Evening Standard
July 31, 1992
Uptight And Outta Sight
He May Be Too Weird For England, But He's A Giant Of U.S. Rock
Adam Tierney-Jones On The Rise And rise Of Former Punk Robyn Hitchcock
by Adam Tierney-Jones
Robyn Hitchcock may simply be a well-spoken nutter with a predeliction for obtuse lyrics and chiming guitar melodies. Or he may be as sane as everyone else and simply possessed with an unfettered imagination. Something has to explain song titles like "Vegetation And Dimes" on his latest album, Perspex Island, or the whole Syd Barrett whimsical aura that surrounds the one-time Soft Boy.
The Soft Boy experience was a long time ago, during the kickass days of Punk -- when Hitchcock's deliciously English voice and general weirdness were met with puzzlement by audiences in hometown Cambridge.
Nowadays Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians (featuring two former Soft Boys) are a class act with a huge following on the American college circuit. The All-American College Girls Association even voted him Official Greatest Living Englishman. Not exactly the coolest claim to fame, but his empathy with the R.E.M. camp adds credible brownie points.
Apparently he and R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck met during an evening class engagingly titled "Mortuary For Beginners". And he met singer Michael Stipe by bumping into him in a toilet. However unsavoury the initial introductions, Buck has contributed to the current album to fine effect.
Live, Hitchcock punctuates his songs with a droll, off-the-beam patter which is an obvious delight to faithful fans but can mystify newcomers. As for the songs, he simply says: "It's music for people to vibrate internally to. It's very uptight. It's for people who are not sure how to express themselves."
So if you are uptight, not sure how to express yourself and enjoy inner vibrations; if you enjoy a touch of surrealism meshed with Beatlesque Pop-y guitar songs get down to the Town And Country tomorrow. It sure beats Jacko.
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