"Twice a year we have special programming called "Orgy Season" in which we play solid blocks of themed music (an artist, a record label, some more obscure theme - you can find info about them on our website: http://whrb.org/orgies.html.) This year, on Dec. 2nd, from 5am to 5pm, we're going to be doing a Jonathan Richman Orgy and playing as much of his music as we can fit straight through".
It can be heard at 95.3fm in the greater Boston area, or online at whrb.org.
Here is a French band of fans of Jonathan's consisting in five ukulele players (one is left handed as you may notice), and a tub-bass player. Here they are playing their cover of Egyptian reggae. Definitely Jonathanish..
"I'm just beginning to live" by JR and the Moderns Lovers from "The Historic Debt" video (released in 1991) on youtube.
Information about "The Historic Debt" from discogs: "This release is unique. All tracks have been donated royalty free and funds raised by this project will be used to pay back some of the huge debt still owed to independent labels from the collapse of Rough Trade Distribution. Special thanks to the artists who have donated their songs, and to everyone involved in the release who have willingly offered their services either totally free or at cost"
More infomation about JR discography and rare releases at:
Hat tip to T. Ballard Lesseman and Brooklyn Brewery, without whom I would not have known these exciting things about the amazingly prolific poet Vic Chesnutt because I have been under a rock sleeping for the past year:
THE VIC CHESNUTT RECORD AND WHY ME AND TOMMY WANTED TO DO IT
JONATHAN: "My drummer Tommy Larkins and I were driving in the van across the United States as we do two or three times a year on our tours of clubs and I said, 'Y’ know, we should produce Vic’s next record!' And he said he thought so too. We both were thinking that the way to get the feeling for Vic as a listener was to hear just Vic – no arrangements, no guest guitar solo guys, no 'ironic' touches or anything else to cloud his voice or his poetry. His guitar playing is also the guitar playing on this recording because we think no help is needed."
"Tommy and I have toured with Vic several times and he’s long been one of our favorites. So we’re both proud of this record and glad for the chance to make it our way. A lot of it was brand new stuff - a few hours old or becoming a song right there as he sang."
VIC: "I’m honored to work with Jonathan Richman. Over the years he’s taken me under his wing and mentored me in a very meaningful way, truly shaping me into the songwriter and performer I am today. And it is an ongoing process.”
Here Vic teams up with Jonathan Richman (guitar, harmonium) and Tommy Larkin (drums). Richman dons his producers hat capturing everything live and off the cuff.
Walter “Big Train” Johnson was a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Senators of Major League Baseball between 1907 and 1927. Johnson established several pitching records during his twenty-year career, many of which remained unbroken for nearly a century.
Johnson’s legendary gentle nature is still held up today as an example of good sportsmanship and friendly competition. Only fellow Hall of Famer Ty Cobb – coincidentally a prime example of the antithesis of good sportsmanship -- seemed to take advantage of Johnson’s disposition. While most batters were concerned about being hit by Johnson's blazing fastball, and were reluctant to stand close to the plate while batting, Cobb realized that the good-hearted Johnson was privately nervous about the possibility of seriously injuring a batsman. Almost alone among his peers, Cobb would actually stand closer to the plate than usual when facing Johnson—unless it was an overcast day.
Well now when pitchers throw their pitch to scare
They actually try to almost hit that opposing player
Walter Johnson wouldn't do that not even just a little He made sure he through the baseball right down the middle And all through baseball he was loved and respected Was there bitterness in Walter Johnson? Well it was never detected
One hour before the show, and when only a few people were at the venue, Jonathan gave a CD to the DJ, because he didn’t want to make a great change in the style of music when the show began. And after that, we could listen to some themes of Van Morrison and Elliott Murphy (among other songs that I didn’t recognize).
It was a great show, with a lot of new songs (six that I didn’t have heard before). And new lyrics in some others (like In che mondo viviamo, Cosi veloce, and Es como el pan). The rapport was great, specially in the Italian songs. The only problem was that Big Mama didn’t have a good visibility of the stage for some parts of the venue, but Jonathan fixed it up by approaching to the extremes of the stage. And in the middle of “Dancing in the moonlight”, he even walked through the crowd while he was singing. The show was a little longer than usual, distributed in two sets.
1st set:
1) Egyptian Reggae 2) In Che Mondo Viviamo 3) Pablo Picasso 4) Dancing In The Moonlight (King Harvest cover) 5) The Dark Crypt Like Arcade (?) 6) The Sadness Of The Youth (?) New song in Hebrew 7) Keith Richards (with 2 reprises) 8) I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar 9) Le Printemps Des Amoureux Est Venu
2nd set:
10) Her Beauty Is Raw And Wild 11) Sunday Afternoon 12) (?) New song in French 13) A Hard Time Saying Goodbye (?) 14) Take Me To The Plaza 15) Cosi Veloce 16) South American Folk Song 17) Vampiresa Mujer 18) Es Como El Pan 19) Springtime In NY 20) No One Was Like Vermeer Encore: 21) This Romance Will Be Different For Me 22) When We Refuse To Suffer
A girl yelled at the end: Torna pronto! And I’m sure that all the audience was thinking the same. Jonathan, come back soon!
Thanks to Andi for sending us the link of a radio broadcasted concert at Schauburg, Bremen, Germany (3rd June 1985) posted on thenewdisease.blogspot.com
1. Egyptian Regge (2:54) 2. Ice Cream Man (3:14) 3. Vincent Van Gogh (3:12) 4. Louie Louie (2:20) 5. When I Dance (5:00) 6. The Beach (3:11) 7. The Ufo Man (3:22) 8. Chewing Gum Wrapper (3:40) 9. Affection (4:30) 10. Corner Store (4:31) 11. Lover, Please (2:26) 12. Malaguena De Jojo (1:39) 13. Stop This Car (1:45) 14. Rocking Leprechauns (1:32) 15. Now Is Better Than Before (2:38) 16. Not Yet Three (2:38) 17. I'm Just Beginning To Live (2:30) 18. That Summer Feeling (5:00) 19. This Kinda Music (4:52) 20. Hey There Little Insect (2:59) 21. Shirind & Farah (5:25) 22. Chewing Gum Wrapper (3:23) 23. Give Paris One More Chance (4:00) 24. Walter Johnson (2:58)
