Jay Reatard
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr. better known by the stage name Jay Reatard, was an American musician from Memphis, Tennessee
. Lindsey was signed to Matador Records
. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of The Reatards and Lost Sounds
.
caught the ear of former-Oblivian
and Goner Records’ owner, Eric Friedl
. Lindsey's introduction to Friedl and his Oblivians bandmates had come that same year when the Oblivians had returned home to Memphis as an opening act for Rocket from the Crypt
. Upon seeing the act live, Lindsey became enamored with their sloppy, lo-fi music and set forth creating his own brand of heavily distorted garage rock music. Friedl was impressed by Lindsey's demos and signed him to his label, later commenting, "I loved the racket so we did the record, and I've been a fan of everything he's done since. He's a pretty amazing kid."
Lindsey named his first project the Reatards, which at the time included only himself as a member, and adopted an Oblivians-influenced surname, calling himself Jay Reatard. The Reatards’ first release on Goner was a 7” EP called Get Real Stupid, which featured Lindsey as a solo performer alternating between playing guitar, singing, and beating on a bucket to provide a percussive rhythm. Around this time Greg Cartwright
, a member of The Oblivians, briefly played drums for Lindsey. Cartwright played shows and recorded with Lindsey on his first (self-released) cassette, Fuck Elvis, Here's The Reatards (No-Fi Records) - which featured recording assistance from Jack Yarber
, another Oblivian.
For Lindsey’s second vinyl release he recruited a backing band, hiring bassist Steve Albundy and drummer Elvis Wong to accompany him. The Reatards’ first LP as a trio was 1998’s Teenage Hate. This was followed by a second LP, Grown Up Fucked Up, and a number of singles. The Reatards' first European tour came in 1998, when Lindsey was just 18.
, a synthesizer-heavy punk band that Lindsey had been exposed to by Elvis Wong shortly after the recording of the Reatards’ first LP. Lindsey once claimed that his time in the Lost Sounds "was and is more fun than anything else I have ever done." Yet despite Lindsey’s enthusiasm for the band, the Lost Sounds bitterly broke up in 2005.
Lindsey was a prolific songwriter, often acting as a member and contributing compositions to two or more bands concurrently. One of Lindsey’s first side projects was the Bad Times, a one-off band which included Eric Friedl
and King Louie Bankston
. The band recorded an album’s worth of material after only one practice session in 1998, releasing a self-titled LP in 2001. After one live performance the band disbanded, the members returning to their respective solo commitments.
While Lindsey was still a member of both the Retards and the Lost Sounds he joined a side project called the Final Solutions. Lindsey’s association with the future members of the Final Solutions began while he was still a teenager. Fighting problems at home, Lindsey opted to take up residence with members of a local band called the Jackmonkeys. While he was rooming with the band he was conscripted to play drums for them at a battle of the bands which was being held at the school's cafeteria. With Lindsey on drums, the band, under the moniker "the High and Mightys," performed a set of Oblivians covers, earning instant hate in the competition (FS bassist Tommy Trouble's band, the Squirrels earned third place). After separating for a number of years the group reformed under the name the Final Solutions and began touring and releasing albums.
In 2004, Lindsey, together with his ex-girlfriend, Alix Brown of Atlanta rock band the Lids, formed Shattered Records, an independent record label that released mainly limited edition vinyl. Shattered Records released records for a number of lo-fi punk and rock bands, including: Kajun SS, Jack Oblivian, Tokyo Electron, Retards, Final Solutions, Terror Visions, Angry Angles, Carbonas, Rat Traps, Digital Leather
and the Knaughty Knights.
In 2007 Lindsey put Shattered Records on hold while he promoted his solo records. Then in 2009 Lindsey revived the label with the "Shattered Record Club" and the announcement of his final solo album, Watch Me Fall
.
Out of this partnership came another musical endeavor for Lindsey, the Angry Angles. Together with Brown, and alternating between drummers Paul Artigues from Die Rotzz and Ryan Rousseau ('Elvis Wong') from Tokyo Electron, the band began touring the U.S. in the Fall of 2006. Before the band had even released its second single, Lindsey and Brown began a short European tour. The Angry Angles disbanded after releasing a number of vinyl singles.
