Robert Calvert


Robert Newton Calvert was a South African-British writer, poet, and musician. He is principally known for his role as lyricist, performance poet and lead vocalist of the space rock band Hawkwind.

Early life

Calvert was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and moved with his parents to England when he was two. He attended school in London and Margate, living in a flat in Arlington House. Having finished school he joined the Air Training Corps, in which he became a corporal and played trumpet for the 438 Squadron band. He then went on to college in Canterbury. After leaving college, and having been denied his childhood dream of becoming a fighter pilot, he slowly acquainted himself with the UK's bohemian scene. Calvert began his career in earnest by writing poetry.

Career

In 1967 he formed the street theatre group 'Street Dada Nihilismus'.
At the end of the 1960s, he returned to London and joined the city's flourishing psychedelic subculture. He soon became one of its most active members; joining, amongst other activities, Frendz, one of the leading underground magazines of the time. During that time he acquainted himself with New Wave science fiction writers and befriended author Michael Moorcock. Calvert's poems were published in New Worlds and other magazines. Although he was influenced by the New Wave, Calvert developed a distinct style of his own. His ability to change fluently between poetry, music and theatre allowed him to develop into a multimedia artist.

Hawkwind

A childhood friend of Hawkwind co-founder Nik Turner, Calvert joined Hawkwind as a lyricist, performance poet and occasional lead vocalist in 1971. Following a two-year absence, he rejoined as the band's principal lead vocalist in 1975 before leaving once again in 1979. Calvert co-wrote Hawkwind's hit single "Silver Machine", which reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. Although Lemmy sings on the single version, this is an overdub of a live recording taken at the Roundhouse in London with Calvert on vocals. "They tried everyone else singing it except me", Lemmy later said. Calvert also directed the Space Ritual tour, which is widely perceived as the band's artistic zenith.
During periods away from Hawkwind duties, Calvert worked on his solo career; his solo creative output included albums, stage plays, poetry, and a novel. His first solo album, Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters, was released in 1974. The record is a concept album, an amalgam of music and theatre focused around the Lockheed bribery scandals. In 1975, he won the Capital Radio poetry competition with his poem "Circle Line". In 1975, musician and producer Brian Eno produced and played on Calvert's second solo album, Lucky Leif and the Longships, a concept album which looked at the history of the US and the Vikings, who crossed the Atlantic to reach America before Columbus. In 1977, Hawkwind performed "Quark, Strangeness and Charm" on Marc Bolan's TV series, Marc.
As well as Michael Moorcock and Brian Eno, Calvert's collaborators included Arthur Brown, Steve Peregrin Took, Jim Capaldi, Steve Pond, Inner City Unit, Vivian Stanshall, Nektar, John Greaves, Adrian Wagner, Amon Düül II and, posthumously, Spirits Burning, Dave Brock, and Krankschaft.
Calvert suffered from bipolar disorder, which often caused a fractious relationship with his fellow musicians. At one point he was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Death

Aged 43, Calvert died of a heart attack in 1988 in Ramsgate, England, outside of the "Corner House" café. As he approached the street, he reached for a pay phone, but the nearest phone had been disconnected. He was buried in Minster Cemetery at Minster-in-Thanet. His gravestone is engraved with the line "Love's not Time's fool", from William Shakespeare's sonnet 116.

Discography

Studio albums

Demo albums

  • Blueprints from the Cellar
  • Revenge
  • Centigrade 232. Spoken word. Released as book/CD and CD

Live albums

Singles

  • "Ejection" / "Catch a Falling Starfighter"
  • "Cricket Star"
  • "Lord of the Hornets" / "The Greenfly and the Rose"

With Hawkwind

With Dave Brock

  • The Brock/Calvert Project - "The Brock/Calvert Project"

Guest appearances

Plays

Poetry collections

Novels

  • ''Hype''