Robyn Hitchcock

www.robynhitchcock.com
Robyn Hitchcock At Sea, August 16th, 1997
Robyn Hitchcock The Bus Gig, 10th August, 1996
Robyn Hitchcock - The FegMANIA! site
Stephanie Black visits Compton

Robyn Hitchcock performed A Tribute to Jimi gig on the 25th Anniversary of the 1970 Afton Festival on Saturday, August 26th, 1995 on Yarmouth's abandoned railway station. His introduction to that gig is featured on:
Vaguely Sunny - Isle of Wight Rock anthology CD, price £10 p&p

Robyn Hitchcock's Respect recorded in Yarmouth

Robyn Hitchcock

"There's no-one there in a leather jacket. No style victims . . . no groovers. There are only three people on the entire island who've ever heard of hair dye. It's my roost. Just imagine it pouring with rain. Green and damp and cold, lots of old people shivering on the beach eating nasty chips. Old cars bumbling around back lanes. Pubs with really nice beer. A lot of my songs are written down there. Airscape is about the Isle of Wight. Heaven, Class, even crummy songs like 'Tropical Flesh Mandala' are about the beach." Robyn Hitchcock from Positive Vibrations

Legends of the South Wight No. 2: The Glass Hotel

Old Park Hotel, St. Lawrence

From the mid-eighties to the early 90s songwriter Robyn Hitchcock lived in Yarmouth. The inspiration for his Glass Hotel short story came the day after the great storm of 1987 when Hitchcock and a friend walked along the cliff path from the Buddle Inn at Niton towards Ventnor and came upon the Old Park Hotel. The hotel is perched on the coastal path that once lead from St. Catherine's Lighthouse to Ventnor's Botanic Garden.

"On the road from Niton to Ventnor, on the south west side of the diamond that is the Isle of Wight, there stands an old red pillar box. Opposite, on the right hand side as you head into Ventnor, is a gateway, with a giant stone hawk's head on one side, and a baboon's on the other. The iron gate is rusted firmly shut between them, but it is easy to see, tapering away from this derelict portal, a driveway that leads nowhere. The tarmac is punctuated with weeds and roots - the grass beside it masks the remains of coal scuttles, mangles and bird cages. Where the drive ends, the land falls away; presumably it crumbles down to the beach.

It is very warm here. The micro-climate of the undercliff encourages all kinds of unusual growth, and greenhouses and retirement homes are in abundance. It was here that in 1863, Captain Daniel Hagstrom built the Glass Hotel." - Extract from The Glass Hotel, Legends of the South Wight No. 2, from the sleeve of Robyn Hitchcock's Eye.

(Map reference: From Ventnor turn left directly after St. Lawrence Inn, now closed unfortunately so look for signs to the Old Park Hotel)

Robyn Hitchcock performs tribute to Jimi

Yarmouth Railway Station
- August 26, 1996

Twenty five years after the 1970 Afton Festival Robyn Hitchcock gave a stunning performance of dialogue and songs on Yarmouth's abandoned railway station. Dedicated to Jimi Hendrix's Afton appearance the songwriter included Hendrix's Are You Experienced, The Wind Cries Mary and Bob Dylan's Visions of Johanna. A video and tapes exist. Hitchcock recorded his Respect album in Yarmouth.

(Map Reference End of Victoria Rd off A3054 Yarmouth - Newport )

Jake, Robyn and Tim at Compton Beach

Airscape, a song for Compton Bay

Compton Bay became the ceremonial basking ground of thousands of fans who attended the nearby Afton Festival in 1970.

"At Compton the press were offering Ł10 for a topless picture and Ł20 for a full frontal. The Isle of Wight people said they were disgusted with the nude bathing. I went along the Military Road on the Sunday and I've never seen so many Isle of Wight cars . . ." - Dr. Douglas Quantrill, IOW Medical Officer

Robyn Hitchcock, who attended both the 1969 and 1970 Island festivals, wrote Airscape for Compton Bay.

"Airscape is about a stretch of coast that's gradually eroding on the Isle of Wight. So where people were 300 years ago their ghosts are suspended 100ft above the water because the ground has just disappeared, and eventually the whole Island will have vanished and there will be all these ghosts wandering out in the middle of the ocean. And the people who can see ghosts will be wondering what all these ghosts are doing out in the ocean. But it is still a beautiful beach." - Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock performed Airscape at Compton (10/8/96) when he hired two Southern Vectis open top buses to take fans and friends on a 'magical mystery tour' of the West Wight. The singer gave impromptu performances at Compton car park, Alum Bay and Yarmouth Bus Station.

(Map Reference: A few miles east from Freshwater bay along the Military Road)

www.robynhitchcock.com
Robyn Hitchcock At Sea, August 16th, 1997
Robyn Hitchcock The Bus Gig, 10th August, 1996
Robyn Hitchcock - The FegMANIA! site
Stephanie Black visits Compton