A Life on Fyre: Remembering the Lyres’ Garage-Punk Godfather Jeff Conolly

Tribute A fond farewell to the Carl Yastrzemski of Boston rock Let’s raise a dirty glass to a true rock & roll legend: the Lyres’ Jeff “Monoman” Conolly. When the gods of rock built this guy, they broke the mold, probably on purpose. Conolly was a Boston rock kingpin, the garage-punk godfather who cranked out a string of ferocious indie records in the 1980s, snarling frantic raves like “Don’t Give It Up Now” and “She Pays The Rent.” Monoman died on July 31 of cancer, at 69, and the world already seems like a tamer place. A Lyres show meant witnessing Conolly in full frenzy, swept up in the high-strung psycho attack of the music, a skinny tornado of a man whipping himself into a state of shamanic possession during “I Really Want You Right Now,” chanting that title over and over, banging on