The Seattle Times
September 6, 1988

Hot Sun, Hot Bands Form A Fitting Finale
Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians And Camper Van Beethoven Yesterday At Bumbershoot

by Patrick MacDonald

Bumbershoot 1988 will be remembered as a hot one. Two of the year's hottest days occurred during Seattle Center's colorful and varied four-day arts festival, which ended yesterday.

Sunny skies brought big crowds Friday and Saturday, when temperatures were in the 90s; slightly fewer came Sunday and Labor Day.

The final big Rock event last night at the Coliseum was what Bumbershoot does best -- exposing lots of people to cutting-edge artists that may never reach the mainstream.

Eccentric British Rock singer Robyn Hitchcock told surreal, comical stories and sang oddly appealing nonsense songs, backed by his two-man band, The Egyptians. Hitchcock's ridiculous monologues included vivid descriptions of fish monsters, bubonic plague victims, sweating boils and jellylike bones, as well as observations such as "Even Marilyn Monroe was a man", and, "All human beings are fundamentally hostile." One of his introductions went, "Here's a song about greed and I hope it makes me lots of money."

If his affectations were sometimes a bit much, his songs never were. Although the lyrics were as murky as his stories, they were clever and funny. The music was well-crafted, Neo-Psychedelic, mid-tempo Rock that was almost Beatlesque. Hitchcock was a refreshing alternative to slick, predictable mainstream bands.