As a teenager, he lived with his parents in a fourteen-room Georgian guest-house, Wellington House, in Lydden near Canterbury. Here he was taught the drums by visiting American jazz drummer George Niedorf.
In 1962, Wyatt and Niedorf moved to Majorca where they stayed with the poet Robert Graves. The following year, Wyatt returned to England and joined the Daevid Allen Trio with Daevid Allen and Hugh Hopper. Allen subsequently left for France, and Wyatt and Hopper formed the Wilde Flowers with Richard Sinclair, Kevin Ayers and Brian Hopper. Wyatt was initially the drummer in the Wilde Flowers, but following the departure of Ayers, he became lead singer.
In 1966, the Wilde Flowers disintegrated, and Wyatt and Mike Ratledge formed the Soft Machine with Ayers and Allen. Here Wyatt both drummed and sang, an unusual combination for a stage rock band.
In 1970, after chaotic touring, three albums and increasing internal conflicts in Soft Machine, Wyatt released his first solo album, The End of an Ear, which combined his vocal and multi-instrumental talents with tape effects.
A year later, Wyatt left Soft Machine and formed his own band Matching Mole (a pun on "machine molle", the French for Soft Machine), a largely instrumental outfit. After two albums and a split, Matching Mole were about to embark on a third record when, on 1 June 1973, during a drunken party, Wyatt fell from a third floor window. He was subsequently paralysed from the waist down (paraplegia) and confined to a wheelchair.
The injury led Wyatt to abandon the Matching Mole project, and his drumming. He promptly embarked on a solo-career, and with a collective of session musicians (including Mike Oldfield, the poet Ivor Cutler and Henry Cow guitarist Fred Frith), he released his acclaimed solo album Rock Bottom. Later that same year he put out a single, a cover version of "I'm a Believer", which hit number 29 in the UK chart. There were strong arguments with the producer of Top of the Pops surrounding his performance of "I'm a Believer," on the grounds that his wheelchair-bound appearance 'was not suitable for family viewing', the producer wanting Wyatt to appear on a normal chair. Wyatt won the day and 'lost his rag but not the wheel chair', but gave a performance that could be described as disgruntled.
Wyatt's next album, Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard, was more jazz-led, with free jazz influences and nods to African music. These solo recordings were all produced by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Wyatt guested with various acts, working with the likes of Henry Cow (documented on their Henry Cow Concerts album), Hatfield and the North, Carla Bley and Michael Mantler. His solo work during the early 1980s was increasingly politicised, and Wyatt became an outspoken member and supporter of the British Communist Party. In 1983, his interpretation of Elvis Costello's anti-Falklands War song "Shipbuilding", the last in a series of political cover-versions (collected as Nothing Can Stop Us), reached number 35 in the UK singles chart. In the late 1980s, after collaborations with other ex-Canterbury acts such as News from Babel, he and his wife Alfreda Benge spent a sabbatical in Spain, before returning in 1991 with a comeback album Dondestan, considered by many to be his best work since Rock Bottom. His 1997 album Shleep was also highly acclaimed.
An uncredited Wyatt contributed the haunting "Masters of the Field", as well as "The Highest Gander", "La Forêt Rouge" and "Hors Champ" to the soundtrack of the acclaimed 2001 film Winged Migration. He can be seen in the DVD's Special Features section, and is praised by the film's composer Bruno Coulais as being a big influence in his younger days.
In 2001, Wyatt was curator of the Meltdown festival, and in 2003 he put out his album Cuckooland.
In 2004, Wyatt collaborated with Björk on the song "Submarine" which was released on her fifth album Medúlla.
In October 2007 he released Comicopera, a 16-track album, his first for the Domino label.
It was produced by Wyatt himself, and recorded at his home in Louth as well as Phil Manzanera's Gallery Studio.
Comicopera is divided into three acts - 'Lost in Noise', 'The Here and The Now', and 'Away with the Fairies'. Featured musicians include previous collaborators Brian Eno, Paul Weller and Phil Manzanera. Wyatt said he was keen to capture the sound of a group of musicians playing in the room together, but more importantly to have friends playing together.
"Music isn't just an abstract pleasure, it is a company, when you play a record. Why I like Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus, the big bands - is because every character in the band is identifiable as that person - there's this group of humans in a room".
"He lives in Louth, Lincolnshire and he has equipment in his bedroom where he records himself and his albums. We brought a G4 and Pro Tools and recorded it in like one afternoon. He's such an extraordinary singer. Before he left, he insisted to give us a scale of his voice, where he sings all the tones – and he has the most amazing range, like 5 or 6 octaves. What's really interesting about his range is that each octave is of a totally different character. We actually ended up using that later for 'Oceania', we used what he calls the 'Wyattron'." — Björk, XFM 25 August 2004
Alife
Robert Wyatt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nit nit folly bololey
Alifi my larder
Alifi my larder
I can't forsake you or
Forsqueak you
Alifi my larder
Alifi my larder
Late you you
Alifi my larder Alifi my larder
Not nit not nit no not
Nit nit folly bololy
Burlybunch, the water mole
Hellyplop and fingerhole
Not a wossit bundy, see ?
