The Providence Journal-Bulletin
April 6, 1995
Robyn Hitchcock Brings His Evolving Sound To The Met
by Andy Smith
Robyn Hitchcock's musical career is a unique blend of catchy melody, Psychedelia, macabre humor, and a very English brand of eccentricity.
"Hippies, intellectuals, and dissidents: that's my audience," Hitchcock said in a phone interview. "Fortunately, there's enough of them to make it worthwhile."
Hitchcock has had a reputation as a, kind of, mad biologist, with a goodly percentage of his songs referring to fish, insects, frogs and plants. But Hitchcock, who comes to the Met Cafe tonight, said he's evolving away from that.
"I played up to it for a long time," he said. "Faced with the choice of being Phil Collins or being a mad biologist, I'd be a mad biologist any time. But I couldn't sustain it any more. I like to say my songs are evolving, moving onto dry land.
"The slimy stuff is starting to disappear. The flippers and fins are leaving and turning into paws. It will be interesting to see if they will evolve into real human beings -- or just turn into birds and fly away."
After being dropped by A&M Records, Hitchcock is without a major record label. The gap is being filled partly by Hitchcock himself -- who just released a 7-inch vinyl single on independent K Records -- and partly by Rhino Records -- which has just reissued nine Hitchcock albums, including a new collection of outtakes called You & Oblivion.
Of course, Hitchcock can't play his new single, because he doesn't own a turntable. He doesn't listen to the Rhino reissues, either.
"Back when The Soft Boys [his first band] had two albums out, I would play them over and over. Now I have 20 albums, and they just sit in the corner."
Hitchcock has ended his relationship with longtime backup band The Egyptians, and will be mostly performing solo (although violinist Deni Bonet will join him for part of the show).
"I toured on my own in 1990, and really enjoyed it," Hitchcock said. "After that, it felt odd to make room for Andy [Metcalfe] and Morris [Windsor] -- who are good musicians, but they're not entertainers."
Hitchcock, who recently moved back to England from Washington, D.C., went through an uncharacteristic dry period a couple of years ago.
"I didn't write anything for a year or so. It was an era coming to an end -- The Egyptians, my 30s. The Alternative Rock world had changed. The Seattle thing had taken over. Everything felt different," Hitchcock said.
"I'm back now, though -- floating across the country like a big gray cloud pregnant with rain -- about to shed myself over the landscape."
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