I don't think I want to do this MTV thing now. Good thing too. XTC shine in the craft of songwriting where so many contenders half their age are still stringing chords together. Such quality music hasn't gone unnoticed. All the while, XTC still influence other groups, having been covered recently by such disparate artists as Primus, former Eurythmic Dave Stewart and the Trash Can Sinatras.
Partridge is unique in other ways too.
An avid comic book collector until his collection was ravaged by mice, he now collects toy soldiers just as enthusiastically. When his lyrics aren't referring to comic characters such as Sgt. One could imagine little girls singing while jumping rope. A lot of nursery rhymes were originally political ditties. Seemingly, innocent things like the 'Goosey Goosey Gander' one arose from the English Civil War, about the storm troopers of the Parliamentarian side, the Roundheads, who were sometimes called 'geese' because of the way they dressed.