Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine - August 1973

(A great interview if you can get past the first mis-spelt line…)

Jonathan Richmond
by Scott Cohen

Jonathan Richmond is the singing lead of The Modern Lovers, a Boston band bound to be the Next Big Thing in rock. They are currently at work on their first album which is being produced by ex-Velveteer John Cale for Warner Brothers. Despite the current glittermania in the music world the Modern Lovers are recording a song called “I’m Straight.” It could be the wave of the future. – G.O.

“WE DON’T WANT SOME GIRL TO FOOL AROUND WITH, WE DON’T WANT JUST SOME GIRL TO BALL. WE’RE THE MODERN LOVERS FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS AND WE CAME HERE TONIGHT TO SAY WE ONLY WANT A GIRL WE CARE ABOUT OR WE WANT NOTHING AT ALL…” Jonathan Richman

How did the group get its name? It’s the kind that you have to be good to live up to.

We wanted a name for a rock and roll band that wouldn’t be just another name, but would describe the group. The Modern Lovers was chosen because we sing modern love songs.

What is “modern love?”

“Old love” is the whole Casanova thing. Don Juan trying to get as many girls as he can. He’s proud of fucking girls. He likes the power and the whole ego thing of sex. I think that whole form of love is outmoded because it really isn’t love. People don’t distinguish between love and the ego thing of sex. Here you have Don Juan, the young lover, and let’s say his idea of a beautiful woman walks by. He says, “I must have you” in other words, “I love you.” That’s my idea of horseshit. The girl would say, “Don’t you care about what I want? What do you mean you love me? You mean you want to do what you want to me.” So Don Juan says, “I could show you new things,” and she says “Yeah, but suppose I’m not ready for it?” If Don Juan was together and really liked himself he would know that when a girl wants and needs him he won’t have to tell her. He won’t have to convince her. There she is. All this convincing is forcing the issue. When I say “modern love” I mean the time when you don’t have to force the issue. When you don’t have to prove anything to yourself. When you think you’re alright. When you don’t need sex to feel alright.

What is your kind of woman?

Well, I like all girls, but as far as my kind of woman goes, if there is any, it is someone who has a fire inside she’s in touch with and doesn’t waste any time to express it.

Where would you go on a dream date?

First, maybe a dream date would be a date where you spend the whole time dreaming. That’s my idea of a dream date. It’s at night under the stars. I could be right here. Or near Chinatown, overlooking the East River. A dream date would be trying to get closer to the dream, the girl and you both see the sky, and the sky is a combination of that cobalt blue and that warmth and that cold that scares you and you want to fly into it. This is what the guy thinks. This is what the guy thinks. And this is what the girl thinks. Combined, they are both thinking the same thing.

When you write a song are you writing what the guy is thinking and what the girl is thinking? Are you trying for more than one point of view?

First I write what I’m thinking, what I want to tell, which is a combination of what I see girls thinking and what I see guys thinking. Suppose I see a lot of guys feeling they’re inferior because they don’t fuck. That makes me write a song that says you’re not inferior because you don’t fuck. In fact, that would be the title of the song. And if I see girls thinking, “Where’s the man who understands these dreams?” I would want to write a song ”I’m the Man Who Understands, Just Like All Men Can.”

Many of the Modern Lovers’ songs are about pure love and are down on sex and drugs. Does most of your audience think you’re putting them on?

I think some of them are too shocked. Some of them are sure we’re putting them on. Some of them can’t hear the lyrics because we don’t have a good P.A. system and don’t worry about it. Some of them are too scared and don’t know what’s happening and can’t even get that specific. But I want to do everything I can to let everyone know I’m serious.

Would it bother you if an audience left a Modern Lovers’ concert totally smashed by the music but had ignored the lyrics?

I don’t know if it can be differentiated that way. First of all, my voice… let’s say it’s a situation where they can hear everything, the P.A.’s working, or better still, let’s say the audience is French, or Indian, where they don’t have a chance. See, they wouldn’t understand the words because they didn’t understand the language, but they heard my voice singing those words and if I have my heart in those words then the very sound of my voice conveys it.

