San Francisco Examiner
June 22, 2000
A Stage Awash In Talent
Robyn Hitchcock And Grant-Lee Phillips Cast A Spell
by Jane Ganahl
Sometimes the recipe for musical magic is pretty simple. You take two gifted singers/songwriters/personalities, two acoustic guitars, a batch of brilliant songs and voila -- a memorable evening.
Such was the case Wednesday at the Great American Music Hall, when The City was lucky enough to score one of a handful of dates on a tour by two of popular music's finest songwriters, sharing a rare double bill: Robyn Hitchcock and Grant-Lee Phillips. Those who missed the Wednesday night show will have a second chance Thursday, when they play the Sweetwater in Mill Valley.
At the outset, it seems a rather odd pairing. The English Hitchcock, in his late-40s, has made a name as a penner of quirky, acerbic -- sometimes disturbing -- Folk Pop songs. And the decade-younger and trendier Phillips, formerly of Grant Lee Buffalo, is known for his romantic, honey-smooth ballads.
Blame it on Largo, where such pairings are not only common, but encouraged. The West Hollywood nightclub, whose drop-in-and-play policy brings in all manner of artists -- including, just last week, Fiona Apple and Beck -- also spawned the tour of (and the marriage of) Aimee Mann and Michael Penn. Hitchcock and Phillips have been sharing that stage for years, having so much fun together that they, like Mann and Penn, decided to take their show on the road.
Hitchcock and Phillips share something else in common: a reason to hit the road. Both recently parted ways with (translation: were jettisoned by) their major labels (which is all you need to know about the music industry) and have struck out on their own. In a fairly unprecedented move, both are selling new CDs that can only be bought online (grantleephillips.com and robynhitchcock.com) and at shows.
But clearly both were relishing the freedom that comes with such a move. The tunes were beautiful, the mood easy and forgiving (of glitches that inevitably happen when two headliners share the same stage). And the sometimes irascible Hitchcock was at his most relaxed and hilarious. Like Mann and Penn's tour, which actually interspersed music with standup comedy, Wednesday night's show was a regular yuk fest.
Phillips specialized in weird voices, even doing a spot-on imitation of Hitchcock's razor-like Brit accent. And Hitchcock did his customary raft of strange stories, which arose without provocation and ended without conclusion. One regarded Joan Baez and her purported problems in the '60s with setting off airport metal detectors; another revolved around the disappearances of old-style trolley cars in England. ("This is very upsetting to very few people," he quipped. "I can't see your eyes but I know they're glazing over.")
The funniest bit was when the two of them, seemingly spontaneously, began doing awkward limbering exercises on stage. "Guys like Jim Morrison had terrible posture and that's why they died young," explained Hitchcock.
As songwriters, Hitchcock has higher highs and lower lows, and Phillips is the more consistent, if less entertaining. In one moment, Hitchcock can mesmerize with a timeless ode like "I Feel Beautiful" (apparently about his late wife), and then irritate with a childlike ode to trolley cars -- too pleased with his own wit. But the majority of his songs are at least fascinating, and beautifully drawn.
Phillips, who test-drove several beauties from his new album, including the euphoric "Heavenly" and the heartbreaking "Lonesome Serenade", is the more immediate and personal performer, although every bit as hilarious as Hitchcock.
From his own new album, Hitchcock played "I Saw Nick Drake", a lovely, surreal homage to the late British tunesmith. And especially colorful and intimate -- during this pre-Gay Pride Parade week -- was "Queen Elvis," which was played with affection, not derision.
Occasionally one or the other would shift to the piano, but mostly, for 90 lovely minutes, the evening's formula for goosebumps was two men, their gifts, and their songs. And maybe some laughs.
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