Robyn Hitchcock

[Jahfin]

Robyn Hitchcock doesn't mind being described as a surrealist.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Robyn Hitchcock was blunt.

"I'll be impressed if I'm here in any functioning way past 70, but you never know. I used to think I was only going to make it to 30," he said. "The Me Generation is heading for incontinence. We're right behind it."

Hitchcock, 56, is obviously little impressed with his influence, but it's vast. The musician spent the late '70s and early '80s laying the groundwork for what would become alternative and indie music with his previous bands, the Soft Boys and the Egyptians, and you can hear echoes of his surreal lyrics and chiming chords in bands such as the Flaming Lips, the Decemberists and -- especially -- R.E.M.

Indeed, Peter Buck of the legendary Athens, Georgia, group supports Hitchcock in his latest band, the Venus 3, and plays on the new album "Goodnight Oslo" (Yep Roc). The record, described as "ramshackle" by bandleader Hitchcock, contains some of the most raw and propulsive music of his career.

You can read the remainder of the article here.

[Jahfin]

[Janvier]

I've been listening to the music of Robyn Hitchcock for quite a few years now.

Contrary to those who prefer his early output versus his recent work, I enjoy his entire discography, regardless of the decade/timeframe when it appeared. He'll be releasing a new album in 2013.

It'd be quite a task to name all of the musicians who have worked with Hitchcock over the years. His recent projects with John Paul Jones, KT Tunstall, are just the tip of an inmense iceberg of collaboration work that spans over many decades -and countries. Most recently he's been involved with the Norwegian outfit known as "I was a King" with whom he's reportedly working on an album.

Between 2006-2010 he was backed by a band known as The Venus 3. Together they released three albums which have left me really satisfied, and Hitchcock, asked recently in an interview with Spanish radio whether there should be a fourth release with the Venus 3, he responded that "hopefully" but not before 2013.

Some of the songs from those three albums have such energy that, although recorded in a live setting, sound as if they were produced in-studio which is the case with a couple of tracks from Propellor Time.

On the other hand there's songs that sound amazing when played live. There was a time when all I would listen to was "Briggs" a song with a catchy chorus which is probably my favourite of the recent Hitchcock catalogue.

[Jahfin]

I love "(A Man's Got To Know His Limitations) Briggs", which I'm sure you know is a line that was lifted from the Dirty Harry movie Magnum Force. I'm not sure when I first heard of Robyn Hitchcock but I know that I first started paying attention to him around the time of Globe of Frogs in 1988 because of Peter Buck of R.E.M.'s involvement with that record. Even though I liked what I heard, I didn't rush out and buy any of his records right away but due to his connection to R.E.M., I always kept up with what he was doing. When he came to the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro in 2006 with the Venus 3 (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Bill Rieflin of R.E.M.) in support of Olé! Tarantula I made it a point to attend (based largely, if not entirely on the R.E.M. factor) and really enjoyed what I heard. I have a friend that's a longtime fan who was put off by Hitchcock's sometimes lengthy asides before playing a song but I found those to be just as enjoyable and hilarious as the songs themselves. When Hitchcock came through again with the Venus 3 in support of Goodnight, Oslo in 2009 I once again made it a point to attend the show and was not in the least bit disappointed. With Buck in the band a lot of his songs (or at least the backing instrumentation) reminds me a lot of old R.E.M. circa Murmur and Reckoning. No big surprise there but it was a bit of a revelation to me because at that time R.E.M. was still struggling to regain some sort of foothold on their former identity. However, when Buck was with Hitchcock, that signature, jangly sound rang out of his guitar effortlessly. That was literally music to my ears.

Hitchcock is going to be back in Carrboro in October for Yep Roc Records' 15th Anniversary concerts. Since The Baseball Project (which includes Buck, McCaughey, Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon) is also on the bill I'm taking an educated guess that the Venus 3 will serve as his backing band again as well.

[Janvier]

I love "(A Man's Got To Know His Limitations) Briggs", which I'm sure you know is a line that was lifted from the Dirty Harry movie Magnum Force.

I didn't know the origin of that lyric (the fact that I haven't seen those movies also explains the knowledge gap) but now I know, many thanks!

I know about Yep Roc's party in October, they added me to some of their mailing lists after I downloaded bonus tracks from one of their albums, don't remember which. Unfortunately I'm not going to be anywhere North Carolina in the short term, yet I'm looking forward to seeing some Hitchcock shows at some other opportunity, there was not long ago a campaign to have him play in Argentina.

[Jahfin]

I didn't know the origin of that lyric (the fact that I haven't seen those movies also explains the knowledge gap) but now I know, many thanks!

No problem. In case you're interested, here's a clip of Hitchcock performing the song replete with an introduction that references Magnum Force:

I know about Yep Roc's party in October, they added me to some of their mailing lists after I downloaded bonus tracks from one of their albums, don't remember which. Unfortunately I'm not going to be anywhere North Carolina in the short term, yet I'm looking forward to seeing some Hitchcock shows at some other opportunity, there was not long ago a campaign to have him play in Argentina.

