Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano on Jonathan Richman, Nostalgia and writing ‘Blister in the Sun’

Certain artists hit at just the right time. And for a small number, they hit generations over and over again. In the case of Violent Femmes, it’s typically during the late-high school/early-college years sweet spot. Tracks like “Blister in the Sun,” “Add It Up” and “American Music” have that folksy but funky swing while still sounding nerdy enough that if the song could get up and dance, it would be herky jerky but probably comfortable as hell.

Before I sat down to talk with Violent Femmes frontman Gordon Gano for a Vanyaland 617 Q&A, I spun the band’s eponymous debut - which they’re playing in full live right now – and it brought me back to those times. Ultimately though, Gano and I ended up connecting over the Boston neighborhood Jamaica Plain where I lived for a number of years and where he’s become fully immersed in its local scene lore. We also got into his feelings on nostalgia, how he wrote “Blister in the Sun” for a female to sing and which artists he wishes he could still see live.

Click the link about to check out the article, and here’s the video for “American Music.”