A long time ago I had the incredible good fortune to go on the road, playing bass guitar with a band called Let's Active. We were opening a string of concerts for R.E.M. and one particular night in Washington D.C. (after playing at George Washington University) we were a bit too amped up to just go back to our hotel rooms so we all ventured out to see a band called Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians. They were playing at a venue called the 9/30 Club. (Robyn Hitchcock is a brilliant songwriter who infuses British wit and humor into his music and art.) I had been a fan of his music even before that night. His band-mates Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor are incredibly talented themselves. I was introduced to them after they performed. A bunch of us all hung out and drank and laughed. It was a truly amazing night!
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| Robyn Hitchcock - Nov. 12, 1986 - photo by J9 |
Fast forward about five years: Robyn, Andy and Morris were recording their album,
Perspex Island in Los Angeles. I was in a band called
Pet Clarke at the time. We were invited to the studio to watch their recording session one night and I was sitting in a room watching Robyn lay down some tracks behind a soundproof glass window.
Robyn and I have something in common in that we both like to sketch and paint... Well, there on the coffee table was his sketch pad. I picked it up and looked through it, admiring all of the interesting images that he had sketched. Feeling inspired, I picked up a pen and began doodling toward the back of the sketch pad. I intended to take the page out before leaving that night so he would never know that I had invaded his art space. But as the night went on I totally forgot and left my sketches in his book.
It wasn't until about a year later when I purchased the CD that I saw one of my sketches again. It was on the back of the Perspex Island CD! Apparently, Robyn had handed over his sketch pad to the Art Director at A & M Records to go through for cover design possibilities. To say the least I was blown away, but then a bit perplexed because the photo credit said that all of the artwork was by Robyn Hitchcock. I didn't think too much of it, but the next time I saw Robyn I confessed to him and apologized too for sketching in his pad. Then I pointed out the sketch I had done, which was a Sphynx-like image of his bassist Andy. The look on Robyn's face was one of confusion. A somewhat maladroit moment occurred thereafter and then he said something like, "I didn't remember doing that sketch, but sometimes when I'm drinking I like to draw. I thought I might've forgotten that I had done that one." We actually had a good laugh about it. That sketch was even blown up and used on the back of the t-shirts created to promote that incredible album. (See photo below).
Fast forward another twenty years (crazy how time flies). I had always wanted to do a painting of that sketch and just a few months ago I finally did. (It's an acrylic on canvas -16" x 24"). It is available for sale, by the way!
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| painting by Janine Cooper Ayres - copyright 2014 |
Several years have passed since I've seen Robyn, Andy and Morris. They are some of the nicest and most talented guys I've ever met so I hope our paths cross again some day. (And if so, I'll bet Robyn won't let me anywhere near his sketch pad!)
J-9
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| J-9 and Robyn - photo by Jeff Davis |
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| photo by Jeff Davis |
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| Robyn in the studio in L.A. - photo by J-9 |
Click on the link below to listen to one of my favorite songs from Perspex Island
lovely story janine...I've met Mr Hitchcock quite a few times and interviewed him twice and he's an excellent gentleman. after the first time i interviewed him way back when for the ptolemaic terrascope i happened to bump into him by chance a couple of weeks later up in soho..Robyn saw me and called out and came over to say that he'd recorded a couple of songs for the 45 that was to come with the mag. my daughter Amelia, who was about 12 at the time was with me and he spent the next twenty minutes talking just to her while i stood there like a lemon....he said he was off to New York the next week and she said she dreamed of going there one day..a week later a postcard arrived from New York for her from him...how kind and thoughtful
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those memories, M.D. How cool it must've been to receive that postcard in the mail. Sounds just like Robyn too. He really is that thoughtful. I'll write to you soon! xo
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