By 2005 both the Reatards and the Lost Sounds had broken up, and Lindsey focused his attention on a handful of side projects, working with and releasing material as Terror Visions and Destruction Unit. Though after he began focusing on his solo career in 2006, Lindsey said he has no desire to reform his previous bands. "I'd just feel like I was going backwards if I worked on anything else," Lindsey said.
2006 saw the release of Blood Visions
(In the Red), Lindsey's first solo album under the moniker Jay Reatard. After a lengthy tour supporting his solo album, in 2008 he signed a multi-album, exclusive deal with the New York-based indie label Matador Records
. Reatard chose Matador because he felt they were "the only ones keeping any of the promises they'd made along the way." A number of major labels like Universal Records
, Columbia Records
, and Vice Records along with independent Fat Possum wanted to meet with him in the hopes of signing him. He released six limited, 7" singles throughout 2008 with Matador. Soon after the release of the first single and write-ups in NME
, Spin Magazine and Rolling Stone
, Lindsey began playing larger shows and various music festivals all over the world.
"My Shadow" was featured in MLB 2K8.
In October 2008 Reatard's Matador Singles '08 LP compiled all six of the 2008 singles on one LP/CD. Lindsey again hit the road to support the album with a second, extensive 2008 tour.
Lindsey's later records sound drastically different from his early punk records. He said writers often misinterpret his newer sound. "I just think it's noisy pop music," Lindsey said.
Lindsey's final album, Watch Me Fall
(his first proper studio album with Matador), was released in August 2009. He described this collection of songs as more melodic and twee
-inspired. In a 2009 interview, Lindsey said "these new batch of songs feature organ, some mandolins, a cello, a lot more back-ups and harmonies." He noted that he's "become a little bit more about the melodies... I think I stripped away a layer of the fuzz; I might have been challenging people before to find them and this time I might be making them a little bit more obvious."
While he claimed Watch Me Fall
was more mellow than his previous works, Lindsey said his live show would remain energetic. "I just want it to be like an assault live, and softer on records," he said.
In a August 2009 interview with Turn it Down Interviews, Lindsey said the album's lyrics are centered around his growing fear of death and the betrayal of close friends. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/06/jay-reatard-watch-me-fall-matador-album.html#links
After the release of Watch Me Fall, Lindsey contributed to a tribute album for New Zealand rock and roll musician Chris Knox
, with whom he was to collaborate until Knox suffered a stroke in June 2009. All proceeds from the album will go towards Knox's recovery.
Lindsey's band (that consisted of members of another Memphis band, The Barbaras) quit playing with Lindsey around October 5, 2009, although specific details were not released. He finished the dates he had previously booked with replacement players, the bassist and drummer of the Danish band Cola Freaks, with whom he had previously toured.
neighborhood of Midtown, Memphis
, around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. He was found in his bed by a roommate. Lindsey was 29 years old. A statement was posted on the website of Goner Records
, that Reatard had died in his sleep. Friends of Lindsey stated that he had recently complained of flu-like symptoms. An autopsy was performed by the Shelby County
medical examiner. Memphis's Commercial Appeal
reported on February 3 that Lindsey had died of "cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death."
An investigation was opened by the Memphis police homicide bureau. MyFox Memphis
reported that police had begun a homicide investigation and were actively looking for a possible suspect. The report was later removed from the TV station's website.
A memorial was held for Lindsey on Saturday, January 16 in Memphis at Memorial Park Funeral Home, attended by family and friends. Musician and friend Eric Friedl
, founder of Goner Records, and bandmate Stephen Pope were those that eulogized Lindsey. One of Lindsey's trademark white Gibson Flying V
guitars hung behind his coffin at the funeral home; he was buried with the guitar the next day. His grave is near that of Memphis soul musician Isaac Hayes
.
