Storefront Hitchcock

Yes, Awful. Dated by the time I see this. Our singer in a self indulgent rant about things gone by. Thankfuly warned ahead of time by our opening credits that there will be 15 songs. Better to have been sung in his personal shower. Off key voice that cracks and scratches it's way through some of the most awfully written lyrics. The music in a basic form, any high schooler could follow.

Not impressed to say the least, a complete waste of my time. Smallish, unseen audience, must be close family and friends because someone is clapping after the songs. The onlookers in the background are amusing, but then the curtain closes and we see Hitchcock in a dark, candlelight setting rambling on about who knows what, and then you start to miss the actual entertainment from the street side of things.

Hair whipping? Really? His hair is short and has enough hairspray to hold back a gale force wind, yet he's trying to flip something from his face?

His in between song ramblings I could clearly do without. Is this some kind of British humor? I just didn't get it. His tidbits of personal reflection I could do without. Could have shaved off painful minutes if it was left on the cutting room floor. I can clearly see why I've never heard of this guy and his act. And why it grossed $3,000 at a box office? Must have been that set of close family and friends watching the movie to see if they were in it?

Sorry, this one's a loser.

How wonderful to see a film that aims an unforgiving eye on one of our greatest modern free-style poets & he comes through it all without a blemish! This artists is one of the few that didn't sell out, burn out or become an aging impersonator of himself, like so many of his peers! He is the modern day Dali of the spoken word & you can gather that from any project he's released to date. (Though I highly recommend for starters "Insanely Jealous" From The Soft Boy's "Underwater Moonlight" LP)

Thank you for doing this film!

Now how about a book of lyrics & drawings....?

Jonathan Demme films a pretty small and intimate concert by Robyn Hitchcock in an abandoned storefront in NYC. The concert starts with the window behind Hitchcock and people passing and stopping to look (I'd love to know if they could hear him), but this gimmick kind of fades out as the show goes on. That's kind of welcome since it was not a terribly successful gimmick.

What is successful is capturing Hitchcock at his best in an intimate setting. He's joined occasionally by other musicians, and some props come on and off the stage, but it's really just Hitchcock singing songs and giving absurd between song banter. It's beautifully shot with elegant simplicity and highlights the man and his songs.

"Stop Making Sense" is the Demme concert film everyone knows and with good reason. That's a film that can be easily enjoyed by people who are largely indifferent to Talking Heads. This isn't really like that. Certainly people disposed to like amusing, quirky indie pop would enjoy this, but this film is more for folks who already like Hitchcock. It's an interesting showcase because it's not his Soft Boys/Egyptians Syd Barrett-inspired rock on display, but his 90's softer acoustic material that leans more heavily into a Roy Harper/Incredible String Band vibe.

I finally saw the movie today. It was on the Sundance Channel.

I love Robyn's music and have had the good fortune to seem him twice in concert. This replicated those experiences.

You can't truly appreciate Robyn by just listening to a CD. He has such a unique outlook on everything and tells the most interesting stories.

That's what makes the movie valuable as a chronicle of Robyn. It captures his music and some of his stories.

Fantastic!

If you've only heard his albums you're missing most of the experience. Here's a chance to get a good idea of the joy that is a Hitchcock show.