Tues. June 8

Last time I talked to Robyn Hitchcock it was about five years ago. He was chatting about his latst record, "Spooked," at the time and he's done a few others since. Hitchcock’s latest recording with is with Venus 3 and it's called "Propeller Time." The album features contributions from an array of illustrious guest musicians, including John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin/Them Crooked Vultures), Johnny Marr (The Smiths/Modest Mouse), old pal Nick Lowe, and former Soft Boys/Egyptians band mate Morris Windsor, among other notables. H Yep Rock Records has issued a pair of box sets, "I Wanna Go Backwards" and "Luminous Groove," which cover much of Hitchcock’s ‘80s output, as well as expanded individual reissues of most of his albums of that era. But back to our talk in 2005. What Hitchcock - who plays solo at the Coolidge Corner Theatre Tuesday June 8 - wanted to talk about was posthumous songwriting.

"You've got to keep busy in eternity," Hitch said, "but people assume [life is] when you've made all your moves." He added he'd like to continue making writing songs beyond death "through heavenly means or diabolical." This is to suggest, that like Jerry Lee Lewis, he isn't too certain where he'll land on the Heaven/Hell divide - although we're guessing Jerry Lee's pretty serious about the issue (we've talked to him) and Robyn is, perhaps, not.

We've had more than a few good times in concert and in chats with Hitchcocks over the years. It's hardly a unique position. Hitchcocks gets on well with rock critics and has an engaging, if enigmatic, personality that makes great copy - just like his cryptic psychedelic-folk approach makes for great songs. It's been said before and we'll say it again: Hitchcock is the Syd Barrett of our times.

Twenty years ago, I started an interview with the (admittedly lazy) question of "What's on your mind?" and got back this, "I'm interested in Arnold Schwarzenegger, mainly. I've got a feeling I could fit completely into one of his limbs and my girlfriend could fit intot the other and we wonder which of us would be whichh limb. I'm also interested in why he seems vulnerable, whether it's because he doesnt' seem very intelligent or because he seems so powerful it's surprising there's still a human head on top of it." At the time, he was on the phone, imploring his invisible dog Buggo to sit and stop trying to eat his tuna sandwich. "He doesn't do much," Hitchcock said, of Buggo. "But he comes out on tour. He's discreet except at the worst possible moments, like we're in a restaurant and we've chosen linguine and shrimp and Buggo sees feta salad and oysters on another table and rushes off and gets us a sample. He brings it back in his saliva-encrusted jaws and generally has a good time."

Hitchcock was introduced to the Coolidge in early March, when he appeared at the theatre to pay tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator, 2010 Coolidge Award recipient director Jonathan Demme.  Hitchcock was the subject of Demme’s 1998 live concert film "Storefront Hitchcock," and also appeared in two of the Oscar-winning director’s feature films, 2004’s remake of "The Manchurian Candidate" and 2008’s "Rachel Getting Married," in which he performs two songs as part of the wedding-party band. (Demme, by the way, has the best, most eclectic musical tastes of any major director, with Martin Scorsese coming in second.)

Hitchcock's Coolidge show kicks off OnStage @ the Coolidge, a program bringing live performances to one of New England’s most treasured independent cinemas and cultural arts organizations. (That's boilerplate PR, we know, but it happens to be true. It's our neighborhood theatre, too.) Over the past decade, the Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation completed a successful multimillion-dollar capital campaign supporting upgrades, renovation, and a stunning restoration to the theatre’s original Art Deco detail.  The improvements culminated with the completion of an extended performance stage in the theatre’s main auditorium.  With its revamped stage, new sound systems, lighting, and relaxed vibe, the Coolidge is an ideal venue for live performances.

 Tickets to Robyn Hitchcock in concert are $20/general admission and $17/Coolidge Corner Theatre members. Show's at 7:30.

290 Harvard Street, Brookline. 617-734-2500 www.coolidge.org