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The Guardian
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tom Robbins obituary
Tom Robbins, who has died aged 92, was one of the last cult novelists to emerge from the 1960s. Often compared for their humour to Kurt Vonnegut or Richard Brautigan, his books took their place on the shelves alongside novels by Richard Farina, Peter S Beagle, Philip K Dick, Ken Kesey and Thomas Pynchon. Rolling Stone magazine called his first novel, Another Roadside Attraction (1971), 'the quintessential novel of the 60s', but it did poorly until the paperback edition became a word-of-mouth bestseller. The next, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1976), was his biggest hit. Its heroine was Sissy Hankshaw, a world-class hitchhiker whose oversized thumbs lead her to the all-female Rubber Rose Ranch run by Bonanza Jellybean. Pynchon wrote a blurb for it, saying, 'I hope this book … winds up changing the brainscape of America, which sure could use it'. Instead, it wound up as a 1993 film by Gus Van Sant, one of the most-panned movies ever, in which Uma Thurman played Sissy. Part of Robbins's cult status reflected the slow gestation of his books. Over the course of 34 years he wrote only eight novels and though he would do reading tours after each one, he eschewed most interviews. I was lucky enough to sit down with him in 2001, as he promoted Fierce Invalids from Hot Climates, and he explained his unusual writing habits. 'I never leave a sentence until it's as good as I can make it, so it meets the soundness of whatever philosophical bullshit I might be propagating, and relates to the sentences which preceded it,' he said. 'It's slow, but the advantage is I don't rewrite, or rather, I rewrite as I'm going along.' As time went by, the critics tried to hang the 60s label as a millstone around Robbins's neck, with Karen Karbo, reviewing Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas in 1994, claiming that 'unless his work was imprinted on you when you were 19 and stoned, you'll find him forever unreadable'. However, it was an epitaph that a growing readership failed to recognise. Robbins claimed his brand of storytelling was inherited from his forebears, who were preachers and sheriffs. Born in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, he grew up in Warsaw, Virginia. His father, George, was a power company executive; his mother, Katharine (nee Robinson), was a nurse, and both his grandfathers were Baptist preachers. Facing disciplinary problems at Warsaw high school, he spent his final year at Hargrave military academy, playing basketball and winning the senior essay prize. Already intent on becoming a novelist, he studied journalism at Washington and Lee University but left after two years, again because of disciplinary problems. He then joined the US air force, serving as a meteorologist in Korea and for the Strategic Air Command in Kansas. Discharged in 1957, he returned to Virginia, enrolling at the Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University) while working on the night sports desk at the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper, joining there full-time as a copy editor after graduating. He left in 1962, after the paper objected to his using a photo of Sammy Davis Jr in the paper; their Jim Crow policies did not allow photos of black people. He then moved to Seattle, 'as far away from Richmond as possible', and worked at the Seattle Times as an art critic. A month later the arts editor suffered an ulcer and Robbins was editing the section; knowing nothing about classical music, he reviewed a performance of Rossini by riffing on the composer's likeness to the actor Robert Mitchum. In 1963 Robbins took acid for the first time. He quit the paper, made a pilgrimage to Greenwich Village, and returned to write for Seattle Magazine and host a weekly music show, Notes From the Underground, on KRAB radio. He also wrote for Art Forum and Art in America, and in 1965 had a monograph published on the Pacific Northwest artist Guy Anderson. In 1967, after reviewing the Doors in Seattle's local underground paper The Helix, Robbins felt he had finally found his voice, and began to write Another Roadside Attraction, a novel about a circus couple who turn an abandoned diner into Captain Kendrick's Memorial Hot Dog Wildlife Preserve, housing an offbeat menagerie and the mummified corpse of Jesus, stolen from the Vatican. Perhaps his best novels were Still Life With Woodpecker (1980), 'a sort of love story' set inside a Camel cigarette pack, and Jitterbug Perfume (1984), in which a pair of duelling perfumers cross paths with a deposed eighth-century king and his consort, who seek immortality. Most Robbins novels are classic journeys, drawing on the mythic archetypes of Joseph Campbell's work, which he admired. Featuring oddly matched couples drawn to each other, they usually have female leads, with Fierce Invalids (2000) the first to feature a male protagonist, something Robbins had avoided lest the characters became too autobiographical. A number of his books were optioned for films, but none since Cowgirls have been made. Thereafter his involvement in the cinematic world consisted of playing bit parts in various films, including Made in Heaven (1987), Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) and Breakfast of Champions (1999), all directed by his friend Alan Rudolph. Robbins's last novel was Villa Incognito in 2003. In 2005 there was a collection of essays, Wild Ducks Flying Backwards, and in 2009 a novella, B for Beer. His final book was an autobiography, Tibetan Peach Pie (2014). Robbins is survived by his fourth wife, the psychic and actor Alexa D'Avalon, and by three sons, Rip, Kirk and Fleetwood, from previous marriages. Thomas Eugene Robbins, novelist, born 22 July 1932; died 9 February 2025
