Robert Calvert: Through His Work – Book Review

Robert Calvert: Through His Work by Tim Forster

Independently Published

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Robert Calvert was one of those artists with a touch of genius who didn’t receive the recognition he deserved while alive. His work has remained underrepresented since his untimely death in 1988, aged just 43. With Robert Calvert: Through His Work, author Tim Forster does his bit to redress the balance.

This book is not a biography as such, although we certainly glean an understanding of Calvert’s character and life within its pages. Rather, Forster guides us through his work as a musician, poet and playwright, against the backdrop of an academic analysis of the political and social upheavals of the period from the late 60s – late 80s during which the subject was active. As he puts it, the intention is to ‘…contextualise his art practice in a historically specific convergence of political, social and economic forces and to show the relevance of his art to contemporary society.’ In the process, the writer paints a picture of a man of great intelligence, prescience and integrity with a startlingly creative imagination to match.

Of course, much attention is paid to Calvert’s most recognised work as a vocalist with Hawkwind (and spin-off Hawklords), particularly in association with founder Dave Brock and with the creative input of Barney Bubbles. In many ways, he rendered the ‘space rock’ label rather inadequate as he used the band as a vehicle to explore various themes relating as much to earthbound matters as extraterrestrial, many of these concepts recurring throughout his solo work and writing. His moral compass was active from an early age as demonstrated by his refusal at the age of 17 to return with his parents to his native South Africa which, at the time, was firmly in the grip of the apartheid regime. His move to the counterculture hotbed of Ladbroke Grove in 1970 helped shape his attitudes and societal awareness, and his stances against war, imperialism, racism, capitalism and neoliberalism (amongst others) are evident throughout. However, should this all sound a little heavy, you only have to listen to the splendidly silly and Pythonesque hit Quark, Strangeness and Charm, to appreciate that Calvert possessed a fully functional sense of humour.

This is a book full of fascinating insights, especially for those who have had a passing interest in Calvert’s work without being aware of its full extent. The album Freq features interviews with striking miners, illustrating his support for the downtrodden workers (despite his intentions at times being misunderstood). His fascination with temporality, ‘the relationship/s of past, present and future,’ is studied in depth, and it becomes clear that he had a remarkable ability to foresee future events enabled by his fascination with current trends. As Calvert put it, ‘I always try to write about things that haven’t happened quite yet, but I’m quite sure will happen.’ Forster cites his regular references to androids in their capacity as worker and companion/lover in relation to current developments in AI as an example of his prescience. We also learn of the artist’s books of poetry, several plays, including the short Mirror Mirror available on YouTube, and his theatrical approach to gigs including his ‘Biggles of Arabia’ stage persona; ‘Mine’s an acting job really. I have to embody what the music’s about, which is, I suppose, heroic fantasy really.’ There is also plenty more humour on display, including the tale of 8,000 copies of Cricket Star by Robert Calvert and the First XI being dumped along with plans to distribute them outside grounds when the West Indies tour was cancelled.

Through His Work acts both as a scholastic study of Calvert’s art and a very readable guide for those eager to discover more about the man’s work and motivations. The book takes the form of a number of chapters which examine different aspects of his beliefs and his output; Ethics, Temporality, Politics, Collaborations, Theatre etc. This, as acknowledged by the author, inevitably leads to a degree of repetition simply because there are a number of common threads which run throughout Calvert’s career, but the same would also apply if a more linear approach were taken. More importantly, each chapter is informed by Forster’s forensic analysis of the subject matter (the extensive bibliography clearly illustrates the research involved) and brought to life by his insightful commentary. Small but perfectly formed, complete with a number of striking photographs, this is a book which does its subject justice and achieves its objective of presenting Robert Calvert as much more than just a singer in a rock band.

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All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive.

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