Robyn Hitchcock with Emma Swift Live From Sweet Home Quarantine (all requests) Part 22 

“Whatever I am, I’m something from the distant past.” Said Robyn, wearing his top hat and Lennon specs, looking like a crazy undertaker, then launching into ‘Serpent At The Gates Of Wisdom’ from 1993’s Respect, a very Lennon-esque song.  Emma commented off camera after that “oh that hat makes you extra creepy” and Reg switched to his Telecaster (electric) and did ‘The Abandoned Brain’ from Invisible Hitchcock, a surprisingly sad and sweet song I’ve never heard him play live. 

“Please welcome Miss Emma Swift, from the 21st century,” said Reg, and the duo did ‘The Yip Song,’ also from Respect and as Robyn explained, was about “the death of my father.” The duo sounded great on this one. Emma remarked that that one was both “poignant and inane.” Next up was a magnificent version of ‘Glass Hotel’ from EYE, played beautifully with a bit of raga guitar, this is one of Robyn’s finest songs and Emma sang marvelously on it. 

Finally the top hat came off, and they did a song from Emma’s Blonde On The Tracks, her (at that time) upcoming Bob Dylan covers LP (tinyurl.com/zubblonde). She sang ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ from Highway 61 Revisited. She made this into a lovely tale, with her sweet vocal, unlike Dylan’s snarl. Robyn spoke very highly of the new Emma record, and she then left to find a cat. Robyn said he was playing a new song that he dedicated to a fan who had just lost her beloved cat. The song was vaguely positive and folkie, I think it was called ‘It’s Been Scheduled,’ and Reg dropped some of the lyrics. 

Em returned with Ringo the cat, who was quite docile tonight, and the duo did ‘Mad Shelley's Letterbox’ from the recent Robyn Hitchcock, kind of a surreal Beatles mashup but obviously a Robyn Hitchcock song. This one was a real highlight. Perry the lobster appeared, and Em commented on how Reg was more and more insane each week. Reg played electric, solo on ‘Sayonara Judge’ from the same LP. It was a sad, slow meditation augmented by Emma’s singing off camera. After he asked for “Swifto” to come back, they talked about making Tiny Ghost Records guitar picks and Tubby socks. Next was ‘Airscape’ from Element Of Light, another one of Reg’s strongest tunes. Beautifully played and with wonderful lyrics: 

Your perfect lover's never there 

And if she was, she wouldn't be 

And neither, though, would you 

Save your illusions 

For someone else 

Save your illusions 

For yourself 

They mentioned the Wednesday Groovers Facebook group, and that the following week Emma will be promoting Blonde On The Tracks, so no Wednesday show then. They used the last minute or so to do Adventure Rocket Ship, for just a minute or so. Another great show from Reg and Em! 

 

Robyn Hitchcock with Emma Swift Live From Sweet Home Quarantine (the Social Distancin’ 1990s) Part 23 

After a week off, I was really missing Robyn and Emma. I did get the 1 of 50 Blonde On The Tracks cassettes this week (already got my orange vinyl LP) so that was super cool. Nashville had a bad storm and the power was out for a bit, delaying the show for one hour. 

Reg appeared wearing “a surviving shirt” from the 90’s (black with white polka dots, natch), and started with a Grant Lee Buffalo tune, ‘Fuzzy’ where he got to sing the chorus very high. Emma then appeared and announced they would do a Tanya Donnelly song (a Belly song) ‘Feed The Tree.’ Em sang backup and it was lovely. Emma spoke about her Lee purple corduroy flares and silver Doc Martens she wore nonstop in the 90’s. Em introduced the next tune as “grim” while Reg said it was one of his favorites. Emma sang Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ solo and wonderfully, an amazing song that’s not easy to sing. Em said that The Bends was still her favorite Radiohead LP. 

Em went out of shot and Reg played a fairly straightforward version of ‘Man In The Moon’ from R.E.M. Emma sang off camera in the choruses. Very well done, Robyn seemed really into these covers tonight. Emma returned and they discussed other R.E.M. covers and the first polka dot shirt Reg saw, worn by Ringo! (Starr, not their cat). Reg called Em “the Bob Dylan of wives.” Next up was Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You,’ Emma singing solo in her lower register. It’s a very pretty but very repetitive song. 

Reg held up a picture of Stonehenge, actually a coaster. They discussed doing a “dismal Neil” tune, and played ‘Unknown Legend’ from Neil Young’s 1992 LP Harvest Moon. Their voices worked really well together on this one. After, they discuss doing ‘Candy’ by Iggy and Kate Pierson. They then did a knockout version of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares To U,’ Emma just killing it on the vocal.  

Perry the stuffed lobster appeared, and they discussed Sinead O’Connor, and they said they were going to Manchester. Em said she was Noel and Reg Liam. They did a great, playful version of ‘Look Back In Anger’ which was also quite touching. They ended up with a few verses of a mostly a cappella version of ‘If You Want To Be My Lover’ by the Spice Girls  This was hilarious and fun, and a great way to end the show.  Good to have them back! 

