Stranded in the Future, published earlier this year, is Robyn Hitchcock’s second memoir, following 2024’s excellent 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. Stranded in the Future picks up the story after the Day-Glo marvelousness of 1967 and takes the reader through the next decade of Hitchcock’s life.
One of the main characters in Stranded in the Future, besides Robyn, is a reclusive rock star, referred to as both Mr. A during his rock star period, and Mr. B after he gave up the spotlight. It’s no shock to reveal that Mr. A/B is Syd Barrett, formerly of Pink Floyd. Hitchcock is a huge Syd Barrett fan, and he’s often covered Barrett’s solo compositions in concert.
Syd Barrett is quite a legend in rock and roll circles. One of the founders of Pink Floyd, Barrett was a key artistic voice during their first album, 1967’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and then left the group in early 1968. Barrett released two solo albums, both in 1970, and then largely disappeared from public life and performing. Hitchcock was fascinated by Barrett, and a continuing theme of Stranded in the Future is Hitchcock’s near misses with encountering Barrett.
The Robyn Hitchcock that we encounter in Stranded in the Future is a young man who wants to be a singer-songwriter. The book follows his maturation as an artist and the first recordings he makes with his band The Soft Boys. Hitchcock had a relatively long gestation period as a rock musician. His debut long-playing record was The Soft Boys’ first album, A Can of Bees, released in 1979, when Hitchcock was 26 years old. That’s not old by lifespan standards, but in terms of rock and roll, it’s on the later side. Syd Barrett had already been in and out of Pink Floyd, made his two solo albums, and was on the train to nowhere by the time he was 26. Paul McCartney had just started recording the White Album when he was 26. I could give a dozen more examples, but you get the point.
Hitchcock is an excellent writer with a vibrant, impressionistic style of writing. There are great quotes throughout the book. One of my favorites was from Robyn’s father, the painter and novelist Raymond Hitchcock: “My father, however, was fond of saying that we were given speech in order to not communicate with each other.” (p.26) That’s food for thought.
Just as Robyn is always missing Syd Barrett, he also just misses connecting with Bob Dylan on a kibbutz in Israel in 1971. Crazy, man. Speaking of Dylan, there’s another type of near miss when Robyn buys Dylan’s new album Planet Waves. However, the record inside the Planet Waves sleeve is actually Brian Eno’s solo debut, Here Come the Warm Jets. “They were, briefly, label mates at that stage, and the record pressing plant had, in delicious error, put Eno albums in Dylan sleeves.” (p.118)
Robyn eventually forms a band called The Soft Boys, which is a fantastic name for a band. It’s a bit silly and non-threatening, especially during an era when testosterone reigned supreme in rock and punk.
Stranded in the Future also covers Robyn’s romantic relationships, which are complex. His on-again, off-again relationship with “Ms. C” is an example of two people who are constantly being drawn towards each other, even though it doesn’t seem as though they like each other very much.
Stranded in the Future is an interesting book, chronicling an often difficult time in Hitchcock’s life. I hope he writes a third volume; I’d be fascinated to read about his emergence as a solo artist in the 1980’s, and his success touring America.
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