There's Something About Jonathan: Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Softcover

Mitchell, Tim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0720610761 ISBN 13: 9780720610765

Publisher: Peter Owen, 1997

Synopsis

Tim Mitchell, author of Sedition and Alchemy, chronicles the life and music of the writer of 'Roadrunner' and many other American classics. Jonathan Richman has never attained the status of a Lou Reed or a Debbie Harry, though he was part of the New York milieu with them, but he was no less influential.

About this title

Review

'There's Something about Jonathan is no quickie hack job cashing in on Richman's newfound movie semi-stardom. It's a loving, well-researched effort that does a nice job scratching the singer's surface, using the gnarled fingernails that author Tim Mitchell is stuck working with. Mitchell... relies on interviews with various Richman associates. These are universally positive, as is the author's analysis of his subject's music: one can't help picturing Mitchell garbed in cheerleader attire, waiting doe-eyed at the foot of Richman's stage, smiley faced pen in hand. While the Lover may be among the very few performers worthy of such a stack of accolades (188 pages high, not counting one describing an occasion when Jonathan was slightly mean to somebody in 1973), the chorus of praise is ultimately counterproductive. Any performer with a 20-album discography is bound to have a few weak blips along the line. Laying a more critical ear to these moments (his "Here Come the Martian Martians" phase) would help validate praise of Richman's better material. Conversely, some applause here seems too tame: 'I, Jonathan', perhaps one of the most undervalued records of the '90's receives a scant three-page examination, as does the singer's work in 'There's Something About Mary." But this book is as much about its subject's persona as it is about his work - an appropriate tactic, as the two are entwined. The book's money-quote, from producer Brenna Totten, sums this up well: Richman "lives his life in public. He's the same guy when he's painting, and he's the same guy when he's paintig as he is plugging into a Fender twin on stage. Rule one is 'Never lie', ever, under any circumstances." If you wiped out the part about the Fender twin and changed 'Never lie' to 'Always lie,' this quote could be applied to Andy Kaufman, who is either the reverse side of Richman's coin or... well, maybe the exact same guy! Those who complain about how we have no more consummate performers should look no farther than Jonathan Richman, who is currently doing some of is best - and most high-profile - work in Hollywood comedies. Mitchell is clearly in the camp who 'get it', and expresses his admiration with a fan's ardor. But just as no movie can fully explain Kaufman, it's going to take a helluva book to figure out some day what that something about Jonathan really is. --Jay Ruttenberg, Puncture

Synopsis

Cited as a major influence by people as diverse as the Sex Pistols, REM, Cornershop and Pulp, Jonathan Richman is a seminal musician whose career has spanned three decades, from the Warhol scene in the 1960s to movie stardom in the 1990s.'

Edition details

• Publisher: Peter Owen
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0720610761
• ISBN 13: 9780720610765
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 224