Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.
Barely a handful of people claim to have contacted Jandek, whose steadfastness in anonymity is legendary. Without any conventional attempts at promotion, he releases albums through his own record label Corwood Industries, which is addressed at a Houston post office box. Fans can write to Corwood for a typewritten catalogue and order Jandek’s albums, usually at inexpensive prices. Jandek’s work has been available on vinyl and on compact discs. Many of his albums feature pictures of the same young man (seen above) at various ages; in light of Jandek's live performances it is almost entirely certain that the person featured on the album covers is Jandek himself.
Jandek’s first album, Ready for the House (1978), was first accredited to a band called “The Units” but it was obviously a solo work. Jandek presumably plays acoustic guitar and has recorded much of his work apparently unaccompanied (assuming that the person singing is also the person playing guitar). However many other songs feature female vocals and/or different male vocalists. Others feature bass guitar, electric guitar and/or drums, presumably played by collaborators. No proper credits list has ever appeared on an album, but song titles have included "Nancy Sings" and "John Plays Drums".
Some of Jandek’s allure stems from his small but devoted fan base which has included Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, Indian Jewelry, and K Records founder Calvin Johnson.
The mystery of Jandek's identity was partially resolved in October 2004 when Jandek performed live in Scotland, at the Instal 04 music festival in Glasgow. This was Jandek's first known live appearance and performed with Richard Youngs (bass) and Alex Neilson (drums). The man on stage was obviously the same man who appears on the album covers. Corwood stipulated that the performance was not publicized in advance. Since then, "The Representative of Corwood Industries" (as Jandek sometimes insists on being called) has played a lot of concerts and recorded all of them for future releases. The last years have seen an even higher release frequency, even for Jandek.
For more information, you may go here:
www.tisue.net/jandek
www.jandekoncorwood.com
No Time
Jandek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go on down the street
Say hello to every stranger
That you meet
The opening lyrics of Jandek's song No Time convey a sense of movement and connection. The suggestion to "go on down the street" implies that there is somewhere to be, an urgency or purpose to the journey. However, the line "Say hello to every stranger / That you meet" complicates this notion of direction. Rather than being focused solely on their endpoint, the singer of the song suggests that we acknowledge and engage with those we encounter along the way. 'Every stranger' in this context represents a potential opportunity for interaction, growth, and humanity. By treating everyone we meet as worthy of greeting, we open up our world to endless possibilities.
As the song continues, Jandek sings "No time for anything / But you can talk to me." This suggests that while on this journey, time is limited and precious. We must choose how we spend this time, and the choice to engage with others is a powerful one. The invitation to 'talk to me' implies that the singer is willing and available to engage with the listener, to share in this experience and make the most of their time together.
Line by Line Meaning
Going down a road
Embarking upon a journey towards an unknown destination
Go on down the street
Continue to travel on this path, moving forward
Say hello to every stranger
Acknowledge the presence of those who are unfamiliar, extending a greeting
That you meet
Encountering individuals along the way and acknowledging their existence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GAIL ANN DORSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Greg Kozak
This guy has a raw, gritty, no-nonsense, spare style that gets right to the point. There's a lot more to him than people think. This is gut-bucket, stripped-down music that looks life straight in the face. Great stuff.
D. H.K.C
... that was real Behind The Music shit right there not gonna lie I'm impressed.
J Ahern
The most danceable Jandek song
Frank Brinkmann
Him and Hazil Atkins could have been the best Duo in Rock History!
Lynn Herbert
This song rocks!
Evan's Gate
that guitar tone...
F. Hawk
Loving Jandek at the min. Got a velvet underground feel to a lot of his stuff.
Ever heard of Lucid Rivers?
Ko Br
+F. Hawk also the gun club
Zigfrids Minets
stop shilling.
The Night Blade Feeds
Sounds like Parquet Courts may have picked up something from this too - especially the "put them in the closet" line