The Seattle Times
April 30, 1993
Hitchcock And His Band Take The Low-Tech Road
by Tom Phalen
The last time I interviewed Robyn Hitchcock, I didn't. He interviewed me. I was tired and had no questions, so he played role-reversal and questioned me about airplane and sports experiences. It was very pleasant.
Earlier this week we got back to our proper positions: interrogator and put-upon musician. Hitchcock -- who plays the Backstage tomorrow and Sunday night -- was calling from San Diego.
"I'm feeling pretty normal," he said sluggishly. "How are you getting on? It's quite nice here. I think I'll go down to the beach when we're finished."
Hitchcock and The Egyptians -- keyboardist and bass player Andy Metcalfe and drummer Morris Windsor -- had already been in Georgia, across Texas, and into California. Asked how it was going, Hitchcock said he really didn't know. He wasn't much more sure about what the band was playing.
"It's more recent than old songs. More off the newer records," he said. And done differently. A prodigious writer of curious, fanciful, and often animal-oriented songs, Hitchcock and his band have been long known for their impeccably produced Byrds- and Beatles-like sound. Their new album, Respect, was cut low-tech and acoustic in his home on The Isle Of Wight. Electrical effects were added later.
"We don't use amplifiers on our guitars on this tour. But Andy does have a keyboard with lots of wires. It looks like a lunar module. So we do have quite a range of sound."
Asked why the change, he said he was just tired of the noise.
"I don't need to be hollering over electric guitars. After 15 years, it was time to give my voice a break. Now you can hear everyone singing. All those songs were done sitting around the kitchen table. We never rehearsed with amplifiers, so we were able to come up with these really close harmonies. We could actually hear each other!"
Hitchcock has returned to art as a creative outlet.
"I'm painting more and more (or trying to). I have an exhibition coming up. I'm drawing as we speak, but I mostly like oils. I like the slimy, jammy, indecisive feel of oils. The stink of oils.
"The thing is, it's difficult to do anything professionally and keep it fun. It's one of the things about this business that no one never asks about. But it's the price of being a professional musician. Because when you start, it's fun. That's why you do it. I very seldom do it at home now. It used to be a priority with me. Now I just want to do other things."
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