Not sure if you're actually in Mexico but if you are, I imagine you've heard of Peter Buck's Todos Santos Music Festival that he held down there last year for the first time that included his side projects The Minus Five, The Baseball Project as well as an appearance from Robyn Hitchcock. With any luck at all, hopefully you'll be able to attend the second one this year. I'm glad I held out on buying tickets to the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh this year and bought a ticket to the Yep Roc 15th Anniversary concerts instead. I have nothing against Hopscotch and am sure I'll catch some of the shows but the bands playing at the Yep Roc concert are much more up my musical alley. At some point, I also hope to attend the Todos Music Festival in Mexico but for now that's something that's going to have to wait a while. I had a friend that attended last year and by all accounts it was a blast.

**Edited to add, please excuse my reference to Mexico. I somehow overlooked your rather obvious mention of Argentina. Best of luck to making your way to a Hitchcock gig sometime in the not too distant future. As you may have gathered, it's quite the experience.

[Janvier]

No problem, Jahfin

Here's a video from the very first gig held on the roof of the Village Underground, took place September 5th

[Janvier]

Hitchcock and his bandmates of "I was a King" in a new music video.

[Janvier]

The campaign to have Robyn Hitchcock in Argentina finally bore its fruits. He's playing a medium-sized venue in the San Telmo quarter, the Samsung Studio, this is occurring September 28, 2012.

A major Buenos Aires newspaper has interviewed Hitchcock for its Sunday supplement. I'll be translating and posting excerpts of that interview in the next post.

[Janvier]

This newsletter is from a venue in Montevideo, the Lindolfo Theatre where Hitchcock is playing prior to his arrival in Argentina. The Uruguayan dates are September 26 and 27.

[Janvier]

Excerpts of interview with Argentinean daily Página/12 (own translation):

- what happened during the nineties? It seemed like you had everything to make a major breakthrough (in the music market)..

- I spent the 90s recovering from the 80s, just like I spent the 80s recovering from the 70s. I probably recorded as many CDs as I did in the previous decade, but I didn't have a momentum. I felt that the (commercial) radio was following a path while I was following another. Also, I moved from the A&M label (which tried to sell me to everyone, that was her job) to Warner, who didn't have an interest in anything, but at least they paid for the recordings.

- Could you give me the recipe to write a Hitchcock song?

- I hope there isn't a recipe otherwise it means I'm repeating myself. The best way to write a song is to previously write another song as a decoy. With the first one always comes another (song). Eventually, when you realize that you're actually writing, you'll end up writing something good. I'm sure I have recurrent topics (in my songs) and recurring words as well, but I don't like to think about it. Songs are like pieces of your life condensed in a jar, and they keep fresh as long as you don't lift the top. I never make decisions about what to write or what to sing, and even when I do it. my songs ignore those conscious intentions. Personally I'd like to write songs that make people lead a sustainable lifestyle and be more human persons, to evolve beyond being monkeys and to develop while leaving capitalism and savagery behind, but my songs have other ideas.

http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/radar/9-8249-2012-09-23.html

[Janvier]

Uruguay newspaper story:

http://www.elpais.com.uy/120926/pespec-665898/novedades/un-musico-britanico-de-culto-desembarca-en-uruguay/

[Janvier]

Robyn Hitchcock just reassembled his band The Venus 3 for a gig in Portland.

Thursday, October 25th, he played the Doug Fir Lounge backed by Scott McCaughey, Bill Rieflin and Peter Buck, the group collectively known as The Venus 3.

The band was first assembled in the mid 2000s and some commentators were quick to describe it as "half of R.E.M." since the three members also shared duties with R.E.M.

Hitchcock has recorded three albums with The Venus 3: in 2006, 2009 and more recently in 2010, and has periodically toured with them.

In this youtube clip recorded at the Doug Fir Lounge they perform the song "Television".

"Television" is the first track off Hitchcock's 2004 album Spooked where he was backed by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

[Janvier]

From the website of Lexi Cinema in London:

---------------------------------------------------------

ROBYN HITCHCOCK presents Magnum Force

BOOK NOW

Sat 17 Nov 2012: 3:00 PM,

ROBYN HITCHCOCK presents MAGNUM FORCE & SONGS TRIGGERED BY IT

In which fanatic-inspiring Hitchcock accompanies a screening of Magnum Force, interposing his own music at strategic points. He explains his enduring fascination with the Clint Eastwood classic: ”I don’t remember seeing Magnum Force for the first time. I just realised one day that I’d seen it, though seldom all the way through, about 6 times, and that it had accidentally become part of my landscape. From being a marginal visitor to my world, it then flipped into becoming an obsession: I would seek it out, whenever it was on, in German or Portuguese, and recite memorised – or mis-remembered – snatches of dialogue along with the picture. I even started writing songs around them.