Re-issues and posthumous releases of Lindsey's recordings are in the works, including those with The Reatards and The Lost Sounds. At the time of his death, Lindsey had been working on at least six songs for a new solo album for Matador Records.
A feature length documentary film entitled Better Than Something: Jay Reatard has been completed and will be released in 2011. The film, made by New York City filmmakers Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz, is an elaboration of their short film Waiting For Something. The film predominantly features footage shot with Lindsey in April 2009, along with never before seen concert and home video footage, and cameos from many of Lindsey’s family members and colleagues. Better Than Something: Jay Reatard premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2011.
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. Lindsey was signed to Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
. He released recordings as a solo artist and as a member of The Reatards and Lost Sounds
Lost Sounds
Lost Sounds was a rock band from Memphis, Tennessee. Starting in March 1999, the band was made up of Rich Crook on drums, Patrick Jordan on bass, Jay Reatard on synth, guitar and vocals, and Alicja Trout also on synth, guitar and vocals. The band, originally working within the garage rock genre,...
.
1990s
Lindsey's recording career began at the age of 15, when a home-made demo tape he had sent in to Goner RecordsGoner Records
Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk and garage rock bands such as the King Khan & BBQ Show and the late Jay Reatard...
caught the ear of former-Oblivian
Oblivians
The Oblivians were an American punk rock trio that existed from 1993 to 1998. In the 1990s, their blues-infused brand of bravado, crudely-recorded music made them one of the most popular and prominent bands within the underground garage rock scene....
and Goner Records’ owner, Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.He is also an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entrepreneur...
. Lindsey's introduction to Friedl and his Oblivians bandmates had come that same year when the Oblivians had returned home to Memphis as an opening act for Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt
Rocket from the Crypt was an American rock band led by John Reis, formed in 1989 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005.The band gained critical praise and the attention of major record labels after the release of their 1992 album Circa: Now!, leading to a recording contract with Interscope...
. Upon seeing the act live, Lindsey became enamored with their sloppy, lo-fi music and set forth creating his own brand of heavily distorted garage rock music. Friedl was impressed by Lindsey's demos and signed him to his label, later commenting, "I loved the racket so we did the record, and I've been a fan of everything he's done since. He's a pretty amazing kid."
Lindsey named his first project the Reatards, which at the time included only himself as a member, and adopted an Oblivians-influenced surname, calling himself Jay Reatard. The Reatards’ first release on Goner was a 7” EP called Get Real Stupid, which featured Lindsey as a solo performer alternating between playing guitar, singing, and beating on a bucket to provide a percussive rhythm. Around this time Greg Cartwright
Greg Cartwright
Greg Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. He currently fronts Reigning Sound and lives in Asheville, North Carolina...
, a member of The Oblivians, briefly played drums for Lindsey. Cartwright played shows and recorded with Lindsey on his first (self-released) cassette, Fuck Elvis, Here's The Reatards (No-Fi Records) - which featured recording assistance from Jack Yarber
Jack Yarber
Jack Yarber, also known by his stage name, Jack Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the garage-bands The Compulsive Gamblers, and The Oblivans and currently fronts Jack O & the Tennessee Tearjerkers.Yarber has also been...
, another Oblivian.
For Lindsey’s second vinyl release he recruited a backing band, hiring bassist Steve Albundy and drummer Elvis Wong to accompany him. The Reatards’ first LP as a trio was 1998’s Teenage Hate. This was followed by a second LP, Grown Up Fucked Up, and a number of singles. The Reatards' first European tour came in 1998, when Lindsey was just 18.
2000s
In 2001 Lindsey began recording music with Alicja Trout and Rich Crook as the Lost Sounds, a side project which would ultimately usurp the Reatards as Lindsey’s primary musical venture. With alternating male and female vocals, as well as prominently-employed synthesizers, the Lost Sounds were a departure from the guitar-driven garage rock of the Reatards, and had a sound more akin to the early punk rock of The ScreamersThe Screamers
The Screamers were a punk rock group active in the Los Angeles, California area in the late 1970s. The Screamers were pioneers of a genre now known as "synthpunk," and can also be classified as art punk....
