Old World is the young Jonathan Richman's ode to the people and things that came before: parents, 1950s apartment houses, and the whole traditional world they represent. At first listen, it might sound like a deeply conformist tune, but in our conversation, we argue that it's actually quite the opposite. There's almost something radical about a young person singing lines like "I still love parents" so openly, especially in the highly countercultural historical context of the moment Jonathan was living in. Old World can be seen as an act of cultural rebellion, one so deeply uncool that, as co-host Jonathan Mann puts it, it sees Richman "swing back around to being the coolest ever.”
Listen to Old World.
This week, your hosts Jonathan and Carolyn accompany Jonathan Richman on a journey to the astral plane! After acknowledging that this song might sound a bit "problematic" to contemporary listeners, we also talk about the importance of art that makes space to acknowledge and process impulses that aren't entirely appropriate or socially acceptable. Carolyn argues that the intensity of Richman's youthful yearnings goes hand in hand with Astral Plane's concerns with the supernatural, and Jonathan shares some thoughts on the musical touches that lend Astral Plane some delicious emotional complexity and flavor.
In this inaugural episode of Important In Your Life, your hosts Jonathan Mann and Carolyn Petit start the show with a showstopper! Yes, we begin our exploration of Jonathan Richman’s career with "Roadrunner," arguably his most legendary song, and one which was covered by Joan Jett, the Sex Pistols and many others.
Our conversation starts with a quick look at our personal introductions to Jonathan’s music, and some thoughts on why some people become such lifelong, devoted fans. We then discuss what makes "Roadrunner" a quintessential Jonathan tune, one that contains, even at that early stage, some of the qualities that would go on to define him as an artist. We also discuss his uneasy relationship with the possibility of mainstream success, how his love of the modern world has evolved, and the numerous versions of "Roadrunner" that Jonathan recorded and released.
Listen to "Roadrunner":
Listen to "Sister Ray" by The Velvet Underground
Read There’s Something About Jonathan by Tim Mitchell