Robyn Hitchcock: Willfully Eclectic

Robyn Hitchcock.

Robyn Hitchcock's entire musical career has played out on his own eclectic terms: prolific, willfully odd and uneven, and frequently brilliant. Ever since his early years with The Soft Boys — a late-'70s college-radio staple that helped inspire bands like R.E.M. — Hitchcock has been viewed as ahead of his time.

Having spent much of the '80s and early '90s winning critical and underground acclaim with his band The Egyptians, Hitchcock has become more ambitious and independent since, pursuing everything from a film and art career to volumes of self-released solo work. His latest musical incarnation is with a backing band called The Venus 3, which contributed to his newest album, Ole! Tarantula.