, a synthesizer-heavy punk band that Lindsey had been exposed to by Elvis Wong shortly after the recording of the Reatards’ first LP. Lindsey once claimed that his time in the Lost Sounds "was and is more fun than anything else I have ever done." Yet despite Lindsey’s enthusiasm for the band, the Lost Sounds bitterly broke up in 2005.
Lindsey was a prolific songwriter, often acting as a member and contributing compositions to two or more bands concurrently. One of Lindsey’s first side projects was the Bad Times, a one-off band which included Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.He is also an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entrepreneur...
and King Louie Bankston
King Louie Bankston
King Louie Bankston is a prolific garage punk musician from Harahan, Louisiana. He is best known for his work in The Royal Pendletons, The Persuaders, The Exploding Hearts, and The King Louie One Man Band....
. The band recorded an album’s worth of material after only one practice session in 1998, releasing a self-titled LP in 2001. After one live performance the band disbanded, the members returning to their respective solo commitments.
While Lindsey was still a member of both the Retards and the Lost Sounds he joined a side project called the Final Solutions. Lindsey’s association with the future members of the Final Solutions began while he was still a teenager. Fighting problems at home, Lindsey opted to take up residence with members of a local band called the Jackmonkeys. While he was rooming with the band he was conscripted to play drums for them at a battle of the bands which was being held at the school's cafeteria. With Lindsey on drums, the band, under the moniker "the High and Mightys," performed a set of Oblivians covers, earning instant hate in the competition (FS bassist Tommy Trouble's band, the Squirrels earned third place). After separating for a number of years the group reformed under the name the Final Solutions and began touring and releasing albums.
In 2004, Lindsey, together with his ex-girlfriend, Alix Brown of Atlanta rock band the Lids, formed Shattered Records, an independent record label that released mainly limited edition vinyl. Shattered Records released records for a number of lo-fi punk and rock bands, including: Kajun SS, Jack Oblivian, Tokyo Electron, Retards, Final Solutions, Terror Visions, Angry Angles, Carbonas, Rat Traps, Digital Leather
Digital Leather
Digital Leather is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree. It is recognized for having characteristics of synth punk, New Wave, pop, lo-fi, and psychedelic music....
and the Knaughty Knights.
In 2007 Lindsey put Shattered Records on hold while he promoted his solo records. Then in 2009 Lindsey revived the label with the "Shattered Record Club" and the announcement of his final solo album, Watch Me Fall
Watch Me Fall
- Musicians :* Jay Retard - Vocals, Guitar* Stephen Pope - Bass* Billy Hayes - Drums...
.
Out of this partnership came another musical endeavor for Lindsey, the Angry Angles. Together with Brown, and alternating between drummers Paul Artigues from Die Rotzz and Ryan Rousseau ('Elvis Wong') from Tokyo Electron, the band began touring the U.S. in the Fall of 2006. Before the band had even released its second single, Lindsey and Brown began a short European tour. The Angry Angles disbanded after releasing a number of vinyl singles.
By 2005 both the Reatards and the Lost Sounds had broken up, and Lindsey focused his attention on a handful of side projects, working with and releasing material as Terror Visions and Destruction Unit. Though after he began focusing on his solo career in 2006, Lindsey said he has no desire to reform his previous bands. "I'd just feel like I was going backwards if I worked on anything else," Lindsey said.
2006 saw the release of Blood Visions
Blood Visions
Blood Visions is the debut studio album by American punk rock singer and songwriter Jay Reatard, formerly of the Reatards.The track, "Oh It's Such A Shame" has been covered by Deerhunter and more recently by Arcade Fire during their support tour for The Suburbs.Just prior to Jay Reatard's death in...
