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2 unusual facts about Jonathan Richman


The Phantom Carriage

At the 2007 San Francisco International Film Festival a new soundtrack was composed and performed live by pop icon Jonathan Richman.

Veg-O-Matic

Jonathan Richman also recorded a song, "Dodge Veg-O-Matic," in the 1970s.


Burning Sensations

The group is best known for its MTV hit "Belly of the Whale", the music for which blends a rather unique fusion of rock and calypso styles, and for covering the Jonathan Richman song "Pablo Picasso", which was included in both the 1984 film and soundtrack of director Alex Cox's Repo Man starring Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez.

Kenny Laguna

He also worked in Los Angeles, as a writer and producer for Beserkley Records, on songs by and for Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn, Earth Quake and others.

Latin Soul Syndicate

On each of their three albums, the core members (Happy Sanchez, Karl Perazzo, and Mark Pistel) are joined by a collective of Bay Area based musicians including members of Santana, Chuck Prophet, and Jonathan Richman.

Matthew King Kaufman

Matthew "King" Kaufman (b. 1946 in Baltimore, Maryland) was owner and chief producer at leading independent label Beserkley Records in Berkeley, California from the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, successfully producing records by Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn and others.

Rainer Ptacek

The resulting record, The Inner Flame: Rainer Ptacek Tribute, featured Ptacek-penned songs performed by Gelb (with Giant Sand), Plant, Jimmy Page, Emmylou Harris, Evan Dando, Victoria Williams, Vic Chesnutt, PJ Harvey, The Drovers, Madeleine Peyroux, Kris McKay, Jonathan Richman and Bill Janovitz.

War Tapes

The band has played shows and toured across the US and in the UK with The Smashing Pumpkins, Tiger Army, Shiny Toy Guns, Moving Units, The Bravery, Longwave, VNV Nation, She Wants Revenge, Mark Burgess of the Chameleons, Elefant, Jonathan Richman, and The Unseen.


see also

Matthew King Kaufman

By 1975, the label had an artist roster consisting of Earth Quake, Jonathan Richman (with and without the Modern Lovers), The Rubinoos and Greg Kihn.