Jonathan Richman

I saw Jonathan Richman at The Space on Thursday. I had never heard of him or his old band, The Modern Lovers, but my friend Amy said that it would be worth seeing. Jonathan Richman obviously has access to the same youth potion as Iggy Pop because at 53, and after a life of touring, he could pass for under 40. With just a classical guitar and a drummer he managed to create as much energy as most amplified bands. Some of the lyrics were very jokey (i.e. Does she cook beans? / Does she cook rice? / Does she do ritual sacrifice? / Vampire Girl, Vampire Girl / Whoah, I get so intrigued when they look like a vampire girl) but despite that (and a fair amount of ironic dancing and twirling of the classical guitar) Richman couldn't help sounding sincere during many of his songs. He's probably best known these days for the songs he played (after incongruously walking on screen) in Something About Mary but he's definitely more than a novelty act.