New dates in UK

Hi guys,
These just announced today:


The Luminaire, Kilburn, London WED 06/10/2010

Amersham Arms, London FRI 08/10/2010

Monto Water Rats, Kings Cross London SAT 09/10/2010

The Tabernacle, Powis Square London MON 11/10/2010

Haven't heard of any continental ones yet.


Bob

Something different: Alex Chilton

Alex Chilton -Like Flies on Sherbert Session from Greg Spradlin on Vimeo.

Like Flies on Sherbert (link)

If you do a Google search on the late great Alex Chilton, a list pops up on the left of the page called 'Something different' with Jonathan Richman at the top of the list, along with Marshall Crenshaw, Paul Westerberg, Gene Clark, and Gram Parsons:

A lot of times, I’m sort of anti-intellectual about music. I think that the best music is not always made by the best musicians. It’s made by the most inspired people with the best idea. (Alex Chilton)

This quote is from a very nice appreciation of Alex Chilton by Alastair McKay at Alternatives to Valium: Goodbye Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel RIP. Your band, Big Star, was like The Beatles, if the Beatles Had Come From Tennessee (link)

A few years ago Alastair McKay rang up Jonathan Richman on the telephone. You can read the results here (link)

Posters from 'The Paradiso' Amsterdam, 1977, '78 & '79

Namechecking and a request

First of all, I don't know who Teenage Fanclub is, but one of my friends does, and sent me this interview in which the lead singer name-checked Jonathan's awesomeness.

NB: I love Jonathan Richman. I love everything he’s done. “That Summer Feeling” is one of those incredible songs. The lyrics—“When the teenage car gets the cop down on it, when the flat of the land has got the crop down on it, when the catamaran has got the top down on it”—just unbelievably brilliant, you know? The last time I saw Jonathan was about six months ago, and he just gets better and better. I’ve got this little story: A friend of mine was promoting a show of Jonathan’s, and he came up to me and said, “You’ll never guess what Jonathan Richman’s rider was.” I said, “I don’t know, what was it?” And he said, “The rider was: a glass of tap water onstage at the side of the microphone. That was it.” [Laughs.] It had to be tap water.

…

AVC: Do you keep up with his newer albums?

NB: Oh yeah. A more recent Jonathan song I love is “My Baby Love Love Loves Me.” He did it live the last time he was in Glasgow, and he had everyone in the room singing for 10 minutes. There were 300 people in this room worshipping at the temple of Jonathan.

….

Interview with Norman Blake by Jason Heller, June 15, 2010, Full interview here.

also, does anyone have the Laura Palmer tape to download? PLEASE???

Two things I love, together

I love Jonathan Richman (okay, duh, I know). I love Bob Dylan. Jonathan Richman doing the song that got me into Bob Dylan? Oh my lord, YES.

It kills me that the crowd noise on this is so loud. KILLS ME. Also, how much do I love that Jonathan forgets the lyrics halfway through and just sort of wings it? God, he's so adorable.