Your phrasings are like your heartbeats.

That’s why I cry when I sing. I break down and cry, I’m so moved by my own singing. I’m almost crying now.

How important are your tears when you perform?

Very.

What were you doing before you were a Modern Lover?

I was frustrated. I had no friends. I had big dreams. And even for a while during the early Lover stages I had these problems.


(Continues in the comments section below...)

Not So Much to be Loved as to Love

The cover of Jonathan's new release, Not So Much to be Loved as to Love, is an intriguing silhouette of a woman kissing a dog at sunset. My first reaction to the songs inside was a bit muted. As has been the case on several Jonathan discs, the foreign language songs are the most instantly striking. Much of the rest seems to coast along on a mid-tempo shuffle with lyrics that don't seem to have been fleshed out. "Salvador Dali" is the weakest, by far, of the great painters series but also included is a fine version of "Vincent Van Gogh" complete with some new lyrics and a plaintive guitar. It took me a while to discover that the finest number is the final cut, an unlisted bonus track (#15) which is a softer version of the title cut. Stripped of extraneous noise, this song seems to some up Jonathan's career quite well and ranks as his strongest number of the new millenium.

-- Adam

DKT/ MC5

[On 15 August] DKT-MC5 played at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. They are 3 original members of the MC5 (Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer and Dennis 'machine gun' Thompson) with Nick Royale of Hellacopters on gtr, Mark Arm of Mudhoney vocals and Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brothers vocals. They were brilliant! Played their greatest hits + a Ray Charles tribute. If you can see them (now in England) don't hesitate.

... they were really rocking! Mark Arm sang most of the songs and made a very good job of it. Nick Royale played perfect. Johnny Walker sang a few songs and played some harp, not bad either. And don't think DKT can't play their instruments anymore ... Although the show did not sell out (it was not cheap and there was a big festival at the same time elsewhere) the audience liked it a lot. After the show a lot of t-shirts were sold and I got mine signed by D, K,T and Mark Arm and they were very friendly towards the fans. The opener by the way was none other than John Sinclair with a bunch of dutch blues musicians. This sounded very dated but it was fun to see and hear John Sinclair making up texts of his old ideals on the spot(at least that is what I think). He played because The Icarus Line who were billed as opener cancelled their european tour.

-- Sjoerd

roadrunner

song review on allmusic

tour dates Autumn 2004

from Vapor Records

SEPTEMBER
14 - San Jose, CA, Blank Club
15 - Berkeley, CA, Berkeley
Community Theater with Neil Young and Joanna Newsom.
22 - 23 - Barcelona, Spain, Barcelona Forum
24 - Menorca, Spain
25 - Mallorca, Spain
28 - Valencia, Spain
30 - Toledo, Spain

OCTOBER
1 - Segovia, Spain
2 - San Sebastian, Spain
4 - 6 - London, England, The London Jazz Cafe'

Jon Richman part 5

"All I can say is, it's not to my taste," Ernie Brooks shrugs. " I don't know whether Jonathan freaked out on his own seriousness or if his inspiration somehow changed. I don't want to put him down for doing that. It just doesn't interest me."

Whatever he does, Jonathan is a great performer. He's great at putting himself totally out there and trying to reach an audience. But his newer stuff -- it's like he's trying to reach kids or something."

Jonathan later comes back to the point: "We were talking about me writing songs and how it isn't that much of an effort for me to be free and all. But that doesn't mean it wasn't an effort for me to loosen myself up. It didn't just happen as I was writing the songs. It happened slowly over a period of years. Then I would write music which was free; when I played for an audience they would respond in a new way and that would make me loosen up again. It was this cycle of slowly getting looser over the years. Partly it was that I didn't care what people thought, anyway. When we first did 'I'm a Little Dinosaur,' which had me crawling around on the floor, the other guys said, 'Jonathan affects a voice of reason regarding lunacy. Uh- oh!' But it was me doing it and I didn't mind."

to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November1979

part 4

Jonathan and Girls

Jonathan was one of those kids who was totally in his own world. He did not know how to talk to girls. He put them up on a pedestal. He'd visit girls at night up on the astral plane. Some of the girls he intercepts up there he may have known from other lives. He'd call me up at six in the morning and wake me up. "Ernie, I entered her dream last night. I know I entered her dream. I don't know if I should have done that." I'd say, "No Jonathan, that's wrong. Don't do that."

