Robert became close to many of these sage like bottle philosophers who were often iniquitous, devious and dangerous characters. But to a man they regarded Robert as different to the usual stereotypical do-gooder, and held him in huge esteem.

« detail from The Burial of John Kynance
Oil on Canvas.
Private collection

This is well illustrated by probably the only survivor of those days and the subject of some of Roberts best work. Mr. Les Ryder (see “King Ryder” Plymouth City Museum), alive and sober bow and often guest of honour at exhibition openings. Les has the demeanour of a man who has resided in purgatory and returned to gaze respectfully and sombrely into the past, into the hell of it all. A man who has felt the breath of the beast and lived.

'The blind
leading the blind'
Project 'Observations on Local Education'
Oil on Canvas
Private collection

Robert has enjoyed a chequered relationship with Plymouth, especially with the city council. Local opinion varies from sycophantic adoration of bored art-house dowagers, to hand jerk reactions from Plymouth city taxi drivers.

“ That Mr. Lankerwhich, ooooo, eee’s a bleddy weird boy eee is, by f***, eee’s got a dead tramp, eee likes that kinda stuff, know what I means?”—Taxi Driver Plymouth 1991

Visions of an unhinged, necrophiliac, caped werewolf rushing from sexual conquest to conquest persist–with un-flagrante maidens in hot pursuit–leaving a trail of children as physical, tangible evidence of a libido from hell.