The Giant Panther

I love city life. You're always a heartbeat away from seeing a great show. All you have to do is be vigilant. Here in Boston we have a cultural & political free rag called The Boston Phoenix. Politics is not my thing, but you do have to overlook the constant coverage if you want to get to the good stuff. Your friend John has been battling a cold the past week that doesn't seem to want to get lost so I was holed up in my condo much of this past week. Finally Friday rolled around and I was itching to do something fun. I had been mindful of a Robyn Hitchcock show scheduled for November 21st, last night, for about six weeks. I used to write every show down on my bathroom calendar so I wouldn't forget them. Now I don't write anything as a way of sorting out what shows I REALLY need to see (as if I REALLY need to see any of them). I'm trying to be respectful of the Wall Street news night after night. Know what? I know I should just batton down the hatches and start treating quarters like manhole covers, but that will never ever be me. I like to have a good time; plain and simple. Last night was one of those times.

Trying to talk myself into feeling better than I probably was, I hemmed and hawed all day yesterday about trying to scalp a ticket to see Robyn Hitchcock. I hadn't been out of the house all week and I was restless. I waited until the absolute possible last second before deciding to go. I don't recommend my time management skills yesterday to anyone. I called the venue, The Somerville Theatre, around 6:45 PM for a 7:30 PM show to see if there was a warm up band (see my Smashing Pumpkins gaffe below). I was told there wasn't one. I said when did they think Robyn Hitchcock would go on? The oh so cheerful fellow on the phone, who has to answer that question 200 times per show, said 7:30 PM. I knew that was bull, but I could tell this kid was in no mood. I didn't even bother to ask if the show was sold out. I left my house, a good twenty minutes from the venue not counting a dicey parking situation, at 7:15 PM. Davis Square in Somerville, MA is a hotbed of bars, restaurants, shops and theatres. It's crawling with Tufts University students and has a tremendous vibe. It's home to Redbones, one of the best BBQ places around these parts, and there are more nooks and crannies than an English muffin. I love the place, but I don't seem to get over there much. The Somerville Theatre is mostly a movie house, but it still has a small 1000 seat stage set aside for relatively tame rock and folk shows. Robyn Hitchcock is a folkie, so he fits the bill. They even serve good beer. I will say that last March or so The Black Crowes played there. That was one hot ticket. I'm surprised the place still stands to be honest. The Black Crowes are always a good take.

Robyn Hitchcock is an eccentric Englishman. He is sort of an acquired taste I would speculate. He and I have one thing in common though; we both worship Bob Dylan. He put out a CD in 2002 where he covers Dylan exclusively called Robyn Sings. Check that one out Dylan fans. He claims that the song Visions of Johanna is the reason he is a performer today. As for Hitchcock's own catalogue, he is kind of all over the place. I was managing a retail compact disc outlet on Newbury Street in Boston back in the late eighties when CDs first came on the market. We ordered all kinds of imports trying to compete with Tower Records (RIP) and Newbury Comics (my personal favorite brick and mortar music store). One of the artists I immediately noticed during the course of my ordering was Robyn Hitchcock. Man this guy was hard to get a handle on, but was he ever prolific. The titles just kept coming...Black Snake Diamond Role, Groovy Decoy, I Often Dream of Trains, Fegmania!, Gotta Let This Hen Out!, Element of Light, Globe of Frogs, Queen Elvis...and that doesn't cover the half of it. My friend Rick, who worked with me at the store, was constantly playing New Order, Joy Division, The Durutti Column, The Cocteau Twins, and Robyn Hitchcock when his turn came up. It was kind of fun for me, as curious as I am about music, to see all the employees work their preferences into the mix as their turns came up. My other friend Tom was a big Santana and Jazz guy for instance. I was probably just heading into my alternative rock years after living on classic rock for twenty years straight. I couldn't get a handle on Robyn Hitchcock though. He didn't seem to have any hits, but I just loved that accent. He had the strangest tunes, most under three minutes, that were just plain odd. He played with a critically acclaimed psychedelic punk band called The Soft Boys before beginning his solo career in 1981. I recently saw a documentary on him on The Sundance Channel called Sex, Food, Death...& Insects that kind of renewed my interest in him. He plays with Peter Buck of R.E.M. fame these days. You may have noticed him in the photo above.

I love guys like Hitchcock though. They just keep doing there thing without worrying about sales or perception. He has a nice following. He finally got some commercial success in the late eighties when he released Globe of Frogs. WFNX was playing Balloon Man night and day in those days, but I was mesmerized by a song called Vibrating. I have included it for you below. He went on to have a couple of more minor hits, Madonna of The Wasps and So You Think You're in Love specifically, before fading back into relative obscurity by 1992. So obscure in fact that I was able to waltz up to a 7:30 PM show at 7:40 PM, check with box office, and plop down $26.50 for a fourth row center seat. I get inside and the house lights are still on. Perfect! What a treat. I Often Dream of Trains is widely considered to be Robyn Hitchcock's finest hour and I knew he was playing the entire CD during his show this time around. I have to confess I knew Element of Light and Globe of Frogs better, but I read enough critics lists to know that where Hitchcock was concerned I was a novice. I was psyched to hear I Often Dream of Trains as if I had heard it for the very first time. I was not disappointed. Hitchcock was filming his show and when you sit that close you can really check things out you normally couldn't if you were miles from the action. The camera guy was hovering over the piano the whole time. Hitchcock comes out in a shirt with large white polka dots under his suit jacket and top hat. He is a comical performer; constantly telling seemingly nonsensical stories in between songs. It was highly entertaining and recommended. I even witnessed a three man accapella performance during Uncorrected Personality Traits that was probably my first ever. I had a great seat in a tiny venue at a good price, a cold Harpoon IPA and a performer doing what he loves right in front of me. Local scribe Brett Milano was also in attendance. I don't know why, but seeing that guy always makes me think I'm in the right place. If you have any interest in the history of music in Boston check out his book The Sound of Our Town. I was going to blog about it, but I never seem to get around to it. It's well worth reading if you lived it like I did. OK, I've vibrated long enough. Robyn Hitchcock was a lot of fun last night and he just keeps on trucking. Check him out sometime if you get the chance.