“It’s better to be known as a sincere person in the darkness, than a fake person in the lightness.” —Jonathan Richman

Don the Beachcomber is an old, eclectic and strange tiki bar in Surfside, California. The story you get after three rums from the bartender is that somewhere underground is a tunnel to the surf that they used to run illegal escapes to the sea during Prohibition. Is this true? I doubt it. But after three rums you feel like a pirate and hope you find that cemented over passageway out if shit hits the fan. Nowadays it’s mostly known for grey hairs in Hawaiian shirts drinking Zombies (a blitzing rum drink) and terrible dancing to live music. Which is exactly why when we found out Jonathan Richman was playing there, we dug out some aloha and bought tickets.

Richmond is probably mostly known for his work as the front man of Modern Lovers and his musical styling in Something About Mary. He took the stage with his strapless nylon string guitar and began to tell his life story. Quietly, into the mic, in song form. Backed only by percussionist Tommy Martin they played slowly and intimately to the 80 people sharing the floor. When someone talks quietly, everyone listens closer and more intently, and that’s exactly what he did. Unlike anything expected, Jon just hung out, talked, sang a bit and was obviously the one in the room having the most fun.

He ended the night by talking about his friend Lou Reed passing away and told a story about when he was a 16 year old kid renting a place in New York for $25 a week. The Velvet Underground’s manager used to let him sneak in and watch them practice and he talked about how being an artist should be supported and everyone should be given a chance. It’s even the smallest gestures like letting a punk kid from art school sneak in and watch practice sessions that can make all the difference. He wrapped this up in saying, after all the years of knowing Lou, he can sum up his whole relationship in one word. Grateful.

He then looked the dead silent crowd in the eye and said, “To the young artists, it’s not impossible.” He walked off the floor, quietly, back to his maroon Honda Odyssey and left everyone hoisting their Mai Tais. —Scott Chenoweth

Jon is also playing in Los Angeles tonight and you can count on us being there.