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Jonathan Richman

Biography

Jonathan Richman

Overview

  • Born
    May 16, 1951 · Natick, Massachusetts, USA

Biography

  • Massachusetts native Jonathan Richman first gained fame as the frontman for the legendary The Velvet Underground-influenced proto-punk band "The Modern Lovers", who recorded their first and only album in 1973. The self-titled record included such classics as "Roadrunner", "Pablo Picasso" and "She Cracked". Yet despite his punk rock notoriety - "Roadrunner" was famously covered by Sex Pistols - Richman had a musical change of heart and resurfaced in 1977 with a new incarnation of his band on the album "Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers", and a new sound typified by simple, acoustic songs with sweet and often childlike lyrics. He gained a loyal cult following and has continued to release albums and tour. Richman made his first film appearance with a brief cameo in the Farelly brothers' 1996 film, Kingpin (1996), and later received some of his most notable mainstream exposure when he sang tunes such as "True Love is Not Nice" in 1998's Farelly smash-hit There's Something About Mary (1998).
    - IMDb mini biography by: Azure_Girl

Quotes

  • I'm still learning how to play the guitar, I'm still learning a lot, so to me I feel like a beginner. I like learning to change the way I play.
  • Chatting to my fans is fun. I prefer that to just signing autographs.
  • I like it when a gig is intimate. I don't think it's good to go out at night and have everything be all alienating, so if people come to the show, let's have some fun.
  • I decided as a kid I wanted to be a baseball player. Then I wanted to paint pictures and from there I decided I wanted to sing.

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