Book Review: 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left a memoir by Robyn Hitchcock (2024)

The cover of Robyn Hitchcock's 2024 memoir 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

The signed bookplate inside my copy. (Photo by Mark C. Taylor)

Robyn Hitchcock, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and all around groover.

The British singer, songwriter, and guitarist Robyn Hitchcock has always been a devotee of psychedelia, and in his new memoir 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left, Hitchcock takes us through the happenings of that year, musical and otherwise. Hitchcock turned 14 years old in March of 1967, but the narrative begins a year earlier, when Robyn entered Winchester College, a boarding school founded in 1382. 

It was during 1966 that Hitchcock discovered the music of an American singer and songwriter. “He seems to emphasize every word he sings—and there are many of them.” (p.30) It’s Bob Dylan, and the course of Robyn’s life is irrevocably altered. 

1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left is an evocation of that time in adolescence when, for some of us, music takes on an almost mystical import, and each passing month seems to bring about a further evolution of our personalities into a different self. 

Hitchcock describes the differences at Winchester between the “meatheads” and the “groovers”: “The meatheads are into sports, alcohol, talking about sex, and the Beach Boys. The groovers favor Beat poetry, jazz, and incense sticks.” Things shift when the Beach Boys release “Good Vibrations” and the groovers dig it. Robyn asks a groover friend, “The Beach Boys are for all these beerfucker types, you know—the meatheads—aren’t they?” The groover responds, “No, man, you’ve gotta dig it: the Beach Boys are cool now—this stuff is beautiful, man. It’s like jazz with voices, you know?” (p.59-60) 

Robyn’s family background was quite interesting. His father was Raymond Hitchcock, a painter and novelist, and his mother was Joyce Hitchcock, who studied history at Cambridge University, “where she eventually became one of the first generation of women to be allowed to graduate with an official degree.” (p.13) 

Hitchcock has some mixed feelings about his privileged education, writing “One of the main functions of private education in Britain is to stunt people emotionally and then send them out to run the country.” (p.96) 

It’s no surprise to anyone who knows Hitchcock’s lyrics that he is an astute observer, and he turns many memorable phrases throughout the book. One of my favorites was the way he describes the cover of the Incredible String Band’s album The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion: “The saturated joy of it, the intricacy: everything seems to be turning into something else when you look at it closely: which, for me, is what defines psychedelia.” (p.145) I also love the way Hitchcock describes the autumn of 1967: “The sunsets of 1967 are particularly vivid: flaming pink, orange, and purple silhouette the trees rising out of the white miasma.” (p.153) 

I’ve been a fan of Robyn Hitchcock’s music for a long time, so it was a delight to read 1967 and learn more about his background and how the music of the 1960’s affected him. I’m so glad that Robyn Hitchcock wrote this memoir, and it was a pleasure to read it. 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left is a fascinating glimpse into what makes Robyn Hitchcock tick, and how he developed his own unique artistic style. I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested in 1960’s pop culture. 

Book Review: Florence of Arabia, by Christopher Buckley (2004)

The Australian cover of Florence of Arabia, by Christopher Buckley, 2004. 

Christopher Buckley’s 2004 novel Florence of Arabia is a satire of the Middle East. I know, perhaps not the most likely subject for a satirical novel published in the immediate wake of 9/11 and the United States’ invasion of Iraq. But Buckley makes it work.  

The titular character is Florence Farfaletti, a State Department official who wants to bring women’s rights to the Middle East. Easier said than done. Especially when countries like Wasabia, which has a dismal record on women’s rights, is a close ally of the United States, due to the fact that Wasabia is swimming in oil. Of course, Buckley is a satirist, so there’s no way a country like Wasabia could actually exist. Wink wink, nudge nudge.  

Florence’s memo about her plan to bring women’s rights to the Middle East puts her on the radar of a mysterious government official who finances her covert operation. Florence and her team head to Matar, a more liberal emirate. Matar borders Wasabia, and thanks to Winston Churchill, Matar has ocean access while Wasabia does not.  

Florence of Arabia is a satire, but it still exists in the real world. Some awful things happen in the course of the novel, which feels true to what would actually happen if someone tried to bring women’s rights to the Middle East.  

One of my favorite lines in the novel was from Bobby Thibodeaux, a CIA operative. Speaking of the Middle East, he says to Florence “Don’t you understand that since the dawn of time, startin’ with the Garden of Eden, nothing has ever gone right here?” (p.113) 

Buckley also mocks the haplessness of United States foreign policy. As a crisis unfolds, he writes of the U.S. politicians: “There were those who urged caution, and those who urged that now was a time not for caution but for boldness. Then there were those who urged a middle course of cautious boldness.” (p.158) 

In Florence of Arabia, Christopher Buckley gives us an interesting heroine who is easy to root for, more than a dash of action and intrigue, and enough ideas to power this excellent novel, which turns twenty years old in 2024 but still provides much food for thought.   

CD Review: Dean Martin Collected Cool (2012)

The impossibly handsome, charismatic, funny, and talented Dean Martin, on his TV show, circa 1966.

The 3-CD, 1-DVD set "Dean Martin: Collected Cool," released in 2012.

Dean Martin had a decades-long career as a singer, actor, and TV star. Martin’s carefree charm has made him an icon of mid-century cool. Martin rose to stardom with Jerry Lewis in the late 1940’s as the comedic duo Martin & Lewis. After Martin & Lewis broke up in 1956, Dean gave several excellent dramatic performances in films like The Young Lions, Some Came Running, and Rio Bravo. Martin was one of the core members of the Rat Pack along with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. Dino also conquered television with his hit TV show The Dean Martin Show, which aired on NBC from 1965 until 1974.  