“How did this happen? What in this paean to rampant machismo resonated with a Guardian-toting pacifist like me?

“The answer lies in the dynamic between Clint Eastwood’s character, ‘Dirty’ Harry Callahan, and his nemesis, Briggs (his first name ‘Neil’ is never mentioned in the movie, but is there on the credits and, yes, in the paperback ‘novelisation’). The intensity of the performances by these two men transforms Magnum Force from being a series of violent set-pieces into an vivid duel of personalities. And Callahan, Briggs, and the masked motorcycle cops – who echo Cocteau’s Orphée – are all trying to bring about the rule of law by maverick acts of violence. There is no moral difference between them – for all of them the bloody end justifies the brutal means – yet they are implacable opponents, set against each other in celluloid for all time. One of America’s major predicaments – the right of the individual to kill another individual – is embodied very clearly in this movie. Ironically, the feral Harry is the Good Guy, while the authoritarian ‘by-the-book’ (apparently) Briggs turns out to be the bad egg. Harry’s catchphrase ‘A man’s gotta know his limitations’ is also ironic – he doesn’t seem to have any.”

http://thelexicinema.co.uk/2012/10/23/robyn-hitchcock-presents-magnum-force/

image: wikipedia

[Janvier]

New Robyn Hitchcock song "Be Still".

To appear on the upcoming album, From London with Love, scheduled for release March 2013 under Yep Roc Records.

[Janvier]

Robyn Hitchcock is turning 60 next year.

To celebrate the occasion, he has announced a special concert to be held February 2013.

"If time doesn't end on 21st December, Robyn Hitchcock will be back at Village Underground. He'll be back on 28th February playing two sets, one set will be from his new album "Love from London" (out 5th March on Yep Recordings) and another will comprise a track from each of his 18 studio albums to celebrate 60 years on this mortal coil".

On a slightly related note, here's a photo of his most recent appearance with John Paul Jones (at the Cecil Sharp House in London) which somebody submitted to instagram: http://instagram.com/p/S6K8CWlZWi/

[Janvier]

Press release from Yep Roc Records announcing the new Robyn Hitchcock.

Robyn Hitchcock announces new album, Love from London, out March 5

Yep Roc Records is excited to announce the March 5, 2013 release of the new Robyn Hitchcock album, Love From London.

Hitchcock describes his songs as “paintings you can listen to.” Love From London ”celebrates life in a culture imperiled by economic and environmental collapse,” he says. “We are surfing on the momentum of chaos. If a consensus on global warming comes from the people, then the media, the politicians, and the corporations will have to adapt to it. Rock and Roll is an old man’s game now, so I’m staying in it.”

The record was produced and engineered by Paul Noble, and features Noble on bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals; Jenny Adejayan on cello and vocals; Lizzie Anstey on vocals and keyboards and Jenny Macro, Lucy Parnell and Anne Lise Frokedal on vocals. A lo-fi rehearsal video featuring Green Gartside, Stephen Irvine, Terry Edwards, Mark Bedford, Adejayan and Noble in a London pub on a Sunday performing “Be Still” from the new album is available in the player below. (*post #15 of this thread).

Hitchcock also celebrates his 60th birthday next March with a retrospective show on February 28th at the Village Underground in London where he will be playing songs from each of his albums, accompanied by some of his favorite British musicians.

Love From London tracklisting:

1. Harry’s Song

2. Be Still

3. Stupefied

4. I Love You

5. Devil On a String

6. Strawberries Dress

7. Death and Love

8. Fix You

9. My Rain

10. End of Time

[FireOpal]

Excerpts of interview with Argentinean daily Página/12 (own translation):

Thank you! Good job on the translation, and I love that photo of Robyn in the pines.

[weslgarlic]

The Soft Boys - Only the Stones Remain

[weslgarlic]

[Janvier]

[Janvier]

These days the band backing Robyn Hitchcock when he's in Norway is called "I was a King", otherwise when he visits the U.S. he's backed by The Venus 3, and on many other occasions he plays with John Paul Jones. This video is from a recent appearance in Norway, the song they're playing is from an album that was only released in Norway.

This was a real surprise to me, Mr. Hitchcock covers an old R.E.M. song. it's the end of the world as we know it, evidently he has to read the very long and complex lyrics which were written in the mid-eighties.

[Janvier]

[Strider]

^^^

Not sure why Robyn Hitchcock covering an REM song would be a surprise to you at this late date. Hitchcock and REM's Peter Buck have been collaborators for many years now and Hitchcock has been cited as an influence on REM. They've all but formed a mutual admiration society.

At any rate, I'm glad you got to see him in Norway.

[Janvier]

Not really surprised about the R.E.M. - Hitchcock link, it's just the choice of song which is surprising. I didn't see him in Norway, Strider, that's probably the impression given by the videos and words but I only embedded the content from youtube.

Soon he's going to be playing in Norway again: July 4th in the town of Egersund, Peter Buck will be travelling as well.