Part of our mission here at Dangerous Minds is to hip readers to artists they—that’s *you*—may not be aware of. That’s certainly the case with this post, as we present J.T. IV. Even if you know this enigmatic man’s music, we have a song of his that you’ve surely never heard before.
Born in 1961, Chicago native John Henry Timmis IV had an eventful, yet miserable, childhood. He grew up in an abusive household, and after his parents split up, he stayed with his mother, though he ran away several times. He struggled with substance abuse and mental illness, and when he was a teen his mother had him committed. After his year-long stay in a hospital, Timmis was released.
10th grade.
During his high school years, J.T. got really into David Bowie and the Velvet Underground, and was inspired to pick up the guitar, which he taught himself to play. He got together with his buddies for some stoned jam sessions, which were taped. From these recordings came his debut record, the first of a handful of 45s he put out on his own label—albeit in small numbers—during the 1980s. The tracks on the singles alternated between a loner folk style and “Destructo Rock,” his unique blend of glam, punk, and classic rock.
In lieu of live shows, faux applause was woven into studio tracks, and unhinged live events were staged and documented on video. J.T. was crafting his own legacy.
In 1987, material from the 45s were culled for the Cosmic Lightning LP. Just 150 copies were pressed. Not long after the album was released, J.T. packed his bags and relocated to Ohio, where he faded from view. In 2002, Timmis passed away.
In 2009, Drag City/Galactic Zoo Disk reissued the scarce Cosmic Lightning, along with a DVD of video footage.
Drag City and Galactic Zoo Disk have teamed up again for a new J.T. IV release, The Future. The double album contains the fifteen songs from a rare and essentially unknown Timmis demo tape, which he entitled The Best of Johnny Zhivago Retrospective 1979-1993 (a recipient of the forgotten cassette came across it during the COVID-19 lockdown). Four stray tracks round out the release. Among J.T.’s originals are covers by such notables as Roxy Music, Lee Hazlewood, Brian Eno, and the Velvet Underground.
Dangerous Minds has the premiere of J.T. IV’s “Space Baby” from The Future. It’s a song about going to outer space and bedding an extraterrestrial—and the narrative goes on from there. What, not intriguing enough for you, dear reader? Well, it also features several minutes of face melting guitar work.
Pre-order The Future via Bandcamp or Drag City’s website; it’s also on Amazon.
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
That time in 1966 when the Velvet Underground played a series of shows without Lou Reed and Nico
The explosive teenage garage rock of Pittsburgh proto-punks, the Swamp Rats
Earliest known Lee Hazlewood recordings discovered on lost and found demo tape (a DM premiere)