Nov. 7, 1977 review: Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers at Buff State

 Another night on the cutting edge at Buff State. 

Nov. 7, 1977

Concert Was ‘Milk Shake’ With Ho-Hos 

          Jonathan Richman, the most precious of the alternative rock ‘n rollers, stopped a chocolate milk shake of a concert Saturday night in Buffalo State College’s Upton Hall to ask a question of the crowd of 350 or so. He wanted to know why they were laughing.

          “You’re funny,” someone in the left center replied. Richman accepted the rationality of that. The real reason, however, was that this Boston-bred singer and bandleader was exorcising the gawky, awkward kid in each member of this sophisticated crowd.

          The laughter was easy through the first thrilling bubbles of the milk shake – “Ice Cream Man,” “La Bamba,” “New England" and "The New Teller,” in which Richman sang about how his latest crush kept him waiting in the longest line in the bank.

          Richman, with his furry adolescent moustache, curly hair and Grinnell School sports jersey over jeans, was funny only as long as he probed gawky innocence. He wasn’t dumb, though. To a catcaller’s request that he remove his pants, he replied: “I don’t play that way.”

          He took off his sneakers instead. He momentarily signed autographs at the edge of the stage, but decided that wasn’t right. “I never did this before,” he said, calling off the fans as the crowd got restless. “Now we know why it’s not a good idea.”

          The center of the chocolate milk shake proved, as always, to be a matter of love and endurance. The sublime force of it began with Richman stepping forward to tell the soundman to turn the volume down. “If it seems like time when you should turn it up – don’t,” he advised.

          What followed was the softest, most pastel rock ‘n roll this reviewer has ever witnessed, like a garage band running through ‘50s love songs while somebody’s parents were sleeping upstairs.

          The romance was deep and sincere – “Angels Watchin’ Over Me,” “Fly Into Life’s Mystery,” “The Morning of Our Lives,” “Important in Your Life,” twice through “My Love Is a Flower That’s Beginning to Bloom.”

          A few abandoned the milk shake before the end, which was a mistake because there’s always the syrup at the bottom. In this case, it was a trio of Chuck Berry tunes with guitarist Leroy Radcliffe strutting his well-chosen ‘50s riffs.

          The encores brought drummer D Sharp forward for an untrained Ventures-style trombone solo, to which Richman responded on drums. The final slurp was his fabled cruising number, “Roadrunner,” where the road and the radio set him free. Like Peter Pan on the turnpike, he has no intention of ever growing up.

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IN THE PHOTO: Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers in 1977.

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FOOTNOTE: At this point, Jonathan Richman was well into his turn away from the harder edges of punk-rock. A year earlier, that shift prompted the departure of original Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson, who went on to help Ric Ocasek start the Cars. His replacement, D Sharp, actually was an avant-garde jazz player who later worked with Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and was a member of Carla Bley’s band. Richman continues to perform occasionally and released a new album in 2022. He now lives in Chico, Calif., and has a stonemasonry business that makes pizza ovens.