In honor of Robert Wyatt’s 81st birthday this past week…
Some ten years ago, Robert Wyatt announced his “retirement.” In 2018, NME asked him, “What do you do with your retirement now?” He replied:
Scandalously little. You know what? Any highfalutin' ideas about being an artist have been shattered. Now that I've had to give up smoking and drinking, I can't be bothered. I lived entirely on artificial stimuli. So I now just hang out with Alfie doing absolutely nothing, while she keeps us alive. But I like my little town. I go around, get a coffee, and me and Alfie we watch telly together. I loved watching the World Cup, it was fantastic. I still watch the latest comedies - whereas the music I listen to is very global and often outside the Anglo-American world, my favourite comedy is all British. I'm a big fan of Stewart Lee's TV show, which you'd probably expect.
Originally published by The Wire (April 2001)
I think I officially crossed the boundary into obsessive fandom when I chased Rober…
