monks got the slot. They were called Metal Flake Mother, and their only record is a real overlooked classic. We were pissed, but figured it was meant to be.
Anyway, the label head (who was a good friend of MFM's) had lied to the Monks about that band's popularity in the region, and it turned out to be a real letdown for the MOD. Everywhere they went MFM didn't draw for shit, and musically it was a bad match. Metal Flake's live show was apparently really sloppy and uninteresting compared to their album, and when I ran into Victor again years later, he really regretted the switch.
Metal Flake Mother broke up soon thereafter and were never heard from again, however, one of the main guys in the group later formed the Squirell Nut Zippers and went on to make a bit of money and fame with that. Now he's in The Knockdown Society.
Long live the Monks of Doom. Behold a pale horse.
p.s. If you contact Daniel house at C/Z in Seattle, I think he still has a few of the 10" picture disks of The Insect God EP, and he'll sell you one for cheap if you don't already have it...
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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misterwoe
= Cult of Ray =
Greece
675 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2003 : 09:58:03
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I think you guys would really like my new stuff. I recorded an EP this past February. I'll be going back into the studio in a couple of weeks to finish the album. I'll have to upload it when I'm finished...just as soon as get everything copyrighted. But seriously, this stuff is out there.
How about some Ether? |
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blackpurse
= Cult of Ray =
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2003 : 09:58:51
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First, Radiator, thanks for sharing that wonderful (and well told, I might add) story. By (one of my) trade(s) I am a storyteller and I think all of human existance is really a collection of stories and memories. That's why I just wanted to vomit when I read this:
quote:
Originally posted by peter radiator
"Nope," she said. "I can't share it. I've already told about three people and it's starting to wear off." She then proceeded to tell me her theory of how retelling personal anecdotes of great importance causes their memories to become less real. She believed that in the process of explaining them to somebody, that's when tiny bits of fantasy and embellishment start to creep in, and ultimately render the original memory so tainted that you can't trust your own recollection.
"Well," I probably would have said, "Why did you bring the whole thing up then? So you could tell us how cool you are and how exclusive you are that you had this encounter that we are not worthy of hearing about?" Radiator, please don't let this so-called "theory" deter you from sharing a wonderful warm memory. If you want to tell this story again next week to somebody you ran into that brought to mind this, I hope you do and not sit on it for 10 years. According to your profile, I see that you are a writer (storyteller) by trade as well. I don't have to tell you then, that there's witholding a story because you think it might do damage to one of the participants, or because you fear you might mis-represent somebody on a negative side. But to think that not telling a story will keep your memories from being clouded/less intact is not only ridiculous, its really pretentious. In fact, not writing it down, not re-telling it, is more likely to cloud up the story rather than letting it fester in your organic brain.
This brings to mind the "Patrick's Secret Box" episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, where Patrick tells SpongeBob "I have a secret box, it has the most wonderful thing in it... AND YOU CAN NEVER SEE IT AND I'M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT IT IS." Patrick can be a real asshole sometimes.
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peter radiator
= Cult of Ray =
USA
653 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2003 : 10:43:34
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quote:
Originally posted by blackpurse
By (one of my) trade(s) I am a storyteller and I think all of human existance is really a collection of stories and memories.
Radiator, please don't let this so-called "theory" deter you from sharing a wonderful warm memory.
In fact, not writing it down, not re-telling it, is more likely to cloud up the story rather than letting it fester in your organic brain.
That's a good point. I grew up right next to Jonesborough, TN, home of the National Storytelling Festival, and was raised with a great appreciation for the oral tradition.
The truth is, I always thought that my friend Kelly's tale of how she was reluctant to share personal anecdotes more than a few times made for a great story in itself and I have recounted it often!
I'm usually quite verbose, but I have kept the Richman story (mostly) to myself for years, not so much as a result of her suggestion, but simply because it seemed like it was meant to be kind of a private thing between he and I.
I hope you enjoyed it.
I don't know anything about Mr. Squarepants, except that he's supposed to live at the bottom of the ocean, and is voiced by one of the main guys behind Mr. Show.
By the way, have you ever noticed how peculiar it is that many people say "under the sea" when what they really mean is right smack dab in the middle of it?
~ Peter Radiator
"Real music is out there and real people are making it." ~ Webb Wilder |
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blackpurse
= Cult of Ray =
USA
299 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2003 : 11:13:05
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quote:
Originally posted by peter radiator
I don't know anything about Mr. Squarepants, except that he's supposed to live at the bottom of the ocean, and is voiced by one of the main guys behind Mr. Show.
Steaknsabre and I are parents of a 4 year old, and we can both pretty much tell you the plot lines of character histories of: SpongeBobSquarePants, Dexters Lab, PowerPuffGirls, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and the Rugrats. Tom Kenny is the voice of SpongeBob, (as well as the professor on PPGirls and hundreds of others, he along with Billy West are getting to be this generation's Mel Blanc). Chuckie from the Rugrats and Dexter have the same voice (Christine Cavanaugh). And its heartening to know that musically, our daughter's ears are largely in the hands of Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh, who does the music for 75% of the shows on Nickelodeon.
Equally heartening is the fact that finally cartoons are once again being written on two levels, a child level and an adult level: such that many adults I know (even ones without children) are staunch fans of the above shows. Try 'em. You know the PowerPuff Girls can't be all that lame if FB himself (along with DEVO, they're everywhere, they're everywhere) bothered to write a fairly quality song dedicated to them. |
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