Charles Hutchinson welcomes the arrival in York of an uplifting troubadour and tells us something about Jonathan...

Name: Jonathan Richman

Occupation: Life-affirming naif

Born: May 16 1951, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Age: 52

Where and when will he be playing in York in 2004: At Fibbers on April 9

Should you have heard of him?: Remember Roadrunner, the punk anthem that was more Velvet Underground than punk? That was him with his band The Modern Lovers, reaching number 11 in Summer 1977. His even less punk instrumental, Egyptian Reggae, gave him his only Top Five hit later that year

When did he last trouble the chart statistician? Morning Of Our Lives, number 28, February 1978

Why is he still worth seeing? His songwriting, his quirky tales of Pablo Picasso's sexual prowess, abominable snowmen, flying saucers, little insects and lesbian bars

Cult status: His child-like vision was first aired on garage rock debut The Modern Lovers, an album of innocence and wonder that so baffled Warners in 1973, the killjoy record company refused to release it. Three years later, indie label Beserkeley righted that wrong. Last year, Sanctuary did a swell job in buffing it up for another re-release

Richman studio albums: Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers, 1976; The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers (the original, John Cale-produced version), 1976; Rock'n'Roll With The Modern Lovers, 1977; Back In Your Life, 1979; Jonathan Sings!, 1983; Rockin' And Romance, 1985; It's Time For Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers, 1986; Modern Lovers 88, 1988; Jonathan Richman, 1989; Jonathan Goes Country, 1990; Having A Party With Jonathan Richman, 1991; I, Jonathan, 1992; !Jonathan, Te Vas A Emocionar! (Jonathan sings Spanish), 1994; You Must Ask The Heart, 1995; Surrender To Jonathan, 1996; I'm So Confused, 1998; Her Mystery Not Of High Heels And Eye Shadow, 2001

Recommended starting point: 23 Great Recordings By Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers, oft re-released 1993 compilation

Tribute song: Jonathan Jonathan, by Camden Town's The Rockingbirds, from 1991 album The Rockingbirds

Film cameo: Leading the band in Kingpin, 1996

Coming next: More re-releases of early Richman albums by Sanctuary label

Is there something else about Jonathan?: Yes, he was the singer in the tree in Cameron Diaz's 1998 comedy There's Something About Mary. Ah, yes that Jonathan Richman.

Tickets: £12.50 from Fibbers

Updated: 16:08 Thursday, February 05, 2004