RIP Jay Reatard, 1980-2010

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RIP Jay Reatard, 1980-2010

POSTED: Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 9:59 PM

Filed Under: In Memoriam | Music

Photo | Patrick Rapa

Sad news from Memphis: Musician Jay Reatard was found dead in his home from unknown causes this morning at the age of 29. The Commercial Appeal reports that police are opening an investigation into his death.

Reatard was a fave around the CP offices. I wrote about his stellar Matador Singles '08 for our best albums of 2008 feature:

Jay Reatard's deal with Matador to release six limited-run 7-inches throughout 2008 probably seems like a vanity project. It is. But, freed from the confines of a normal album, he still managed to come up with something cohesive. Reatard's got the punk spirit in spades, complete with a snotty teenage Buzzcock's edge and garage fuzz. But he's also growing as a musician, refining his roughness by giving his songs a healthy pop backbone and trying out new instrumentation (acoustic guitar? Holy shit!). Don't worry, kids, he isn't going soft: In album closer "I'm Watching You," Reatard sings, with a stuck-in-your-head catchiness, "You never meant that much to me, I always thought you were a cunt."

Julia West also had a review of his Nov. 28 show at Johnny Brenda's.

Definitely check out the singles collection if you haven't. This is a loss of a great talent, who still seemed to have his best yet to come.

Megawatt

Posted 2010-01-14 23:28:23

Thanks for this brief, lazy and thoroughly uninformative "tribute" to a true rock legend. Sorry the subject matter is apparently less captivating to you than your usual American Idol wank off. If Jay were still around, he'd stick his Flying V up your ass!

Krunch

Posted 2010-01-14 07:25:22

I'll bet my next check he had a belly full of pills.  I just don't get it.

Nick

Posted 2010-01-14 00:36:06

1980-2009?  Has his body been laying around his house for two weeks?

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 9:59 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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