WAIM 159: Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock has been living like an artist since childhood. Born to eccentric, artistically inclined parents, Hitchcock quickly took to drawing, painting, and music. The family lived something of a sheltered life surrounded by music, art and literature, making Robyn’s transition to school social life quite challenging. By his late teens and early twenties, Hitchcock began playing in The Soft Boys, releasing a pair of now legendary albums that were largely ignored at the time of their release.What Am I Making is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.After the dissolution of The Soft Boys, Hitchcock set out as a solo artist, recording for a small label, but success eluded him there as well. For a time, Robyn stepped back from music, working odd jobs and writing about concert and record reviews for music publications. During this hiatus, it became clear that the solo records, and even some of The Soft Boys material had made its way to America where it had found a small, but loyal audience. Buoyed by this newfound support, Hitchcock set back to work with a new backing band, The Egyptians, and made a string of excellent records that helped to cement his reputation in both America as well as in his home country.Over the intervening forty years, Robyn Hitchcock has continued to release a catalog of legendary work that spans from psych rock to gentle folk and jangle pop. He has toured and record with members of R.E.M., Scott McCaughey, Andy Partridge, and a cadre of other terrific artists. His 25th album, The Confuser will be out in July on his own imprint, Tiny Ghost Records.During our roving chat, we covered some of the stark cultural differences between the United States and Great Britain, as Robyn shares his belief that America has both the best and most awful things to offer the world at large. We unpack why music has become a mostly DIY endeavor, even for folks like Robyn Hitchcock, and how that has shaped the nature of the business and the experience as a musician, and Robyn even shares how rough it is for a man living on a libtard diet to find a good meal on tour in America.Let’s get into it.Cheers,Matty C Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe