Jay Reatard (RIP 2010)

Was anybody at his show in Toronto last week? I missed it but supposedly some dude rushed the stage, apparently messed up some of the equipment, Jay punched him in the face, more madness ensued, and they just stopped the show 3 songs in.....and of course, more madness ensued from there.....sounds like fun, some of it's on youtube....

and now I realize that said youtube link was just posted....

The dude's undeniably a douchebag; this is hardly the first time I've heard stories of him going nuts.

the pitchfork.tv clips were awful

fuk thats a brutal punch

Read his blog before you jump to any conclusions. I laughed pretty fucking hard watching that video of him knocking the kid out.

ur likely an asshole tho

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc142/GoonRamerez/12313.jpg

Last night's show in Toronto got completely fucked up. The Silver Dollar holds 190 people but Craig Laskey the promoter let 350 people in there. That's cool if there's some sort of security or crowd control - we don't need people getting so wild they jump on stage and smash our gear - but that's exactly what happened. Right when we started playing someone pushed the monitors right on top of Stephen and on to his pedals - breaking them, people were throwing beer bottles at us, a someone jumped onstage and smashed my pedals, another guy took a full pitcher of beer and dumped it all over the rest of my pedals, and then threw it right at my Flying V, breaking the pickup and the input electronics. After three songs all our gear was smashed and unusable. Even when shit gets that crazy at Circle Jerks show there's at least some security but when I asked Craig Laskey about it before the show he told me "I thought you guys were a garage band." When we couldn't play anymore I hung out and talked to people, refunded people's money out of my own pocket, and tried to borrow gear and finish the set a bit later but Dan Burke wouldn't get off the stage, too busy talking trash about me.

I'm getting really sick of shit like this happening. We'll come back in Toronto soon and do a free show to make it up to the real fans in Toronto. And we'll steer away from greedy promoters who don't have any control of their shows and who don't care about doing right by the audience.

no mention of punching a dude who took three steps on stage w/no evidence of breaking anything - they were playing a song yet all their gear was "smashed and unusable" hmmmmm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gj1SSoWWhA the hospitals meet dan burke

Both punches in both videos seem entirely justified to me, and after reading Jay's version, even more so. Despite what Fugazi tells you, there damn well fucking SHOULD be a 'barrier' between audience and performer.

For consistency's sake, can someone link to the youtube vid of Rollins beating the crap outta some douchebag who was trying to grab his mic at a Black Flag gig?

This vid's a bit clearer than the 1st one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzhCiEl4RK4&NR=1

Jay a reactionary hothead sure. The tales are all true.

The kid so had it coming to him, though. I don't care if rushing the stage is the norm as this kind of show, as soon as you let one kid get away with it, ten more will follow suit. Bravo.

no mention of punching a dude who took three steps on stage w/no evidence of breaking anything - they were playing a song yet all their gear was "smashed and unusable" hmmmmm

-- jhøshea, Monday, April 21, 2008 8:40 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

His guitar cut out 1) when it got unplugged (duh plug it back in) and 2) when he paused to tune and 3) when Jay packed up his gear, otherwise his shit seemed to be working. And I didn't see anyone else but him throw the pitcher. Pretty suspect story.

Taking care of business vs. sore cunt temper tantrum.

(the punch I don't care much about, it's the whole packing up and leaving and being a big baby)

Anyone see the video of Duane Dennison punchin the hell outta some guy?

why is there no talk of this?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ufaSYGz8L._SS500_.jpg

it's fantastic!!!!!!!!!!

I'd already heard all of this but it's good stuff, especially "it's so useless" and "don't let him come back."

What else is worth tracking down?

the angry angles singles, the bad times lp, and everything by the final solutions.

New album is "out"...
At first I wasn't sold, now I'm on it's dick hardcore. I am under it's spell. Sounds like the Rezillos or some shit. Sounds like Trent Reznor wrote the lyrics. AHAHAHA. A ton of "life sucks whadda am I gonna do" sentiments. Don't know. Good stuff. Massive doobage.

What are the thoughts heeeerrree?

Aint Gonna Save Me is awesome. An explosion of poptastic goodness. Be warned though: it is devilishly catchy.

The popness is still less obvious live. Posted on an Adverts thread about seeing Jay and his band back up TV Smith on some Adverts covers recently. Fun stuff.

there's a rumor circulating that he died?! unsubstantiated.

jayreatard

1. I will give anyone a hundred bucks per tire that they pop on the band liquor stores van ! Yes I'm serious 12:42 PM Jan 11th from TwitterBerry

Alive as least of 48 hours ago?

Um I'll just pretend that was a real sentence.

I just heard the same thing, from a reliable source... apparent drug overdose.

There's a banner up on the Goner Records site saying Jay Reatard RIP...

Oh shit. RIP

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jan/13/memphis-musician-jay-reatard-found-dead-midtown-ho/

Well, fuck.

crazy. i really like watch me fall. RIP.

This is awful.

oh man. sad to hear it. that was really one of my favorite records last year. and somehow he seemed too smart to end up dead young, for all his badboy guff. but i guess there are different kinds of smart. r.i.p. :(

I saw and loved Lost Sounds more than once.

