Jay Reatard, Live at Glasslands, 10.25.08

Photo/Intro by Andrew Parks
Interview by J Bennett

Now that we’ve had some time to reflect on the sudden passing of Jay Reatard (real name: Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.), self-titled has decided to let the man speak for himself in a series of quotes from J Bennett’s weekend in Memphis with the brutally honest musician; a weekend I assigned simply because Jay felt like the real deal, a kid raised by records—literally—and unwilling to silence his id, for better or for worse.

Matador Records understood this. That’s why founder Chris Lombardi had this to say soon after signing him: “Jay was being approached by numerous majors [at South by Southwest in 2008]. One of the guys he talked to said something like, ‘Kurt Cobain killed hair metal; you’re gonna kill emo.’ He could write radio singles until he’s blue in the face, but I don’t think he needs to stop being Jay. We’re not expecting the next album to be some massive departure, but maybe it will be. There’s no pressure from us.”

That next album turned out to be last year’s Watch Me Fall LP, which I described in an eMusic review as follows (sorry, but I’m incapable of being a critic at the moment): “While he insists on separating the two sides in interviews, the beauty of Watch Me Fall is in how Reatard’s met himself halfway. Take the first five tracks, for instance. Clear and concise, they’re seemingly over before they begin, heaving hooks and harmonies at a feverish clip until ‘I’m Watching You’ suddenly splits the LP in two. A possible hint at what’s next, the organ/acoustic guitar-driven song reveals what happens when Reatard slows down long enough to survey his situation, not just smother it in self-loathing and serrated riffs. Thanks to this track, and a few other unplugged moments, recent Reatard shows have actually featured the guy on a battered acoustic. And you know what? He still sounds pissed.”

Rest in peace, Jay. May you live on in songs and stories like these…