CMJ New Music Report
November 30, 1998 (Issue 597)
Robyn Hitchcock
Storefront Hitchcock -- Warner Bros.
by Ron Hart
The last time acclaimed director Jonathan Demme shot the performance of a Pop artist, the camera's target was the Talking Heads, and the result was Stop Making Sense, one of the best concert films you'll ever experience. Storefront Hitchcock is Demme's latest Rock 'n' Roll picture show and it captures the wit and wisdom of postmodern singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock in front of a live audience in lower Manhattan. This project may not posses the crossover energy of Stop Making Sense's sonic accompaniment, but Demme's straight-no-chaser angle certainly makes up for Hitchcock's lack of theatrics by stressing his ability to control the moment through his opaque humor and Pythonian pre-song banter. Comprised of old and new tracks along with a token Hendrix cover, the filler-free Storefront Hitchcock pleasantly utilizes the art of cinema through song.
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