HBRW

Happy Birthday, Robert Wyatt.
Funny that the anagram would be "HeBReW", as Sir Robert is a champion of Palestinian statehood rights.
I had been thinking of doing an "Ultimate Wyatt" hour, a semi-chronological run through some favorites, maybe even open it as a challenge: can you sequence an equally good hour(?), not nit not so hard from this man's body of work and a silly competition really. But go ahead, play. So the day we arranged to do this just happened to be RW's birthday. We celebrated with an early dinner at Mario's Peruvian Restaurant on Vine Street. I packed a sizable chunk of my collection and let er rip. One botched segue from Mole into Muddy but I think then into Riding Hood (or is it Robin?) is beautiful: "After being drained!" The rest goes down like warm milk. I would have liked to 'ave squeezed in something from the latest "Comicopera" as well as some Moon In June, but you have to draw the lines somewhere. At Last I Am Free is the first Wyatt I heard and fell in love with, so that era of Rough Trade singles is amply represented. And Rock Bottom, well, play the whole thing OK? I've corresponded with the Wyatts three times: first in 1982 to complain that Alfie's great cover paintings were different on import and domestic issues of a recent LP, the day after the Socialist president was elected in Spain (Felipe Gonzales) that fall I sent a copy of El Pais from Barcelona, and shortly after Gulf War 1 I thanked him for Dondestan. The image attached is a photo of another Alfie portrait they sent back in 82 along with a calendar card of Fidel.

Owen O'Toole

1.28.09
HBRW

Soft Machine As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still
Soft Machine Dedicated to You But You Weren't Listening
Matching Mole God Song
Matching Mole Instant Pussy
Robert Wyatt Muddy Mouse + Muddy Mouth
w/ Henry Cow Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road
w/ Michael Mantler The Sinking Spell
Robert Wyatt At Last I Am Free
Robert Wyatt Arauco
Robert Wyatt Grass
Robert Wyatt The Age of Self
Robert Wyatt Left On Man
Robert Wyatt Alien
Robert Wyatt Forest