RIP Jay Reatard
At some point around 2004 or so, I gave up on punk rock. I decided that it was passe and moved on. The entire genre just seemed stagnant to me. In 2006, however, Jay Reatard released his solo debut Blood Visions. I was instantly hooked, and completely inspired, and my faith in punk was restored. Reatard’s music was a mixture of chaotic garage rock and bubblegum pop. He played instantly addictive pop songs through a filter of dirty, stupid garage punk, and I loved every second of it. After maintaining my status as a die-hard Reatard fan for about four years, I arrived home from work on January 13th to learn that he had died that morning. My immediate reaction as complete disbelief. Jay seemed like the sort of musician who would have evolved over time to become even greater than he already was. His songwriting was already phenomenal, and he still managed to show room for improvement with time.
Anyone who regularly follows the site would know that 2009′s Watch Me Fall was among my favorite albums of the year. It’s mixture of pop hooks and punk attitude made it an instant success for me. Reatard, through all of his various musical outlets (the Reatards, Terror Visions, Destruction Unit, Lost Sounds, and solo) had always managed to keep me interested, but his final LP sealed it for me. He was one of this generation’s most impressive talents, and it was only a mater of time before he skyrocketed to success and renown. It is a tragedy, and a tremendous loss, to know that he will never achieve that now. Jay Reatard was by far and away one of the past decade’s most gifted performers, and I can only hope that his music will live on to inspire future generations of jaded punk rock outcasts.
Jay, your vast musical output will give me a lifetime of happiness and inspiration. I thank you for simply being who you were, and for basically doing whatever the fuck you wanted over the past few years. You will forever exist in my mind as one of the greatest losses that punk rock has suffered in the past decade. Rest in peace.