USA Today
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tom Robbins dies: Author whose novels were infused with '70s psychedelic vibe was 92
Tom Robbins dies: Author whose novels were infused with '70s psychedelic vibe was 92 Author Tom Robbins, whose novels read like a hit of literary LSD, filled with fantastical characters, manic metaphors and counterculture whimsy, died on Sunday. He was 92. Robbins' death was announced by his wife, Alexa Robbins, on Facebook. The post did not cite a cause. "He was surrounded by his family and loyal pets. Throughout these difficult last chapters, he was brave, funny and sweet," Alexa Robbins wrote. "He asked that people remember him by reading his books." Robbins indulged the hippie sensibilities of young people starting in the early 1970s with books that had an overarching philosophy of what he called "serious playfulness" and a mandate that it should be pursued in the most outlandish ways possible. As he wrote in "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas," "Minds were made for blowing." Robbins' works included "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", "Another Roadside Attraction" and "Still Life With Woodpecker." Robbins' characters were over the top, off the wall and around the bend. Among them were Sissy Hankshaw, the hitchhiker with the 9-inch thumbs in "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," and Switters, the pacifist CIA operative in love with a nun in "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates." "Skinny Legs and All" featured a talking can of pork and beans, a dirty sock and Turn Around Norman, a performance artist whose act consisted of moving imperceptibly. "What I try to do, among other things, is to mix fantasy and spirituality, sexuality, humor and poetry in combinations that have never quite been seen before in literature," Robbins said in an interview with January magazine in 2000. "And I guess when a reader finishes one of my books ... I would like for him or her to be in the state that they would be in after a Fellini film or a Grateful Dead concert." From newsman to author He was born in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and grew up there and in Richmond, Virginia, in a family that he once described as "kind of a Southern Baptist version of 'The Simpsons.'" Robbins said he was dictating stories to his mother at age 5 and developed his writing skills further at Washington and Lee University in Virginia working on the school newspaper with Tom Wolfe, who would go on to write "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." Robbins worked as an editor, reporter and critic for newspapers in Richmond and Seattle, where he moved in the 1960s in search of a more progressive atmosphere than the South offered. He had a writing epiphany while reviewing a 1967 concert by the Doors. "It had jimmied the lock on my language box and smashed the last of my literary inhibitions," he wrote in the 2014 memoir "Tibetan Peach Pie." "When I read over the paragraphs I'd written that midnight, I detected an ease, a freedom of expression, a syntax simultaneously wild and precise." What came next was 1971's "Another Roadside Attraction," the roundabout tale of how the mummified, unresurrected body of Jesus was stolen from the Vatican and ended up at a hot dog stand in the U.S. Northwest. Five years later, his second book, "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," in which Sissy hitchhiked her way through a world of sex, drugs and mysticism, made him a cult favorite. His novels often had strong female protagonists, which made him especially popular with women readers. And while he appealed to the youth culture, the literary establishment never warmed to Robbins. Critics said his plots were formulaic and his style overwrought. Robbins wrote his books in longhand on legal pads, producing only a couple of pages a day and with nothing plotted in advance. An attempt at using an electric typewriter ended with the author bashing it with a piece of lumber. He labored over word selection and said he liked to "remind reader and writer alike that language is not the frosting, it's the cake." As a result, his works were overflowing with wild-eyed metaphors. "Word spread like a skin disease in a nudist colony," he wrote in "Skinny Legs and All." In "Jitterbug Perfume" he described a falling man as going down "like a sack of meteorites addressed special delivery to gravity." Robbins, who had three children, lived with his wife, Alexa, in La Conner, Washington, 70 miles north of Seattle.
