Olympia, Washington festival LoveOly Summer Fest got more than they bargained for when the event tried to book Jonathan Richman.
The innovative and influential songwriter is a true one-off, from his early Modern Lovers work through to the doo wop inflections of his lengthy solo catalogue.
A choice pick, then, for Stateside festival LoveOly Summer Fest who attempted to book the songwriter for a set at the Olympia, Washington event.
The conversation then took a bizarre turn, with LoveOly Summer Fest revealing they had been the target of an "elaborate booking scam…"
Organisers uncovered that they were dealing with a fake Richman, with The Olympia Film Society (OFS) having received a call from someone "pretending to be Richman".
Audrey Henley, Executive Director of the Olympia Film Society said, "We are shocked that this happened. We’ve been booking bands for the past 30 years, and this is a first for us. We hope this does not in any way hurt our relationship with the real Jonathan Richman and that he will return to Olympia soon."
The real Jonathan Richman took it in his stead, stating there were "no hard feelings". In a statement, he said:
"Hello everyone! This is the real Jonathan Richman! I just heard of your wonderful festival and sounds like an ideal place for me to play someday. No hard feelings on my part and no apologies necessary from the wonderful people at OFS who have invited me and Tommy up to play so many times. Did the guy who called you up manage to imitate my voice pretty good? Cuz if he did, you've got to hand it to him, most people can't do it!"
"But seriously now for just a second, I am sad for any disappointments and expenses caused to the Film Society and the fine people of Olympia. Of course I will come back to play for the Olympians!"
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