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| From | "Daniel Gackle" <danielgackle@gmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: cool news |
| Date | Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:31:24 -0600 |
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< Hitchcock explained the reasons behind their collaboration, saying: "I
think it's good for me to be brought up against somebody else, another
songwriter." >
I think this is deeply true. Robyn Hitchcock is an incredible talent who
boxed himself in artistically a long time ago. I don't think it was his
offbeat vision that did this. I think it was his insularity. He never really
connected his creative energy with anybody else's, or at least not anybody
else who was equal to it - with the exception, of course, of the classic
Soft Boys. After that, he increasingly withdrew into a self-referential
space that got narrower and narrower and, to me at least, emptier and
emptier. I say this as an adoring fan who kind of got lost somewhere along
the way.
In terms of sheer giftedness - melodically, verbally, comically - RH is off
the scale, he's a genius. But his work mostly lacks emotional realness. I
think that's the reason he never attracted a larger audience; in terms of
basic human experience, his songs are kind of shallow, and no amount of
brilliance can make up for that. I think that's the biggest difference
between him and better-known geniuses who were able to keep growing as
artists.
So it's wonderful and a little surprising to me to see RH collaborating with
someone who isn't out of his league, and I'd love to believe it will go
somewhere. I'll get the record, but won't hold my breath.
Daniel
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