I’m a huge Nick Lowe fan, and of course I’ve heard of — even own a couple of LPs by — Brinsley Schwarz, but I’ve never paid much attention to the names of the other guys from Brinsley Schwarz.

Today, I’m listening to XM Radio’s The Loft, and a song comes on that I’m digging. I think, “Sounds a bit like Nick Lowe.”

I look at the radio display. It’s Ian Gomm. When I get out of the truck, I pull out my iPhone and send myself an e-mail as a reminder to investigate Gomm further later.

Well, it turns out that Gomm is also ex-of Brinsley Schwarz, and according to his site, co-wrote “Cruel to Be Kind.”

He even has a sample of the original Brinsley Schwarz version, and is offering up a CD of a long-lost Brinsley Schwarz LP with the song on it.

I can’t pass judgment on Ian’s solo work yet — haven’t heard enough of it — but I’m eager to see what I might discover that’s worthwhile.

Meanwhile, when I went to gather the Nick Lowe link for the first graph of this post, I learned that A 30th Anniversary edition of Jesus of Cool has been released. Well, there’s something else I’ve GOT TO spend money on.

Man, 30 years since Jesus of Cool (aka Pure Pop for Now People for us up-tight Americans) was released. When I was 17, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran hadn’t even been dead for 20 years, and I thought they were ancient Rock and Roll history.

Somebody told me the other day, I’ve gotten more gray hair than I did a year ago … so it goes …

Here’s the Nick Lowe CD reissue: Jesus of Cool

And Ian Gomm: Hold On