Iconic cult rocker Jonathan Richman will bring his wide-eyed, boyish-albeit-genius wit to Off Broadway Wednesday evening with longtime-drummer Tommy Larkin in tow. Of course you remember the two from their cameos in the Farrelly Brothers movies Kingpin and There's Something About Mary, but the beauty of Richman's songs cannot be understated. Here is a five-song Jonathan Richman primer to get you acquainted with one of the more under-appreciated songwriters of modern music.
Velvet Underground This song serves as the perfect starting point when diving into Richman's catalog. His early material, especially his work with Modern Lovers, was heavily influenced by the Velvets. The fact that he lived on the couch of Velvet Underground's manager, Steve Sesnick, in the late '60s probably had something to do with that.
Since She Started to Ride Since She Started to Ride is the opening track on Jonathan Goes Country (1990), Richman's nod to golden Nashville twang. What's particularly interesting about this song is the fact that it was recorded here in Missouri. Richman enlisted members of The Skeletons, Lou Whitney and D. Clinton Thompson, to perform on and produce the album at the legendary The Studio in Springfield. Richman is another name on the long list of notable artists who have recorded there (i.e. Wilco, The Bottle Rockets, The Urge, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin).