(In the Red), Lindsey's first solo album under the moniker Jay Reatard. After a lengthy tour supporting his solo album, in 2008 he signed a multi-album, exclusive deal with the New York-based indie label Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
. Reatard chose Matador because he felt they were "the only ones keeping any of the promises they'd made along the way." A number of major labels like Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, and Vice Records along with independent Fat Possum wanted to meet with him in the hopes of signing him. He released six limited, 7" singles throughout 2008 with Matador. Soon after the release of the first single and write-ups in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Spin Magazine and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Lindsey began playing larger shows and various music festivals all over the world.
"My Shadow" was featured in MLB 2K8.
In October 2008 Reatard's Matador Singles '08 LP compiled all six of the 2008 singles on one LP/CD. Lindsey again hit the road to support the album with a second, extensive 2008 tour.
Lindsey's later records sound drastically different from his early punk records. He said writers often misinterpret his newer sound. "I just think it's noisy pop music," Lindsey said.
Lindsey's final album, Watch Me Fall
Watch Me Fall
- Musicians :* Jay Retard - Vocals, Guitar* Stephen Pope - Bass* Billy Hayes - Drums...
(his first proper studio album with Matador), was released in August 2009. He described this collection of songs as more melodic and twee
Twee
The word twee occurs in various terms:*twee pop and twee, alternative names for indie pop*Kill Twee Pop!, the first studio album by Sarandon*Twee River Redfin , a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family...
-inspired. In a 2009 interview, Lindsey said "these new batch of songs feature organ, some mandolins, a cello, a lot more back-ups and harmonies." He noted that he's "become a little bit more about the melodies... I think I stripped away a layer of the fuzz; I might have been challenging people before to find them and this time I might be making them a little bit more obvious."
While he claimed Watch Me Fall
Watch Me Fall
- Musicians :* Jay Retard - Vocals, Guitar* Stephen Pope - Bass* Billy Hayes - Drums...
was more mellow than his previous works, Lindsey said his live show would remain energetic. "I just want it to be like an assault live, and softer on records," he said.
In a August 2009 interview with Turn it Down Interviews, Lindsey said the album's lyrics are centered around his growing fear of death and the betrayal of close friends. http://turnit-down.blogspot.com/2009/06/jay-reatard-watch-me-fall-matador-album.html#links
After the release of Watch Me Fall, Lindsey contributed to a tribute album for New Zealand rock and roll musician Chris Knox
Chris Knox
Chris Knox is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist, and DVD reviewer who emerged during the punk rock era with his bands The Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, he formed the group Tall Dwarfs with guitarist Alec Bathgate, much loved for their honest,...
, with whom he was to collaborate until Knox suffered a stroke in June 2009. All proceeds from the album will go towards Knox's recovery.
Lindsey's band (that consisted of members of another Memphis band, The Barbaras) quit playing with Lindsey around October 5, 2009, although specific details were not released. He finished the dates he had previously booked with replacement players, the bassist and drummer of the Danish band Cola Freaks, with whom he had previously toured.
Death
Lindsey was found dead in his home in the Cooper-YoungCooper-Young, Memphis
Cooper-Young is an eclectic neighborhood and historic district in the Midtown section of Memphis, Tennessee, named for the intersection of Cooper Street and Young Avenue. The entrance to the neighborhood is marked by the Cooper-Young Trestle, a long steel sculpture which depicts homes and...
neighborhood of Midtown, Memphis
Midtown, Memphis
- Overview :Architecturally, Midtown Memphis, Tennessee is marked with residential vintage housing, specialty stores, and high-rise buildings, often all located on the same avenue...
, around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. He was found in his bed by a roommate. Lindsey was 29 years old. A statement was posted on the website of Goner Records
Goner Records
Goner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk and garage rock bands such as the King Khan & BBQ Show and the late Jay Reatard...
, that Reatard had died in his sleep. Friends of Lindsey stated that he had recently complained of flu-like symptoms. An autopsy was performed by the Shelby County
Shelby County, Tennessee
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...
medical examiner. Memphis's Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal
The Commercial Appeal is the predominant daily newspaper of Memphis, Tennessee, and its surrounding metropolitan area. It is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company, a major North American media company. Scripps also owned the former afternoon paper, the Memphis Press-Scimitar, which it folded in...
reported on February 3 that Lindsey had died of "cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death."
