Robyn Hitchcock

Formerly of The Soft Boys, one of the new crop of psychedelic music of the 80s and 90s. Sometimes sounds like John Lennon especially when covering "Cold Turkey" but most of all comes across as a pale imitation of Syd Barrett even down to singing about sea creatures etc. Witty. First 1 or 2 solo albums were good, been going downhill since. Cult following.

Somewhat obscure and legendary cult solo perfomer and ex-member of the Soft Boys. Released countless solo albums including the recent Jewels For Sophia and Moss Exilir, which personally reflect no reduction in talent or quality in contrast with his earlier work.

Worked with his backing band The Egyptians and also Peter Buck of R.E.M. during the 80s and early 90s.

Classic songs: "Egyptian Cream", "Glass Hotel", "My Wife and My Dead Wife", "Uncorrected Personality Traits", "I Something You".

Quirky, but self-aware singer/songwriter, most often compared to Syd Barrett - and rightly so: Syd is a self-confessed hero of Robyn's - who inspired, both through his exploits and with collaborative efforts with the Egyptians and earlier, The Soft Boys, many contemporary pop musicians.

He has released over a dozen albums, getting fairly good reviews for I Often Dream of Trains, Eye, and Element of Light.

Personally, I find his music tends to attract over-cerebral people. If you like Italo Calvino, you'll probably like Robyn.

For more information, you can check out the following websites:

• www.robynhitchcock.com
• www.fegmaniax.org