Richman gets by on decades of charm

ROSS RAIHALA, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, April 5, 2002

There's something about Jonathan Richman.

Even though mainstream audiences unknowingly got a taste of the 50-year-old singer/songwriter in the film "There's Something About Mary," Richman remains an enigma to most. He's the ultimate cult hero who refuses to play by anyone's rules but his own.

Richman returns to Olympia for a concert Saturday night. He last visited town when he opened for -- and some might say stole the show from -- Belle and Sebastian in September.

Richman refuses most interviews. When he does talk to the media, he avoids any questions about his personal life.

"If you could leave any of that out," he once told USA Today, "that would be gratefully acceptable."

When essayist and performer Josh Kornbluth infamously attempted to interview Richman for Salon.com, the musician ended up calling Kornbluth at 2 a.m. He then answered pretty much every question about his music with a quote such as this: "I don't know. It's hard to talk about stuff like that."

Plenty of other people, however, talk about Jonathan Richman.

Recorded in 1971, his debut album with the band the Modern Lovers is now considered one of the most important and influential "alternative" records of all time. But when Richman discusses it -- which, of course, is rare -- it's mainly in a dismissive manner.

In the years since "The Modern Lovers" album finally hit stores in 1976, Richman has released an erratic series of whimsical albums, sometimes sung in a foreign language, sometimes filled with Richman's twisted idea of what children's music should sound like. None, however, have sounded quite like his first.

"The Rolling Stone Album Guide" called him "the most notorious case of arrested development in the history of rock ... sad, if not downright tragic."

On the other hand, the "Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock" said "although he's been making music for a quarter of a century, Richman still sounds like he's playing with a brand new toy."

Born in Boston in 1951, Richman picked up a guitar at 15 and began performing with bands soon after.

Entranced by the Velvet Underground, he eventually put together the Modern Lovers and recorded an album. But record business machinations kept the disc off shelves for years and by the time it was finally released, Richman had formed a new version of the band that shunned rock for quieter, acoustic sounds.

After a brief self-imposed exile in the early '80s, Richman returned to music for a career that has not followed any recognizable path.

"He needed less songs putting down hippies and college students and more songs with, like, melody," Richman wrote about himself in a 1992 record company biography. "He needed some songs which would make pre-teens laugh ... (the) idea was not to make songs aimed specifically at children but ones they could enjoy along with the rest of an audience. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't."

While "The Modern Lovers" album continued to grow in legend, Richman released "Jonathan Goes Country" and "Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar," a Latin-influenced record performed entirely in Spanish.

But just as it seemed Richman was doomed to a life of whimsical obscurity, the writing/directing team of Peter and Bobby Farrelly hired him to appear in their films "Kingpin" and "There's Something About Mary."

"There's Something About Mary" featured Richman and his drummer Tommy Larkins acting as a sort of folk-rock Greek chorus commenting on the movie's storyline. The role led to a mini-revival of interest in Richman.

He has since taken advantage of his higher profile with "I'm So Confused" and "Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow," two of his most straightforward albums in years. (The latter's "Springtime in New York" drew cheers from the Olympia audience when he played it live in September.)

"He's the Andy Griffith of musicians," Peter Farrelly told Entertainment Weekly, "because every time I see him, I laugh, yet I always get a little misty, too. I really believe he's one of the great artists of the last half of this century."

Ross Raihala covers entertainment for The Olympian and can be reached at 360-754-5406 or rraihala@olympia.gannett.com.

Jonathan Richman

- What: The quirky singer/ songwriter performs an all-ages show.

- When: 7 p.m. April 6.

- Where: Thekla, 425 Franklin St. N.E., Olympia.

- Tickets: $8 in advance; $10 at the door. Advance tickets are on sale at Thekla and at Rainy Day Records, 2008 Harrison Ave. N.W., Olympia.

- For information: Call Thekla at 360-352-1855.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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