An investigation was opened by the Memphis police homicide bureau. MyFox Memphis
WHBQ-TV
WHBQ-TV, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Its studios and transmitter are located in Memphis.-Under RKO General:...
reported that police had begun a homicide investigation and were actively looking for a possible suspect. The report was later removed from the TV station's website.
A memorial was held for Lindsey on Saturday, January 16 in Memphis at Memorial Park Funeral Home, attended by family and friends. Musician and friend Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl
Eric Friedl, also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian, is the founder and owner of Goner Records, an independent music label and record store located in Memphis, Tennessee.He is also an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and entrepreneur...
, founder of Goner Records, and bandmate Stephen Pope were those that eulogized Lindsey. One of Lindsey's trademark white Gibson Flying V
Gibson Flying V
-External links:*, , , , and , from the Gibson website*, a June 2001 article from Guitar Collector magazine*, a tribute site that lists all models and re-issues and most notable players**...
guitars hung behind his coffin at the funeral home; he was buried with the guitar the next day. His grave is near that of Memphis soul musician Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
.
Re-issues and posthumous releases of Lindsey's recordings are in the works, including those with The Reatards and The Lost Sounds. At the time of his death, Lindsey had been working on at least six songs for a new solo album for Matador Records.
A feature length documentary film entitled Better Than Something: Jay Reatard has been completed and will be released in 2011. The film, made by New York City filmmakers Alex Hammond and Ian Markiewicz, is an elaboration of their short film Waiting For Something. The film predominantly features footage shot with Lindsey in April 2009, along with never before seen concert and home video footage, and cameos from many of Lindsey’s family members and colleagues. Better Than Something: Jay Reatard premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in Nashville, Tennessee in April 2011.
Albums
- Teenage Hate LP/CD (1998; Goner)
- Grown Up, Fucked Up LP/CD (1999; Empty)
- Live LP (2004; Goner)
- Bedroom Disasters LP/CD (2004; Empty)
- Not Fucked Enough LP/CD/CD-R (2005; Empty/Shattered)
45s/EPs
- Get Real Stupid 7" (1998; Goner)
- Get Out Of Our Way 7" (1999; Blahll!)
- Your So Lewd 7" (1999; Empty)
- Untitled 7" (2002; SSLD)
- Monster Child 7" (2004; Zaxxon)
- Plastic Surgery 7" (2005; Shattered)
- Totally Shattered Euro Tour 7" (2005; Split with Angry Angles and Tokyo Electron; Kenrock)
- I Lie Too 7" (2006; Zaxxon Virile Action)
Albums
- Memphis Is Dead LP/CD (2001; Big Neck!)
- Black-Wave 2xLP/CD (2001; Empty)
- Rats Brains & Microchips LP/CD (2002; Empty)
- Lost Sounds LP/CD (2004; In the Red)
45s/EPs
- Plastic Skin 7" (2000; Solid Sex Lovie Doll)
- 1 + 1 = Nothing 7" (2001; Empty)
- Split 7" with The Vanishing (2003; Cochon)
- Ice Age 7" (2004; Holy Cobra Society)
- Future Touch 12"EP/CDEP (2004; In the Red)
Compilations
- Outtakes & Demos Vol. 1 CD-R (2001; Contaminated)
- Outtakes & Demos Vol. 1 LP (2002; Hate)
- Recent Transmissions: Demos & Outtakes Vol. 2 CD (2002; Contaminated)
- Demos II CD (2003; On/On Switch)
- Demos & Outtakes Vol. 2 3x7" (2004; Rockin' Bones)
With Bad Times
- Bad Times LP (2001; Goner/Therapeutic)
- Bad Times (Re-Release) CD (2002; Sympathy For The Record Industry)
45s/EPs
- Eat Shit 7" (2002; Therapeutic)
- Eye Don't Like You 7" (2005; Shit Sandwich)
- My Love Is Disappointing 7" (2005; Shattered)
- Return To The Motherland 7" (2006; Frick & Frack)
- FS/DF 7" (2007; Jethrow)
With Angry Angles
- Things Are Moving 7" (2005; Shattered)
- Crowds 7" (2005; P. Trash)
- Totally Shattered Euro Tour 7" (2005; Split with Angry Angles and Tokyo Electron; Kenrock)
- Split 7" (2006; Split with Digital LeatherDigital LeatherDigital Leather is the musical project of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Foree. It is recognized for having characteristics of synth punk, New Wave, pop, lo-fi, and psychedelic music....
