Casually clad and physically at ease except for his fluttering eyelids, Hitchcock sailed through a wacky tour de force of his career in just over an hour, producing a lineup of marvelous playthings and unique meditations.
His lyrics, though, often are heartbreaking in their simplicity: “The next time I get into you/I swear to God I won’t come out”; “I something you/you whatnot me”; and “What am I going to do with myself if I lose you?” Here is a master of bare declarations of love.
Although he often strained for the higher notes, Hitchcock sang very clearly and didn’t let his accomplished guitar — or occasional violin by opener Deni Bonet — get in the way of the lyrics. And in following his stream-of-consciousness construction and fantastical topics, one can’t afford to miss a word.
