Jonny Polonsky

Hi My Name is Jonny (American)
by Sheril Stanford

A member of the new breed of DIY-ers, Jonny Polonsky took his collection of home recorded four-track demos and, on slightly upgraded recording equipment, re-recorded them, again spurning spiffy studios in favor of the comforts of home. His mom’s home, that is, in idyllic Illinois. The result? Ten tracks of all Polonsky, all the time. The best part about this disc is the amusingly obvious and blatantly goofy lyrics. For instance, there’s the catchy chorus, “You are truly ugly and you’re dead, you are truly ugly and dead…” from “Truly Ugly and Dead, Too.” Winning the award for Best Use Of An Under-Used Word As A Lyric is the line “I am unable to resist your scurvy love…” from the tune “Evil, Scurvy Love.” There’s also a little ditty that appears to be about falling deathly ill while mowing the lawn after eating souvlaki. Hey, don’t look at me, I’m just telling you what I heard.

The tunes are spare and lean, but also strongly melodic. That’s really all I remember about the music. The lyrics simply overshadowed everything else. I could have sworn I heard a thunderstorm in the background during one of the particularly low key cuts. They get big ones there in Illinois, you know. O.K., so maybe this CD wouldn’t be out there if Polonsky didn’t have Frank Black as a buddy. Polonsky puts words next to words and notes next to notes in an entertaining way, and to hell with you all. I like it.