From @flic.erenj.com:rewoicc@erenj.com Mon Dec 13 14:00:05 1993 Date: Mon, 13 Dec 93 13:59:50 EST From: rob woiccak Subject: ROBYN1 To: woj Date: Thu, 22 Apr 1993 01:40:26 -0700 (MST) From: "Christopher Mark Donnell" <7236@ef.gc.maricopa.edu> To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Stuff. There was a cheesy article on Robyn/Egyptians printed in a poser weekly here (we have one weekly called 'New Times' which is the non-poser one) called 'Where It's Hot' - If anyone wants one I can send yo as many as you want - they're free. Robyn shares the cover with 'The Best Kissers In The World' and the 'Sand Rubies' (both essentially local bands, one moved to Seattle a few years ago and the other is a Tucson band formerly called 'The Sidewinders'..) if that tells you how poser of a weekly it is (Well, Porno for Pyros wasn't on the cover - that's good. :) ) I typed in the aritcle I'll post it here. The was a picture of all three on the set of 'So You Think You're In Love', Robyn has his hand on Morris' head and Andy has his hand on Morris' shoulder. The cover picture only has Robyn on it. One more thing - I was going to get around to buying it anyway but since everyone on here liked it I picked up the Chris Mars album - it's really good. Very artistically 'pure' I'd say. It's hard to believe that this guy used to just drum (although for a great band). I like the liner notes. j.d foster: bass and clarinet chris mars: everything but bass and clarinet Most of the other people mentioned doing things (art direction, additional guests) seem to be realatives, that's cool. I'd recommend it (It's not Robyn-esque - it's just cool) ---Here's the article--- Reprinted from 'Where It's Hot' - Apr. 20 - May 4, 1993 --- 'Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians Unplug For Respect' by Randy Rocker After performing and recording together for 17 years, the members of Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians can probably read each others' minds. "It's true, we can," laughs drummer Morris Windsor during a phone interview from his England home, "but we try not to." The Soft Boys (Hitchcock's first band with Windsor and current Egyptians bassist Andy Metcalfe) was launched in 1976 after the three met while attending the same art university (for Hitchcock, the love of art has always remained, using some of his portraits for Egyptian album covers). Their nearly two decades together helps set the atmosphere for much of the Egyptians' material. The pleasure, Windsor says, of maintaining such a long-term band relationship is to "always have something to fall back on and to always do what you want to do." "We have a certain kind of stubborn determination," Windsor said, trying to pinpoint the trio's relationship. "The fact that we haven't been all that successful helps. After how many years we're still quite hungry." The Egyptians have never been a Top 40 favorite but the have captured the gush of even the toughest critics and have maintained a steady base of devoted fans. How has the band reacted to never achieving household name status? "You always want to go further," says Windsor. "We've never really striven madly for success. We haven't been clawing for achievement. Every plateau that you arrive at you see something further ahead." While the music of the Soft Boys was a sample of the early punk that England introduced to the rest of the world, the '80s and '90s have found Hitchcock as a more introspective writer. Hitchcock has developed his most creative recording to date in _Respect_, a classy mix of rock and pop. The band set up a 40-foot mobile unit at Hitchcock's home in England and opted for simplicity, using mostly acoustic instruments and a small drum kit. Experimenting was a big part of _Respect_. Many "instruments," such as a cheese grater, water jugs, Coke tins, frying pans, and wine glasses, were brought in from Hitchcock's own kitchen, where some of the songs were even recorded. Windsor has mixed feeling about the recording of _Respect_. It was personally and artistically satisfying, but Windsor admits that "we had difficult moments on the new record." "Doing the record in Robin's house made it more experimental. There were a few moments when we wondered if we were doing the right thing." The acoustic, almost around-the-campfire style of _Respect_ gives it a live, earthy feel. Occaisional instruments such as piano, violin, cello and trumpet were recorded at a separate studio. Influenced by an acoustic tour the group performed during 1991, the Egyptians now face the challenge of maintaining the same up-front feel during their current shows. "We've been stripped down for a while," Windsor says of the live show. "It's basically acoustic with lots of electronic add-ons. It's clearer than it used to be. We can hear ourselves better than it used to be. We can hear ourselves better and I think the audience can hear us better." As a drummer, Windsor has had to adapt to being in full view of the audience after sitting behind a large drum kit for so long. "It's all quite new, the way we're doing it now," Windsor remarks. "I suppose I'm enjoying it more at the moment because it's still fresh. It's a big change for me because I stand at the front. It's quite exhilarating sometimes." Before recording _Respect_, the band did very little pre-planning. "We never spend very much doing anything really," Windsor admitted. "Everything we do, we do in a hurry. I didn't have any great preconceptions about making this record." Finding creative ways to record was the biggest challenge of making _Respect_, wich Windsor calls the "most satisfying record of his career." "It was a limited environment. We couldn't really let go as much," he said. Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians appear Friday, April 23, during the KUKQ Fest at Compton Terrace. Their set begins 7:30 p.m. _ _ (w) Chris 'The Man With The Lightbulb Head' Donnell * (602)866-0527 (w) _V_ 7236@ef.gc.maricopa.edu * 234 E. Waltann Ln./Phoenix, AZ/85022-3038 _V_