 

Robyn Hitchcock with Emma Swift Live From Sweet Home Quarantine (Blonde and Silver On The Tracks Edition) Part 24 

The show opened with Robyn offering hellos to his “blurred and beautiful friends,” saying in honor of Emma Swift’s new LP, Blonde On The Tracks, (tinyurl.com/zubblonde) they would be going to “Lake Dylan” and he launched into a pleasant version of ‘Desolation Row’ from Highway 61 Revisited. This is a song with a lot of lyrics and Robyn did well with it, playing in a drop-D guitar tuning, with the addition of round-the-neck harmonica. Emma then appeared reading some of the StageIt comments, and thanking the folks for the success of Blonde On The Tracks. Emma sang ‘Sooner Or Later (One Of Us Must Know),’ from her new record and originally on Dylan's Blonde On Blonde. Emma’s version had a SoCal singer-songwriter feel, with perhaps a touch of Linda Rondstadt in there (tinyurl.com/zublinda). Robyn complimented Emma as a singer, and went into ‘Country Pie’ from Nashville Skyline, using his ‘Elvis’ voice in bits. A bit heavy on the corn -pone, it wasn’t the strongest Dylan cover. Next up, Reg played ‘Ring Them Bells’ from Oh Mercy, a nice folkie, stripped down version. 

Emma returned and sang ‘Going Going Gone’ from Planet Waves, Emma delivering a meditative and torchy vocal. Only she could bring a torch vibe to a Dylan tune. Germaine the female (stuffed) koala appeared, they discussed the differences of E. Swift and T. Swift to get Blonde On The Tracks into the Australian charts. Emma sang ‘Things Have Changed,’ Dylan’s contribution to The Wonder Boys soundtrack. Reg and Em appear to know all the Dylan songs. 

Emma was off again and Robyn did a slow, stately version of ‘Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power’) from Street Legal. Beautifully picked and sung by Robyn, it was very touching. When Emma returned, they did ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ from Blood On The Tracks. Very well done but Emma goofed the lyrics (reading on the phone) but they got it back together. They played out the last minute with ‘Tiny Montgomery’ from The Basement Tapes. This was a bit of a chaotic show, with a first song over eleven minutes long, but with Reg and Em we would not have it any other way. 

 

Robyn Hitchcock with Emma Swift Live From Sweet Home Quarantine Part 25 

Robyn opened tonight's show saying there would not be as much chat, as he was playing requests, and he launched into ‘Mystic Trip’ from Black Snake Diamond Role, from 1981. I’ve never heard him play this live and it was a short, pleasant, surreal tune. He went right into ‘The Devil's Radio’ from Moss Elixir, mentioning Rush Limbaugh and radio spreading intolerance and hate, as prescient today as in 1996.  

He called for Emma Swift to help him on the next song, and she brought their cat Ringo for a cameo. They did the rewritten version of 'The President’ that Reg sent out to the ongoing Republican Convention. A  beautiful and sad song. Em explained her Blood On The Tracks  record was doing great without being on Spotify, and Reg explained “We are socialists.” The duo did a slow, superb version of the Soft Boys ‘I Want To Destroy You,’ Em’s high vocal transforming the song, and Reg adding the verse about Rupert Murdoch. 

Emma asked for a romantic song, and they talked about The Soft Boys doing ‘Funkytown.’ Emma headed off and Robyn said “this is a song I wrote last week.” It was a meditative song (I think) called ‘The Man Who Loves The Rain.’ He then did ‘Give Me A Spanner Ralph’ which had a cool bluesy feel. ‘Strawberries Dress’ from 2013’s Love In London was very folkie and had a bit of a John Lennon flavor (think a faster ‘Julia’) and was outstanding. 

Robyn, still solo, did ‘Dismal City’ from Tromso, Kaptien, a surprisingly bouncy, upbeat song for the supposed dismal lyric. Emma showed up with Jermaine the stuffed female koala, while they talked about their cat Tubby. The duo did a fabulous version of ‘Time Coast’ from the recent Robyn Hitchcock LP. This one has a great sort of Revolver-era Beatles feel, and Emma was superb on the harmonies. 

Em went off picture again and Robyn said “I’d like to imagine Frank Sinatra singing this one.” He then did ‘My Wife And My Dead Wife,’ a classic from Fegmania!. This is a signature Hitchcock song and he delivered it with energy and enthusiasm. Reg said he had another new song “I’ve written for the Republican Convention,” (again, I think) it was called ‘The Cross, The Dollar, and The Gun.’ This one was Reg in full-on Dylan mode. Emma returned for a closer, and the duo did ‘One Long Pair Of Eyes,’ a staple of the live set, a fantastic song, and sung with authority by Em and Reg. I always love to hear this one. They made it all the way through before the StageIt host closed. 

I never get tired of Robyn and Emma, these Wednesday shows are so uplifting and wonderful. Keep groovin! 

----Steve McGowan 

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