Alt-rock pioneer Robyn Hitchcock performs at the MIM on Friday

In a world where music stars flare brightly and fade out quickly, English songwriter Robyn Hitchcock has been an eccentric, slow-burning flame. Since emerging with the punkish, jangle-pop band The Soft Boys in the late 70s, Hitchcock has released over three dozen albums while remaining a comfortably underground figure.

“I’m not really designed for mass consumption,” he told me on a recent mid-May afternoon. “I wouldn’t be able to deal with the psychic pressure of being a very well-known person.”

“It’s great to be respected for what you do,” he continued, “and I’m sure I would like the financial security, but I don’t really want to be a public figure.”

This sort of detachment and purpose has long been a hallmark of Hitchcock’s long career. Though Hitchcock has never broken into the mainstream, he and the Soft Boys certainly influenced other performers, most notably REM, Teenage Fanclub, and perhaps even the Valley’s own Gin Blossoms. But it’s his lyrical genius, not his jangly guitar, that sets him apart. Songs like “My Wife and My Dead Wife,” “Uncorrected Personality Traits” and “The Man with the Lightbulb Head” add an unparalleled layer of surrealism.

After his first three solo albums, Hitchcock formed his backing band, The Egyptians, who supported him from 1984 to 1994. After the college-rock level success of their album Element of Light, the band signed to A&M and released four albums on the major label.

Over the years, Hitchcock found himself collaborating with some of those he influenced, like REM’s Peter Buck and Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, in addition to XTC’s Andy Partridge.

More recently, he’s released a couple of singles with his wife, the Australian singer-songwriter Emma Swift, who, though nearly 30 years younger, complements him perfectly.

I asked Hitchcock if he ever thought about doing a full-length collaboration with her. “It’s funny you should say that. That’s kind of what we’re working on now”, he said. “We’re both lead vocalists, so the album’s going to sound quite forceful.”

Attendees will get an opportunity to see Swift in action at the show, Hitchcock confirms. “Emma runs the merch and will also be joining me for the last third of the show on harmonies.”

With no new album out, I asked Robyn what material he’ll be drawing from for the Phoenix gig. “I play a lot of material from the 1980s, you know, my radio days, and intercut it with a bit of more recent stuff. But I also take requests. People send in requests by various social media.”

What’s changed for you the most over the course of your career?

“The big change over the last 50 years is I have a lot more gratitude for the people who’ve got me here and keep me here. You know I’m very touched that people want to come and see what I do, and see what Emma and I do, and I’m a bit less insecure because I know I’ve actually proved that I can do it”, he said. “I’ve done what I wanted to do, which was make a living out of writing songs. So, in my own mind, I think I feel like I’m a success.”

 Robyn Hitchcock will perform at the MIM on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available on the venue’s site and start at $38.50.