Jonathan Richman Onstage

Jonathan Richman Onstage, originally uploaded by dumbeast.

at the Bird & Beckett Bash, SF CA.

Funny story. Last weekend, Jonathan Richman was doing this gig for Bird & Beckett Books, a benefit for an independent bookstore. Mary and Cathy found out about it and Cathy got tickets. Always loved Jonathan Richman, ever since I first heard The Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner". So that morning, when I read a Jonathan Richman name-check in this book,

it made me really happy.

Howard Waldrop is new to me--sort of a proto-bizarro SF guy. I'd never read anything of his before, and there on page 22, in the story "The Ugly Chickens" he wrote:

Who cares? the whole thing will be just another media event, just this year's Big Deal. It'll be nice getting normal again. I can read books, see movies, wash my clothes in the laundromat, listen to Jonathan Richman on the stereo. I can study and become an authority on some minor matter or other.
I can go to museums and see all the wonderful dead things there.

As it was my current book, I brought it along to read on the commute to Glen Park, where the benefit was being held.

The benefit was mostly a jazz event, and that's what just about everybody was there for. Nobody I spoke to there even knew who Jonathan Richman was.

They were all there to hear Ebenezra Saxblaat and his Geriatric 9 or whatever. Jonathan's set was to be shoe-horned into the headliners' intermission.

Every so often, I get an idea which seems really good to me, and then I eventually find out I'm the only person who thinks so. I thought it'd be cool to have Jonathan sign the book right near where he was mentioned in it. Mary was skeptical.* "Jonathan Richman is never going to sign a library book. Why do you have to be so weird all the time, you weirdo!" So I went ahead and did it.

"Hi, Mr Richman, so glad to see you here. Huge fan. How you doing?"
He was visibly uncomfortable. "Uh, alright, I guess."
"Listen, do you mind if I take a few moments of your time? I was just reading this book this morning, and you were mentioned in it, see, I underlined your name here, and I was wondering if I could get you to sign it right near there..."
"What? What is this book? You want....what does it say?"
I read him the passage, and showed him the cover. "It's kind of weird sci-fi, this story's about the last of the dodos, look, Janis Ian did a blurb on the back, see, she likes him..."
Jonathan took my pen. "Alright." Began to write on the facing page, then paused. "What's your name?"
" Well, my name's Bruce, but that doesn't really matter. It's a library book. I'll return it, and it'll be like, value added for anybody who checks it out, and..."
"A what? You....A library b--? Nuh, no. No I c--"



























He handed the pen back to me.
"Alright. Well, thanks anyway. Have a great set. Really looking forward to it. And thanks again."

He did a great set. His encounter with a crazed, library book defacing fanboy didn't seem to faze him one bit. And maybe some day he'll write a song about it.
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*horrified, appaled, mortified