Jonathan Richman!
4 Faxed and Handwritten Answers to 13 Questions from the Bard and Poet Laureate of Massachusetts; An Artifact Resurrected from 2014
This interview originally appeared in Malibu magazine in 2014. I did some really fun and, frankly, unexpected interviews for them back then, and they aren’t online anywhere as far as I can see. So here’s one that was particularly memorable, with a Luddite subject who would only receive questions and respond with answers via fax. Introduced with some logorrheic musings regarding my college years in Massachusetts.
During my four-and-a-half ignominious college years, which were spent in exile in cold, soggy Massachusetts, one of that state’s only saving graces for me was the fact that Jonathan Richman was not only born and raised there but also that his most famous song, “Roadrunner,” the one that all the squares know, is such a loving paean to The Codfish State that even I, a New Jerseyite / Philadelphian at heart and thus a sworn enemy of “Mass-of-two-shits,” couldn’t help but see the poetry and beauty in the lights of the local Stop ’n’ Shop glowing on a snowy night with Richman on the radio. In that song, we hear just a small—but very significant—part of what Richman does for us in his music. He elevates the banal and the bleak, making everyday life heroic and romantic. That’s why the recent grassroots movement—with the full support of a Massachusetts state senator—to make “Roadrunner” the official “state rock song” is so perversely (and inadvertently) brilliant. Because what I realized after enough listens is that in “Roadrunner” what Richman is saying is that the basic, workmanlike pleasures of American life—regardless of state—are worthy of adulation.
And he’s right. Just because he sings, “I’m in love with Massachusetts,” it doesn’t mean that he’s saying that it’s the greatest state in the union. This is my deeply biased interpretation, at least. The song is about finding joy in life itself, regardless of geography, but also cognizant of its impact. If Richman had been born a few hours south, he could just as easily have been singing, “I’m in love with New Jersey.” And so if “Roadrunner” ever were to become the state song, it would be a record-settingly large humble brag. Richman himself has weighed in by saying not long ago, “I don’t think the song is good enough to be a Massachusetts song of any kind.” Plus, the official competitor is the lugubrious 1972 Aerosmith behemoth “Dream On” which, knowing Massachusetts, will win in a landslide.1
Now that I’ve ranted passive-aggressively about Massachusetts, allow me to introduce this interview with Jonathan Richman. It’s not like other interviews because Richman is not like other men. He stipulated that it be conducted via fax. He’s out on tour now, and that’s how he wanted to be reached. But I have the feeling that even if he’d been cozy at home, it would have still been done by fax. I think that, if it were doable, Richman might have asked for my questions to be sent via carrier pigeon or Pony Express. He lives in an era all his own — a mesh of ’50s values, ’70s punk and even Renaissance catholicity. Jonathan Richman carries around a little bubble of his own rarified air that exists out of our time. We only get to share in it when we see him in concert. His band may have been called the Modern Lovers, but there is little that’s modern about him.
Out of the 13 questions that I sent, he answered only the ones he wanted to. Richman isn’t exactly press shy, but he’s selective. He doesn’t do a ton of interviews. It’s mainly through his lyrics that we have been able to get to know him. So, I tried to ask him questions that had to do with themes that have popped up here and there in his songs. Health food, the ancient world, the history of painting, literature—stuff like that. There often seems to be a feeling about Jonathan Richman that he’s a gentle naïf, a wide-eyed man-child. But he’s not. It’s just that his music is deceptively simple. On the surface, it may feel like a quick read—but there are hidden depths to it. Now, is Richman in some ways childlike? Yes. But he’s not innocent. Far from it. Remember that it’s when we’re children that we first learn how to invent our own personal versions of secrets, horniness, heartbreak, and hope. (Also, children are really sneaky.) The elemental, unalloyed versions of these sorts of feelings are what we get in Richman’s songs.
Here are the 13 questions I sent Richman followed by the four answers he wrote out and sent back:
1. What images does the word “Malibu” evoke for you?
2. What is your favorite female name?
3. Which book have you read and re-read the most times, and why?
4. Have you ever seen a ghost? If so, please tell me what it looked like. If not, please tell me if you believe in the supernatural.
5. What has been your favorite year of your life so far, and what made it special?
6. Which ancient culture (Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, etc.) interests you the most?
7. Please recommend a healthy breakfast meal for me.
8. What is your favorite swear word?
9. Do you ever feel homesick for New England? When you miss it, what do you miss the most about it?
10. Who is your favorite painter, and what do you like about their work?
11. What’s a smell or a flavor that brings up good memories for you?
12. Would you tell me a little about the strongest emotional bond you’ve ever had with an animal?
13. What will life be like in the very near future?2
Reporting from 2026 here: There is still no winner in this fight.
2026 me here again and I must say: Lol. If only we knew.