MTV Lebanon
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- MTV Lebanon
Author Tom Robbins dies at 92
Author Tom Robbins, whose novels read like a hit of literary LSD, filled with fantastical characters, manic metaphors and counterculture whimsy, died on Sunday. He was 92. Robbins' death was announced by his wife, Alexa Robbins, on Facebook. The post did not cite a cause. "He was surrounded by his family and loyal pets. Throughout these difficult last chapters, he was brave, funny and sweet," Alexa Robbins wrote. "He asked that people remember him by reading his books." Robbins indulged the hippie sensibilities of young people starting in the early 1970s with books that had an overarching philosophy of what he called "serious playfulness" and a mandate that it should be pursued in the most outlandish ways possible. As he wrote in "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas," "Minds were made for blowing." Robbins' works included "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", "Another Roadside Attraction" and "Still Life With Woodpecker." Robbins' characters were over the top, off the wall and around the bend. Among them were Sissy Hankshaw, the hitchhiker with the 9-inch thumbs in "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," and Switters, the pacifist CIA operative in love with a nun in "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates." "Skinny Legs and All" featured a talking can of pork and beans, a dirty sock and Turn Around Norman, a performance artist whose act consisted of moving imperceptibly. "What I try to do, among other things, is to mix fantasy and spirituality, sexuality, humor and poetry in combinations that have never quite been seen before in literature," Robbins said in an interview with January magazine in 2000. "And I guess when a reader finishes one of my books ... I would like for him or her to be in the state that they would be in after a Fellini film or a Grateful Dead concert." He was born in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and grew up there and in Richmond, Virginia, in a family that he once described as "kind of a Southern Baptist version of 'The Simpsons.'" Robbins said he was dictating stories to his mother at age 5 and developed his writing skills further at Washington and Lee University in Virginia working on the school newspaper with Tom Wolfe, who would go on to write "The Right Stuff" and "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test."
NBC News
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Tom Robbins, 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues' author, dies at 92
Author Tom Robbins, whose novels read like a hit of literary LSD, filled with fantastical characters, manic metaphors and counterculture whimsy, died Sunday. He was 92. Robbins' death was announced by his wife, Alexa Robbins, on Facebook. The post did not cite a cause. 'He was surrounded by his family and loyal pets. Throughout these difficult last chapters, he was brave, funny and sweet,' Alexa Robbins wrote. 'He asked that people remember him by reading his books.' Robbins indulged the hippie sensibilities of young people starting in the early 1970s with books that had an overarching philosophy of what he called 'serious playfulness' and a mandate that it should be pursued in the most outlandish ways possible. As he wrote in 'Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas:' 'Minds were made for blowing.' Robbins' works included 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues," "Another Roadside Attraction' and 'Still Life With Woodpecker.' Robbins' characters were over the top, off the wall and around the bend. Among them were Sissy Hankshaw, the hitchhiker with the 9-inch thumbs in 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,' and Switters, the pacifist CIA operative in love with a nun in 'Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates.' 'Skinny Legs and All' featured a talking can of pork and beans, a dirty sock and Turn Around Norman, a performance artist whose act consisted of moving imperceptibly. 'What I try to do, among other things, is to mix fantasy and spirituality, sexuality, humor and poetry in combinations that have never quite been seen before in literature,' Robbins said in an interview with January magazine in 2000. 'And I guess when a reader finishes one of my books ... I would like for him or her to be in the state that they would be in after a Fellini film or a Grateful Dead concert.' He was born in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and grew up there and in Richmond, Virginia, in a family that he once described as 'kind of a Southern Baptist version of 'The Simpsons.'' Robbins said he was dictating stories to his mother at age 5 and developed his writing skills further at Washington and Lee University in Virginia working on the school newspaper with Tom Wolfe, who would go on to write 'The Right Stuff' and 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.' From newspapers to novels Robbins worked as an editor, reporter and critic for newspapers in Richmond and Seattle, where he moved in the 1960s in search of a more progressive atmosphere than the South offered. He had a writing epiphany while reviewing a 1967 concert by the Doors. 'It had jimmied the lock on my language box and smashed the last of my literary inhibitions,' he wrote in the 2014 memoir 'Tibetan Peach Pie.' 'When I read over the paragraphs I'd written that midnight, I detected an ease, a freedom of expression, a syntax simultaneously wild and precise.' What came next was 1971's 'Another Roadside Attraction,' the roundabout tale of how the mummified, unresurrected body of Jesus was stolen from the Vatican and ended up at a hot dog stand in the U.S. Northwest. Five years later, his second book, 'Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,' in which Sissy hitchhiked her way through a world of sex, drugs and mysticism, made him a cult favorite. His novels often had strong female protagonists, which made him especially popular with women readers. And while he appealed to the youth culture, the literary establishment never warmed to Robbins. Critics said his plots were formulaic and his style overwrought. Robbins wrote his books in longhand on legal pads, producing only a couple of pages a day and with nothing plotted in advance. An attempt at using an electric typewriter ended with the author bashing it with a piece of lumber. He labored over word selection and said he liked to 'remind reader and writer alike that language is not the frosting, it's the cake.' As a result, his works were overflowing with wild-eyed metaphors. 'Word spread like a skin disease in a nudist colony,' he wrote in 'Skinny Legs and All.' In 'Jitterbug Perfume' he described a falling man as going down 'like a sack of meteorites addressed special delivery to gravity.'