Collected Cool is a 3-CD 1-DVD set covering Dean Martin’s entire career. The first two discs collect 36 songs, and one track of Dean’s spoken word introductions recorded for a radio interview. The first disc covers Martin’s recordings made for Capitol Records, from 1949 to 1961, and the second disc covers Dean’s career with Reprise Records, from 1962 to 1985.  

Dino’s vocal style was relaxed and easygoing, and his warm baritone made him sound as though he was always smiling. It’s no surprise that Dean was such a hit with female listeners, since his tall, dark and handsome looks were a perfect match for his romantic voice.  

The track selection of Collected Cool is really interesting, and a bit unusual. All of the big hits are here, but some more obscure tunes are included as well. Like Dean’s version of “I Don’t Care if the Sun Don’t Shine,” which Elvis Presley later recorded as the B-side of his second single for Sun Records. Elvis was a big Dean Martin fan. Also included is one of my favorite obscure Dean Martin songs, “If I Could Sing Like Bing,” on which Dino gives the listener his very best Bing Crosby imitation. Perennial Martin favorites like “Volare,” “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” “Return to Me,” and “Just in Time” also make appearances.  

Disc 2 collects Martin’s big 1960’s hits for Reprise, but also includes some tracks that haven’t appeared on Dino compilations before. One of those songs is his wonderful duet with Frank Sinatra on “Guys and Dolls.” The liner notes make the point that Dean would have been a fantastic Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. I completely agree, and now I can’t get the image of suave Dino crooning “Luck Be a Lady” out of my head.  

There are some fun rarities on disc 2 as well, like Dean’s version of the lovely song “Marina,” which went unreleased until 2002’s Bear Family box set of Martin’s Reprise recordings. Also included is “Sophia,” from the 1964 movie Kiss Me, Stupid. “Sophia” is the song that Ray Walston’s songwriter has written that he wants Dean Martin’s character Dino to record. “Sophia” was based on a melody that George Gershwin had written, and Ira Gershwin supplied the silly lyrics for Kiss Me, Stupid. “Sophia” appeared on Reprise promotional singles but was never officially released until 2002. 

Disc 2 makes a large jump from 1966’s “Somewhere There’s a Someone” to 1983’s “My First Country Song,” a duet with Conway Twitty. It’s too bad, because Martin’s 1970’s songs haven’t received much attention, even though he recorded some excellent albums like Sittin’ on Top of the World and Once in a While. But Collected Cool ends on a high note, with the last song that Dean recorded, 1985’s “L.A. is My Home,” which shows Dino in strong voice and holding a very impressive high note at the end.  

My only complaint about the song selection is that both discs could have been packed with more songs. Personally, I would have added “Come Back to Sorrento” one of Dean’s most beautiful vocals.  

For Dino super fans, the real attraction of Collected Cool are disc 3 and the DVD. Disc 3 is Dean’s full performance from the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe on July 27, 1962. A testament to Martin’s success as a live performer, the Lake Tahoe show begs the question: why wasn’t a Dean Martin live album released during his lifetime? In a perfect world, there would have been a live album from the Rat Pack, along with a live album of Dino’s nightclub act. As long as I’m dreaming, how about an album of duets with Frank and Dean? 

Martin’s nightclub act relied heavily on the joke that he was always half-drunk. Martin was such a good actor and performer that many people didn’t realize it was actually just an act. Dean Martin was simply a funny person, and his nightclub act was perfectly tuned. One of the surprises of the Lake Tahoe show is a lovely song that Dino never recorded in the studio, “Break it to Me Gently,” which was a hit for Brenda Lee.  

The DVD is an hour-long concert, filmed in London in 1983 during Dino’s hugely successful engagement at the Apollo Victoria Theater. This concert was broadcast on Showtime in 1983 but hasn’t been seen since then. It’s great to have Martin’s nightclub act on high-quality film. Dean was still in excellent voice in London, and he looks, well, the same as he always did. Tall, dark, and handsome. You can also see the hilarious interplay between Dino and his longtime pianist, Ken Lane. (Lane was the co-writer of Dean’s signature song “Everybody Loves Somebody.”)  

Dean’s 1983 concert features a setlist of his greatest hits, but also a few songs that he never recorded in the studio, like “L-O-V-E,” “Where or When,” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.”  

At the end of the London concert, we see the audience response to Dean Martin—they love him, and Dino stands at the edge of the stage, giving handshakes, accepting bouquets, soaking in the adoration of the crowd. Dean Martin was a special entertainer: for all of his fame and success he seemed familiar, approachable, and friendly. I never met Dean Martin, but I know someone who did. My Dad played softball with a guy named Bob Ralph. Bob had been an extra in several movies filmed in Minnesota—he was a referee in one of the Mighty Ducks movies, and he was an extra in the 1970 movie Airport. Airport starred Dean Martin, Burt Lancaster, Jean Seberg, Jacqueline Bissett, and George Kennedy. The extras were told “don’t bother the stars.” Dean Martin, dressed in his full pilot’s uniform, walked right by Bob, so Bob said hello to Dean. Dean said hi back to Bob and shook hands with him. But before Dean shook hands, he took off his glove. That story has always stuck with me as a little reminder that we’re never too busy to be kind and respectful to people. And it’s always been indicative to me of what a classy guy Dean Martin was.