FRI 10/17: Jonathan Richman, almost "cheap thrill"

Jonathan Richman's show at the Somerville Theatre is sold out tonight; but a little bird has told me that a dozen or so standing-room tickets will be made available today.

It's $15, but absolutely worth it. The Somerville Theatre box office opens at 4pm, and they probably won't last long. The show starts at 8pm.

I saw Jonathan and his drummer, Tommy, at the Middle East earlier this year. Except for some gray hair in the beard, you might think that Richman resides in some sort of time-stasis chamber where he writes songs about love and Boston. Although Jonathan was under doctor's orders (in March) to preserve his voice, the stage banter -- that's half the charm of the performance – should be flowing tonight.

I love Jonathan Richman -- maybe The Modern Lovers stuff more so, but his solo stuff always puts me in a good mood. The earnest simplicity in his poetry that is pure Jonathan. FYI: He emphatically told me that he still loves Boston even though he's moved.

Below is a portion of "Girlfriend" originally from the seminal album, The Modern Lovers, from one of his Middle East shows: