Robert Wyatt: quirky musician, Soft Machine drummer, gentleman, Marxist, Floyd pal, Madcap sessioneer and now TAP interviewee. This interview
was conducted by post; his answers appear below, edited but still weird!

Recollections of the early Floyd?

Eight gangling legs in a dressing room in the Irish centre Hoppy hired. Downcast blushes in the presence of a Paul McCartney dressed in (I think) an oriental robe of discreet but effective turquoise hue...

Pin' Flo' shy, reserved, but friendly eventually and witty. Always very helpful if we had equipment trouble or anything. Unnervingly well organised, in fact, but a refreshing change from your usual Brit Rock loot. It has been written that we had a motorcyclist revving up round the rim of the roundhouse while they played once. This is not the case. During our set, yes, theirs, no.

I see but a tenuous connection with any underground, incidentally. Rock is about as overground and ostentatiously attention seeking as you can get... Underground, like 'Avant Garde', is one of those terms adopted by the chic much as they wear, say, worn jeans or bomber jackets.

The Madcap Laughs...

I liked the tunes on Madcap and the way he did them. We just started to feel our way round them when he said "OK, that's it". So the final recording was like a sketch of a painting never completed. Dead punk when you come to think of it.

I didn't notice we weren't credited, but I'm sure we got paid which is fairly novel. I played it a lot later, at home, 'til Elton Dean came from his room next door and asked me to stop playing "that nonsense" and listen to more sophisticated musicians like Joe Henderson. Ever the sporting neighbour, I lost Madcap.

Peter Jenner and Andrew King?

I've seen Andrew on and off since then, around Twickenham, I remember we got on fine, I liked him anyway and Peter Jenner is at least always nice to your face, which is a lot easier on the nerves than some managers' behaviour, which can be quite grotesque, like that of an American policeman. But the manager I'm most grateful to is Steve O'Rourke, who did so much for me when I was hospitalised in 1973 which leads to:-

Post-Syd Floyd?

My favourite thing was on the second PF LP I think, a beautiful piece by Rick the organist. Was Barrett on that? I forget, so long ago...

They played a benefit for you after your accident. Any comments?

Ronnie Scott and Pink Floyd started helping me when I was still completely out of it on painkillers etc, the first month or two.

I believe the witter Dave Gale alerted P.F. to my horizontalisation. They saved my life as much as the doctors and nurses. What can I say! If any of them see this - thanks!

How did Mason come to produce Rock Bottom, Sonia and I'm A Believer?

In fact I think a reason for asking Nick to help me put Rock Bottom together was to acknowledge that amazing help. Although strictly speaking Moon In June and End Of en Ear were my first solo sides, I consider *my life as a grown-up began with Rock Bottom.

Nick also helped out on a couple of other things : Chris Andrew's Yesterday Man (my favourite) and I'm Believer (on which he played drums - the only one he did play on) and finally my last souvenir of the trumpeter Mongezi Feza on his own Sonia.

[Since Virgin Lost the names of the musicians in transferring to CD, they are: Richard Sinclair, Hugh Hopper (bass), Laurie Allen (drums), Gary Windo, George Khan (saxophones), Fred Frith (piano]. On the singles, John Greaves, Bill MacCormick (bass), Brian Eno (sin) and Mike Oldfield who also helped on producing. And Ivor Cutler (on mouth and squeeze-box). The best groups I ever worked with.]

Mason's drumming?

Nick's careful signposts and clear dynamics much impressed Carla Bley who subsequently involved him in her own stuff. She then passed him on to fellow WATT writer Mike Mantler. I knew them because they'd asked me to contribute to a couple of LPs of his tunes she produced.

I don' t know why they asked me. Musicians don't say what we think of each other, it's uncool!

Fictitious Sports - were you 'just' a singer or did you play a bigger part?

Just a session singer and a very honoured one too.

Will you work with Mason again?

Nick and I met recently at a do organised by Mitch Mitchell's wife Dee. But yes, I think we've drifted too far apart to work together again.

Things have a time and a place as Sid Greenwich would say.

Ditto Mike Oldfield?

Ditto Mike Oldfield, as Otto Hardwick would say.

What about other old cronies?

Old cronies in touch with list: Didier Malherbe, Hugh and Brian Hopper, Richard Sinclair, Daevid Allen. Many musicians, mainly 'jazz' e.g. Ronnie Scott, Laurie Allan, Evan Parker, but also Brian Eno.

But a longer list would be of old friends who've died, Chris McGregor and Duda Pukwana, whose ghosts keep us company and whose spirits live on in their friends' hearts.

Top Of The Pops?

I'm never up in time to watch children's TV like Blue Peter or Top of the Pops. I watch the adult, serious late night stuff like Cheers, Roseanne and Prisoner Cel Block whatsit.

Post-Wyatt Soft Machine?

Oh fuck, who cares? Quickly to:-

The Final Cut and Shipbuilding were the only (non punk) records to address the Falklands troubles - how do you feel about this? Were you surprised Roger wrote so strongly?

I mean of course (ta, Rob! - Eds).

Here you consulted by Virgin before they issued your early albums on CD?

Yes... They asked if I fancied including the singles. I said no because I see each record as complete - or at least distinct - entities. I hadn't got CD then anyway and didn't know how much you could get on them. .

Musicians you'd like to work with?

As a subscriber to the Big Bang theory of the origins of the universe, I tend to end up playing, most satisfactorily, with myself.

The filthy rumour, however, that the Spanish named Tosseer de Mar in recognition of my contribution to their tourist industry is entirely without foundation and legal advice will be sought following any such allegations made in the future.

Future recording plans?

I hope to churn out some more tunes for the Eurasian market. More specifically for Yuka Terada in Tokyo, a big fan of Stunning Desserts type culture, incidentally. Hello Yuka!

Will you perform live again? PLEASE!

Thanks for asking so nicely, but - I got chronic stage fright, I'm sorry to admit it, I have nightmares about forgetting the words.

The Amazing Pudding?

Frankly, you are not half so amazing as fried beef and sultanas on floppy raw pastry garnished with sand, but I myself prefer your relatively safer traditional recipes anyway, especially that issue with extra dollops of mature Cheddar sauce for the first 8.5 new subscribers.

The best joke you've heard recently?

Jokes too, I like old and matured in the wood. E.G. when anybody trips over on something 1 always say "Hope you enjoyed your trip" and it always makes me laugh.

	SELECTED WYATT DISCOGRAPHY

Any Wyatt (and Soft Machine or Michael Mantler) album merits investigation, but these are compulsory listening for Floyd completists (ft for CD unless stated):

I'm A Believer/Memories (7- Virgin VS 114)
Rock Bottom (Virgin CDV 2017)
Yesterday Man/Sonia (7" Virgin VS115)
[all the above produced by Mason]
Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard
(Virgin CDV 2034) (includes Sonla)
Nick Mason: Fictitious Sports (LP Harvest SHSF 4116) (Wyatt shares vox)
Michael Mantler: The Hapless Child... (WATT 4) Wyatt sings while Mason speaks ('.), engineers and mixes.

Robert's most recent records are Dondestan (Rough Trade R2742) and A Short Break (Voiceprint VP108CD).