For jangle and bojangle
Trip trip
Pip pippy pippy pip pip landerim
Alifi my larder
Alifi my larder
I'm not your larder,
jammy jars and mustard.
I'm not your dinner,
you soppy old custard.
And what's a bololey
when it's a folly?
I'm not your larder,
I'm your dear little dolly.
But when plops get too helly
I'll fill up your belly.
I'm not your larder,
I'm Alife your guarder.
The lyrics of Robert Wyatt's song Alife seem to be filled with nonsensical phrases, but upon closer inspection, there is a deeper meaning behind them. The repeated phrase "Alifi my larder" seems to suggest that the singer is a caregiver, protector or provider for someone named Alifi, who is possibly a child or dependent. The lines "Confiscate or make you / Late you you" could be interpreted as the singer trying to make sure that Alifi does not get into trouble or miss appointments, possibly indicating a protective role.
The use of playful words like "nit nit" and "folly bololy" in contrast to more serious lines like "I can't forsake you" creates a sense of whimsy, while also emphasizing the importance of Alifi to the singer. On the other hand, the lines "I'm not your larder / I'm your dear little dolly" could suggest that Alifi is not actually in need of protection or provision, possibly indicating a reversal of roles or a childish sense of playfulness.
Overall, the lyrics of Alife seem to be an exploration of the roles we take on in our relationships, whether they are caregiver and dependent or something more ambiguous. The use of absurdity and wordplay in the lyrics, combined with the gentle melody, makes it a deeply evocative and intriguing song.
Line by Line Meaning
Not nit not nit no not
I am not sure what you mean or what you want from me
Nit nit folly bololey
Your words and actions are irrational, meaningless, and pointless
Alifi my larder
You see me as your source of sustenance and nourishment
Alifi my larder
You repeat your desire to possess me as your personal resource
I can't forsake you or
I cannot abandon you or leave you behind
Forsqueak you
Even if I try to speak up, I know you won't listen to me anyway
Alifi my larder
You reiterate your intention to control and dominate me as your property
Alifi my larder
You reaffirm your false sense of ownership and possession over me
Confiscate or make you
You threaten to take away my freedom and autonomy, and force me to do your bidding
Late you you
You imply that you will cause me harm or delay my plans if I don't comply with your wishes
Alifi my larder Alifi my larder
You remind me once again of your manipulative and oppressive attitude towards me
Burlybunch, the water mole
You mention some irrelevant, whimsical characters for no apparent reason
Hellyplop and fingerhole
You continue to utter nonsensical terms and phrases to confuse and distract me
Not a wossit bundy, see ?
You pretend to engage me in a conversation or game, but you offer nothing of substance
For jangle and bojangle
You invent more empty phrases and expressions to fill the void of your communication
Trip trip
You make some meaningless sounds and gestures, as if you are trying to cast a spell on me
Pip pippy pippy pip pip landerim
You repeat some bizarre, meaningless words as if they hold some secret power or hidden meaning
Alifi my larder
You bring the conversation back to your obsession with owning and controlling me
Alifi my larder
You can't let go of your delusion that I exist solely for your benefit and pleasure
I'm not your larder,
I assert my independence and autonomy, and reject your claim of ownership over me
jammy jars and mustard.
I use some humorous wordplay to ridicule your attempt to reduce me to a mere food item
I'm not your dinner,
I am a living, sentient being, not a lifeless object to be consumed and digested
you soppy old custard.
I use some playful insults to mock your clingy, sentimental behavior towards me
And what's a bololey
I question your bizarre, meaningless language and demand some clarity and sense from you
when it's a folly?
I point out the absurdity and foolishness of your words and actions
I'm not your larder,
I remind you once again that I am a person, with my own thoughts, feelings, and desires
I'm your dear little dolly.
I use some gentle sarcasm to mock your condescending, infantilizing attitude towards me
But when plops get too helly
I warn you that there are limits to my patience and tolerance of your irrational and confusing behavior
I'll fill up your belly.
I make a humorous threat to retaliate against you using your own language and imagery
I'm not your larder,
I assert my dignity and self-respect, and reject your attempts to objectify and dehumanize me
I'm Alife your guarder.
I offer an alternative vision of our relationship, where I am not subservient to you, but rather your protector and equal partner
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: R. WYATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind