Friday, November 11, 2005

The difference is clear...

I was just listening to the Sirius BBC Radio 1 feed and two news items immediately got me. In the first, a schoolgirl was attacked and stabbed multiple times with scissors by a gang of teenagers while standing in the lunch line. In the second, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has come under fire for killing a farm animal in rural Italy in the traditional style of the region on his television show.

I can’t help but think that if these had happened in the states, we would’ve blamed the one on the other.

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Mid-Week MP3

After a brief break (due to illness) 1mod is back with another Mid-Week MP3.

This week we explore the work of Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers. Hailing from Boston, Richman tests the waters of idiocy. His songs are simple, even by the proto-punk standards of The Ramones. His lyrics are childlike, almost to a ridiculous degree, but his place in the canon that is our American musical heritage has been cemented by a loyal following since his work in the 1970s.

More recently Jonathan has been met with moderate mainstream attention due to his frequent television appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and his role in 1998's There’s Something About Mary.

But to fans, whether he’s favoring us with old classics, singing Spanish folk songs, or simply giving one of his famous, rambling interviews, he’s just Jonathan… and he has a lot to say about life, love, Abominable Snowmen, and, in this case, those fine folks who work down at the Government Center.

1modernboy humbly requests that you use these MP3s solely as a means of evaluation. If you like what you hear, please buy records, CDs, t-shirts, or other merchandise to support this band/artist and his/her/their label-mates. Seeing them live probably wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Should the features artist, or the related label or distributor take issue with my inclusion of the song file, please don’t hesitate to contact me, so that the offending file can be removed.

Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers – The Government Center