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tom Robbins, comic novelist of US counterculture, dies aged 92
Tom Robbins, whose novels read like a hit of literary LSD, filled with fantastical characters, manic metaphors and counterculture whimsy, has died aged 92. The author of works including Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Another Roadside Attraction and Still Life With Woodpecker, died on Sunday, his wife, Alexa Robbins, wrote on Facebook. The post did not cite a cause. 'He was surrounded by his family and loyal pets. Throughout these difficult last chapters, he was brave, funny and sweet,' Alexa Robbins wrote. 'He asked that people remember him by reading his books.' Robbins indulged the hippy sensibilities of young people starting in the early 1970s with books that had an overarching philosophy of what he called 'serious playfulness' and a mandate that it should be pursued in the most outlandish ways possible. As he wrote in Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas: 'Minds were made for blowing.' Robbins' characters were over the top, off the wall and around the bend. Among them were Sissy Hankshaw, the hitchhiker with the nine-inch thumbs in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and Switters, the pacifist CIA operative in love with a nun in Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates. Skinny Legs and All featured a talking can of pork and beans, a dirty sock and Turn Around Norman, a performance artist whose act consisted of moving imperceptibly. 'What I try to do, among other things, is to mix fantasy and spirituality, sexuality, humor and poetry in combinations that have never quite been seen before in literature,' Robbins said in a 2000 interview. 'And I guess when a reader finishes one of my books … I would like for him or her to be in the state that they would be in after a Fellini film or a Grateful Dead concert.' Born in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Robbins grew up there and in Richmond, Virginia, in a family that he once described as 'kind of a Southern Baptist version of The Simpsons'. He said he was dictating stories to his mother at age five and developed his writing skills further at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, working on the school newspaper with Tom Wolfe, who would go on to write The Right Stuff and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Robbins worked as an editor, reporter and critic for newspapers in Richmond and Seattle, where he moved in the 1960s in search of a more progressive atmosphere than the South offered. He had a writing epiphany while reviewing a 1967 concert by the Doors. 'It had jimmied the lock on my language box and smashed the last of my literary inhibitions,' he wrote in the 2014 memoir titled Tibetan Peach Pie. 'When I read over the paragraphs I'd written that midnight, I detected an ease, a freedom of expression, a syntax simultaneously wild and precise.' What came next was 1971's Another Roadside Attraction, the roundabout tale of how the mummified, unresurrected body of Jesus was stolen from the Vatican and ended up at a hotdog stand in the US north-west. Five years later, his second book, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, in which Sissy hitchhiked her way through a world of sex, drugs and mysticism, made him a cult favorite. His novels often had strong female protagonists, which made him especially popular with female readers. And while he appealed to the youth culture, the literary establishment never warmed to Robbins. Critics said his plots were formulaic and his style overwrought. Robbins wrote his books in longhand on legal pads, producing only a couple of pages a day and with nothing plotted in advance. An attempt at using an electric typewriter ended with the author bashing it with a piece of lumber. He laboured over word selection and said he liked to 'remind reader and writer alike that language is not the frosting, it's the cake'. As a result, his works were overflowing with wild-eyed metaphors. 'Word spread like a skin disease in a nudist colony,' he wrote in Skinny Legs and All. In Jitterbug Perfume he described a falling man as going down 'like a sack of meteorites addressed special delivery to gravity.' Robbins had three children with his wife, Alexa.
