It was in the public bar of this hostelry, where seemingly time has stood still that we spoke. While a cluster of burnt " bangers "sizzled on a hot plate and Joe Dolan bellowed out " You're Such A Good Looking Woman " from the bright neon lit Rock-Ola.
" We're neither a rock or a pop group," Robert offered, in a vain attempt to clarify Soft Machine's position.
" I suppose we're just four musicians who are playing their own original music within the rock environment. People just happen to know and accept us simply because we evolved during the big British rock boom. "
As a point of interest, it was the American audiences who first became aware of the Machine's magic. This was entirely due to the fact that not only did they spend the whole of 1968 touring the States as the supporting attraction to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but also recorded two highly acclaimed albums during this period.
However, Mr Wyatt feels that this lengthy stay in the turbulent atmosphere on America, held them back insofar as the British public were concerned.
" During those twelve months,other big British groups built up a strong following. So that when we
came back to Britain, we more or less had to start from scratch." were his observations.
Concerning the period of their Stateside residency he admitted in all honesty. " At that time we were
a ropey group and went down much better than we deserved with the audiences."
In fact audiences in general have always completely mystified Robert, who terms himself an " Out of Work Pop Singer currently on drums with Soft Machine."
" If we play well we go down well and vice-versa. On most things I tend to be in full agreement with our audience. As you know we work mainly abroad, but it seems that the reaction over here towards us is getting much better... though I really don't know why," he said with a smile and a shrug.
" Funnily enough the paradox is that we get very young audiences when we appear at the Roundhouse... they're usually about 15-year-old.
Explaining this situation he thought the fundamental reasons maybe that " School kids are realistic... they know they aren't getting hyped, simply because they've been brought up with us.
" Perhaps they feel that their immediate elders are still nostalgic about the showbiz and Beatles thing... on the other hand it may be for a completely different reason? "
Then in a reflective mood he retold how the Soft Machine originally assembled itself. " None of us joined... we all just happened to be there. You know, Soft Machine is the only band I've ever been in. "
Of those formative days, he continued, " The first things we played were just general freak-outs... more or less like what we are doing now. In the early days I used to sing as well as play drums. But as our music has become more complex and arranged the Machine are now just an instrumental unit. To be honest I find it very difficult to sing and play our material at the same time.
 |
" Though all the others in the group read music, I haven't as yet got around to it. Sometimes it scares me, because in our band I've got to take my head on stage. If it gets really exciting, I sometimes think let's just blow, but then I realise I've got to restrain myself."
Then reaching even further back into his past, he retold an amusing incident: " Before I became a drummer, I use to work for British Rail as a mail-bag sorter in Canterbury... that must have been all of six years ago.
" My hair was even very long in those days and it just so happens that my work-mate was a real greasy rocker who was into Chuck Berry and had a local reputation as being a hardcase.
" Though we were completely opposite, he used to look after me because I was always getting threatened in pubs because of my then strange appearance.
" When this used to happen, I would casually mention he was a good friend of mine and my would be attackers would go all white and shrink away.'' And with that he grabbed his beer and wandered upstairs to rejoin his friends for a jam session.
Robert Wyatt -
an out of work singer currently on drums with Soft Machine - New Musical Express - January 16, 1971
