#ripjayreatard

[theminorthread]

Day #3067 Jay Reatard - Band Jam Anyone know who drew this? I’m almost tempted to say Neckface... but I dunno #ripjayreatard #jayreatard #gonerrecords #minorthread #tshirtwars

[fugandhi]

JAY REATARD: Live at Cake Shop

(Rest in Peace Jimmy Lee Lindsey, Jr.)

KiMMM! & I love to share Awesome music. KiMMM! was actually the one who introduced Jay Reatard to me (and I will be thankful for the rest of my life)!

Kim & I totally love Jay Reatard! His real name was Jimmy Lee Lindsey, Jr. and he was a young musician that was taken WAY too early from this world (as so many before him). Jay had done sooooo many other projects and in his brief life-time he made a TON of songs on his own.

This dude was infamous and quite notorious for being an extremely rebellious figure in the Tennessee Punk Rock community. His songs were very catchy, straight-forward, and displayed a rare gritty and raw quality to them that only a punk rocker could drool over (huminahuminahumina). It’s a tragedy that he died so young, especially over something that could have been preventable (I suppose everything happens for a reason, but it’s still sad).

His bold and in-your-face live performances add more fuel to the fire of his legacy. There aren’t really any more musicians (that are successful anyway) that have the sheer amount of Power and just BALLS like Jay. This dude would literally punch out his own fans at shows if they were trying to pick up his guitar (his oh-so-awesome Flying V) or if he was just pissed off at somebody. This was a real dude (maybe Too Real for some). He was also someone who grew up with a lot of strife and a lot of problems - and he still made his mark. 

I recall watching interviews of him, and he had spoken about a lot of the very messed up aspects of his life growing up (of which he had been exposed to or just experienced by being in the wrong place at the right time). Also very insightful was watching him speak about how he actually believed it was wrong to place any derogatory behavior towards people who legitimately are Special or have Special needs. I remember him stating his ..I think his Grandmother was actually using her home to take care of adults who had special needs, and Jimmy was like a kid growing up around people who were considered “retarded” or like “Crazy” or mentally unable to function within society as adults... It’s quite humbling (and at times heart-breaking) to know his stories (and simply his story overall). 

A man like this - a musician like this - although I will never meet him, I can totally assure you that Musicians like this are a RARE breed. The power of Punk Rock was alive and well in this dude - granted, the more dangerous side of punk rock. I don’t dabble with some of the things he dabbled with - in fact - I actually probably wouldn’t get along with Jimmy if I ever had the opportunity to meet him (lol), but DAMMIT his Music is JUST SO AWESOME. The studio stuff was much more like...  hmm - more tame?? Yeah, it was a bit more melodically-driven rather than his live shows which, based off of this set alone - was much more explosive and highly-energetic - Legit Punk ROCK.

More artists should adopt the caution-to-the-wind and balls-to-the-wall approach that Jay had. I believe that he would have went on and accomplished a lot more had it not been for his untimely and truly unfortunate death (at the age of 29; he was just a kid). Jay seemed to understand the importance of a band kicking ass playing live and just NOT STOPPING FOR ANYBODY. KEEP GOING. Keep playing the music - harder - faster - louder. No gimmicks, no bullshit, no fashion shows, none of that lame shit.

I know Jay is gone, but his memory lives on with his music and the people that continue to live on to tell his tale (Fun Fact: I totally have to give a huge amount of respect to Matthew Melton, because apparently he had been the one to take the famous album cover photo of Jay for “Blood Visions” - Talk about super-dorky-geek-out moment for me - huminahuminahumina lol I digress). 

HUGE Thank you to KiMMM! for discovering JAY REATARD and showing me this live set at Cake Shop (This is the BEST live set I’ve seen of Jay and hands-down one of the BEST punk rock sets ever). In my opinion, the most profound part of the set was “Oh, It’s Such A Shame” (that ending - Dear God).

Rest in Peace, Jimmy. I wish I could have met you.

- ATOMIK 1

P.S. I posted the entire set because it’s entirely Awesome.

[rachelandthecity]

When I was casting for a national print ad and @bhphoto2 was in town to shoot it, we saw Jay walking down the street and without any knowledge of his musical pedigree, he exclaimed, "I want to photograph THAT guy!" And he did at Gonerfest that year. I was scared to approach him but he ended up being really nice. We were cool from that point on and he'd always let me take his photo when I'd see him out. I was shocked when I heard that he had died. And now it's been six years since his death, which is twice as long as I knew him. #ripjayreatard