Interesting interview with Eric Alan from KLCC, NPR for Oregonians:
http://klcc.org/post/jonathan-richman-finds-his-way-bohemia
Here's a transcript of the interview:
Interview starts with excerpt from the released Single version of "Oh Sun"
Eric:
I'm Eric Alan for KLCC.
Jonathan Richman continues to pursue his unique musical path long after his band the Modern Lovers helped define the punk era in the 1970's, a band whose first incarnation included Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads and David Robinson of the Cars.
Jonathan Richman and drummer Tommy Larkins are touring behind new songs issued on 7" vinyl singles and they'll perform at the Axe & Fiddle in Cottage Grove on Monday evening June 8th.
In a conversation from his northern California home Jonathan talks about the initial influences that inspired his entry into music.
Jonathan:
Before I sang I drew and painted all day long as a teenager so when I heard music first actually it was the Lovin' Spoonful that grabbed me the color and their sound and then the Velvet Underground and when I heard them I heard the colors and the sound and I went "my gosh, this is it this is like painting and sound and with electric guitars like that you can paint moods and atmospheres and rhythm and color in front of the audience"
Eric:
That entry in music was made easier by parents who supported his teenage decision to pursue music professionally and that parental trust inspires one of his new songs an ode of gratitude called "They Showed Me The Door to Bohemia".
An excerpt from the single version of "Bohemia" is played...
Well, my parents didn't laugh at me and my pretentious artwork when I was sixteen. They knew I had to start somewhere so they just dropped me off at Harvard Square. They knew that, well, Jonathan has to find his way somehow to Bohemia. That's how it goes, he's one of them. They didn't mind. It wasn't...they didn't mind.
There I was in Harvard Square. Pretentious artwork in my hand. The hipsters saw me standing there they could see this young man had to find his way to Bohemia.
Jonathan:
You knew the second my parents were loose about it really made it easier it was one less thing for me to have to fight against. That they trusted my judgement made it much easier for me to learn the things that I had to learn. Once they realized I was serious about it that I wasn't just an "entertainer" as my father put it...that didn't thrill him...once they saw that I cared about the music then they were in.
Eric:
The Modern Lovers had their song "Roadrunner" covered by the Sex Pistols and Joan Jett among others and Jonathan Richman's career has since included numerous solo albums, a major on-screen role in the hit movie "There's Something About Mary", and many appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
At this point in his career Jonathan Richman is still looking to one of his other influences for inspiration namely Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones in a new song called "Keith".
An excerpt from the Single version of "Keith Richards" is played...
Oh Keith Richards,
No one plays guitar like you,
Oh Keith Richards,
No plays guitar like you
Not exactly the blues
Cause its sorta European too
Eric:
Jonathan Richman has a noted distrust of digital technology...he adamantly doesn't have a website, doesn't participate in on-line culture and much prefers issuing music on vinyl over CD.
When I express admiration for his ability to keep distant from addictive electronics he tells me that it wouldn't be so hard for me to follow the same path.
Jonathan:
There's nothin' to it you just...you got a window?
Eric:
I do.
Jonathan:
Ok, you got your technology right in your hand near ya?
Eric:
I do.
Jonathan:
You see the window?
Eric:
laughs
Jonathan:
You see what's comin' next? See where I'm headed with this?
Eric:
Jonathan:
Anybody can do this you know...the window is there...and there's the big old dirt outside waiting for a big bunch of big plastic technology.
Eric:
His preference for vinyl is a sonic one echoing the thoughts of many who prefer the warm tone of records in comparison to CD's or digital files.
It also resonates with the young audiences he says he's finding.
Jonathan:
I like the way it sounds a billion times better and a lot of our fans are in their twenties and teens and as me and Tommy my drummer travel around we notice a lot of record stores. Who are they owned and operated by? People in their early twenties. What do they sell? Vinyl. They're into vinyl and I think they're right. I applaud their decision. It shows they've got good ears cause you can hear the difference.
Eric:
Over the course of the years Jonathan Richman has sometimes sung in other languages besides English and that trend continues with the new song called "Wait Wait" inspired by the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez.
Jonathan:
One of my good pals from Madrid who also sings backup on it, David Menendez turned me on to this guy Juan Ramón Jiménez. He send me a little booklet that he made of his stuff and when I got to that poem from Eternidades I went "oh my god, that's totally musical.
An excerpt from the Single version of "Wait Wait" is played...
Eric:
When I express my appreciation for the beauty of the Spanish language and it's rhythms in comparison to English he defends the beauty of English and I have to concede the point.
Jonathan:
Oh c'mon English is great! English has got big one syllable words like "I love". You can like say it in two syllables in English. You can say like with Cole Porter "I get a kick out of you". All of those one-syllable words? English is a fabulous language for songs. Like, um Robert Johnson...you know those songs...English is great for this stuff, it's just a different vibe, a different rhythm it just rhymes real differently. So some sentiments come out better in some languages and some in the other, that's why I do the different languages. A lot of times the sentiment comes out better in one language than the other for me.
Eric:
Perhaps I'm just too hard on my own native language I suppose it's easy sometimes to be hard on our own culture.
Jonathan:
Well look at all the variety. James Joyce which language did he write? English I do believe, no?
Eric:
True.
Jonathan:
Gerard Manley Hopkins, W B Yeats, English all. The list is endless. I'm just warming up! Shakespeare I do believe. English no? English si? Fabulous.
Eric:
Jonathan Richman expresses how much more comfortable he was early on in live performance as opposed to making albums and his approach to current concerts remains one of being in the moment; according to the situation with which he's presented.
Jonathan:
You sniff the air. I don't have one idea, like "Oh I want to create x mood". You get in the room, you make up some of your songs, some of the songs you sing that you already know, and the mood that you want starts to be created by the room itself, the vibe of the room, and who shows up most importantly and you can't predict that.
Do not come to this show expecting what most folks my age do which is retrospective and a little of this and a little of that...No! You might hear nothing older than six months old at one of these shows.
--
The interview ends with Eric plugging Jonathan's upcoming show and involvement with Blue Arrow Records.
Another excerpt from the "Bohemia" single is played as an outro.
