Tag Archives: Jay Reatard
Jay Reatard – “You Get No Love”
Recorded ~ a week before he died.
Jay Reatard: Live At Golden Plains [2008]
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Comments: Hundreds of videos have been taken of Jay Reatard’s live performance, but never until now has there been an official live release. This LP captures Reatard’s live assault near perfectly — one song after another, little pause, screamed song titles before each, the occasional extended jam. This is from March 2008, so the set is heavy on Blood Visions and singles material. After “My Shadow” we hear a receptive cheer from the audience, but that is quickly lost after Reatard, Pope, and Hayes reel into “Oh It’s Such A Shame.” I remember seeing Reatard for the first time in July 2009 and thinking damn his set was way faster than this one, but that might be because he made more of an effort in pacing/slower playing for this occasion than during a usual show. Still, though, Jay’s slow is a normal person’s lightning quick. The barebones aspect of the performance really comes through as well. Reatard’s vocals aren’t as perfect (obviously) as they were mixed on record and some singing parts are ommitted like “she creeps me out” on “See Saw” in favor of an instrumental jam. Billy’s drum playing is heavy on the snare, man he loved doing rolls (“Fading All Away”) on that instrument. One song that particularly stuck out to me on this Live LP that never really had much of an effect on me on record is “So Useless.” I never appreciated its beauty. I was missing out! “So useless, I must be, to waste time with you!” “Hammer I Miss You Let’s GO! Hammer I Miss You” shouts Jay. Showing off his vocal varieties — a precursor to the bullshit Nicki Minaj now pulls — he really plays the shit out of that tune. Owning it. Jay can barely keep up the chorus on “Death Is Forming” and by this point in the set he must be exhausted to no end. “Death is forming death is forming death is forming forming death forming death fucking death forming” The set closes on “Let It All Go” with its constant barrage of guitar noise, pop hooks, and unpredictable finish. This is something that I highly recommend sharing with others who maybe never got to see a Jay Reatard show. It’s the closest we’ll ever get to Jay.
Space Cadets In The Sky
“Champion. I’m home. What’s cooking?”
“Egg sandwiches. Oh, and bacon, too.”
Okay, please hurry, it’s almost time for the Jay Reatard show.
It’s 7 AM in the fucking morning. Why is the show so early? It’s because the man is a provacateur. He took an ordinary task and decided to multiply that by at least twenty eight. His ability to merely craft a song so infectious and rebellious and unconforming to typical standards. That’s why. He was a living legend. Right a long with the likes of the man himself, Robert Marley. Do you hear those train keys? He said “just gotta push on through” while at the time the lightest, most graceful of keys kicked in. The duration is short, but the fact that everything is going to be all right is the real indication. Anyway, brush your teeth we’re heading out the door soon.
Better Than Something: Jay Reatard (Trailer)
Back In Time: Angry Angles On WFMU
Jay Reatard, Alix Brown, and Ryan Rousseau play a set on WFMU back in 2006 on WFMU. Included in the set is “Blood Visions” and “Nightmares,” both of which were kept around as Jay Reatard solo songs on Blood Visions.
Jay Reatard Rhapsody
Live Tunes, Good Quality!
An Ugly Death: http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/An+Ugly+Death+rhapsody+Original+/3gkLAL?src=5
Trapped Here (Let’s Go!): http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Trapped+Here+rhapsody+Original+/3gkLCo?src=5
Let It All Go: http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Let+It+All+Go+rhapsody+Original+/3gkLMd?src=5
Funny Vid of the Day: “I Know A Place”
Startling, but real life:
Jay Reatard’s 3 Rules For Getting Out of a Fight
As posted on Death + Taxes (great site):
1. “Man, what?”
Act dumb. Maybe shrug in a vaguely irritated manner. The “Man, what?” response, Reatard claimed, both signifies confusion and a vague air of pacifism that may cause your antagonist to simply lose interest. For real fighters, it’s not much fun to fight someone who won’t fight back.
If he persists, move on to phase two.
2. “Dude said it was cool.”
This both reinforces the pacifist vibe and offloads responsibility onto someone else. Usually the guy provoking you will accuse you of breaking some rule stupid rule that his drunkenness dictates is worth fighting over. “Dude said it was cool” defuses your antagonist’s argument by placing you back in the land of the rule-followers. It was all a misunderstanding. You followed the rules—dude said it was cool. If your red-faced instigator is on the fence but asks which dude specifically, point to someone who looks like he could take the guy.
If he still won’t get out of your face, move on to phase three.
3. “Man…I’m just partyin’.”
If he’s still not letting it go at “Dude said it was cool,” you put your hands up by your chest, equal parts exasperated and clueless, and say “Man…” letting it hang for effect, “I’m just partyin’.” When you’re talking about guys who pick fights at parties, there’s usually some common ground when it comes to worldview. They’re likely to scorn party poopers, and probably respect the will to party. To party is a virtue. With “Man, I’m just partyin’,” you make a friend of your enemy, as if saying, “we’re both in this together” in a way he can appreciate and respect.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 