Talent + drugs = tragedy :(

His music has truly sucked since the amazing Blood Visions but I'm still shocked to see this. I always thought he seemed like a pretty cool guy despite his "asshole" reputation. Was hoping he'd return to his former Reatards/early solo heights, but I guess not anymore. Didn't know he was big into drugs either...interviews suggested he's done a little coke but not really into much of anything.

ugh yeah, shit sucks. i loved the reatards, haven't even heard his solo stuff, but...RIP.

rip... Blood Visions was a great record.

jesus

Was under the impression that he'd been a pretty big caner for years and then knocked it on the head, but only from, er, interviews

RIP for real, here's to 2010 finishing off what last year started and dispatching every single fucking exciting rock musician on the planet

Such a shame.

shit fucking fuck shit.
My best friend was in the lost sounds, he's probably taking this pretty badly.
Should give memphis a call.

RIP so hard

^^^

oh no!

fucking hell

Still hoping it's some dumb He Who Cannot Be Named-style stunt

jeeze. RIP.

Still hoping it's some dumb He Who Cannot Be Named-style stunt

Was thinking this, but neither faking it or actually dying fit with my impression of the guy.

what the fuck

RIP

jesus like the current musician most emblematic of my past three years, i remember being so stoked for all those singles and everything. i was fucking arguing with him on terminal boredom last week for his shattered record club being a ripoff. i know he had drug problems, and i assume that was involved here, but like jesus. this is stunning and really sad.

this guy was sort of a genius

“for me to poop on”

Man someone STOLE* my completely rad Rats Brains & Microchips tshirt and I've been pissed ever since.

*i could've lost it or something

i stole it. no regrets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN4ylDu_Vh0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cduC2DZ7Iyw

that's the song that's gripped me most recently

yeah I always thought "My Shadow" was a highlight

My Shadow was always my favourite of his songs

It's what Jack White covering The Motors' Airport would have sounded like

My Shadow was the one that got me into the rest. Amazing song.

listening to the "Blood Visions" single as we speak. Reatard was Memphis's greatest musical product since Three Six Mafia. RIP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGv3sVOAUE8

wouldn't mind sitting down to a nice hot plate of scott's mom's spanish delight

Good looks of slight bafflement in this.

This spring, Goner will release a still-untitled 17-track compilation focusing on Lindsey's work with Angry Angles, his band with onetime girlfriend Alix Brown. The combo, which ran between 2005 and 2006, was an important marker in Lindsey's creative evolution as it immediately preceded the breakthrough of "Blood Visions."

http://www.commercialappeal.com/entertainment/music/memphis-music-beat/memphis-music-beat-angry-angles-comp-captures-crucial-link-in-the-late-jay-reatards-evolution-291411-365175531.html

Alix was also in a Atlanta punk band called The Lids with the late BJ Womack around that time period. This was my favorite Lids song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD9C7Kc3M7Y

Didn't know that! I have a Lids album but never made the connection.

Still think Blood Visions is the best punk album of the 21st Century (honourable mention to Fuck Off by Good Throb)

not to dismiss his Reatards/ Lost Sounds/ Angry Angles stuff but man he was really on an unbelievable run there towards the end. can’t believe it’s been 12 years.

It's better than many of the 70s punk records it draws from! I'd easily take it over Crossing the Red Sea. Sorta the way a lot of 80s Nuggets-style garage rock is more solid than the real thing.

^^Take that over to the Controversial Opinions thread!

my go-to JR is a homemade CDR with the "Singles" 2LP plus the Matador singles, what a run

It's better than many of the 70s punk records it draws from! I'd easily take it over Crossing the Red Sea. Sorta the way a lot of 80s Nuggets-style garage rock is more solid than the real thing.

miss this guy

I'm Watching You is the greatest.

ILM poll for him someday would be good.

yep. lots of great songs. I made an amazing homemade CDr that has all of the "Singles 06-08" record followed by the Matador singles (minus the Deerhunter track), all killer no filler

i realize jay reatard put out some great music, sure, but in the case of most musicians passing away in their earlier years, esp. if related to drug OD, i find in retrospect their work gets blown a bit out of proportion. hendrix, kurt cobain, gram parsons, johnny thunders, sid vicious, the guy from sublime-- a lot of them made great music, but most are overrated as well,

Yeah if anything it feels like he’s been largely forgotten :(

Great constructor of rock songs, but especially at the mixing board/DAW. He can makes songs sound simultaneously fuzz-overloaded, overcompressed and crudely mic'd, yet still sharp and dynamic.

he really chose that name at the last possible time it could have been acceptable, may have something to do with it. no disrespect tho

Was gonna say, that surely plays a bit of a part in him not getting reevaluated yet. I wonder how much coverage he would have gotten from say, a Pitchfork, had he come out with that name just five years later (I mean, I'm doubting he even would have picked it by then, but still). I also wonder how much Ty Segall becoming a (well deserved, imho) poster boy for garage rock kept him from a higher profile as well.

Yeah I mean as someone with particular sensitivity to that word (for family reasons), I always recognized his name as a bit of an obstacle to wider acceptance... but, y'know, he chose it when he was a punk kid, stuck with it for whatever reason, and I was willing to give it a pass (largely due to his excellence, I guess).

I also feel like he maybe operated in this space where he became a little too "arty" for the punk crowd, but was still too "punk" for the mainstream indie crowd(?) But I'm sure there are other artists in this vein whom I just don't/didn't vibe with, and so I don't think of in the same light.

xxp in no way undeserved, but I’d bet good money a lot of post-Jay stories about Ty were because he filled that void.