-- Ernie Brooks in Yakety Yak (Scott Cohen)

viking kittens

this is a fun link from alex

viking kittens

turn your computer sound on

from the vaults 1998

From: Doug
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 17:05:43 -0400
Subject: Re: Jojo: MC5

>> Their down side, is that Punkers find them too "Hippy" sounding, and Boomers find them too Chaotic. >>

> I tend to agree with this criticism. When I first got into punk a couple of years ago I made it a point to listen to the "roots" of the genre (Dolls, Velvets, Stooges, and MC5). Of those groups, the MC5 sound the most dated. I really can't imagine someone who wasn't alive during the sixties finding much relevance in their music, but that's just my opinion. That being said, I think it's worth the 8 or 9 bucks to buy one of their budget-priced CDs and decide for yourself whether they were any good. Most people I've talked to seem to think that "High Times" is the best record to start with. >

I'd start with the first album, which was recorded live and really is a classic. One problem I have with the MC5 is that they were heavilly influenced by soul and free jazz (Sun Ra, Coltrane), which aren't my cup of tea. And I hate Rob Tyners white soul-shouter voice. That's what makes them sound so dated. But, they have influenced all sorts of people like Radio Birdman, and the Nomads, and shouldn't be discounted so quickly.

> I would, however, wholeheartedly recommend all of Wayne Kramer's solo output, which is getting better with every passing album. I'd like to recommend a new CD by a group called the Sonics' Rendezvous Band. >

This was Fred Smith's (of the MC5) band and he disbanded it in the late 1970's when he and Patti went "into retirement". I had the good luck of seeing them live 3 times, and they might have been the best live band in the world at the time.

But, Fred's history of substance abuse, and his total lack of business sense made sure that they never released anything other than a 45 called City Slang, which now sells for over $100. The new CD is live stuff from their heyday. It is totally superb, and sounds just as fresh today as it did when it recorded 20 years ago. It should be available from the usual places that specialize in indie type stuff. In NYC, Subterranean is the place to start, and they also do mailorder.

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-- rb

from the vaults 1996

From: Nick D
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 11:08:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Jojo: Jonathan memories and blather

I don't think it is fair nor accurate to say that these bands were just supporters of a leader's vision. Jim Morrison would be nothing without Ray and the boys. The same is true of Nirvana, The Replacements and The Modern Lovers. Every band demands some element of compromise. The linear relationship probably has more to do with the aesthetics of sloppiness, innocence or at least something like that. Oh well, whatever, nevermind.

On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, DAN F wrote:

Can anyone trace/outline the stylistic/artistic relation between Jonathan Richman, The Replacements and Nirvana? Hmm. A test. I'd say that they all involved a catalyst bringing a batch of not-much-future musicians to a level of renown and ability that could support them, separately, after the leader's exit. ...Except for Jerry Harrison, who had a solo hit with "Rev It Up" ...not to mention his Talking Heads work. Oh Yeah, and that guy that when on to be in The Cars. Then there's always that Foo Fighters band who are currently tearing up the charts. ...and last I checked, Paul Westerburg, Tommy Stinson (Perfect + Bash & Pop), Chris Mars and hired gun Slim Dunlap all had solo careers going.

"The Music that you listen to is the Soundtrack for your Life"

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It's funny, when I went to the archives to get a post that was dated August 16, I could only find one post for that date for the years 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000: the monthly FAQ!

Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list. If this is your message and you want it altered or removed, contact Jojoblog.

-- rb