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Xylophone Man
Frank Robinson - Xylophone Man

Xylophone Man remembered

Nottingham City Council unveil a tribute to Frank Robinson aka 'Xylophone Man'.


Tribute unveiled - Thursday, 10th November 2005

Xylophone Man, whose real name was Frank Robinson, died from a heart attack on the 4th of July 2004 at the age of 73.

Now a granite slab has been laid at his favourite busking spot on Listergate.

The slab has been prepared by local man Chris Hart. He called BBC Radio Nottingham's Breakfast presenter Karl Cooper and offered his services.

Today's unveiling of the slab is a culmination of that very call.

Xylophone Man tribute
Xylophone Man tribute

The tribute is a 60cm x 60cm slab which says, "Frank Robinson - Xylophone Man 1932-2004, played his xylophone here".

Interview with Frank Robinson December 2003

Xylophone man was without a doubt one of the most bizarre yet famous musicians in Nottingham.

Jared Wilson of www.LeftLion.co.uk spoke to Frank Robinson in June 2003.

"After more than a decade on the streets Xylophone man is instantly recognizable to a wide range of the public. More so than any local politician, member of the council and perhaps even the cities footballers.

When I went to university (down south in Exeter) and nervously explained to the new people I met that I came from Nottingham I was usually greeted by a recognition of Robin Hood or "Is that up north?"

The only other thing that (three different) people, who had visited the city on shopping trips remembered, was a peculiar man who busked with a Xylophone (badly) in the city centre.

He is undisputedly Nottingham's favourite busker and has been for the last decade. This is no mean feat in a city that also contains the Muddy Waters lookalike from near Broad marsh centre.

Put bluntly, Xylophone man is not famous for his musical talent. Despite the fact he has recently broadened his range to the odd Christmas carol, his approach to his instrument is still much the same as would a child's be, had they just received the instrument for Christmas. This is probably why we love him..."

What's your real name?

Frank Robinson.

How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?

21 today. No, I'm 72 years young.

How long have you been busking in Nottingham?

It's coming up to 15 years now. I started at the end of the eighties. I've never done it anywhere else!

Who are your musical inspirations?

(Pause. Xylophone man looks at me a bit blankly.)

Your... erm favourite musicians. The people that inspired you to pick up the Xylophone.

I like a bit of Elvis. A bit of the Beatles. Maybe even a little bit of Van Morrison.

So no Xylophone players then?

No. I don't know any apart from me.

Have you always had the same Xylophone?

No. I've got through a few in my time. This one's my favourite though!

Whereabouts are you from in Nottingham?

I was born in Cotgrave and I still live there. I've lived all my years there.

What are you going to be doing for Christmas?

Well I don't really know yet. I'm a quiet man really. I keep myself to myself. All my family have passed away and I haven't got any people. I'll just be relaxing at home I suppose.

Do you support any of the local football teams?

Yeah. I look out for them both, but I've always been a Forest fan.

Can you remember when they were kings of Europe in '79?

Yes. They were awesome years. Trevor Francis was a legend! Definitely some of my best memories! Shame they're not really up to it at the moment.

Do you play any other instruments apart from the Xylophone?

I can play a little bit on the guitar and a little on the piano, but not really. I don't pretend that I'm Mozart, I'm just having a bit of fun and keeping people entertained. I get to meet a lot of people as well, which is good.

And with that Xylophone man covertly signals to us that the interview is over. He starts to hit the little metal plates, with his rubber-ended stick and LeftLion eventually gets the hint that having journalists hanging round is bad for his business.

A picture of Xylophone Man adorns the Nottingham gallery at the bottom of Nottingham castle. His legend has been passed around the city and even the country. He's also a bloody nice bloke, if a little eccentric. Frank Robinson has made his mark in the city, with his own special talent for entertaining the public. LeftLion would never have felt complete had we not done this interview.

Jared Wilson, LeftLion.co.uk

last updated: 10/11/05
Have Your Say
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Keith
It's a rare gift to be able to make people smile. I didn't see him often and I now wish I had. Remembering him makes me think of the way my wife and I would smile. For a moment he brought us closer together. He must have done that millions of times over the years. Rosie Garner, a local poet, has given her personal memorial to Frank, which can be seen at: http://www.nctx.co.uk/Poems/Poetrylinkpage.htm What makes me smile in the poem is the idea of a Xylophone Man procession through Nottingham.

Strou
He was ace, i rememeber going through nottingham numerous times and him banging away

Rachel
I think the tribute is a lovely idea, I was really sad when Xylophone man passed away, he is greatly missed - shopping is just not the same anymore.

John
God bless him!

ron
well done to notts county council and the BBC for the tribute to frank. from a cotgrave resident.

Carl
I've lived in Newcastle now for 8 years, but I can still vividly remember his playing, it always used to bring a smile to my face :D . I would have liked to have heard his christmas carols for a change though as I seem to recall hearing his own version of "oh when the saints go marching in" rather a lot.

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