Amazing power-pop songwriting. Similar to Todd Rundgren.
Chris was mostly known for contributing to The Alan Parsons Project, but he has some amazing music of his own.
Let's also not ignore how he maybe has one of the best musical artist names of all time.
Aug 21, 2024
Related Recs
šµ
Speed of Sound, You and Your Sister, I Am The Cosmos, Look Up, not to mention BIG STAR!!! that guy was the best
Nov 14, 2023
šµ
definitely more than just "problematic", he did some very deplorable things but he was also an amazing producer and songwriter and heavily inspired my fave (Brian Wilson)
Jan 17, 2025
New Jersey may have Bruce, but Massachusetts has Jonathan- a guy who has always been unapologetically himself whether it was being totally sober in the 70s, writing pleas for tenderness in a genre known for bravado, dancing in lesbian bars, or driving down to NYC every weekend to be Velvet Underground's biggest fan before anyone else was. a guy who despite being a rock legend, spends his days installing pizza ovens around the san fransisco area.
I've seen him live a few times now, and watching him play his sweet silly songs in an unapologetically sincere + sort of autistic way is somehow just as transgressive as the proto-punk he invented with The Modern Lovers over 50 years ago. I can't help but smile ear to ear for his entire set. effortless humor and charm.
Something that's also stood out to me after seeing him live a few times now, is the way he recontextualizes the classics. When he played "Old World" in 2022 he changed the lyrics to recognize how some things should be left in the past rather than simply romanticizing it. And last night he played with the iconic "Pablo Picasso" to focus less on the swagger of Pablo, and more on how that type of guy is actually kind of an arrogant creep. Angel Prost (of Frost Children) wrote a great essay on Jonathan's reinvention for her email-only newsletter a few years ago, if you'd like to read it I'm sure I can dig it up for you.
From last night-
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an oil painter. I was obsessed with colors.
Then I heard Velvet Underground and saw you can paint with a guitar
Anyways...if more people were a bit more like Jonathan the world would be a better place. A huge inspiration to me!
Mar 8, 2024
Top Recs from @willdinola
š«
This is specifically for NYC people. In Ridgewood Queens there is a hole in the wall high quality chocolate shop.
Itās run by an eccentric and amazing man named Constantine and his wife. He will talk your ear off for a half an hour about āthe benefitsā of chocolate and how itās a panacea for pretty much everything. How big chocolate gives away most of the cocoa butter to the cosmetic industry. Heāll also talk to you about how he asks ChatGPT about chocolate and itās wrong a lot of the time.
Youāll then buy a bar even though itās small and $10. But you will go home and have a little piece after dinner and never taste chocolate the same way againā¦
Feb 7, 2024
ā
Ceramic pans are unfortunately not very long lasting, once the coating is damaged you canāt really fix it. Most of these pans also lose their nonstick qualities after a while.
I suggest investing in a carbon steel or cast iron pan, which can be re-seasoned if damaged. Or stainless steel which is pretty indestructible as far as I can tell. These are lifelong pans!
Feb 6, 2024
š
I did it this morning, meditated, read a short story, watched the sun rise, and then got to work!
Apr 4, 2024