Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to GOODTIME Jonathan Richman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
GOODTIME, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
For me, It’s not about how I developed my confidence but more so how I got it back. As a kid and teenager, I was extremely confident and outgoing, but in college, I was pulled out of my bubble for a year and then forced to stay inside for basically two years with Covid. As a result I became quite reclusive as well as socially anxious. I felt like all of my layers had been pulled back to reveal absolutely nothing. I am also bipolar, so all of these emotions led to a long depressive episode followed by mania. I had spun myself into the tightest web and felt totally and completely suffocated. For the longest time, I blamed it all on the fact that I was bipolar, but I really couldn’t start healing until I accepted responsibility for who I was. At the time I was still in College and desperately wanted to leave but did not want to go back home, so I decided to move to Los Angeles and focus on my music career. I also decided that I wanted to fix my social anxiety, for personal reasons of course but also as an artist I wanted to get back to collaborating with other musicians. I went straight for exposure therapy and started by going out once a week every weekend, then it became twice a week, then three times a week, and eventually I figured out my social battery and learned more about what I like and don’t like. So I would say exposure therapy worked very well for me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love to make music and perfect it to the best of my ability. I love the process and the feeling it gives me. It’s very addictive and fulfilling. When I’m not writing, producing, or playing music, I’m probably spread on the couch watching an anime like Attack on Titan or Tokyo Ghoul. I am very much a TV and movie buff. I get a lot of inspiration for my music from movies and TV shows. Not so much the subject matter but more so the feeling certain movies and shows give me. My favorite part about art is immersion; whether it be immersion through emotion or immersion through sensation. I try to make music that would immerse the listener. A recent piece of art that very much inspired me with its immersion is an HBO animated show called Scavenger’s Reign. It sucked me into its world in such an immense and impactful way. The score in particular has had an impact on the production of a lot of my new music.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
As far as skills, I would say that writing and producing are the two most practically valuable skills that I have. One of the main reasons I taught myself how to produce was that I didn’t want to rely on somebody else, skill-wise or financially, to make my music. While these skills happen to be the thing I love to do and have helped me stand out in my field, as far as maneuvering in the world as an artist, what’s been just as important, if not more, is PERSPECTIVE. In the entertainment world, not everything is as it seems and it’s very easy to get caught up in the showiness of it all. That is why it’s so important to have perspective and keep in mind what is truly essential to you as a creative. One of my father’s friends, who is an entrepreneur, asked me a question that hit me pretty hard. He asked me whether I would rather have a wide impact or a high-intensity impact. In other words would I rather deeply affect 10 people with my music or moderately affect 100 people? Having my music deeply affect someone is the greatest reward I could ask for as an artist. My advice to people who are just starting on their creative journey is to just try to maintain perspective as it will help you stay focused and prevent the outside noise from getting in the way.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking for independent filmmakers as I would love to score more short films and would especially love to do a feature-length film. I particularly love scoring animated works as the fluidity of animation allows for so many possibilities with the music. I also love the creative dynamic between the director and the composer. That type of work exercises a different part of creativity in my brain. So if anyone reading is looking for a composer, I’m your guy. You can reach me by phone, email, or on Instagram, either one is good with me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodtime.wav/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXSsJQcizBM&t=1s
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-225794856
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1PsK52eD2Kxmcg3NvD2EIl?si=toRtdV1HRWaNfRTsRhmX6w
Image Credits
Tatijana Shoan Tyler Matos