; Shattered) - Apparent-Transparent 7" (2006; Plastic Idol)
As Terror Visions
- World of Shit - Expanded edition LP (2011; FDH Records)
- World of Shit LP/CD (2007; FDH Records)
- Endless Tunnel EP
- Blood in America 7" (Disordered)
With Destruction Unit
- Self-Destruction of a Man LP/CD (2004; Empty)
- Death to the Old Flesh LP/CD (2006; Empty)
Albums
- Blood VisionsBlood VisionsBlood Visions is the debut studio album by American punk rock singer and songwriter Jay Reatard, formerly of the Reatards.The track, "Oh It's Such A Shame" has been covered by Deerhunter and more recently by Arcade Fire during their support tour for The Suburbs.Just prior to Jay Reatard's death in...
LP/CD (2006; In the Red) - Watch Me FallWatch Me Fall- Musicians :* Jay Retard - Vocals, Guitar* Stephen Pope - Bass* Billy Hayes - Drums...
LP/CD (2009; Matador)
45s/EPs
- Hammer I Miss You 7" (2006; Goner)
- Night of Broken Glass 12" (2007; In the Red)
- Split with the Boston Chinks 7" (2007; P. Trash)
- In the Dark 7"/6" (2007; Squoodge)
- I Know a Place 7" (2007; Goner)
- Blood Demo 7" (2008; Stained Circles)
- See/Saw 7" (2008; Matador)
- Painted Shut 7" (2008; Matador)
- Always Wanting More 7" (2008; Matador)
- Fluorescent Grey 7" (2008; Matador)
- Trapped Here 7" (2008; Matador)
- No Time 7" (2008; Matador)
- Hang Them All 7" (2009; Split with Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
; Matador) - Telephone Network Voltage 7" (2009; Split with Thee Oh Sees; Shattered)
- It Ain't Gonna Save Me 7" (2009; Matador)
Compilations
- Singles 06-07 LP/CD/DVD (2008; In the Red)
- Matador Singles '08 LP/CD (2008; Matador)
- Greatest Messes [Digital Release] (2009; Shattered)
Compilation appearances
- We Heart The Blowtops – Tribute 7" [Track: Venom Victims Wine] (2006; Big Neck)
External links
- Jay Retard Official Site
- Matador Records
- In the Red Records
- Tupica, Rich. August 2009 Turn it Down Jay Retard Interview"turnit-down.blogspot.com". August 9, 2009. Accessed January 26, 2010.
- Tupica, Rich. October 2008 Turn it Down Jay Retard Interview "turnit-down.blogspot.com". October 15, 2007. Accessed October 21, 2008.
- Tupica, Rich. October 2007 Turn it Down Jay Retard Interview "turnit-down.blogspot.com". October 15, 2007. Accessed October 20, 2007.
- Christmass, Shane Jesse. An Interview with Eric Oblivian "www.furious.com," August 2000. Accessed May 18, 2007.
- Kroneiss, Rich. Grown Up, Fucked Up: An interview with Jay Reatard "www.terminal-boredom.com". Accessed June 23, 2007.
- Pythagoras. Angry Angles Bleed Positive Negativity "www.victimoftime.com". June 21, 2006. Accessed June 28, 2007.
- Live Photos of Jay performing with TV Smith of the Adverts
- Review of 'Watch Me Fall' at Culturedeluxe
- Ankeny, Jason. [ The Retards] "www.allmusic.com". Accessed June 23, 2007.