A Teenage Fanclub Education: Harmony Lunch And Jimmy’s Lunch

It’s dead easy to list the most obvious influences of Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub. He’s read them so often, founding band member Norman Blake can rattle them off at the drop of a tam: Big Star, Byrds, Beach Boys. Pigeonholing the Fanclub’s melodic-yet-rocking sound becomes a little more dicey. Though most of the cornerstones of power pop—Posies, Flamin’ Groovies, Matthew Sweet, Velvet Crush, Tommy Keene, Alex Chilton—don’t think much of the label, it seems to be the only one that’s stuck. If they keep this up for another five years or so, Teenage Fanclub, which opened for business in the mid-’80s when Blake met fellow Scots Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love, might surpass the Groovies for career longevity, a career award that usually precedes only the obit in a band’s publicity dossier. And yet, the group’s new album, Shadows (Merge), is as vital as anything TFC has ever cut, adding fuel to the proposition that some artists come up with their best work after turning 40. Blake and Love will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with Blake.

Norman: Having recently moved to Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario, I have been trying to familiarise myself with the local lunchtime (eating out) routine. In the U.K., it is not uncommon to find a greasy-spoon cafe and have yourself a fry up and a cup of tea with the obligatory pool of grease floating on top. In Kitchener, we have a couple of old-style burger joints, something that most of you as North Americans will know well but that I am only now exploring. Kitchener-Waterloo’s most famous old-time eateries are Harmony Lunch and Jimmy’s Lunch. I’ve eaten in both. Had great burgers and fresh coffee with free endless top-ups in both. Jimmy’s Lunch is run by Jimmy’s son, who is around 85 years old (Jimmy having passed away many years ago). Johnny Cash is rumoured to have eaten there after having played a show in Kitchener, but that was many years ago. They don’t open beyond lunchtime anymore. Harmony Lunch has a great sign. I have photographed it from many angles. It will be a tragedy when it is replaced by something more modern. Last time I was in, I was about to bite in to my burger and happened to glance to my left. There were a group of elderly people in that day, and at the table next to me there was this particular old gent who’s colostomy bag decided to start doing its thing. Not the greatest thing I’ve ever witnessed, but I’ll be back though.