Last week I was fortunate enough to spend an evening in the audience of American treasure, crackpot idol, and should-be MacArthur grant recipient Jonathan Richman.

Billions of words have been written on his influence on rock and songwriting, (as well as on his eccentricities), so I’ll just tell you that if you aren’t tuned in to the Richman Experience, go see a show. If you don’t have that opportunity soon, have a friend make you a mix. Barring that, dive in on your own. If you want to rock, start at the beginning with The Modern Lovers. Otherwise just pick a Jonathan and love him.

Surrender!

Jonathan Richman - The Lovers Are Here And They’re Full Of Sweat from Because Her Beauty Is Raw And Wild (insound / amazon CD / amazon mp3 / itunes)