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In 1991, I had my first radio show on CKUW 95.9 FM, then located in a suite of four dingy basement rooms at the University of Winnipeg.
The DJ booth contained a small rack of new releases and I can still recall the first time I pulled out Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend, intrigued by the cover photo — a glamorous shot of actress Tuesday Weld, her face framed by a fur hood.
I put on the first track, Divine Intervention, and was immediately hooked. I’m a sucker for melodic power pop and this was a stellar example of the genre, with clear nods to the Beatles and absolutely shredding guitar from Television’s Richard Lloyd (whose birthday it is today; thank you, internet).
I bought the album the next day and was pleased to discover it was a front-to-back masterpiece.
I’m not alone in my assessment: the A.V. Club named it the best power-pop album of the ‘90s, and it ranked No. 7 on the Village Voice’s list of 1991’s best releases.
It never really cracked the mainstream radio market here, but the video for the title track was in high rotation on MuchMusic, and Sweet performed in Winnipeg with the Tragically Hip’s Another Roadside Attraction tour in 1995.
Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend, released in 1991.
Other favourites of the early ‘90s have come and gone in the rotation, but Girlfriend has remained my constant companion for more than 30 years; it’s an album that has given me more hours of listening pleasure than I can say.
So I was profoundly saddened to read that Sweet suffered a devastating stroke while on tour in Toronto on Oct. 12.
After life-saving treatment in Canada, he had to be flown via air ambulance to a specialized rehab centre in his hometown of Omaha, Neb.; he may never perform again.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that Sweet — who still releases albums but is no longer affiliated with a major label — has no medical insurance.
At this point, almost 7,000 people have donated to his GoFundMe (myself among them), and the campaign is close to its goal of US$400,000, which will cover his initial hospital stay/treatment and transport home, as well as ongoing rehabilitation costs.
But the indignity, the inhumanity, of having to go cap in hand to strangers after suffering a medical emergency that might forever prevent you from making music is something I can barely comprehend.
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This isn’t just another reminder that the U.S. health-care system is cruel and useless.
It’s a reminder that the artists among us, even in Canada, are often lacking in social supports — no dental insurance, no pensions, no security.
It’s a reminder to actually purchase that album instead of streaming it. Buy that concert ticket. Attend that play.
The art that affords you pleasure is worth paying for, and the people who make it deserve more than your likes and heart emojis.
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